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EP06 – Nine Cats for the Inferno In EP06 of the Badasses, Boobs and Body Counts.com Podcast, your host Mike is joined by David Anders, host to Devour The Podcast. Mike and David discuss Dario Argento’s Inferno (1980) and The Cat O’ Nine Tails (1971). During the Inferno segment we often scratch our heads while talking about this film and during The Cat O’ Nine Tails we speak of pancake shaped tits, terrible wigs and just how a blind man becomes the hero of said film. Oh, we also talk about the F-Bomb, you know, the word FUCK.
Inferno (11:15) Category: Body Counts Badass: None (both Mike and David) Boob Count: 0 pair Body Count: 8 IMDB Rating: 6.6 David’s Rating: 4.5 Mike’s Rating: 5.5 Recommend: Only to fans of the Italian genre of horror (or Argento fans)
The Cat O’ Nine Tails (43:24) Category: Body Counts Badass: Arno aka Cookie (both Mike and David) Boob Count: 1 pair Body Count: 5 IMDB Rating: 6.6 David’s Rating: 7.0 Mike’s Rating: 7.0 Recommend: Yes (both Mike and David)
EP06 Feedback I’d love to hear feedback on this episode once you’ve given it a listen. Contact info is given at the end of the podcast. You can also comment right here on this page or send an email to: badassesboobsandbodycounts_@_yahoo.com (remove the _ before and after the @ or the email will bounce). Any and all feedback (positive or negative) will be read on the following episode.
EP06 Downloads Download from the RSS feed: EP06 – Nine Cats for the Inferno Direct download: EP06_bbandbc_ninecatsfortheinferno.mp3 Direct from iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bbandbc-podcast
Coming up in EP07 The Badasses, Boobs and Body Counts Halloween celebration continues with EP07. This show contains two guests, Bill Fulkerson, host of Outside The Cinema TV and Lex, host of the Love and Sex With Lex Podcast and Radio Show. The films covered will be the depravity that is The Bride of Frank (1996 with Bill) and the crazy Japanese splatter-fest Frankenstein Girl vs Vampire Girl (2009 with Lex). Both films are way out there in terms of being over-the-top, so this should a lot of fun!
Show Notes Devour The Podcast : GialloScore.com
The Plot: Death Spa opens with a long slow crane shot of the city behind a spa. This shot eventually finds its way down onto the streets and into the primary location of the film, the Starbody Health Spa. We’re then taken inside the spa as the camera slowly pans past all the high-tech workout equipment, ending up in the aerobics room were Laura (Brenda Bakke) is working out. Once she’s through with her workout, she’s met by the last remaining spa employee in the building, Marvin (played by the iconic Ken Foree). Marvin tells her to lock up before leaving as he walks out the door. Laura then heads to the sauna and disrobes once inside. As she lies there enjoying her steam bath, the steam begins to increase at an amazingly fast pace, burning her body landing her in the hospital.
It’s at this point we’re introduced to the spa’s owner, Michael (William Bumiller). Michael rushes to the hospital hearing the news about Laura whom we find he is dating. Laura is Micheal’s first girlfriend since the mysterious death of his wife. The following day, it’s back to business at the spa for Michael. He makes his rounds at the spa introducing the viewer to certain individuals who later plays a role in the story. We’re then taken into the computer room where we meet David (Merrit Butrick), the spas IT man. We see panels and panels of late 80′s computer equipment in which we learn run the spa. Want to work out? The slide your key-card at a piece of equipment and your greeted with a female version of Stephen Hawking and your workout is recorded. Pretty advanced stuff for a health spa.
Now that the plot has been properly setup, things begin to go bad in the spa. At first the accidents are mild, but they quickly become deadly. One victim is lured down into the basement where she dies from acid water coming from the sprinkler system. Another loses her hand in a drink mixer that wasn’t plugged in. Another is confronted by a ghost and gets his hand blown off when he attempts to shoot it. As the deaths continue to mount (no need to shut the spa down, it’s OK if people continue to die while we figure this all out), Michael half suspects David is the killer but can’t quite prove it. He also uncovers that his attorney and another spa-member setup the first incident with Laura in an attempt to wrestle the spa from him. As far as the police investigation goes, well, lets just say that these two knuckle-headed investigators are too busy drinking coffee, eating lunch and tossing out one-liners to really make a difference.
The Takeaway: Putting Lloyd Kaufman’s brilliant Toxic Avenger aside, has there ever been a successful horror film themed around health spas or exercise? There’s Killer Workout , naw, that’s crap. What about Aerobicide ? Oops, that’s the alternative title for Killer Workout . There are workout scenes in Happy Birthday to Me , A Nightmare on Elm Street parts 2 and 4, Demons 2 , I know What You Did Last Summer , Fear No Evil and even The Rocky Horror Picture Show . Do those count? No, they really don’t. OK, then, lets not put Lloyd Kaufman’s brilliant Toxic Avenger aside and call it what it is, the most successful health spa/exercise horror film to date. But wait, I’m not here to write about The Toxic Avenger , am I.
