Terror Tales was published by Popular Publications between 1934 and 1941. The first issue was published in September 1934. It was published alongside the Horror Stories series. Like many pulp magazines of the time its main selling point was its depiction of scantily-clad women usually in some form of distress on the covers. This was always a source of disdain for more conservative Americans who believed that the erotic imagery encouraged sexual violence towards women – some things never change.
Tag Archives: Sexy
Soumises Et Violees (1995)
The Plot.
Four French women get ravished by four men and a woman.
The Cast.
Corinne – The Nun
Zoe – Girl in car
Beatrice Valle – Woman at home
Linda – Decorator’s boss
(As you can see this isn’t a complete cast list. It’s very hard to find any information on this one as it is a cheap ‘n nasty production)
Production Value.
Very low budget bordering on being extremely amateurish however that may not be a bad thing depending on your tastes (see review below)
The Porn.
It is simulated rape so it is primarily male-female with an air of sadomasochism.
He wants your boots, your clothes and your station-wagon
Review.
OK – it is a touchy subject to discuss but the rape porn genre has been alive for quite some time. We’ve already looked at perhaps the most extreme case, that being 1971’s Forced Entry which is probably the closest we will ever see to a real rape without actually witnessing one, but that is not the only one. Now if you are reading this chances are you are quite open minded about pornography (or you are planning to hack the site and shut it down – either way; hello and thanks for stopping by) but this genre is one that tends to divide a lot of people and for once there’s good reason.
Look, I am not going to argue for or against the morality of simulating what is a truly horrific experience for the many victims of rape out there. The fact of the matter is there are people out there who want to watch this sort of thing not because they are budding rapists themselves but because it is a fantasy that more often than not they indulge in with their partners who equally enjoy being dominated. And it is all done with consent. Again that’s not an argument for rape porn I am just saying it exists and explaining how it is often used. If you are still offended by the notion however I do suggest just leaving now and reading a different review because the more you read on the angrier you may get.
Now that’s all out of the way let’s get on with it.
I dropped my contact lens in between them
This is an anthology of stories each with a different setting but before we get in to the nitty-gritty of each we get four tedious minutes of opening credits. And in all that time how many credits do we get? Four! Just four! WHY DO SO MANY PORNOS DO THIS? OK it shows us what we can expect in the movie but why is so much time spent on it especially when this is just a 50 minute movie? If that wasn’t bad enough we get a police siren blaring over it which feels like a dentist drill in the side of the skull. Also, the credits keep blurring to red with an effect that looks like it came from Windows Movie Maker. It just looks like someone is trying to burn the reel of film in the projector as you watch it.
The first one has a woman who is jumped upon by a knife wielding maniac as she parks her car in a multi-storey car park. The camera spends another two minutes shaking about as it is carried by someone in the passenger seat before she parks up and things happen…This is not going well. So our “victim” gets out of the car showing a lot of leg and underwear – classy – before our impeccably looking maniac jumps her with a knife and forces her to start on him.
I will give the movie this; the fact that it has a very amateurish look to it is actually a bonus given the content since it has a real gritty feel to it like you are watching a tape that will one day be labelled “exhibit A” in a court of law. I am certain though that this was unintentional since the director was known for his shot-on-shit-deo style on all his movies.
So the girl submits to the maniac and the result is slow, dull, unexciting and goes on for way too long. Honestly there’s nothing you haven’t seen before in a pile of other pornos with more acceptable premises.
We then flash to a scene where a scummy decorator (I think – I don’t speak French but that’s what it looks like to me) is getting trash talked by his rich bitch of a client. So naturally he starts tugging on her clothes and
Nun for you
gives her a good slap across the face which of course encourages her to give him the best head of his life…Yawn. Compared to the first scene this one is over in no time and again is nothing special.
Next, a nun is on a train happily minding her own business when the passenger opposite her decides he is a bit frisky and throws himself at her. This scene was even quicker than the second but is probably the best one so far.
Finally we end up in an office where a businessman…I guess…and his beautiful assistant hold down a woman and have their way with her. I am not going to stretch this out any longer because you get it by now.
Conclusion.
