DVD Review: Virgin Witch (1971)

It's not the most shocking British exploitation movie ever made, it's not the best either. Yet Virgin Witch still comes with a reputation. Perhaps because Virgin Witch makes no pretence at being anything other than exploitation. So much so that half the people connected to it still don't want anything to do with it 40 years on.

One of our writers reviewed this first back in 2007, but there's a new edition on the market, via Odeon, although there's nothing added to tempt you to buy again I suspect. A trailer, more trailers for other movies and a clean-up of the imagery and sound. Mind you, that means nothing if the movie stinks. Does it? Read on…

DVD Review: Duffer (1971) and The Moon Over The Valley (1975)

Have you ever seen a film, then about half an hour later, thought to yourself 'did I really watch that?' I have - and that film is Duffer, part of the new BFI/Flipside double header that also features the related movie The Moon Over The Valley. Want to know more? Read on.

Duffer is perhaps the headline act, a weird independent Brit flick, dating back to 1971 and the work of Joseph Despins and William Dumaresq. It's a black and white movie set in a declining Notting Hill with pretty much no dialogue spoken by those taking part in it. Everything is spoken as a 'commentary' by Duffer, a lost teenage boy whose life bounces between two domineering presences.

The Fiend (1971) gets first-time UK DVD issue by Odeon

It's a British exploitation movie we have a soft spot for - and now The Fiend is finally getting a UK DVD release.

Directed by Robert Hartford-Davis, it's the tale of a religious sect known as The Brethren, which has an influence on a widow and her unstable son Kenny Wemys, played by Tony Beckley (previously seen in Get Carter and The Italian Job). He's more than unstable in fact - he's also compelled to kill in the name of God, recording the killings to play back on tapes, which he mixes with the religious rants of the sect's leader, The Minister (Patrick Magee).

Yes, very weird and not for everyone, but if you love your vintage Brit horrors, this is one for you. This DVD issue comes with newly-written liner notes and trailers and is available from 7th March 2011, pre-orders are already being taken by Amazon. See over the page for a slightly out of sync, but weird and wonderful snippet.

DVD Review: A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971)

A film that's notorious for one particular scene, but if mad dreams, mad hippies, a psych-inspired Ennio Morricone soundtrack, a late 60s London setting and a good old whodunnit story appeal to you, you'll find much to enjoy in the remastered DVD version of A Lizard in a Woman's Skin.

Mad dreams? That's where we come in. The daughter of a respected politician by the name of Carol Hammond (Florinda Bolkan) is having some, involving walking through a train of nude hippies in a fur coat and a romantic tangle with her female next door neighbour Julia Durer (Anita Strindberg), a hellraiser who loves to throw a psych-soundtracked party for the local hippy community. She's so disturbed by the vivid dreams, she's been seeing a local shrink to talk them through, as well as writing them down. All of that will come in useful soon.

DVD Review: Take An Easy Ride (1974)

When a DVD pops up claiming to be the most notorious British exploitaiton film ever, well you just know we're going to chasing up a copy. So here we are with a review of Kenneth Rowles' Take An Easy Ride.

Its controversial nature isn't particularly its content, but in the movie's history and execution. Let me explain. Originally, Take An Easy Ride was going to be a public information film. Motorways were big business in the UK, as was hitchhiking, so Mr Rowles decided to pitch the idea of a public safery film about the perils of hitchhiking in light of newspaper reports of girls being raped and murdered on the open road. Makes sense - and one commercial station had shown an interest in it. But so had someone else.