I’ve been wanting to see Death Spa for some time now. I rented one of Lucio Fulci’s films (on VHS) about 12 years ago (I forget which film it was) and saw a trailer for Death Spa on it. The trailer looked amazing, so upon returning the Fulci tape, I asked about Death Spa and was told they didn’t have it. Time begun to pass and each trip back to the video store yielded no results. Then the DVD craze hit and VHS copies of films began to dwindle as did my hopes of seeing Death Spa . With no Death Spa DVD currently released (or on the horizon fro that matter), I opted to hit the online gray-market area and finally purchased a copy on DVD-R. Sadly, and in this case, the trailer ended up being better than the film.
Death Spa , as promising as it looked, lacks solid direction, pacing and editing. The script feels almost unfinished as the film seems to go a whole new direction mid-way through. It begins firmly enough and lays the ground work for what could have been a great film, yet it manages to trip all over itself and completely veer off course. This is what hurts the film the most. Then there are moments of pure stupidity within the script. How does someone setup acid water in a sprinkler system? Then how do they get the sprinkler system to turn on in the basement and nowhere else in the spa? How does a bartender lose her hand in a blender that’s unplugged while dozens of people are standing around watching but not helping? How do dozens upon dozens of people at a party not see or help with the bizarre occurrences happening all around them? The script also ignores proper police procedure by throwing two inept investigators into the mix, who would later just become part of the body count (which had to have been the plan from the get go). And why in the world would you reveal the so-called killer so early in the film? I mean it was 45-minutes into the film and I still had no idea who the killer was (sure, I had my suspicions, but I didn’t know who it was) and then BOOM, the writers just dumps him into my lap. Poor execution to say the least.
Despite all the films issues, I’ll give credit where credit is due. A couple of the death scenes are impressive and are worth mentioning. The scene where a woman is decapitated by an exploding mirror stands out as does the victim of the acid rain as her face melts away quite nicely. Credit goes to Chris Simmons for the wonderful work he did in the special effects department.
Film Facts: Death Spa was directed by Michael Fischa and was written by James Bartruff and Mitch Paradise. Prior to Death Spa , Bartruff had one writing credit to his name, the mid-80′s TV show ‘What’s Happening Now’ (one episode) and no other writing credits since. Paradise had only 3 writing credits for TV and only one after Death Spa . It’s pretty evident that Death Spa was doomed from the beginning from at least from a writing standpoint. The films director, Michael Fischa, had two directing credits prior to Death Spa and seven afterwards. So putting together an inexperienced director with inexperienced writers was a recipe for disaster, at least in the case of Death Spa .
A couple of people did manage to survive Death Spa in terms of future careers. Chris Simmons, the special effects supervisor went on to work in films such as Batman Forever , Independence Day , Deep Impact , I, Robot and Monsters vs Aliens in visual effects. Ken Foree has been working steady since his role as Peter in George A. Romero’s masterpiece Dawn of the Dead (1978) and usually spends his time in supporting roles. Luckily for us, genre fans that is, Death Spa didn’t kill Ken’s career. Others in the film also went on to work in the industry but I won’t bore you with those ‘soap operaish’ details.
Favorite Badass or Badass Moment: Sorry kids, no badasses in this one Favorite Boobs or Boobs in a Scene: Shower scene, plenty of fun-bags to be seen here Favorite Death Scene: The decapitation of a spa member when a mirror explodes
Boob Count: 9 pair Body Count: 14
IMDB Rating: 5.1 / 10 My Rating: 3.5 / 10
Final Thoughts: Unless you’re a glutant for punishment, just stick with the Death Spa trailer. It has everything you’ll want to see, and its much shorter.
