What format (VHS, DVD, Super-8 [LOL])? If it's DVD, you can send my a copy. I'm in California -- just e-mail me at the address above.

Thanks

Overall Maleficarum is a big winner to me and hope Jane, JJ and Red Feline makes more movies like it.

Bill K.

OK, for me it's the apparent content, and if it wasn't that, then price. I certainly hope it's a great movie for people interested in what the promo pics and trailers depict: old time era witch persecution and cruel things like BATS that happen to them. But I'm really not into medieval, old time era stuff. Even if I was into that I'd still wait for reviews (tho not just anybody's reviews, definitely would wait for a Ralphus or John Galt or A Canadian review).

Now if there were lots of groping, and boob squeezing, and lots of crotch groping, and penetration with phallic devices and forced sex, and some hard paddling (not light spanking, but hard spanking) and that was set in old time era, I might have my interest peaked. But I'd really rather it be put in a more current era, cause the clothes women wore back then blows compared to later era tight mini skirts, nylons/pantyhose, tube tops, boots or heels, etc.

Ulike Scribbler, I believe that those type of BDSM where lots rope tying, vibrator and machine forced orgasms and light whipping are portrayed are a sign of our time. The actual pain, gore and suffering are not tolerated...looked at the use of our current death penalty practices as an example.

Big but, we still have the urge to see what our ancestors saw in the Coliseum of the Roman Empire and witch burning and public executions of the past. A whole helluva lot of pain, suffering and gore. A good example, some observers of this new inquisition movie by Jane said he would like see more wood use when burn Mariana at stake and why was she naked?

The purpose of burning was to cause maximum pain for a long time. Too much wood would cause the person to expire too quickly and as would too much clothing would bring flames too close to the mouth and instant death. The human flesh is not flammable. No fun for the spectators.

But now I read some of our group here, after all the pics and reports on M, after all the trailers, etc. complaining about the PRICE of something that is a greater event in the GIMP world than Poor Cecily was in mainstream flicks. These must be guys who never bought a ZFX or subscribed to Paingate or (fill in the blank) for about the price of a full keeper download of M. The price is about what we paid for HOM videos back in the day (when the money went a hell of a lot further than it does now).

And for those who don't like seeing "medieval" rags being torn off an actress but want...whatever they want, or don't like this kink so much or want more of that one, or who want someone else to tell them that the actress' skin blisters up and turns black when she is roasting or burning at the stake or that the whipmarks look right or don't and won't buy because the thing that was actually done doesn't come up to the standards of their own personal fantasy images...

I don't judge those whose tastes differ from mine. I do vote with my wallet. When I see a professional effort like M (and many of the other RF works or the ZFX or the HOM or even sites that make the effort) take the chance and push the envelope in the direction I want to see, I'm buying. From the comments on the board, it sounds like there are many like me who will support first and critique later. Truly, guys. I'd hate to think we end up like a bunch of old queens going to the best restaurant in town and bitching about how much tarragon is in the sauce.

In the meantime, I know some of you have seen it, so please, carry on. I'd love to hear your opinions.

I am not a big fan of movies set in medieval times. Had this been a home invasion and Jane been the victimized housewife, I would have slept in front of the store over the weekend in order to be first. That said, for me Jane's beauty trumps that imperfection hands down. But how about for those potential customers for whom it doesn't?

I say, buy it anyway. As we on the forum all know very well, our tastes run the gamut. They run it to such a degree and are so individually unique that we got irritated when we were asked to classify ourselves as Lightweights or Heavyweights. But if anything is obvious, it is that Maleficarum was not inexpensive to make. We need productions like this to make money. If we are all waiting for the movie that fits perfectly to our tastes before we plunk down serious money, we should prepare for a long wait. I have yet to buy a Kindle, but after I do, will I complain when the last book store in my town closes?

I read some days ago a comment about Canada and Belgium ("we can't have it in Canada but even in Belgium they can buy it" or something like that). Because I am Belgian citizen I was rather pissed of with this comment but now I can say the same thing (together with the UK comment some hours ago) :" We in Europe can't still buy Maleficarum but in some countries like Canada they can" ....