This was pretty lousy. It’s one of a number of niche pornos that emerged during the late 80s and 90s where the only real idea of what it was like was by looking at the box it came in (no internet reviews back then). The porn producers knew this and tried to shock you with a description of the content that failed to live up to that expectation by which time they didn’t care as you had already given your money. Even if forced porn is your thing there’s little here for you. It’s not unwatchable like Teenage Madam was but it is pretty forgettable.
Rating. 2/5
When your sexually violent partner needs a helping hand
The Final Taboo (1988)
The Plot.
Two sleazy TV evangelists try to dig up dirt on each other while both provide ample fodder.
The Cast.
John Leslie – Rev. Rhodes
Shanna McCullough – Gretchen
Ona Zea – Mrs. Rhodes
F.M. Bradley – Rev. Washington
Denise Connors – Make-Up Woman
Robert Bullock – Rev. Fryer (as R. Bullock)
Nikki Knights – Alicia
Alicia Monet – Sadie May Fryer
Randy Spears – Eric
Rene Morgan – Donna (as Reneé Morgan)
Jack Baker – Sally
Veronica Hart – Ms. Walker
Richard Pacheco – Jason
Howard Darkley – Rev. Robert Mustang Le
Production Value.
Fairly good sets and quality of video/audio but let down in other areas that I will go in to during the review.
The Porn.
Male-female. Interracial. Anal and vaginal intercourse.
How is an actress this bad convincing her husband she isn’t having an affair?
Review.
Ahhh yes the televangelists. I am aware this is still going on today but there was a time in the 1980s where televangelism was a big thing. A multi-million dollar thing in fact. The televangelists were convinced that through the medium of television they could convey God’s message to a wider audience and use it to raise money for good causes. Their influence was carried far and wide. It sounds good right? Well as the old saying goes absolute power corrupts absolutely and despite their honourable beginnings the televangelists quickly realised they had latched on to a gold mine and began lining their own pockets as well as the church poor box and even started sleeping with every impressionable girl (or boy) who came down the line because God would surely forgive them after all they were still preaching God’s word – they were just getting a bit extra as a reward. Perks of the job and all that. Thus the televangelists were rocked by scandal after coked-up sex scandal and the general public lost their faith in the whole thing.
One aspect of western society the televangelists especially hated was of course pornography and these extremely excitable individuals would launch themselves in to high energy verbal assaults on the adult industry during their time on screen. They seemed determined to make any man or woman who watched a video with a couple having sex feel dirty and wrong but in a bizarre twist many couples (especially religious couples) actually got excited by this. It actually made watching these films even more of a guilty pleasure. Telling someone they can’t do something will make them want to do it. Naturally of course the televangelists left themselves wide open to ridicule by the very industry they were attacking.
Enter John Leslie and co. in The Final Taboo.
Just to clarify this movie has nothing to do with Kay Parker’s famous Taboo series of movies. In this instance the word Taboo is a reference to the pleasures of the flesh that these televangelists are giving in to. The movie kicks off with an opening credits roll that would give the 1978 Superman movie a run for its money. As well as giving us the actors names and their character names we are treated to clips of what’s ahead and these are way too long! Honestly, by the time the actual movie starts I feel like I have seen it already.
Sally liked his boss so much he kept a bust of John Leslie’s head on a shelf
So as the movie starts and we are introduced to John Leslie’s character, Reverend Rhodes, who we learn is a famous and influential televangelist but he has competition and he intends to hatch an evil plan to bring down that competition with the help of his friend/assistant Sally (a black guy – what the hell?) and Ms. Walker. Anyway, while Rhodes is busy plotting his wife is away in New York (I know it’s New York because that’s what the subtitles tell me even though the stock footage of the building looks like it could literally be anywhere else BUT the big apple) and is having an affair with her lover. Mrs Rhodes clearly has a thing for reverends as her lover is the African-American Rev. Washington. Thus we have our first “action” scene.
Strap yourselves in guys we’re going to be here a while. To F.M. Bradley’s credit he is hugely entertaining to watch as Rev. Washington and he throws himself in to the role of an evangelist who basically preaches with his penis. Unfortunately the scene quickly slows down in tempo. Don’t get me wrong both he and Ona Zee who plays Mrs. Rhodes give a spirited performance but it just goes on and on and on. I checked the time and it actually lasted 15 minutes which in porn-time is about nine hours. I should not be watching a porn scene in a porno and thinking Come on get on with it for half the time. I also felt that the climax was a little…well…anticlimactic. It just ends and that’s it.