Next Episode 7/15
Podcast Listening Portals Follow BB&BCs via Email Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Join 1,209 other followers Recent Posts BBandBC Podcast EP88 – Road Games BBandBC Podcast EP87 – White Line Fever BBandBC Podcast EP86 – 20 Million Miles to Earth BBandBC Podcast EP85 – Disco Godfather BBandBC Podcast EP84 – Black Dynamite BBandBC Podcast EP83 – She Freak BBandBC Podcast EP82 – Mamorial Day Special BBandBC Podcast EP81 – The Lost Empire BBandBC Podcast EP80 – Santo & Blue Demon VS. Dracula & The Wolfman BBandBC Podcast EP79 – Robot Jox BBandBC Podcast EP78 – 10 Violent Women BBandBC Podcast EP77 – Naked Killer BBandBC Podcast EP76 – Gummo BBandBC Podcast EP75 – The Manitou BBandBC Podcast EP74 – Stone Cold BBandBC Podcast EP73 – Night of the Cobra Woman BBandBC Podcast EP72 – The Return of Swamp Thing BBandBC Podcast EP71 – Linnea Quigley’s Horror Workout BBandBC Podcast EP70 – House on Bare Mountain BBandBC Podcast EP69 – Jackie Brown BBandBC Podcast EP68 – Kidnapped BBandBC Podcast EP67 – Kill Baby, Kill BBandBC Podcast EP66 – Manos: The Hands of Fate BBandBC Podcast EP65 – Flesh Gordon BBandBC Podcast EP64 – Riki-Oh: The Story of the Burning Moon BBandBC Podcast EP63 – Bitch Slap BBandBC Podcast EP62 – Don’t Open Till Christmas BBandBC Podcast EP61 – Nude Nuns With Big Guns BBandBC Podcast EP60 – The Magnificent Butcher New BBandBC Capsule Reviews Web Site Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com . The Parament Theme . Follow Follow “Badasses, Boobs and Body Counts” Get every new post delivered to your Inbox. Join 1,209 other followers Powered by WordPress.com Send to Email Address Your Name Your Email Address Cancel Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Email check failed, please try again Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. %d bloggers like this:
Follow BB&BCs via Email Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Join 1,209 other followers
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Join 1,209 other followers
Recent Posts BBandBC Podcast EP88 – Road Games BBandBC Podcast EP87 – White Line Fever BBandBC Podcast EP86 – 20 Million Miles to Earth BBandBC Podcast EP85 – Disco Godfather BBandBC Podcast EP84 – Black Dynamite BBandBC Podcast EP83 – She Freak BBandBC Podcast EP82 – Mamorial Day Special BBandBC Podcast EP81 – The Lost Empire BBandBC Podcast EP80 – Santo & Blue Demon VS. Dracula & The Wolfman BBandBC Podcast EP79 – Robot Jox BBandBC Podcast EP78 – 10 Violent Women BBandBC Podcast EP77 – Naked Killer BBandBC Podcast EP76 – Gummo BBandBC Podcast EP75 – The Manitou BBandBC Podcast EP74 – Stone Cold BBandBC Podcast EP73 – Night of the Cobra Woman BBandBC Podcast EP72 – The Return of Swamp Thing BBandBC Podcast EP71 – Linnea Quigley’s Horror Workout BBandBC Podcast EP70 – House on Bare Mountain BBandBC Podcast EP69 – Jackie Brown BBandBC Podcast EP68 – Kidnapped BBandBC Podcast EP67 – Kill Baby, Kill BBandBC Podcast EP66 – Manos: The Hands of Fate BBandBC Podcast EP65 – Flesh Gordon BBandBC Podcast EP64 – Riki-Oh: The Story of the Burning Moon BBandBC Podcast EP63 – Bitch Slap BBandBC Podcast EP62 – Don’t Open Till Christmas BBandBC Podcast EP61 – Nude Nuns With Big Guns BBandBC Podcast EP60 – The Magnificent Butcher New BBandBC Capsule Reviews Web Site
BBandBC Podcast EP88 – Road Games
BBandBC Podcast EP87 – White Line Fever
BBandBC Podcast EP86 – 20 Million Miles to Earth
BBandBC Podcast EP85 – Disco Godfather
BBandBC Podcast EP84 – Black Dynamite
BBandBC Podcast EP83 – She Freak
BBandBC Podcast EP82 – Mamorial Day Special
BBandBC Podcast EP81 – The Lost Empire
BBandBC Podcast EP80 – Santo & Blue Demon VS. Dracula & The Wolfman
BBandBC Podcast EP79 – Robot Jox
BBandBC Podcast EP78 – 10 Violent Women
BBandBC Podcast EP77 – Naked Killer
BBandBC Podcast EP76 – Gummo
BBandBC Podcast EP75 – The Manitou
BBandBC Podcast EP74 – Stone Cold
BBandBC Podcast EP73 – Night of the Cobra Woman
BBandBC Podcast EP72 – The Return of Swamp Thing
BBandBC Podcast EP71 – Linnea Quigley’s Horror Workout
BBandBC Podcast EP70 – House on Bare Mountain
BBandBC Podcast EP69 – Jackie Brown
BBandBC Podcast EP68 – Kidnapped
BBandBC Podcast EP67 – Kill Baby, Kill
BBandBC Podcast EP66 – Manos: The Hands of Fate
BBandBC Podcast EP65 – Flesh Gordon
BBandBC Podcast EP64 – Riki-Oh: The Story of the Burning Moon
BBandBC Podcast EP63 – Bitch Slap
BBandBC Podcast EP62 – Don’t Open Till Christmas
BBandBC Podcast EP61 – Nude Nuns With Big Guns
BBandBC Podcast EP60 – The Magnificent Butcher
New BBandBC Capsule Reviews Web Site
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