Now as for Ralphus telling us he is drained - if that is an emotional response to his movie viewing that sounds like it may bode well for the production - on the other hand if he's referring to a physical state........that conjures images I'd rather not think about.

Stay well all

Now as for Ralphus telling us he is drained ... if he's referring to a physical state........that conjures images I'd rather not think about.

Me neither.

Dear R. Margot, any news about the Download version Mac OS X. I hav already done a purchase of the DVD copies all available films and will get them by this weekend.

I hav heard from a GIMP blogers, about an ending they did not expect and that it may the movie better. Now that carrot makes me want to download ASAP even though the DVDs are on their way.

Where did I say anything about "type of BDSM where lots rope tying, vibrator and machine forced orgasms and light whipping." Please don't attribute specifics about me that I did not even say. Thank you. It would be way easy to quote what I actually said instead of making things up.

Big but, we still have the urge to see what our ancestors saw...etc. Well, sure, some people do, which is why I wrote "I certainly hope it's a great movie for people interested in what the promo pics and trailers depict..."

This month's Attackers movies look pretty bad, but next month's looks good (just based on leaked box images): New entry in Slave Color, new series "Slave Secretary", which looks like it could be good, and ATID193, for which I don't know the translated title but looks like an "enslaved agent"-type movie. There's also another weird Tentacle movie, which I'm not really in to, but at least it ain't vanilla like this month's.

Thanks, it's good to know things are looking up. I'll be sure to check the Attackers site later this week.

Maybe my memory is just too good. I remember when I was first getting into my kink, the rush that came with each new mag cover or (rarely) film, then the 8mm stuff after my discovery of HOM and the prime CalStar stuff. Boy, some of it was long on tease, or the models weren't to my taste, or the performances were amateurish, but I bought the tapes and the mags for two reasons: They were the best thing out there and I understood business well enough to know that if I didn't buy them, they wouldn't be there long. I've seen lots of ZFX films that didn't come up to the standards of the best, and I admit I never supported Harmony glamour bondage or BATS or death fetish stuff.

I bought HOM too cause it was the best I found out there way back when. Bought London and others too. I did NOT buy at all thinking that if I didn't they wouldn't be there long. I too have bought and watched ZFX that could've been better. I too never bought BATs or death fetish. I may have bought a Harmony mag, not sure, equivalent maybe.

But now I read some of our group here, after all the pics and reports on M, after all the trailers, etc. complaining about the PRICE of something that is a greater event in the GIMP world than Poor Cecily was in mainstream flicks.

And to that I say so what? "Some of our group" are perfectly entitled to comment on price or whatever. Not that I know much of anything about Poor Cecily, but this is a forum where people can express their opinion. Even Ralphus commented on price. I mentioned price, but it's not the main reason I'm not buying.

These must be guys who never bought a ZFX or subscribed to Paingate or (fill in the blank) for about the price of a full keeper download of M.

"These must be?" Based on what, absolutely zero proof or evidence whatsoever? Sorry to disappoint, but I've bought a number of ZFX and (fill in the blanks) at prices higher than M's current $34.90.

Hey, maybe the guys not complaining about price must be "guys who never bought a ZFX or subscribed to Paingate or (fill in the blank) for about the price of a full keeper download of M." Could be true of some. Of course, what difference would it make? None.

And for those who don't like seeing "medieval" rags being torn off an actress but want...

Who said that? I missed it. Who said anything about "not like seeing medieval rags being torn off an actress?" No one. If you're referring to my post, you need to read more closely. It's not the "tearing off" of clothes/rags that I commented on. If anything, tearing off the clothes would be a plus.

whatever they want, or don't like this kink so much or want more of that one, or who want someone else to tell them that the actress' skin blisters up and turns black when she is roasting or burning at the stake or that the whipmarks look right or don't and won't buy because the thing that was actually done doesn't come up to the standards of their own personal fantasy images...

Ah, people in a discussion forum voicing their own points of views. Though I seem to have missed reading some of the above. Blisters! Missed reading that. Anyway, was there a point made here? I'm not seeing it.

I don't judge those whose tastes differ from mine. I do vote with my wallet. When I see a professional effort like M (and many of the other RF works or the ZFX or the HOM or even sites that make the effort) take the chance and push the envelope in the direction I want to see, I'm buying.