This is not going well. Maybe the next scene will be better.
“It’s a good thing I am horny Alicia because you are terrible!”
Nope. It isn’t. The next scene skips to the home of one of Rhodes’ rivals, Rev. Fryer. Ms. Walker has enlisted the help of Alicia to pose as Fryer’s maid and get him to first have an affair with her and then get him exposed to orgies in an effort to discredit him. Sounds promising. There’s one snag; Alicia is about as good at seducing as John Candy was at figure skating (God rest the big man’s soul). She literally gets Fryer to touch her by claiming she has post-menstrual cramps and that he can heal her by putting his tongue on her pussy. Read that again! That’s messed up but it seems to work. It might not be such a problem that Alicia is awful at seduction because Rev. Fryer already seems to be harbouring some questionable fantasies of his own. Anyway, poor Alicia is healed and she then convinces Rev. Fryer to heal her friends…in bulk. ORGY!
We then get a scene where we find out that Ms. Walker has numerous whore houses – sorry businesses as she insists they are called – and that she is making a tidy profit. Meanwhile Rev. Rhodes heads to the studio and of course before going on tv he needs some make up applied by the make-up woman in his dressing room. Rhodes, being the influential man he is offers to advance her career providing he helps her with something – in short she has to jump on him and this being porn she does. Its sleazy but I have to say is probably the best acting in the movie so far. Its a testament to John Leslie who can act as well as perform. He is especially good when the deed is done and all pretence is gone. He has no intention of helping her, he just wanted to get laid. Worse still he warns her that unless she gives it to him whenever he wants he will make her life unliveable. Wow…This just got dark.
“Sally; is this a camera or a bazooka?”
So Rev Fryer now has to “heal” two of Alicia’s friends and it gets busy and messy real fast. Now that Fryer is involved in the orgies, Sally (you remember Sally, right? The black guy from the beginning???) teaches Alicia how to set up a video camera in order to record the session. I know this is the 80s but she would have to be Harry Houdini to hide that camera. Nevertheless she manages to stealthily video Fryer “healing” his flock. So now Ms. Walker has the video for Rhodes to use against Fryer and to celebrate she gives him one of her whores – sorry I meant sales assistants – to enjoy.
But – dum dum daaaah – he has been filmed too and now there is evidence against both him and Fryer. Speaking of Fryer, his barely dressed wife sees the tape and confronts him about it. She can’t be too upset as she jumps back in to bed with him almost straight away. Not so forgiving however is Mrs Rhodes who sees her husband’s tape and goes running back to Rev. Washington.
It turns out Ms. Walker has been working to set up both Fryer and Rhodes for yet another Reverend, Robert Mustang LeRoy. Even Sally has been working for her. Rhodes, realizing he has lost everything, launches in to a verbal assault on his congregation calling them all fools.
Conclusion.
This started so well but it failed to keep itself going. The film just becomes long winded and the sex has no real variation to it. Camera angles and editing are all dull and the only saving grace is John Leslie.
Rating. 2/5
The True Way (1973)
The Plot.
Three women are invited to join a religious sect that purifies the soul and allows them to find the true way to happiness through sex.
The Cast.
Franklin Anthony – Teddy
Nina Fause – Margaret
Brigitte Maier – Suzy Martin
Paul Scharf – Mr. James
Bob Silvani – Spiritual Leader
Maggie Williams – Amy Young (uncredited)
Production Value.
Very poor at times. This is very low budget in every respect.
The Porn.
Male-female with a single group session at the end that includes female-female scenes. Pretty run of the mill stuff.
Review.
I know that it’s common for pornos to rip off things from mainstream movies like a plotline and claim it as their own but this one actually starts off with the James Bond theme tune. I am not kidding here it’s actually the James Bond theme! Thing is it cuts to a halt very abruptly and the camera shows us a tram in San Francisco with a voice over of two people talking. It was only at the end of the scene did I realize they were supposed to have been two people on the tram – yeah that’s how bad the dubbing is. But wait! When she gets off the tram the James Bond theme starts again and straight away I am ready to watch Jamie Bond fight off a series of extravagant bad guys.
