Pleasures of the Damned (1979) - Review and Analysis by Jason Pitt for Critical-Film.com

Trashy 70's exploitation films (primarily from Italy) were one of the foundations for my love of film. Not in the traditional sense, as they certainly taught me nothing about the effect of elaborate camerawork, the emotional impact of mingling music with video, or even quality storytelling. What they did provide me with was a level of enjoyment which few films could equal, if taken in the proper context. Pleasures of the Damned recreated that sense of misguided wonder, as the deliberately amateurish production had me consistently laughing, and even cringing at its sequences of over the top violence and gore. It was nearly one and a half hours of pure entertainment, best experienced amongst a group, preferably inebriated to some degree.

After an incredible opening credits sequence, set to some surprisingly fun 70's-ish funk, the film catapults into a story involving Satan worshippers, rapists, post-Vietnam syndrome, big hair, and even bigger mustaches. Providing any more plot details would be of neither a disservice to you, the reader, nor of any benefit, as the films incredibly simplistic story is certainly not its central attraction. The story is, however, grounded very firmly within the subject matter it so proudly recreates, and sets the stage for some of the more violent sequences which appear later in the film.

The scenes of graphic violence alternate between uproariously low budget and surprisingly well done, creating a few genuinely unsettling moments, including an early sex scene that made me queasy, despite its lack of graphic depiction. All manner of violence is on display, limbs and other appendages are ripped/bitten off, entrails are devoured, and all sorts of crazy other goings on. Did I mention the film is re-dubbed? Yes, the original audio is dubbed over in as stiff a fashion as one would expect from the likes of Fulci, or perhaps more accurately, the works of Bruno Mattei (Hell of the Living Dead, Rats).

More often than not, the voices seem drastically mismatched to the characters appearance, which only heightens your enjoyment of the film. Why this works so well, is primarily because the filmmakers manage to make the film appear as though it's not taking itself seriously, yet never seems too deliberately unserious. Given the tone of the film, the filmmakers could have bombarded us with deliberate comedy, and a self-awareness that would have degraded the overall quality of the film. The film is successful due to the filmmakers' understanding of their material, both in the content of the screenplay, and the tone of its execution. Their love of the olden days of horror-exploitation is apparent, and that is exactly why Pleasures of the Damned works so well.

The film is not perfect, as there were a few moments of excessiveness that were even beyond my tastes, and many others will not share my twisted sense of humor. However, this film is obviously not for everyone, but those with even the slightest interest in this type of film, which deliberately bathes in its own excesses, will find much to enjoy. Pleasures of the Damned is incredibly successful, and accomplishes exactly what it attempts, and manages to be enjoyable in the process. That is if you don't mind watching big-haired, big-mustached men repeatedly undoing their pants… Pleasures of the Damned is a gloriously excessive homage (is that the right term?) that is well-worthy of being included alongside the ancestors that inspired it.

As a side note, Pleasures of the Damned was introduced to me by one of its creators, “Mark Colegrove.” (Yes, that's right, this film was not actually made in the 70's… Trust me, after popping this disc into you DVD, it wouldn't take long to figure that one out.) Mark has been very friendly in our discussions, and was one of the first members to join our Social Network. He even went so far as to send me an invite to the wrap party for the sequel to Pleasures… titled Isle of the Damned. He certainly knows his film, as I'm certain do many of the others involved in this flick. For more info on Pleasures of the Damned and its sequel, head to Mark's web site, at Dire Wit Films, (where you can purchase the DVD for a very worthwhile $7) or its division of our Social Network.