NekoHomey
Purely Joyful Movie!
PiraBit
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Sameer Callahan
It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Lidia Draper
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
quridley
This is one of the smaller films Tobe Hooper directed in the 80s and 90s but one of his darkest in subject matter. There are quite a few thematic links to Texas Chainsaw Massacre: we had a virginal girl getting wrapped up in an underground cabal or torture and black magic. This is not as intense but keeps you invested with its bizarre style and solid performances. Hooper fans won't be turned off by the absurd and symbolic moments, but mainstream horror fans won't get it. This is not a slasher film, but all Hooper films get unfairly graded as such. He works with very esoteric and macabre stories that are not supposed to be realistic. They are old school horror movies with a more intelligent knowledge of evil and depravity. Hooper may have topped himself 2 years later with the similar film "The Mangler" which also starred Robert Englund, who is really having fun in both films. Big recommendation to fans of David Lynch or Jess Franco, whose sometimes producer Harry Allan Towers produced this film!
liberalblossom15
Eugenie Matteson (Zoe Trilling) arrives in Alexandria, Egypt to stay with her father while he is on an archaeological dig. Her father, a Christian religious fanatic who often quotes from the Bible, believes his daughter to be little Miss Innocent - but he doesn't realize that he has brought her to the one place that will corrupt her. Walking in the market place dressed like a regular American teenager would in hot weather, Genie is attacked by a group of perverse Egyptian men looking to get lucky, but she is saved in time by Sobina (who apparently has a sexual relationship with Genie's father) who introduces her to the work of the Marquis de Sade, as well as the darker side of life in Alexandria. Sobina takes Genie to a club where the first act of corruption is committed when Genie is given opium. Before long she begins seeing things - sexual things with her father coming in and preaching in the background. (This is arguably representative of her conscious telling her to get out, yet she's fascinated by this crazy world of sex and drugs)The next day she meets Mahmood, a hunky, intelligent and wealthy Egyptian and they quickly strike up a romance. As time wares on, Genie finds herself the target of a cult obsessed with the Marquis de Sade and led by one of his relatives (Robert Englund stars as both the Marquis and his descendant).I found this film entertaining but disturbing and weird as well. I saw it for Robert Englund (I love his work)and I was pleased with his performance. Zoe Trilling isn't much of an actress, but I've seen worse. There is a lot of erotic sex scenes and nudity in this film, but honestly, it's a horror film about the Marquis de Sade, people, what did you expect? I actually didn't mind the sex - it all relates back to the theme of the corruption and perversion of this one young woman. The snakes are obviously symbols of the serpent in Eden's apple tree; the film takes a jab at religious fanaticism as a whole. (i.e. religious zealot father is into bondage games with the local prostitute...) I do have a problem with the fact that the connection between the de Sade cult and the religious circuit that Genie's father's archaeological dig is based upon. (I think it has something to do with hidden treasure...) This is a huge plothole that has always bothered me.This is not the perfect movie, and no way is it a classic, but it's not incredibly terrible either. The acting is decent and there is some symbolism littered throughout. I think they tried to make this a deep film, but failed to answer some necessary questions when it came to the end of the story. The scenery and sets are great as well, I just wish they filled in the plot holes before wrapping this.For people who like to analyze films, you might have fun with the symbolism in this. I did. BEWARE the sexual content - if sex scenes make you uncomfortable you might want to skip this flick because there's a lot of sex and nudity throughout the film. There is also mild torture, drug use, and violence. Worth a watch in my opinion.
smatysia
I don't know much about Tobe Hooper, or why he gets his name in the title, but maybe he shouldn't have bothered. As another commenter mentioned, there isn't really enough horror or erotica to bring in fans of either genre. The plot is incoherent, the Sade sequences are gratuitous, and most of the acting is so-so. Englund was doing his best with weak material, and Zoe Trilling has a really great bottom, but neither is enough to carry this film. This one's a tape-over. Grade: F
Max Power
Normally I would never rent a movie like this, because you know it's going to be bad just by looking at the box. I rented seven movies at the same time, including Nightmare on Elm Street 5, 6 and Wes Craven's New Nightmare. Unfortunately, when I got home I found out the videostore-guy gave me the wrong tape. In the box of Wes Craven's New Nightmare I found this lame movie.This movie is incredibly boring, the acting is bad and the plot doesn't make any sense. It's hard to write a good review, because I have no idea what the movie was really about. At the end of the movie you have more questions then answers.On 'Max Power's Scale of 1 to 10' I rate this movie: 1PS I would like to correct Corinthian's review (right below mine). He says Robert Englund is ripping off lingerie, riding horses naked, etc. The guy that did those things was Mahmoud, played by Juliano Mer, not by Robert Englund.