But of course that doesn’t happen and instead we get some plot line about a girl whose husband has died and how his brother came over to comfort her. Naturally it led to sex. Well it seems the brother-in-law wants to redeem himself and gives her an invitation to go to a group of people who can help her with her sadness by helping her find the true way. Again this of course means sex with strangers in weird masks. Three ladies are invited to find the true way in all but each time the ceremony is a little different – obviously there is more than one way to get spiritual enlightenment.
The scenes of the religious ceremonies are clunky, awkward and the first one is unnecessarily long although the others are a little quicker. I swear at one point the guy playing the Monk forgot his lines and you can see him trying to recall them through a cocaine-clouded mind. Delivery of the lines is also very poor as he just spews out a lot heard-it-all-before garbage about how removing clothes is the first step to freeing yourself and finding the true way. One particularly cringe-worthy line is when the Monk, now calling himself the Master, tells the second woman, “Your coming has been expected” and then later they will all “become as one” as they engage in group sex. Puns in a porno…Tutt Tutt.
I know it’s customary to laugh at porno sets sometimes but this had me in stitches when Margaret is told to enter The Portal of Eternal Happiness and it looks like she is just walking out of someone’s living room in to the kitchen. Naturally of course the portal leads to a room where she has to screw a guy in a mask that makes him look like a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Another girl has to get it on with a guy who looks like a Mexican wrestler complete with small cape and mask. And while she’s getting busy with purifying her soul he is sprouting all this baloney about happiness and righteousness and how she is close to achieving purity and a higher level of being. Honestly it feels like I am watching scientology porn!
The dubbing at times is so bad that it feels like I am watching a Bruce Lee movie.The lighting is also appalling and it makes our first student of enlightenment with her blond hair look like a human lightbulb (see image below). That being said the actual porn isn’t all that bad. It’s just the right mix of close ups and full body shots to keep things interesting. I have to give the stars points for remembering their lines during the actual scenes although hearing the first girl keep calling him “Guiding Light” over and over again does start to get a little annoying. There’s enough here to keep it going but don’t expect anything extravagant.
—SPOILER ALERT—
The final fact about the true way is that all the masked men they have sex with are actually the ones who duped them in to going in the first place. It’s all a big con to score with ladies they wouldn’t have a chance with for one reason or another.
Conclusion.
Poor quality but it’s not unwatchable. Fairly average to the point where you won’t remember it unless someone asks you specifically about it.
Rating. 2/5
Country Hooker (1974)
The Plot.
A couple of musicians are on their way to a show at a country bar. Along the way, they pick up a couple of sexy hitchhiking ladies and decide to pull over for a pitstop. Eventually, they make it to the bar and uncover that the deep voiced country singer that also plays there is also a pimp who uses the “waitresses” to make him some extra cash. It is up to our musician heroes to put an end to the singer and his operation.
The Cast.
Rene Bond – Sue (as René Bond)
Ric Lutze – Dave Anderson (as Rick Loots)
Sandy Dempsey – Jan
John Paul Jones – Billy B
Maria Arnold – Honey (as Marie Arnold)
Louis Ojena – Mike (as Louis Gen)
Production Value.
Above average for a movie of this type. The film makes excellent use of the desert setting that really makes me feel like I am there. It had the look and feel of a typical TV show of the period and while this might seem like a criticism its actually the opposite. When you compare the quality of this to Wendy’s Naughty Night (1972) or Teenage Madam (1977) you really start to appreciate the effort.
The Porn.
Almost entirely boy-girl oriented. The sex is pretty softcore with only the briefest views of “downstairs action.” If you are looking for a straight up skin flick there is better out there but the porn is only half the story – literally.
Review.
One of my biggest criticisms in porn is that often its a series of ridiculous situations portrayed by bad actors. In that respect this was a breath of fresh air for me and I personally think its a real gem of both the genre and the period. This really feels like a movie but with a healthy dose of sex. In terms of balancing the sex and telling a story there is a hefty amount of both and in pornos that can sometimes be a bad thing. If the acting or story (or both) isn’t up to much then you start hoping that the fat hairy guy is just going to get it on with the hot girl (who in reality would never get THAT lucky) if only to end the bad acting. This movie has fairly decent actors and a half decent story that really helps carry it.
