MONSTER
A GO GO (1965)/PSYCHED BY THE 4D WITCH(1972)
Directors: Bill Rebane, Victor Luminera
Something Weird Video/Image Entertainment
MONSTER
A GO GO (1965)/PSYCHED BY THE 4D WITCHWhen SWV markets their latest DVD double feature as a "Way-out Double Feature," you know you're in for a treat. Pairing two totally unrelated films which are both extremely rare was a good idea.
MONSTER A GO GO began life as
TERROR AT HALFDAY, a science fiction flick detailing the crash landing of a
space satellite and the giant that erupts from it and terrorizes the countryside.
Directed by Bill Rebane (THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION), the film was 
acquired
by exploitation veteran Herschell Gordon Lewis, who wrote and directed new scenes,
then unleashed the film on an unsuspecting drive-in audience as MONSTER A GO
GO. At 69 minutes, MONSTER feels like the longest movie ever made. Move over,
LORD OF THE RINGS, you ain't got nothin' on this baby! Featuring a pretty groovy
garage band theme song and a bizarre villain in real-life giant Henry Hite (who
died soon after completing the film), I can't imagine recommending this film
to anyone. Lewis attempts to make the film as "far out" as possible,
but the finished results are unbearably boring and pointless. You could watch
the film in fast-forward and still know exactly what is going on. The twist
ending is an interesting idea, but it only infuriates the viewer who is looking
forward to an actual ending that would give the film a reason to exist. MST3K
fans will remember the 'Bots making fun of this film and you would be hard-pressed
to find someone who thinks the film is undeserving of such ridicule.
After
wiping the egg off your face, move on to PSYCHED BY THE 4D WITCH. And expect
anything to happen. Bubbly Cindy is a virginal blonde who delves in witchcraft
and resurrects the spirit of her ancestor, Abigail, a Salem witch who allows
her to experience sex, but still remain a virgin by chanting "Let's fantasy
fuck now" before doing the deed. Proceeding to bed her gay neighbor and
her aunt Fannie(!), Cindy decides enough is enough when Abigail forces Cindy's
friend Jan to take part in a sexual snake charming ritual. After Cindy calls
Abigal a "Salem witch bitch" (hilarious sequence!), Abigail moves
on to possess Cindy's brother Mark, who becomes the king of the sex vampires
who gnaws on naked women with some pretty lousy fangs. The final 20 minutes
will leave most heads a-spinnin' and an amazing twist ending will have you rewatching
the film all over again to experience the wonders of "fantasy fucking."
WITCH is the most bizarre film ever made in America. I defy any viewer to come up with a more off-the-wall, nonsensical, and jaw-droppingly weird example of filmmaking. Save for a few awkwardly shot outdoor sequences, the entire film is told by psychedelic effects, featuring scare masks, light shows, slow motion, double exposures, negative film stock, and plenty of other snazzy camera tricks. The main theme "Beware of the 4D Witch" is pretty cool, as is the constant classical music, including "Night on Bald Mountain," better known as the theme for the OLGA films. John Waters fans may recognize the haunted house recording heard during Jan's snake ritual; it accompanied Mink Stole's psychotic rampage down the streets of Baltimore in MONDO TRASHO. The star of PSYCHED is the hilarious narration, packed with quotable conversation and description. Simply amazing, the disc is worth purchasing just to see this film once.
Both
films are supposedly digitally remastered, but the prints are nothing to brag
about. MONSTER has some good moments of crisp clarity, but for the most part
is grainy and dirty. PSYCHED suffers the most, but the print used is apparently
the only print left of the film. Strangely enough, the first instance of the
phrase "fantasy fuck" goes by uncensored, but other examples of the
word "fuck" and other swear words are muted out? The film proclaims
its R rating in the opening credits, but I wonder if there existed an X-rated
version that is probably lost forever. MONSTER's soundtrack is very weak, but
PSYCHED features a strong mono mix.
Besides the trailer for MONSTER
A GO GO (the trailer for PSYCHED has disappeared), there are also many trailers
that recently appeared on SWV's SHRIEK & SHUDDER SHOW VHS trailer compilation.
EYES OF HELL is a retitling of the 3-D MASK from 1961. INSECT-O-THON MIDNIGHT
SHOW doesn't list 
any
of the films in the marathon, but one can assume such classics as TARANTULA,
BLACK SCORPION, and BEGINNING OF THE END made appearances. BLOOD BATH is the
original edit of TRACK OF THE VAMPIRE, featuring footage from PORTRAIT OF TERROR
and some pretty cool special effects. CREATURE OF THE WALKING DEAD is a Mexican
import from Jerry Warren and is reportedly quite boring. FRANKENSTEIN MEETS
THE SPACE MONSTER looks absolutely amazing, someone release this on DVD now!!
SOMETHING WEIRD is the standby H.G. Lewis trailer, letting us know that Lewis
didn't just release strange films, he often made them himself as well!! TALES
OF THE BIZARRE's trailer doesn't accent the sexual aspect of the film, but instead
features interesting horror anthology ideas. WITCHCRAFT/HORROR OF IT ALL is
a combo trailer with Chaney, Jr. and Pat Boone!! Plus BOURBON STREET SHADOWS
and PSYCOSISSIMO, both of which left no impression on me.
The short subject BEDTIME BOOGA
BOOGA is a homemade horror movie (I love that SWV is including these on so many
of their discs). It tells of a man who falls asleep while watching NIGHT OF
THE LIVING DEAD and encounters monsters in his dreams that might be real. Back
to the bizarre, PSYCHED BY 
THE
2-D DOT is an arty and hilarious take on censorship, with a nude model being
chased and attacked by censor blobs!! A featurette, DRIVING MISS DAISY CRAZY,
has no original title, but the leading lady was a regular Michael Findlay actress
in THE ULTIMATE DEGENERATE and THE KISS OF HER FLESH. She is being terrorized
by her evil husband, who loves taking advantage of her fears of closed spaces
and fire. He pays both the maid and the psychiatrist to drug her and have sex
with her (!!) while he takes incriminating photos. Then a roomful of monsters
attacks her. The black and white photography in this short feature is topnotch,
and some of the scares are genuine. The shock ending is pretty effective, and
only leaves me wondering who the rather good lead actress is. And of course
the Gallery of Horrorama Drive-in Exploitation Art is excellent, but it offers
nothing new in terms of both posters and radio spots.
The "Way-out Double Feature" might have been a tad more "way out" if it had wanted to, but MONSTER A GO GO is a weak top half of such a bill. Thankfully the second half is weird enough for ten movies in a row and won't leave you disappointed. (Casey Scott)