LADY
TERMINATOR (1988)Director: Jalil Jackson
Mondo Macabro USA
LADY
TERMINATOR (1988)Connoisseurs
of worldwide trash cinema recognize the films that come out of Indonesia as some
of the wildest human eyes can witness. Packed with outrageous violence, startling
nudity and sex, goofy dialogue and larger than life characters, and a special
Southeast Asian quality that no other country can duplicate, Indonesian cinema
is always surprising and never dull. After unleashing a super edition of MYSTICS
IN BALI through their UK branch, Mondo Macabro now presents this Indonesian treasure
for U.S. consumption. 
A snarling insatiable queen of the ocean (with hairy armpits) keeps busy bagging as many horny local men as possible, and when they can't satisfy her, she castrates them with her lovetrap! "Is there any man who can satisfy me?" she asks, even dares the audience. One brave muscular white guy decides to take that challenge, and just before she can whack his wiener off, he pulls a snake from between her legs, which becomes a knife (?!). She vows vengeance on the hero's great-granddaughter and vanishes into the ocean. Years later, in the present (the awesome 80s), Tanya, a beautiful young anthropology student ("I'm not a lady! I'm an anthropologist!") researching the legend of said South Sea Queen, goes scuba diving to find her underwater castle and is possessed by the bloodthirsty spirit of the Queen! Emerging from the sea fully nude, she has sex with two drunk guys (who just finished pissing like racehorses near their car!), castrating both of them, sending blood spurting into their screaming faces. Her mission: kill the great-granddaughter of the now-dead hero and slaughter anyone standing in her way...oh yeah, and have as much sex as possible!
Words
cannot describe just how insane, exciting and downright brilliant LADY TERMINATOR
really is. Every line of dialogue is a camp classic gem, badly dubbed into English
(though it seems the film was shot in English, even by the Indonesian cast); the
oh-so-80s synthesizer score is perfect; tons of action scenes feature flamethrowers,
machine gun blasts, explosions, and tons of dead bodies dropping like flies (massacres
at a mall, a disco a police station and an airfield are highlights); a great pop
music number; plenty of big hair, big guns, big explosions, and big breasts; more
references to the original TERMINATOR (including the famous "Come with me
if you want to live" line) than could possibly be legal; and of course, the
controversial sex scenes resulting in dismembered donkey dongs. Busty beautiful
Barbara Ane Constable shows no fear at dropping her top, mowing down hundreds
of innocent people with her trusty machine gun, and indulging in panting sex scenes,
all for the pleasure of the audience. What a dedicated actress! She also has a
great scene where she carves her eyeball out (!) then replaces it after fishing
a necklace out of the socket!
Mondo Macabro is known for their tender loving care to the films they preserve, and LADY TERMINATOR is proof that even the most obscure craptastic classic can look like a big-budget blockbuster. MM head honcho Pete Tombs has expressed worries about the transfer quality of some of his films, but he needn't show concern if the films are half as entertaining as this one! Letterboxed at 1.66:1, this flick looks superb, with a few instances of white lines and dirt. Detail is sharp and clear, for the most part, and colors are garishly beautiful. The mono audio is perfect.
Always
looking to provide historical background on the film and its country of origin,
MM includes a great short documentary on Indonesian horror cinema. With clips
from MYSTICS IN BALI, LADY TERMINATOR, DANGEROUS SEDUCTRESS, THE DEVIL'S SWORD,
the WARRIOR films, PRIMITIV and many other (unfortunately not credited) films,
and interviews with actors Barry Prima and Lydia Kandou, director Tjut Djalil
(aka Jalil Jackson), make-up master El Badrun, producers Raam Punjabi and Sunil
Samtani, screenwriter Imam Tantowi and critic Aris Sdiran Siagian, this is as
comprehensive a guide you can get to the weird and wonderful cinema of Indonesia.
It covers the influence of Western films and local legends and folklore on their
horror films, the origin of the homegrown film industry, and how the films made
in Indonesia were often more popular in their homeland than imported Western films!
Here's hoping that all of the films previewed on this piece will eventually be
unleashed on DVD from Mondo Macabro!
A selection of alternate scenes are presented to show the results of strict censorship in Indonesia at the time. The South Sea Queen sequence was shot with an Indonesian actor and less flesh for its domestic release, for example and Tanya rising from the ocean fully nude was also shot with green optical lightning covering her entire body. The original trailer is included, with English narration and oddly a number of Asian subtitles (?!) making it all the more kooky viewing. Some viewers may wish to skip the text essays, but they are all strongly recommended. Pete Tombs was an author, of course, before he began his DVD company, so they are all incredibly well-written and compelling histories of Indonesian horror films, a complete Tjut Djalil filmography, and a superb history of the South Sea Queen's legend. A stills gallery contains video sleeves, international posters, and peeks at several pressbooks, all with captions describing each illustration. Capping off the disc is a selection of Mondo Previews; clips from their previously released discs, all essential (ALUCARDA, THE DIABOLICAL DR. Z, ASWANG, THE LIVING CORPSE, BLOOD OF THE VIRGINS, SEVEN WOMEN FOR SATAN, MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN), the LADY TERMINATOR disc, and tantalizing glimpses at upcoming releases (CRAZY LOVE, DANGEROUS SEDUCTRESS, GIRL SLAVES OF MORGANA LE FAY). ***Casey's Choice: Top 10 Disc of 2004*** (Casey Scott)