Makes sense. When they "push" "in the direction I want to see" (I don't require push the envelope, I'm fine with current good envelopes), I will buy too.

From the comments on the board, it sounds like there are many like me who will support first and critique later. Truly, guys. I'd hate to think we end up like a bunch of old queens going to the best restaurant in town and bitching about how much tarragon is in the sauce.

Yep, many will buy.

I don't get your last statement at all. Almost sounds like you think we shouldn't have disagreements about things. This is not a "yes man" forum far as I know. This forum has had different views expressed for years. I think your analogy is unneeded derogatory BS.

FTR, Ralphus wrote If there's any reason why anyone doesn't feel it's worth taking on chance on purchasing, I'd like to hear why. And so I replied. You know, cause it's a discussion forum.

If I understand the thinking correctly, the idea is you should buy the movie -- even if it doesn't appeal to you -- so the producers have money available to make more movies.

However, if the producers aren't making movies that interest me, why would I care whether or not they're able to make more movies? I don't really follow that logic.

I'm sticking with my game plan: If the official Ralphus Review convinces me Maleficarum is worth seeing, then I'll rent the movie. After I've seen it, I'll decide whether or not it's something I need to own -- and, if so, I'll make a full purchase at a later date.

My decisions will be based on the quality of the movie.

Dear Scribbler, Please accept my sincere apologize for my Spirit fueled Rantings concerning Pain, Blood, and Gore. Your are totally right, my blind reading and total misunderstanding of your posting did not merit such words.

Sorry, Heroone

Just wanted to pick up Mr. Lipton's word regarding Red Feline leaving him uninspired.

What I have seen of the above mentioned (and it's not a great deal). I quite like it. Maybe a bit samey sometimes, but I am always in the market for some good old fashioned flag and I don't much mind where it comes from. However, - and I'm sure you heard this coming.- How? Why? Can anyone be impressed with Boundheat? Oh sure, the sets are pretty slick and the babes rock, but the action, the acting...the appallingly bad actioned whipping scenes with phoney sound that struggles to sync with the action.

I hate to piss on anyone's parade, but hey guys...what have sad suckers like us got if we aint got standards.

I accept that some of Feline's whipping sounds are a little suspect, but she squirms real nice. OK the stripes look a little phoney...but good phoney, not just crap phoney. I prefer it when Jane grunts and adds the odd cry of pain rather than just stoically taking the lash. All in all, she rocks under the whip and that's just all there is to it. The atmosphere is gritty and cool and she looks to die for bloodied and sweating.

Like the above mentioned I too would struggle to justify the cost of the much mentioned and long awaited Maleficarum, though I have loved what promo stuff I've seen and any vidcaps I have grabbed. I just fervently hope their grasp hasn't overstretched their reach here and it is a success for them. They deserve it just by putting this stuff out there for us, so I hope it goes real well.

I would also like to thank those gimpers that made mention of my review earlier. It was as much the work of the esteemed Ralphus as me and I feel a little privileged that he took the time and trouble to nurse me through it, though it never was really intended to be a review. I just don't consider myself well informed enough to lecture to such an august bunch of dudes as get on this site, but I have to say, Ralphus puts an awful lot into this for us suckers and we should be grateful.

If I understand the thinking correctly, the idea is you should buy the movie -- even if it doesn't appeal to you -- so the producers have money available to make more movies.

I didn't read it like that at all. I thought petelobo's post was aimed at folks who are interested in Maleficarum, but were waiting for others to buy it, review it, then confirm that the whip being used was a single-lash, rawhide knout with a minimum four-foot tail and metal studs on the handle. I'm exaggerating of course, but I do believe that our expectations have narrowed to match our rarefied tastes. And woe be to those producers who don't cater to every conceivable permutation of the GIMP fetish.

As petelobo points out, back in the good ol' days when ZFX and HOM were among the few content producers around, we gave them our business knowing that if whatever we purchased came close to our perfect fantasy, that was more than good enough. A perfect match on all counts was understood to be extremely unlikely, but batting over .300 was sufficient. For example, most know me to enjoy a rather permanent demise for the GIMP victim, and though this is not uncommon in mainstream films, I would never have expected that scenario in a fetish production from the 1980's. Yet that didn't stop me from buying specialty videos for the many other delights they had to offer.

