Sexploitation as a B-movie genre basically went the way of the natural bosom when hardcore pornography hit the mainstream nearly 30 years ago. Why watch a fleshy tease picture when Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door are playing around the corner? And the home video boom, just 10 years later, wouldn’t help matters. But it’s a resilient genre that has adapted as it has pressed on through the years, especially in the early ’90s when "erotica" or the "couples-oriented" feature was king. These were the slick, polished and romance-fueled fodder of late-night cable, and perhaps best crafted by Zalman King. Today, the worm has turned. Schlockmeister John Bacchus and E.I. Independent Cinema have put the S-L-E-A-Z-E back into sexploitation with a crush of morally reprehensible and damned entertaining spoofs of pop-culture phenoms. Button up your raincoats, CineSchlockers, as we explore Erotic Survivor (2000, 91 minutes) and the sequel to Bacchus’ breakout hit Erotic Witch Project 2: Book of Seduction.
The movie: Two tribes vie for a grand prize of 20 dollars in a test of wills and endurance while "stranded hundreds of feet from civilization." The Poononny tribe consists of four insatiable lesbians who’d rather compete for each other’s attention than bother with some silly game show. This irks the marginally pious, certainly more fiscally minded Heyhoononny tribe to no end. The teams compete in a series of zany challenges under the direction and taunts of host John Bacchus. Darian Caine, Esmerelda DellaRocco, Jade DuBoir and Misty Mundae take turns pairing off, in various combinations, to wander into the woods for the flick’s steamiest scenes, which comprise roughly a third of its running time. While B-veteran Debbi Rochon is the ONLY gal to keep her clothes ON in her role as Heyhoononny’s cunning movie censor. Fans of the inescapable "Survivor" TV franchise will especially appreciate the earnest confessional scenes where individual contestants stare into the camera and talk trash about anyone and everyone. By the end, the hijinks progress beyond heavy petting and into a final challenge that culminates in a truly thrilling pogo stick tie-breaker.
CineSchlockers should keep an eye on sassy Ms. Mundae, as the gorgeous newcomer is clearly a starlet on the rise. Especially after having recently been selected as the cover model for Retro-Seduction Cinema. No word yet if she’ll return for the planned sequel due in 2002.
Notables: Eight breasts. No corpses. Tickling. Advanced lesbian tongue rassling. Marker eating. Puking. Mud wrestling. Spanking. Spitting. Rampant nudism. Boozing.
Quotables: Misty is confident from the start, "I’m gonna win the 20 dollars, because I’m the toughest bitch here." But soon resents the button-down morality of her opposition, "Damn, I hate Christians!" They don’t much like her either, "We have goodness and virtue and spirit on our side. And they have Satan and lust and desire on their side."
Time codes: Darian attempts to cut down a small tree with her trusty sex toy (8:15). The girls smear tapioca all over each other (21:10). Tensions flare between the tribes (29:40). The first alliance is, ahem, consummated (35:25). Guy in a monkey suit (55:32).
Final thought: Fat, hairy, nekkid Richard Hatch, or slender lesbians writhing in a mud pit? Bacchus’ answer proves he clearly knows his niche, and this entry jiggles and squeals to the top. Most of his cast readily meets the challenge of a completely adlibed script, especially Ms. Rochon.