Unfortunately the sex leans more towards the softcore/erotic angle and I think this is to the detriment of the movie. I am not being a chauvinist pig in saying that; I just feel that softcore serves its purpose by being erotic whereas the set ups in this film lean more towards a harder tone for the sex. I’ll give you an example; there is a sleep-sex scene which could be erotic if we didn’t learn in the scene before that the guy is a total sleaze and the way he goes about IT is essentially rape. That’s hardcore by anyone’s standards.
The country music was bloody annoying at times though and I began to wonder if the recording we had of it had suddenly been put on to a country and western music channel halfway through. One early scene was essentially a guy just singing a song and it went on for what felt like hours.
Conclusion.
A film to divide the opinions of a couple who enjoy porn. The quality of the movie is above average for a porno but the sex travels above and below average depending on the scene and your tastes. If you like artistic porn but without going all euro-erotica then this will appeal to you. If you don’t like country music then avoid it like the plague because it is almost throughout this film.
Rating: 2/5
Little bit of trivia for you all. This is one of the first porno movies to feature an actress with fake breasts. Rene Bond achieved a brief period of fame because of this fact but her fame didn’t last unfortunately as shortly after this film was released the censors attacked porn with a vengeance and she, like so many others, fizzled away.
Frolic Magazine Cover Gallery
Frolic Magazine was published in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s. It featured semi-nude erotic imagery as the sale of pornography was still highly restricted. At first they weren’t even allowed to have actual pictures on the cover and so had to make do with sketches.
Classic Erotic Poster/Cover Gallery #2
A Touch of Genie (1974)
The Plot.
The nerdy owner of an antique shop who feels he needs to wear a disguise to go to an adult movie theatre discovers a genie inside an old vase. The genie grants him five wishes and he uses them to live out his porno fantasies but somehow his overbearing mother manages to interfere in one way or another.
The Cast.
Chris Jordan – Genie (as Karen Craig)
Douglas Stone – Melvin
Tina Russell – Janet Geckel
Harry Reems – Himself
Marc Stevens – Himself
Ultramax – Mother
Harding Harrison – Irving
Levi Richards – Milkman (as John Ashton)
Eric Edwards – Insurance Salesman
Production Value.
Average. There’s nothing special here but what they do have suits the tone of the movie. It feels like you are in a sleazy part of New York.
The Porn.
A little bit of everything in this such as boy-girl and girl-girl with oral and full penetration intercourse. There is nothing outrageous although it does briefly wander in to Kay Parker’s Taboo territory where the main character finds his mother’s image wandering in to his fantasy but it is only to watch her having oral with the girl he was with. An interesting aspect of this movie is its take on the porn industry of the day and many of the stars including the great Harry Reems (pre court case and alcohol/drug abuse phase) play themselves as Melvin wishes he was them in their movies.
Review.
I was laughing through most of this movie and not because of the usual cheese that comes with these types of films from the 1970s. This one genuinely tried to make you laugh and in most instances it succeeded. Douglas Stone as Melvin was hilarious to watch especially since I have a friend who looks just like him. Chris Jordan as Genie was cute as a button, both her and Stone had some fun scenes.
I particularly enjoyed the take on people who felt the need to disguise themselves to go and watch a porn film in the movie theatres back in the day. I have to give this movie the fact that it was well acted in the scenes between the porn which were quite extensive. Here in lies one of the problems with this as a porn flick however and that is the intermittent scenes were too long. Being a fan of retro porn movies I respect the fact that this came out back in the “Golden Age of Porn” when these types of films were expected to go mainstream with the rest of Hollywood and so they did concentrate more on story. The thing is though other films of the time such as Dear Pam managed to find a really nice balance between the porn and the storyline which was also an amusing one.
As for the porn itself; boy was it short lived. In one scene the actor “gets in”, wiggles for several seconds and then pulls out only to ejaculate complete with a “boing” sound – its a comedy after all. Every ejaculation scene has a “boing” sound and it gets old really fast.
Conclusion.
