Nazis, Sociopaths, and Telekinetics: A Brief Summary of my June

Hello world! I am crawling out of the void that is tireless research and the world of retail to tell you all about a little challenge called Junesploitation did last month.

For those who don’t know, Junesploitation is an annual challenge created by the blog FThisMovie! that many genre film fans have participated in over the past 11 years. Each day of the month is given some sort of prompt, and all you have to do is watch something that fits that theme. Most participants go for first time watches, and there is a lot of freedom with your choices; for instance, if you don’t like dumb shark movies, you can literally just watch Jaws or Free Willy. There are also plenty of free space days in order to clean out your watchlist. Planning this, as you can imagine, is quite an event, with Letterboxd lists appearing like it’s Christmas morning.

Out of my 30, I gave a wide range of ratings, from perfect movies to absolute garbage (and not the type you celebrate). What I will be covering isn’t necessarily the best of the best, but things that hooked me in and never let go. Also, I don’t want to retread what has been said about the classics, because chances are you’ve seen Hellraiser and know it’s incredible (yes, that was one of my picks).

Some honorable mentions: Cannibal Man (1972), Foxy Brown (1974), Tourist Trap (1979), Zombi 2 (1979), City of the Living Dead (1980), The Slumber Party Massacre (1982), and Slugs (1988).

Now, onto my favorites…

Schamlos (1968): An early European foray into exploitation? Starring my favorite actor ever, Udo Kier? Sign me up! Schamlos was my pick for the gangsters category, and while I’m not a huge crime film fan, this movie had everything. It has a fairly basic plot, with the father of a prostitute teaming up with the urban underworld to find out who killed her. Not all early exploitation films land, but this one sure does, with its fast pacing and appropriately sleazy feel combined with its black and white noir aesthetic. Kier plays a rising crime boss whom the father hires to “interview” potential suspects, and while I was smitten with him as per usual, I would argue he actually has a weaker performance in this. Regardless, if you want a quick watch and are able to find it, this is a great pick.
Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1974): You know something is great when you forget incest is incest, and I’m not saying that in a horny schoolboy way. Starring Eurocult icons Anita Strindberg as long suffering wife Irina and Edwige Fenech as visiting niece Floriana, Your Vice is a gothic classic in the vast realm of giallo films. Combine that with Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Black Cat” and an appropriately gross husband who is suspected in the deaths of several young women who attended his parties, and you have a recipe for perfection. Not to be a spoiler sport, but the ending had me saying “good for her” in the best way possible
Salon Kitty (1974): My friends like to joke I’m secretly a Nazi, and I’m sure my love for this film doesn’t help that allegation. Tinto Brass may be known for the wild “period piece” Caligula, however before that, he got to spread his legs (and many others) in Salon Kitty. Hearing the plot of a power hungry Nazi officer usingrecording devices in a brothel to spy on the upper class may not sound like the most appealing thing, but damn, you soon forget about that. And by that, I mean you focus on the incredible cinematography, the extravagant sets, and the oddly well shot softcore bits. This will make you want to dive deeper into Nazisploitation, and is easily one of the best of the genre.
Patrick (1978): Slow burn doesn’t always work. Sometimes, it’s extremely disappointing and leaves you anxious after a terrible resolution. Patrick isn’t that. Perhaps more well known for its unofficial Italian sequel Patrick Still Lives, this Australian flick relies a lot on atmosphere, as psychokinetic Patrick lays comatose, using his powers to harass the nurse assigned take care of him. The main focus of this film is on said nurse, as she tries to convince those around her that Patrick is not a vegetable, and deserves to live, despite the manipulation. Not only does this take several notes from Hitchcock, I felt like it created an interesting spin on medical morals, and when someone is too far gone, not that Patrick is a favorable fella. If you’re going to check out any Ozzploitation, this should be the one.
Bacurau (2019): You’ve probably noticed by this point that my favorite picks are all pre-1990. I don’t have a bias against anything after that, however I do tend to lean towards films from before I was born. This is an exception. I watched this for some late-era Udo Kier (as one does), and ended up roped into a film encompassing many genres that left me shell shocked by the end. Saying any more will ruin this for you. Absolutely took me by surprise and is perfect in every way.