SAVAGE SISTERS (Philippines/USA, 1974)

dir: Eddie Romero

Betamax / UK / format? / English audio / no sub / cut (according to the BBFC homepage)


1974 – Savage Sisters (Cinema Projects International/American International Pictures)

Director Eddie Romero Writers H. Franco Moon, Harry Corner Producers John Ashley, Eddie Romero Executive Producer David J. Cohen Music “Bax”/Les Baxter Cinematography Justo Paulino Editor Isagani Pastor Production Design Robert Formoso

Cast Gloria Hendry (Lynn Jackson), Cheri Caffaro (Jo Turner), Rosanna Ortiz (Mai Ling), John Ashley (W.P. Billingsley), Sid Haig (Malavael), Eddie Garcia (Capt. Morales), Rita Gomez (Matron Ortega), Leopoldo Salcedo (General Balthasar), Vic Diaz (One-Eye), Dindo Fernando (Ernesto), Angelo Ventura (Punjab), Romy Rivera (Raul), Alfonso Carvajal (Rutz), Robert Rivera (Rosso), Subas Herrero (Victor), John Plater (Peyley), Bruno Punzalan (Smiling Jake), Joonee Gamboa (Subas), Max Rojo (Hawk), Johnny Long (Juekal)

Credits lifted from ANDREW LEAVOLD's blog. Check his entry for the film, there's some very cool old programmes with heaps of info on the actors and the film. Go here.


I also have a good looking reg. 1 bootleg that presents the film in letterbox format (the publisher told me it's not a boot but that's obviously not correct). The print is really good and is probably sourced from a HD TV broadcast. The film now has a legit release from MGM but unfortunately only in their DVD-R line. However, I'm told the print looks great.

THE WOMAN HUNT (Philippines, 1972)

aka ESCAPE (UK)

VHS / Denmark / 4:3 fullscreen / English audio / Danish subs

The Danish tape is slightly more dark than the UK sell-thru tape (under the title ESCAPE) but the picture on the UK tape looks washed out.



1972 – The Woman Hunt (Four Associates Ltd/New World Pictures)

[also known as Escape (UK), The Highest Bidder]

Director Eddie Romero Screenplay David Hoover Story David Hoover, Jack Hill Producers Eddie Romero, John Ashley Executive Producer David J. Cohen Music Jerry Dadap Editors Ben Barcelon, “Joe”/Joseph Zucchero Cinematography Justo Paulino

Cast John Ashley, Pat Woodell, Sid Haig, “Laurie Rose”/Jennifer Brooks, Charlene Jones, Lisa Todd, Alona Alegre (Sam), Eddie Garcia, Ken Metcalfe, Liza Belmonte, Lotis Key, Alfonso Carvajal, Ruben Rustia, Don Lipman, Tony Gosalvez, Paquito Salcedo

(credits lifted from Andrew Leavold's blog)


Thanks to Hans-Jørn for the Danish tape (!!!) and for uploading the cover and trailer.

VHS / Argentina / picture format??? / English audio / Spanish subs

THE SISTERHOOD - trailer

dir: Cirio H. Santiago, Philippines, 1988

THE HOT BOX - trailer

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2 (almost the same but has slightly different footage): 

Previously announced Filipino titles from SHOUT! FACTORY may or may not get released

In the past I've mentioned that SHOUT! FACTORY had announced they were going to release three Filipino/USA co-productions on DVD. The films are SAVAGE, THE HOT BOX and WOMAN HUNT. However, lately it has been speculated that these films may have been cancelled as it's reportedly been announced that SHOUT!'s Roger Corman line will soon be coming to an end.

I've been looking forward to DVD releases of these three films (I already own them all on VHS) and didn't wish to neither take mere rumours as facts - nor be content with being in the dark. So I got in touch with Cliff Mac of SHOUT! and asked him about it.

I guess his reply could have been more optimistic - but then again it could also have been more pessimistic!! He simply doesn't know if they are going to release these three films! In the email that I received he says all three films need new transfers and that those are expensive. He also mentioned that the titles probably won't sell an awful lot - so (reading between the lines) the question is will SHOUT! want to pour money into some old Filipino films (that don't have a selling point like a Pam Grier in them)!?

If SHOUT! decide to put them out - and Cliff stressed if - we won't see them this year.

So, that's the info I have on SAVAGE, THE HOT BOX and WOMAN HUNT as it is right now. I'm certainly crossing my fingers that we'll see DVD releases of the films at some stage.

Shopping tip for that thar rare trashy world-weird movie

A little while ago I posted about the entertaining movie STRIKE OF THE TORTURED ANGELS in the series "Bizarre and insane English dubbed Hong Kong films the world forgot". Check my post here (there's also a YouTube clip).

The version I own is a Danish PAL VHS. I knew there was a rare American NTSC tape but I have never found that tape myself and it's safe to say it's very rare. If you're interested in the US tape here's your chance; it's on eBay in the US right now! The auction runs another day and 20 hours. The current bid is a mere $2.50!!!
EDIT: the tape was sold for $4.25!!!!! O_O
Man, I should have made a bid altho I already got the Danish tape!

For the auction go here. The seller is Sleazeman2001 from Cinehound.

PS: Yes, the top picture is a scan of the cover! It has no cover art!!! This is what the Swedish and Danish tapes look like:

Rare DEADLY ANGELS STRIKE BACK cover

(Click cover for full size)

Check out this cool Indonesian Betamax release of DEADLY ANGELS STRIKE BACK aka Cewek Jagoan Beraski Kembali (original title).

