The VHS Archives: Jopi Burnama's WAR VICTIMS (1983)

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WAR VICTIMS

Jopi Burnama's Kamp tawanan wanita (1983)

The VHS Archives Factsheet

Label: Video City Productions

Catalog: None

Box Type: Clamshell

Year of Release: 1986

Runtime: 96:05

Print: 1.33:1 / English / No subs

Extras: Trailers for The Devil (ltbx!), Mob War, and Charon (ltbx!)

About the Film

Director: Jopi Burnama

Year of Release: 1983

Country of Origin: Indonesia

Stars: Marisa Haque, Boy Tirayoh, Ivina Anwar, Loli Temple, Baby Silvia 

AKAs: War Victims of Kamp Tawanan Wanita, Women's Prison Camp, Female Prison Camp, Day of the Escape

Verbatim Box Synopsis

The story follows the life of a young Malasian female resistance fighter during W.W. II. She is captured and interned in a Japanese jungle prison camp. Then it came to brutal and horrific treatment of both civilian and combat prisoners in W.W. II, the Nazis had little worse to offer than the Jailers of the Rising Sun. 

U.S. Video City Productions sleeve!

German Starlight Video sleeve, originally scanned by "Kothar"!

Greek Rex Film Home Video sleeve, also scanned by "Kothar"!

Japanese Albatros sleeve!

Rare trailer -- special thanks to James for the upload!

Looking for War Victims on VHS? It's available on Amazon here. 
Not currently on DVD.

Investigate more titles with Project: Video City!

For a look at other labels, check out The VHS Archives!

© 2012 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

It's Name that Movie Monday! Challenge #26!

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Welcome back to Name that Movie Monday!

It's time for Challenge #26 here at the ol' Arcana! Can you identify this week's mystery photo, scanned direct from The Holecheck Archives? If you think you recognize it, post a comment below. As the week goes on, if no one guesses correctly I'll begin adding some pretty useless hints. Easy, right?

Here ya' go -- good luck!

UPDATE:

Temple of Schlock's Chris Poggiali scores his fifth win and smashes the record books by liberating Joe Viola's The Hot Box (1972) in five minutes flat! It's a sweaty tale of four American nurses on duty in a South American clinic who end up captured by "The People's Army" and are forced to tend the medical needs of their followers. Slowly but surely our quartet begin to believe in The Cause, but not until they've all popped their tops.

Shot in the Philippines like most Roger Corman-produced jungle actioners, The Hot Box is a calculated melding of two of New World's most profitable genres: their Nurse series and their Women-in-Prison outings. Featuring the usual mixture of sexy girls (including exploitation favorites like Margaret Markov and Laurie Rose), stuff blowing up, and a politicized message from co-scripter Jonathan Demme, it's not quite as trashy as its campaign would lead you to believe, but it's still a fun timewaster for those with low demands.

Released to theaters by New World Pictures in May 1972, the film never quite reached the popularity of the outfit's similar offerings, especially the Pam Grier titles, but that's not really much of a surprise. (The MPAA lists RX: Revolution as an aka; has any paper surfaced under this title?) It hit VHS in 1986 courtesy of Embassy Home Entertainment, but its digital editions since have left a lot to be desired; both the E.I. Women in Prison Triple Feature from 2009 and Infinity's 2010 Roger Corman's Best of the B's: Escape from Prison utilize tape masters and are no real improvement on what came prior. Thankfully, the word on the streets is that Shout Factory will be doing the film up proper in 2012 as part of their Roger Corman's Cult Classics line; given their track record, this should prove to be the definitive release!

Newspaper ad courtesy of Fred Adelman's Critical Condition.

For a look at our last Challenge, click here.  While you're at it, Challenge #24 is still unsolved, so click here to try your luck! We also have quite a few unidentified Grab Bag photos, if you really want to show your stuff. And don't forget, our Upcoming Releases List (the best on the 'net) is constantly updated, so stop by and preorder some cool stuff!

© 2011 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

The VHS Archives: Luigi Batzella's SS EXPERIMENT CAMP 2 (1977)

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SS EXPERIMENT CAMP 2

Luigi Batzella's La bestia in calore (1977)

The VHS Archives Factsheet
Label: Mogul Communications, Inc.
Catalog: MOG1018

Box Type: Clamshell

Year of Release: 1987
Runtime: 77:27

Print: 1.33:1 / English / No subs

Extras: None

About the Film

Director: Luigi Batzella

Year of Release: 1977
Country of Origin: Italy

Stars: Macha Magall, Xiro Papas, Salvatore Baccaro, Gino Turini, Brad Harris, Brigitte Skay

AKAs: The Beast in Heat, SS Hell Camp, Horrifying Experiments of the SS Last Days, Nazi Holocaust

Verbatim Box Synopsis

A terrifying story of violence and madness set in a camp of re-inforced concrete and wire during World War II.

