THE BEAST AND THE VIXENS (1973)
Label: Dark Force Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 79 Minutes 15 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: Ray Nadeau
Cast: Uschi Digard, Jacqueline Giroux, Marius Mazmanian, Colleen Brennan
The Beast and the Vixens (1973) also known as 'Desperately Seeking Yeti' and originally titled 'The Beauties and the Beast') is a rare 1974 yeti-sexploitation flick with a hefty dose of low-rent softcore sexploitation, directed by Ray Nadeau (Fangs). Shot on location in Big Bear Lake, CA the film is a hot mess narratively, but it's basically about a Bigfoot who terrorizes women in the woods and imprisons them in his cave. Meanwhile, nearby cold-blooded criminals and horny hippies clash, what ensues is a wildly incoherent blend of sleazy sexploitation and corny cryptid madness. The guy in the bigfoot hair-suit looks patently ridiculous, and the sex scenes are about as as hot as a salt-petered ice cube. The production looks cash-strapped from the get-go, and a intelligible plot obviously wasn't even a consideration - there's no way there was a script for this one - it's just a handful of naked women, bad sex scenes, and a hairy bigfoot abducting women - that's it. On the plus side there are some notable naked women, including Uschi Digard (SuperVixens), Jacqueline Giroux (To Live and To De in L.A.), Susan Westcott (Drop Out), Sandi Carey (Drive-In Massacre), Tracy Handfuss (A Clockwork Blue), and Colleen Brennan (Invasion of the Bee Girls). Happy to see this sasquatch sexploitation rarity get a Blu-ray release, cruddy looking though it may be, but in all honesty this is an absolute stinker of a film. That said, it's certainly worth a watch for the morbidly curious, if just for the genuinely interesting audio commentary featuring Severin Films David Gregory (for 9 minutes, anyway) and Joe Rubin from Vinegar Syndrome, and (for better or worse) Demon Dave from Darkforce Entertainment.
Audio/Video: The Beast and the Vixens (1973) was only ever released on VHS previously, the original negative for this picture having long been lost. For their release Dark Force Entertainment utilize the only known surviving 35mm prints, including some extra reels from the shorter adult film version, making this the longest known and most complete version of the film, offering a new 2K scan of the original horror version with added softcore scenes. It's pretty rough looking, but watchable. There are scratches and imperfection galore, staining from early stage vinegar syndrome, and plenty of vertical lines and emulsion digs.
This won't be anyone's idea of HD perfection but I am sure cult film enthusiast will enjoy the grindhouse patine of this obscure sasquatch rarity. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles, like the video source it is rough but serviceable loads of snap, crackle and pops on the audio, with a soundtrack that alternates between Looney Tunes comedy and a loungey stripclub accompainemt, which is certainly appropriate.
The only extras on the disc is the Demon Dave & Joe's "Savage Tracks" Audio Commentary Vol. 1 that starts off with just David Gregory from Severin Films and Joe Rubenstein from Vinegar Syndrome, with whom I believe is Jim Kunz chiming in from time to time. Gregory is actually only around for about 9-min, and Demon dave does not show up for about 30-min, late to his own commentary as it were. Gregory and Rubin start of talking a bit about Emory Brown who is seen in the introductory scene, he's a co-producer, was a regular for Al Adamson, and they tell the tale of about how this release happened, initially an auction that Rubin heard about but was stuck in Canada so he asked Gregory to attend, a strange facility, finding the films, including Beast and the Vixens, plus Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals which Severin itself released. After about 9-min Gregory exits, and Joe is left alone with some occasional chime-in from Kunz, before Demon Dave from Dark Force shows up, for what that's worth. Je points out the various actors, pointing out notable sex film actresses and fine tuning around what year these scene were shot, showcasing some impressive filmic archaeology. The Demon's commentary is limited to "Wow, that's neat", how the bigfoot reminds him of monsters from War of the Gargantuans, and an ongoing joke about offering Rubin upwards of a billion dollars to purchase his collection of negatives, referencing works he's having done on his Lamborghini. If these tracks were just Demon Dave I don't think I could stomach it, he's brings nothing to it. That said, this is wroth a listen because we have Gregory and Rubin on hand, and they are a wealth of knowledge. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the original movie poster.
Special Features:
- DARK FORCE 'SAVAGE TRACKS' AUDIO COMMENTARY SERIES: VOL. 1 featuring Label heads: The Demon (DARK FORCE), Joe Rubin (VINEGAR SYNDROME) & David Gregory (SEVERIN) and more!
Screenshots from the Dark Force Ent. Blu-ray:
Buy it!
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