I think the point being made is that the explosion of content provided via the internet makes it possible for a GIMPer to find, on occasion, a very close, if not perfect depiction of his or her particular ideal. Some opt to hold out until they are 100% certain that what they buy is this elusive gem. That is their right of course, and it's smart to be choosy, especially when finances are tight. But I think GIMPers miss out on a lot if they don't take a chance now and again, grabbing something that has potential but isn't a sure bet.

In the case of Maleficarum, more details about this film have been made available than any GIMP production I can think of. Those for whom it holds no appeal will certainly know by now. But for those who love the stills Margot has generously shared, who like the historical setting and the inquisition theme, and who have already enjoyed other Red Feline films, well... if you have the cash, buy it. Waiting for someone else to take the risk on your behalf then write a review to answer your arcane questions seems more than a bit self-serving and does little to endear you to either the producers or the rest of the community.

wallym wrote:

I am from Canada and I purchased the download on the 30th Oct. I am most definitely not able to purchase a DVD because our Customs People will never let this type of movie in Canada through the mail system.

I too am from Canada. I have purchased numerous Red Feline DVD's over the years and all have passed through customs without a hitch. Originally, they were shipped from the US, but now that they come from South America, I think it is even less likely that they will draw suspicion (unlike white, powdery substances shipped from Columbia).

That said, out of hundreds of purchases (mainly from the US), I have had about ten tapes and DVD's seized over the course of two decades - less than five percent I would estimate. Not ideal, but still pretty good odds I'd say. All seizures except one (from Japan) originated from the US.

And to clear up another misconception about this issue: aside from the merchandise being confiscated, there are no consequences to either sender or (intended) recipient if an item is nabbed. If the shipment is no more than standard GIMP fare (as opposed to kiddie porn), no one is fined, goes to jail or is executed. About two months after the seizure, the recipient receives a letter from the Trade and Excise folks which explains why the package was seized (usually "depictions of sexual violence") and what to do if you want to challenge the action. So if you don't mind being outted as a pervert, there's even hope you can still claim what is rightfully yours.

So, dear Rack 'Em Up, you have no need to fear sending your tape or DVD to Canada.

Now Belgium, on the other hand...

First a shout-out to the Male actors in Maleficarum: Incredible job, guys. The Priest's and Torturer's s acting in particular stood out for me, really creeped me out. And during the roasting scene, watch the expression of the dude on the left. He really sold that scene for me.

But, my favorite parts of the movie have got to be having one woman watch the other being "questioned". Both Jane and Mila's acting in these scenes is absolutely top-notch. You ladies ROCK.

I only have two critiques: one is the frequent scene transitions which kinda breaks the tension. I would have personally preferred if these "bookended" the scenes, as opposed to happening in the middle of them. However, I suppose the movie would be about 5 hours long if that was the case, so maybe it's for the best.

My second critique is with the electronic distribution method and NOT Red Feline: you must download an absolutely unreasonable amount of software to download the product, which does nothing except protect the copyrighted material and piss me right the fuck off. I know, I know... buy the DVD.

Lastly, I found the price ($35) to be quite reasonable, considering the material. A mainstream movie (DVD) comes in at around $25 these days, so it is perfectly acceptable to me for a niche film (or art-house, if you prefer) such as this to be a little pricier.

Everyone have a great day!

BTW. A few weeks ago there was a brief discussion of "Trespass" starring Nicole Kidman in a home invasion scenario. Caught it in Redbox and watched it last evening. Though Ms. Kidman looks quite comely and roughed up quite a bit, there is nothing to see here Gimpers. And the movie pretty much sucks.

I know, i know!! We don't have the problems with customs that seize DVD's because we are all considered as perverts. By the way we don't even have a government, so ..

I downloaded Maleficarum and I find also the film a WOW ! Lighting, actors and set-up are all perfect.
Two points: the end "seems" (I see it like that) to be a last decision which doesn't for me fit in the general concept and the different cuts in the story line are sometimes annoying.
But, compared to some other kinky producers, this film is playing in another division: world class!

And now back to Belgium ....

