Back in the days of DVD when I first started collecting Mondo Macabro discs they helped introduce me to some wild and worldly cinema. One of the first 10 or so discs I bought based on title alone was The Sadist with Red Teeth, by director Jean-Louis van Belle. It has been a decade if not longer since that film was released on DVD Mondo is finally plunging fans back into the world of van Belle, not with a Blu-ray release of Sadist…, but with a double feature of his The Lady Kills and Pervertissima.
The Lady Kills opens with an over the top rape scene where a bunch of men rape a young woman, while another woman watches on. We will find out later that this woman is Francoise (Carole Lebel). The film then picks up years later in Dusseldorf, where we see a murder in progress where a man is shot in front of his girlfriend. The murder we find has been committed by Francoise, who then enjoys a bubble bath. We then follow Francoise around Europe as she Bride Work Black’s her way around Europe killing the men responsible for the rape at the beginning of the film.
It’s a thin plot, but van Belle keeps it moving at a decent clip. Also, the always changing locations keeps things interesting, especially since he keeps things in the more hip and swinging side of things, and as such things are quite colorful and more fun to watch.
Pervertissima, also follows around a character named Francoise (Maelle Pertuzo). However, this film basically plays out like a Mondo film in Paris. In this film Francoise is hired by a newspaper to write an article called “Love in Paris” and begins exploring the more lurid sides of Paris. This means a lesbian sauna, a swingers club, a sci-fi-esque clinic with sex robots.
This one is a fun watch especially on a visual level. It’s not as easy to get into as The Lady Kills, but it’s weird enough to just take the plunge into and enjoy. The music including the theme song are a lot of fun, and the sex robot creating mad scientists are definitely high points.
Mondo Macabro presents The Lady Kills and Pervertissima in splendid 1:66:1 1080p AVC encoded transfers from recent 2k scans. Everything here looks largely great. There is some minor damage from the source, but aside from that colors pop, detail is excellent and image is mostly clean. Audio is handled with a French 2.0 mono track that comes through clear and without issue. Extras include a documentary about the director and introductions to each film by writer Christophe Bier. This is an excellent release, and a great plunge back into the world of director van Belle HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Director- Jean-Louis van Belle
Cast- Various
Country of Origin- France
Distributor – Mondo Macabro
Number of Discs –1
Reviewed by – Scott MacDonald
Date- 8/29/20