This week Chris and Mike delve into a classic film from exploitation auteur Jack Hill - Switchblade Sisters (1975). This forgotten classic is a true gem of grindhouse cinema that offers much more than simply trashy entertainment. Lace - leader of the Dagger Debs - is threatened when a new girl moves onto her turf and catches the eye of her boyfriend Dom. Politics, love triangles, bake sales, this movie has it all!
Chris is currently on tour with his band Leftover Crack. Recently he is was New York and had the opportunity to sit down with Joey Steel for an interview on his podcast: Dispatches from the Underground.
Chris and Mike delve into one of the most classic 1980's films, Thrashin'. This gem has avoided falling into complete obscurity because it stars Josh Brolin and features a cameo by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's a true 80s film in every sense of the word: the clothing, the music, the dialogue; it's amazing. While it might not fit directly into the world of Grindhouse or Exploitation cinema it's a treat and we think you will agree.
Welcome to a special interview episode of The Grindbin. Chris and I recently had the opportunity to interview filmmaker Tanner Beard about his new film 6 Bullets to Hell - a Grindhouse Western just realesed on the Apple Store, Google Play and other streaming services.
Chris and Mike find out just how much trouble one man with a VHS camcorder and a Casio keyboard can get into with this week's "film", Black Devil Doll from Hell (1984). This is without a doubt the worst film Chris and Mike have ever seen; there is absolutely no question about it.
When Helen walked into a curio shop one day she never expected her life to change. Going from a god-fearing woman to a sex craved maniac all because of a simple doll.
Chris and Mike stay after class to discuss the 1974 thriller, The Teacher, a movie that's not at all what it's advertised to be. What's advertised as a simple sexploitation romp turns into a tale of a predator, her prey, and the inevitable consequences of a relationship that never should have happened.
On this episode Chris and Mike delve into an experiment gone wrong with 1973's Invasion of the Bee Girls.
Bodies of men have started to pile up in the small town of Peckham, California; all dead from heart attacks caused by sexual intercourse. It's up to Neil Agar - government agent - to solve the case and find out what mysterious force is behind these strange occurrences.
Later on the show, Chris tries his hand at online dating with Jeanie from The Cheerleaders. Come join the discussion at grindhousefilm.com.
It's Wednesday, and you know what that means, it's cruise night over on Van Nuys Blvd. In this episode Chris and Mike return to the cannon of Crown International Pictures to discuss one of their more pointless entries.
Bobby arrives home at his trailer where his topless girlfriend hands him a beer. He turns on the TV and finds a local news report discussing Van Nuys Blvd. It's at this moment where he decides to leave his old life and go cruise the blvd. What happens next is about an hour and a half commercial for Six Flags Magic Mountain (That's not a joke).
What makes this movie special is that is comes with a commentary by the director of the film, William Sachs. Mike and Chris discuss his comments and gain some much needed insight into how a Crown International Picture is born.
This week Chris and Mike try and explain one of the most bizarre films ever made, Supervixens; directed by Russ Meyer - king of the sexploitation genre.
Clint Ramsey is forced to leave his dream job at a gas station when his wife is murdered by a psycho cop, Harry Sledge. From here things only get weirder as Clint is continually accosted by busty women who force themselves onto him until he is reunited with his one true love, a new job at a gas station.
Chris and Mike also try their hands at internet dating with Kim Bentley from Malibu High (1979).
Blood Diner is one of those rare movies that succeeds by being bad on purpose. Typically these types of movies don't come across as genuine and create a false sense of so-bad-it's-good. Bad movies that we remember and talk about are never made to be bad on purpose, they are earnest attempts by filmmakers who simply won't back down in the face of people telling them they are insane. These are the true gems of trash cinema and Blood Diner somehow crosses over this line.
The Director, Jackie Kong, was certainly aware of what she was making but the final product is so bizzare and disjointed from reality that you can't help but laugh. Most of the dialogue (if not all) seems completely re-dubbed in the ADR booth. Exposition is haphazardly fired off by characters (onscreen and off) talking almost in fast forward. This movie is simply one of the most bizzare spectales you will ever witness.
Chris and Mike delve into another Crown International classic. And this one really is a classic. The Beach Girls (1982) is pretty much the perfect guilty pleasure - a movie that features two beach parties and pretty much nothing else.