For those who feel or have felt like waiting for reviews before deciding to buy: No, you are not being "more than a bit self-serving," you are being wise. Fritz does not speak for the community, or the producers, about whether or not your actions endear you to them or not. Pure BS. Buy the movie if and when you want.

That's OK. apology accepted.

I think what's been bugging me lately, not just on this forum (tho different subjects), is some of slights and comments people make about others on the other side of a line from them. If I were enthusiastic about buying this movie, or a movie, I'd be saying this movie looks great, I'm gonna take a chance and buy it now, but I'd do it without dumb slights like...and if other posters/lurkers don't then these posters must've not bought ZFX at equivalent prices back in the day, or these other posters/lurkers are being a bit self-serving not taking the risk and waiting for reviews. Would go the other way to, if someone posted "what, you're buying now and not waiting for reviews, that's idiotic." I'd be against that kind of slight as well, cause it's not a negative to jump in early and buy, and it's not a negative to wait for reviews and buy, and it's not a negative to consider price.

As petelobo points out, back in the good ol' days when ZFX and HOM were among the few content producers around, we gave them our business knowing that if whatever we purchased came close to our perfect fantasy, that was more than good enough. A perfect match on all counts was understood to be extremely unlikely, but batting over .300 was sufficient.

I've been lukewarm on Maleficarum because I'm not sure it will come close to what I want.

Your point, admittedly exaggerated, about people waiting to confirm what type of whip is being used is fair comment, but that doesn't really describe me (flogger, bull whip, etc. -- I don't really care).

My concern is more at the macro level. To date, I've never seen a Red Feline film that would get an 'A' grade from me. Agent X was pretty good but I would likely only give it a B. Same for that film where Jane was being dragged through the mud.

I hope Maleficarum lives up to the hype but I'm comfortable being cautious. I'll wait for the official Ralphus Review before I make my next move.

-----

Fritz also wrote:

There are no consequences to either sender or (intended) recipient if an item is nabbed. If the shipment is no more than standard GIMP fare (as opposed to kiddie porn), no one is fined, goes to jail or is executed. About two months after the seizure, the recipient receives a letter from the Trade and Excise folks which explains why the package was seized (usually "depictions of sexual violence") and what to do if you want to challenge the action. So if you don't mind being outted as a pervert, there's even hope you can still claim what is rightfully yours.

Damn, I wish you had posted that about seven years ago.

In any event, that is consistent with my experience. I don't order much from outside of Canada. However, the one time I did have stuff nabbed, the process was exactly as Fritz described, and nothing really came of it. I had no troubles getting my passport renewed or anything like that.

Please don't attribute specifics about me that I did not even say. Thank you. It would be way easy to quote what I actually said instead of making things up.

Shortly thereafter Scribbler wrote:

Not that I know much of anything about Poor Cecily, but this is a forum where people can express their opinion.

And then, one day later, Scribbler also wrote:

For those who feel or have felt like waiting for reviews before deciding to buy: No, you are not being "more than a bit self-serving," you are being wise. Fritz does not speak for the community, or the producers, about whether or not your actions endear you to them or not. Pure BS. Buy the movie if and when you want.

Good grief, Scribbler... for someone so easily offended by being misquoted, you sure don't mind distorting other people's words. First you jump all over poor Heroone for what seems to be an erroneous but innocuous interpretation of your post, then you pull the same trick on me to make your point. Give me a break.

First, I never proclaimed to "speak for the community" - and I would never be as presumptuous to do so. My post, like all my posts here, reflects only my opinion. As you yourself said, that is the very purpose of this forum. That's why I find it odd that you insist on browbeating people with whom you disagree. When I posted a picture to which you took offence, you wasted no time to indicate your displeasure, and not in what I would call an enlightening or constructive manner. Now, because you believe my opinions are "dumb slights" (your words), you try to twist what I wrote to suit your purposes.

Second, I did not say folks are self-serving just because they are waiting for reviews. In fact, I said doing so is their right and that it's smart to be choosy. What I did write is that those who have been following the production of Maleficarum, who have seen the stills, who read Margot's extensive updates, who like what they've seen and have the cash on hand, should buy the damn film. The "self-serving" ones are those who have access to the same information and expect others to take the risk, then answer specific questions that pertain only to their particular interests. I could refer you to mstrerotic's request to review the rack scene just for him, but I wo... oh what the hell, I will.

