Review by Rich Wilson
Stars Mary Carey, Sean Andrews, Darrell Sandeen, Sally Jean, Juliet Clarke | Written by Mike Davis
UK certification 18 | UK RRP £15.99 | DVD Region 0 | Runtime 80 minutes | Directed by Jonathan Yudis
The old saying goes that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In the movie business imitation is generally called rip-off and rarely achieves the quality of the original product. Pleasingly in this case director Yudis has spent a long time studying his subject matter, and the result is a fine tribute to the sexploitation epics of the Seventies. More importantly, as a blatant love letter to the genius of boob-king Russ Meyer, it works very well. And while it’s not quite up to the standard of Meyer classics like Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! And Supervixens there’s a lot to enjoy here.
College student James drives out to the desert ranch owned by his Father Hezekiah, a grizzled redneck with a fetish for making meat sculptures of women in his workshop, and with the pneumatically stacked Cheryl as his live-in sex goddess. James is the textbook blue-eyed American boy and Cheryl immediately hits on him, and after Hezekiah discovers them mid-coupling he chases her away from the ranch. Next morning he drives into town and returns with a new girl, Alisha, who again seduces James. That night in the workshop, a blood covered Cheryl staggers in and dies before James, who also discovers a dead Alisha. He and his Father bury the corpses, and James calls a nurse to care for Hezekiah, who he believes is crazy. But post-sex, James reveals to the nurse that a witchdoctor has cursed him, and that his… let’s call it ‘little James’, can now detached itself and kill.
Insanely plotted, violent, bizarre and often very funny, Pervert! is everything you’d expect from Meyer if he was still around to squint into the camera. Yudis ticks all the required boxes; lurid locations, bizarre characters, and most importantly, a cast of gorgeously proportioned women. Mary Carey is a blonde, starry-eyed dream and Juliet Clarke is a dark-haired, man-beating vixen. Both are frequently naked and proud to be so. Old Russ would be proud. As you’d expect there’s a lot of nudity, but don’t be fooled into thinking this is porn. This kind of stuff was all about the tease, and you’ll find very little to offend. Even in the final reel when things take a decidedly mad turn as little James takes a trip into the bath with his naked victim and the anti is upped on the gore it’s still done for laughs. And really, how often can you say you’ve seen a Nazi garage mechanic strangled by a stop-motion killer penis? There’s even a retro garage-punk tune by the superbly named Clyde Mega Situation to wrap up the action. Combine that with great photography and razor-sharp editing and you’ve more than an imitation. You have a genuinely good movie.
Pervert! is a low-budget lost gem from 2005, and like all of their recent releases Arrow Video have been generous with the package, with reversible covers showcasing original artwork, two hysterical commentaries from cast and crew, a detailed making-of, deleted scenes, trailers and more. Best of all is a booklet featuring a detailed interview with Yudis and writing from Cinema Sewer editor Robin Bougie. Funny, informative and full of other titles you’ll want to add to your must-see list. It won’t appeal to all and occupies the niche market, but you’ll know if this is your sort of thing. If so, Pervert! is (pun very much intended) right up your alley.
EXTRAS ★★★★ Pervert! Is a low-budget lost gem from 2005, and like all of their recent releases Arrow Video have been generous with the package, with reversible covers showcasing original artwork, two hysterical commentaries from cast and crew, a detailed making-of, deleted scenes, trailers and more. Best of all is a booklet featuring a detailed interview with Yudis and writing from Cinema Sewer editor Robin Bougie, which is funny, informative and full of other titles you’ll want to add to your must-see list.