The cover comes courtesy of Cinehound member Tom who scooped up a whole box of old Indonesian Betamax tapes recently. Unfortunately, as with this one, many of them turned out to be bootlegs. But at least the cover is a copy of the original Indonesian release so despite the one-colour xeroxed sleeve we can now enjoy the cool cover art.

I wonder if anybody has a copy of the original tape or if they've all been chucked out thru out the years. I own the film on a video-cd from Malaysia.

Thanks to Tom for sending me this. Much appreciated.

KARATE GIRL (Turkey, 1974) [capsule review]

aka KARETECI KIZ (original title)
It's reportedly also release somewhere as "Golden Girl" but I haven't actually been able to find info of one such release.

Directed by: Orhan Aksoy
Main character: Filiz Akin

VHS / Norway / fullscreen / English dub / Norwegian subtitles
(click cover for full size)

Filiz Akin plays a mute flower seller who lives with her dad. One day her dad is murdered by scumbags. She hooks up with a sensei who teaches her karate after which she sets out to take revenge. Wild action ensues.  

KARATE GIRL is a highly entertaining movie and fortunately it's one of the (too few) Turkish films that were granted an English friendly release. In fact, the English dubbed version is released on video tape in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Greece, and possibly other places as well. If I remember correctly there's also a French dubbed tape. It's never been released on DVD and the video tapes are now hard to come by but at least you have the possibility of getting a dvd-r from a friend.

The original Turkish language version is also released subtitled on VHS in Greece (with a Greek title in Greek letters and the Turkish title printed on the cover). I would assume a domestic Turkish tape exists as well and maybe even one made for the huge Turkish market in Germany. The dubbed version has different music. The original version was posted in full on YouTube but has been removed because of a copyrights claim (not for the film but actually for the music. I doubt the Turkish film company paid for the music anyway).

If you wish to read a proper review of KARATE GIRL you're in luck as Fred Anderson just yesterday posted one on his blog.

VHS / Greece / fullscreen / English dub / Greek subtitles

VHS / Denmark / fullscreen / English dub / Danish subtitles

VHS / Sweden / fullscreen / English dub / Swedish subtitles

The small cardboard case version that was released from Westcon on sell-thru VHS in Denmark and Sweden (shown above) was also released in Norway with a similar cover. It carries a Norwegian title whereas the Video-huset AS release uses the English title.



The Norwegian and Greek covers are courtesy of Dag-Johnny and Miltos at Cinehound. Thanks, fellas. The Danish cover is my own, and the Swedish one was googled.

VAMPIRE HOOKERS (Philippines, 1979)

VHS / Denmark / format? / English dub / Danish subs

1979 - Vampire Hookers (Cosa Nueva)

[also released as Vampire Hookers Of Horror, Cemetery Girls, Ladies Of The Night, Night Of The Bloodsuckers, Sensuous Vampires & Twice Bitten]

Director Cirio H. Santiago Writer Howard R. Cohen Producer Robert E. Waters Music Jaime Mendoza-Nava Cinematography Johnny Araojo, Ricardo Remias Production Design Ben Otico Art Direction Laida Perez Head Prop Man Stephane Goulet

Cast John Carradine (John Peter Richmond), Bruce Fairbairn (Tom Buckley), Trey Wilson (Terry Wayne), Vic Diaz (Pavo), Leo Martinez (Julio), Karen Stride (Cherish), Lenka Novak (Suzy), Katie Dolan (Marcy), Lex Winter (CPO Taylor), Mark Campbell, Irving Glick, Erna Martha Bauman, Tiffany K. Neipe




Credits from Andrew Leavold's Bamboo Gods and Bionic Boys blog.

Thanks to Hans-Jørn for the scan of the ultra rare Danish VHS.

"Made in HK"'s THE KILLER ltd edition sell-thru vhs box set finally coming home

When I discovered the HK movie there was only one way to get the films; thru tape-trading with other fans. Some of those fans would live in cities that had Chinatown video stores; They'd rent films and dupe them onto a blank video tape. This was a time when you couldn't just BUY original tapes cos they didn't sell them anywhere. At least not the HK movies that some of us had wet dreams about. Feverish wet dreams.

Then something quite wonderful happened; In the UK two labels sprung up to distribute these films. One label was the (notorious? Infamous?) EASTERN HEROES label run partly by Toby Russell. The other label (and in my view the better one of the two) was MADE IN HONG KONG. Out of a sudden you could chuck out your 4th generation vhs dupe of A BETTER TOMORROW, THE KILLER or A CHINESE GHOSTSTORY. Now they came out on letterboxed and subtitled sell-thru vhs with cool box art and for the most part great info written on the inside of the sleeves.

Most of the films have since then been granted DVD (and now blu-ray) releases (altho some of these tapes are still the only/best way of watching the films!). But in contradiction to most other collectors I haven't got rid of the old MIHK tapes to make room for dvd's. To me they have value! These were the tapes that kind of SAVED the UK and Euro Hong Kong film collectors.

Anyhoo, quite a number of the tapes I never got hold of back in the day and so I'm actually buying them now. And one of the coolest releases that I never got hold of was the limited collector's editon box set edition of THE KILLER!! I got the ordinary (but still highly cool edition as it was subtitled and letterboxed!) MIHK release of the film. And before that I'd bought the fullscreen, English dubbed vhs (also from the UK). But now... a couple of decades down the line... I have finally got hold of said box set. Or at least I have won it on eBay UK and will hopefully get it soon - but of course you never know with mail these days. Let's cross our fingers and hope that I also actually RECEIVE the fucker! Hah!