School just got out for the summer and Sarah has invited her two friends Ducky and Ginger to spend the weekend with her at her Uncle Carl's beach house. What ensues is two beach parties for the ages.
Mike and Chris uncover some interesting information about the writer of this movie as well as what happened to some of the stars of the film. Crown was really firing on all cylinders with this film.
Finally! The amazing people over at Drafthouse Films have released one of the greatest mysteries in LA cinema. In 2005 a strange and mysterious movie appeared in four local movie theathers with absolutely no promotion of any kind. It's director, cast and even basic information couldn't even be found on IMDB. During it's initial run the film only made $70. It gained very little attention online and was doomed to obscurity; that is until now.
Chris and Mike discuss the background of the film: how it was made over the course of two decades, what happened to John Rad, as well as a personal connection Mike has to this film. This is the Mount Everest of bad movies!
Chris and Mike delve into Crown International's most successful film, the teen sexploitation classic, My Tutor (1983).
From the IMDB synopsis: A rich father hires a tutor for his son. The son is a horny teenager and the tutor is a gorgeous blonde. Complications ensue.
Thanks again for your comments and suggestions. If you have any recommendations for future movies as well as comments about past episodes, please visit our website grindhousefilm.com or find us on twitter.com/grindpod
How do you make a movie that attempts to be a female empowerment message yet sets women's rights back 50 years? Just ask 1973's Superchick! In this episode Chris and Mike break down yet another Crown International classic.
Tara B True is a real special kind of lady, a super kind of lady if you will. She gets to travel the US as a flight attendant, she sleeps with a new man in every city, and she learns karate; boy the things women could achieve in the early 1970's! And to think they complained about not voting just a few decades before, just look at how far they've come.
And how does this film relate the Reagan White House? Load up this episode and find out.
Today Chris and Mike discuss the Linda Blair classic, Savage Streets (1984).
If you haven't seen Savage Streets then you are missing out on one of the greatest trash-cinema classics of all time. This movie exists in a parallel universe where teenage girls shop for bear traps and crossbows and hair is so big it has a life of its own.
Linda Blair gives an absolute classic performance that absolutely must be seen to be believed and the soundtrack by John Farnham is the pinnacle of mid-80s rock. Savage Streets is something truly special.
Today Chris and Mike discuss the long forgotten movie about a woman with a talking... box. You know you're in trouble when the title for the movie contains an exclamation point. Chatterbox! is one of those movies that really fancies itself more of a statement piece than it really is.
Penelope finds herself with a unique problem; a problem that only Hollywood can cure as her lady region takes on a life of itself. Virginia - the talking box - becomes a singing sensation and is quickly put on the fast track to stardom; much to the chagrin of her female host.
On this episode of The Grindbin we cover an exploitation movie that might have been dropped off from another dimension. One in which sultry gangs of cheerleaders prey on unsuspecting men and suck the life out of them. They operate under the guise of rooting for sports teams and prancing around in mini skirts but these "cheerleaders" are spreading much more than school spirit. The Cheerleaders (1973) is a true classic of grindhouse cinema that is worth your attention.
In other news, please check out our kickstarter project: 5,4,3,2,1 a short film direct by Jesse Michaels (the singer of Operation Ivy).
On the second episode of The Grindbin, Mike and Chris delve into one of the strangest movies ever produced. Malibu High (1979) is a true Grindhouse classic that embodies everything you could hope for in the genre.
Kim is a highschool senior who was just dumped by her boyfriend and is failing out of school. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Kim decides to solve her problems the only way she knows how, by becoming a hooker and seducing her teachers to get straight A's. All of this culminates in one of the strangest third acts to a film that simply has to be seen to be believed.
The Van (1977) is a great starting point for the world of exploitation and grindhouse films. It is a movie (like many of these films) that exists within it's own universe. A world in which hookers roam pizza parlors, drinking while driving is not only celebrated but encouraged, and a world in which the word "no" is just a suggestion.
Join us down this dark path as we dig through the dumpster of exploitation films from decades past. Feel free to get in touch with us directly: GrindHouseFilm.com - facebook.com/grindbin
Welcome to The Grindbin. In this introduction episode your hosts Mike Wood and Chris Mann discuss the goals of this podcast and what to expect from future episodes. Join them on their journey through the exploitation films and grindhouse cinema of decades past as they attempt to breathe new life into these long forgotten movies.