Some of the prisoners got out -- the lucky few -- and some of them didn't, those who didn't were left to suffer the isolation of the concentration camp and the ruthlessness of Hitler's elite band of Nazi guards.

This is the story of those who didn't escape.  A story of the destruction of men and history and the Nazi pledge to shock and plunder.

U.S. Mogul sleeve!

U.S. Video City Productions sleeve!

U.K. JVI Video Films sleeve, courtesy of the Grindhouse Database! 

South Korean NVC sleeve, originally scanned by "gialloboy"!

Danish Video Action / Videogram sleeve, courtesy of Hans-Jorn Reimer and his Danish Ex-Rental VHS Appreciation Group!

French Assaut Video sleeve, taken from Nanarland!

Greek AGM Home Video sleeve, originally scanned by ""!

DVD trailer, uploaded by "Jewbo23"!

Though this tape isn't readily available, Media Blasters issued an excellent uncut DVD that is well worth picking up!  Get it by itself, or in a Nazi Nasty triple-pack!

Investigate more titles with Project: MOGUL!

For a look at other labels, check out The VHS Archives!

© 2011 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

The VHS Archives: Maman Firmansyan's HELL HOLE (1983)

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HELL HOLE

Maman Firmansyan's Kawin kontrak (1983)

The VHS Archives Factsheet

Label: All American Video
Catalog: AAV119
Box Type: Clamshell
Year of Release: ?
Runtime: 102:34
Print: 1.33:1 / English / No subs
Extras: None

About the Film
Director: Maman Firmansyan
Year of Release: 1983

Country of Origin: Indonesia

Stars: Gudi Sintara, Dicky Zulkarnaen, Lina Budiarty, Youstine Rais
AKAs: Escape from Hellhole

Verbatim Box Synopsis

A terryfying story where the syndicate kidnaps pretty girsl and sells them as "wife on contract". Should the girls refuse they are sent to "Hell Hole" where they endure the most brutal torture.

Some of the girls arrange an escape attempt and their ultimate aim is to annihilate the sadistic MG, the boss of the syndicate.

U.S. All American sleeve! 

Puerto Rican Puerto Rico Productions sleeve!

Danish Video International sleeve, courtesy of Jack Jenson's Backyard Asia! 

French Punch Video sleeve, taken from Nanarland! 

 German Best sleeve, taken from Video Museum!

Bonus trailer, uploaded by "moskamaijer"!

No tapes readily available, but if you just want to see the film there's a bootleg DVD from VideoAsia, paired with Jungle Virgin Force, available here.

Investigate more titles with Project: MOGUL!

For a look at other labels, check out The VHS Archives!




© 2011 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

Project IVC: Jess Franco's BARBED WIRE DOLLS (1975)

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BARBED WIRE DOLLS

Jess Franco's Frauengefangnis (1975)

The VHS Archives Factsheet

Label: Imperial Video Corp.
Catalog: IVC101
Box Type: Clamshell
Year of Release: 1983
Runtime: 81:08
Print: 1.33:1 / English / No subs

Extras: None

About the Film
Director: Jess Franco
Year of Release: 1975
Country of Origin: Switzerland
Stars: Lina Romay, Martine Stedil, Paul Muller, Monica Swinn, Eric Falk
AKAs: Women's Penitentiary IV, Caged Women

Verbatim Box Synopsis

Women convicts are doomed to a fate worse than death, in a hell-hole of a prison in a South American jungle. They are ruled by a sadistic female warden with powers of life and death over her charges.  Each inmate lives in deadly fear of becoming the next object of the Warden's perverted sexual fantasies.  Once sent to the "Torture Chamber," they are never the same again, mentally or physically.  Sometimes they are carried out in a box.  Three of the most desperate women ultimately kill their tormentors in their dash for freedom.

U.S. Imperial Video Corp. sleeve! 

Imperial Video Corp. promotional poster, courtesy of Ed McHale, Jr.!

U.K. Vipco sleeve, swiped from The Vipco Blog! 

 Dutch Video for Pleasure sleeve, swiped from El Franconomicon!

Fan trailer, created by Bad Monster Films!

Notes

One of Uncle Jess' more ridiculously sleazy efforts, Barbed Wire Dolls, while certainly no masterpiece, showcases several justifiably famous setpieces guaranteed to stick to your brainpan for the rest of your life.  Plotwise, it's your typical women-in-prison offering, but as with most of Franco's work, it's all about the details.  Yup, this is the film that, in order to save film-stock, Jess shoots a slow-motion sequence in regular speed, with both him and Lina Romay feigning the lesser frame-rate, and not quite succeeding... Other "highlights" include your usual sadism and torture, with all sorts of beatings, torture and electrocution, but it's the "cigarette masturbation" bit that really drives home this one's level of grubbiness.  Worth a look, just to see how grimy the maestro can get.

Looking for Barbed Wire Dolls on VHS? It's available on Amazon here.

Investigate more titles with Project: IVC!

For a look at other labels, check out The VHS Archives!

© 2011 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.