GRINDHOUSE POSSESSION TRIPLE BILL

Three vintage pornos linked by the loose theme of possession, all squeezed onto one value-friendly disc from our friends at After Hours Cinema.

The disc kicks off with the interestingly titled THE DOCTOR DISCIPLES (no, that's not a misprint - it's not meant to read THE DOCTOR'S DISCIPLES).

It kicks in with a bearded doctor at a sex-counselling clinic getting berated by his voluptuous redheaded secretary. She's miffed because he hasn't yet addressed the problem of her low sex drive - one of the reasons she took the job.

With alarming smoothness, the doctor promptly suggests that they continue their conversation in the back room. They retire to the couch there and begin to undress each other. What follows is, as noted in the DVD's accompanying booklet, one of the most erotic blowjobs ever put to screen.

But the doctor saves himself so he can give the girl a good balling. In doing so, he manages to cum twice onto her white belly.

Then we're introduced to wannabe actress "Swamp Girl", a nameless rock star paranoid that women only sleep with him because of his fame, shy tycoon Tony who's addicted to paying for sex, and a pretty blonde who's fallen into a life of prostitution. The four strangers are gathered on the doctor's couch, awaiting his advice.

The doctor makes himself comfortable alongside them and instructs Tony to take the hooker into the next room to get better acquainted. Looking like the cat that got the cream, Tony duly obliges. What follows is a remarkable sex scene in which the male cums no less than three times. The scene ends while he's still going at it, humping the girl presumably on his way to squirting a fourth load. I can only assume the filmmakers ran out of film at that point!

After this lengthy scene, it's back to the waiting room where the doctor gives pretty much the same advice to the other couple.

After offering therapy to his secretary once more, the doctor joins in with everyone else for the inevitable climactic (sorry) orgy.

Filmed entirely in two rooms, which look like someone's office or home, this is as cheap and quick as they come - a true one-day-wonder. Which makes it all the more remarkable that these guys can cum so often, especially in succession. Bearing in mind, that is, that this film originates from around 1973, and no aides were available back then for performing such commendable deeds.

Quite what this first film has to do with possession, or even "occult science" as the DVD booklet puts it, is beyond me. But it's a passable hour that raises a few eyebrows along the way. It helps that the female cast are all lookers (especially that secretary), and that exposition is kept to an absolute minimum.

Next up is THE MEDALLION, credited to director "Frank Miller".

The film opens with a college professor graciously accepting compliments on his lecturing skills from two attractive female students. He suggests that if they're so impressed, they should meet with him to join in his worship of the Greek God, Pan.

After arranging to meet one of the ladies later that evening, the professor retires to his study to read up on a magic medallion of his. He learns that it has the power to hypnotise its subjects.

That evening the professor welcomes his blonde guest into his home, and quickly hypnotises her with the medallion. This allows him to undress her - huge white pants and all - then enjoy her sucking on his toes and penis. They shaft for an age before he releases himself onto her backside. Notice the sombre, X-FILES-type music playing amusingly during this scene ...

From there onwards, more women find their way to the professor's lair and allow themselves to become hypnotised by the medallion. Cue more funky music, and more hairy sex. Thankfully, the professor has a couple of horny mates on standby to help with all the (what looks to be) smelly fucking. The women are cute and thankfully untouched by the surgeon's knife. They also seem to come from Los Angeles back when the sun never shined there - they're all so pale!

How does it all end? I'll let you take a wild guess.

Finally, there's 1974's POSSESSED (A.k.a. POSSESSION).

Englishman Adam searches for his new home in the Hollywood Hills while his sexy wife Rose (Helen Madigan) fellates him as he drives. They find the house and quickly set about settling in.

Over breakfast the following morning, Rose airs her concerns about voices she heard in the night, coming from the bedroom next to theirs. Adam is dismissive of her fears of being alone in the house, and seems more interested in a story in the local paper reporting a racially violent incident.

We soon learn why Adam is so keen to race off to work, leaving Rose home alone - he's a talent agent who likes to screw auditionees in his office.

Still, Rose doesn't seem overly anxious when he leaves for work. Instead she strips naked and oils herself in sun cream, lying back to enjoy the rays in the back garden. While caressing herself, Rose is overpowered by a well-endowed black guy called Jonathan who proceeds to fuck the living daylights out of her. Or does he? He remains invisible to all but her, and afterwards she's left wondering whether the whole experience was just a very agreeable hallucination.

Later that day, Adam returns home from the office and bangs Rose. The following morning, however, they're back to bickering about his long working hours and her reservations about their new home. It transpires that now she hears noises in the basement too.

While Adam's away that day, the black apparition returns for another crack at supernaturally molesting Rose. Rose rings Adam at work to express her concerns, but he's too busy getting his dick sucked as a prelude to a threesome. And so, Rose is left to face the invisible porking alone once more ...

During this session, it transpires that Jonathan is a ghost who is mistaking Rose for his old flame Ruth.

Later, Adam returns home ready to romp with Rose. He does so, and then rests while she freshens up in the bathroom. At this point, Ruth turns up to supernaturally seduce Adam!

Made when inter-racial sex scenes were no doubt shocking stuff, this is a badly edited and clumsily shot affair that suffers from disjointed sex scenes and frequently obscured money shots.

In it's favour, the film has an atmospheric electronic score akin to those that graced early 80s horrors like THE BOOGEYMAN and THE DEVONSVILLE TERROR, and the sight of Madigan gyrating alone on the bed as if being humped by an invisible rapist. It's not THE ENTITY exactly, but it's getting there.

Still, if you like big breasts, stick around for the climactic scenes of Ruth getting shafted left, right and centre.

While possessing more of a script than the preceding two films, POSSESSED lacks their sense of fun. Also, while all three films are hampered by camerawork that doesn't get the best angles or lighting, this one suffers in those departments the most.

Each film is presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio, and has been enhanced for 16x9 TV sets. Picture quality is worn and faded on all three films, with grain and specks featuring frequently. Image clarity is a tad soft throughout, but if you're a fan of After Hours' vintage porn output you'll already know what to expect. It certainly doesn't spoil the viewing pleasure - on the contrary, it adds to it's sleazy appeal in it's own way.

Purists may grumble that these are "enhanced" versions from After Hours, with some new score music. But copyrights issues come into play here and, besides, where else are you going to find these films?

English mono is serviceable throughout the three features, with only minor hiss to comment upon.

An animated main menu page impresses with eerie music and a montage of glowing skulls, giving access to each of the three films. As is commonplace with these releases now, there's also the "Grind-It! Play All" option which allows you to watch all three films in one go, complete with trailers in-between.

There are no scene-selection menus on the disc, but each film has it's own set of chapters. DOCTOR has 11 (52 minutes); MEDALLION has 12 (61 minutes); POSSESSED has 12 (58 minutes).

The only extras on the disc are trailers for GRINDHOUSE OCCULT COLLECTION, the highly recommended RAPIST RAMPAGE DOUBLE BILL, SEX ON THE SUNSET STRIP, the demented SYLVIA and the aptly named WEIRDOS AND ODDBALLS.

There's also a nice 6-page fold-out booklet with colour screen grabs and liner notes from The After Hours Collector.

Another mixed bag from After Hours Cinema. Where they keep finding these obscurities is anyone's guess, but there's no denying that they're both intriguing and good value.

Review by Stuart Willis