The way this movie started we had high hopes for it with decent actors taking on humorous roles and taking their time to develop Melvin. Unfortunately for us the movie seemed to stop dead and the porn became either comical thus losing its erotic value or just plain mediocre. We know from the internet this movie has a cult following but alas its not one for us.
Rating: 2/5
Devil’s Ecstasy (1977)
The Plot.
Helen is young, beautiful and close to finishing her time at college when she learns of the passing of her mother. This forces her to return home to claim her inheritance, which includes a gothic mansion but before leaving she learns something of the family history which is shrouded in mystery. The family lawyer tells her that the mansion has been maintained for some time by her aunt, who has something of a reputation for being a witch! It’s not long before Helen’s aunt uses her witchy ways to drug her coffee and is inducted into her aunt’s cult and it’s sexual black magic. Helen is initiated and seems to enjoy every bit of the experience.
The Cast.
Cyndee Summers – Helen Adair (as Deborah Whitney)
Tara Blair – Marion Adair
Patrick Wright – Prof. Mac McGregor (as John McNight)
Ric Lutze – Joseph Mills (as David Lamont)
You may have noticed that some of the names on the cover aren’t in our listing. That’s because this is a later version of the cover and they became more well known after the movie. In this they have no actual character name and are just random characters.
Production Value.
Just like Female Vampire the tone here is very gothic. Unfortunately it is not quite up to the same standard as the classic Lina Romay flick. The sound is very crackly in places and poorly recorded but is not beyond comprehension. The dark tone of the film dominates screen time but you can see the goodies clearly enough.
The Porn.
The porn is mainly male-female dominated with a single female-female scene involving an early strap-on. In truth the porn is pretty tame by modern standards and depending on your tastes that can be a good thing or a bad thing. There is none of this unrealistic aerobic exercise that seems to dominate the industry these days. The build up to some of the scenes is of questionable taste however so BE WARNED. There is witchcraft versions of what is effectively date-rape and one scene in particular doesn’t know if it is horror themed or porno themed as the star drilled on an alter while some genuinely scary witches/demons/devils watch.
Review.
Well, what can I say about this. The 70s was certainly an experimental time for the world of pornography and this was one of the fruits of that time. It wants to be both porn and a horror film yet doesn’t quite make it as either. The sex is not bad but most of the time its uninteresting.
The horror on the other hand is as equally unsuccessful feeling more like a crazy acid trip with flashing images of the witches at the ceremonies one of whom is a dead ringer for Reagan in The Exorcist. When the two genres combine in a few scenes I don’t know if I am supposed to be turned on or am just tripping out. Its a real mess at times.
Also I don’t think any acting awards are going to be in store for Cindy Summers. The scene where she is being told her family’s dark history has her portraying a big sloppy smile that looks both forced and so out of place. At the end of the end of the day this is a porn movie so I am not expecting Oscar winning performances and writing.
The transitions between scenes were not smooth at all and jumping from one scene to the next was like getting a slap in the face with whatever the director decided to put on next. As for the actual sex it was always emotionless, stiff (pardon the pun) and the actors just didn’t seem interested at all.The final scene with Helen’s teacher was awkward to say the least (let me just say he lacked “total commitment” until suddenly he is in). I wouldn’t say it was absolutely terrible because I have watched worse but it’s hardly memorable. I doubt I will ever pick it up again.
Conclusion.
This movie tries to be something more than your everyday shagging-on-screen flick and we have to give it kudos for trying. Unfortunately it fails miserably and isn’t very erotic although some of the scenes are a total headfuck. Anyone who engages in psychotropic drugs be warned to stay away from this movie because that is going to be a total freak out. Besides you won’t need them. Trust me this is messed up enough in places.
Spicy Detective Cover Gallery
The famous “Spicy Detective” pulp magazines were published between 1934 and 1942 and contained a titillating mix of mystery, horror, and suspense, punctuated by episodes of torture, sadism, sex, and other risque elements. Although tame by current standards, and sometimes of dubious literary merit, these publications presented tales which thrilled a sensation-hungry audience where the topic of such acts was still quite taboo.
Just as provocative as the contents were the covers that almost always featured a scantily clad woman being assaulted by often tough or sinister looking men. Here are just a selection.
Retro Porno Reviews 