Sorry (that's not an apology BTW), but anyone who hopes others will lay out their money on his or her behalf is "a bit self-serving". Sure, many of us will buy Maleficarum without giving the matter a second thought, and were I a fellow rack aficionado, I might even indulge mstrerotic's request. To me, this is a trivial matter. But what if we all sat back and waited for others to "take the risk" and answer our questions? Certainly, this would not be good news for the producers who are in dire need of every penny to recover their investment.

My point is simple. There will always be folks who take the risks, write reviews and answer questions posed by fellow GIMPers. There are also those who do none of these things, and only part with their savings once others have done the heavy lifting. I'm not passing judgment here - neither group is "good" or "bad" in my view - but I do consider the former to be generous, and the latter to be self serving. That is all. If you still consider that a "dumb slight", then I fear you are one of those birds who just enjoys being angry.

Paul Dubois wrote about Belgium:

By the way we don't even have a government, so ..

I want to go to there.

Margot or any GIMPer:

Is there an Mac OS version for download from VermeerWorks yet? I have a DVD copy on the way, but all hype from people who have view this film got me.

I've had subscriptions to Orgasmagoria, Inshadow and EWP. I've bought several Peachy Keen movies that were borderline for me, somewhat to support JohnM (surprisingly, part 2 of Webcam Massacre is one of my faves now). I would love to support Red Feline, but my money for these movies is very tight and I'd rather support someone who makes movies I love rather than someone who makes movies that I can't get into.

It's not "too much tarragon in the sauce" (nice job of not judging, BTW) - it's a case of one company making pot roast when I want chicken alfredo.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Fritz: As petelobo points out, back in the good ol' days when ZFX and HOM were among the few content producers around, we gave them our business knowing that if whatever we purchased came close to our perfect fantasy, that was more than good enough.

But these aren't those days. We have a lot more choices (and not just in fetish films). There are a LOT more producers, with a wide range of focus. Just in the bondage scene, we have everything form BoundHeat to Kink to light bondage to... whatever. Should I buy from Red Feline because Jane posts here and is soooo cool? That actually is more of an incentive than "once upon a time, there were these 2 or 3 companies".

who have already enjoyed other Red Feline films

That's the sticking point for me. If the trailers and stills for other RF productions got me going, I wouldn't wait for a review (in fact, I don't think a review would sway me). But even though I'd like them to, they don't (and I'd support them by getting "Agent X" before "M").

BTW, I don't think it was your comments that got to Scribbler as much as petelobo's "non-judgmental" ones.

A review of Maleficarum:

I'll be posting very soon. But I must say, we're overwhelmed, truly.

A review of Maleficarum

Good lord. Even by my lightweight standards, that reviewer sounds like a complete wuss.

This is why I only trust reviewers who have earned the GIMP Seal of Approval.

Yes, I have purchased my download copy and I have watched the first 40 minutes. Instead of waiting until I attempt a full review -- which may never get written in 2011 -- I thought I would just present my impressions so far. GIMP-wise, that includes two whippings and a racking (of Mila). So here goes:

1) This film rides well above and beyond what I have seen from Red Feline in the past. It's not just a typical RF movie with an expanded cast. They've made a completely different kind of film and infused it with GIMPage.

2) Jane and Mila have hot bods. No news there. But this movie provides the lighting, scenarios, angles, and skin moisture that enhance our enjoyment of them. Very well done.

3) When Margot posted, Jess Franco, move over, she wasn't just blowing smoke. While this film's quality may not reach the level of Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun, it does suggest what Franco might have accomplished in his lesser films with enough artistic imagination and skill to make the most of a small budget. And there's a lot more GIMPage on display here.

Well, I could go on, but I don't want to make this post into an official review. Then again, I suppose it could morph into one eventually, once I've seen all of the movie.

So far, I'm pleased that the gang let themselves think "outside the box."

R. Margot, I don't see a Mac OS English version on the VermeerWorks site yet. Has there been a problem?

I thought Maleficarum would be available for rent or purchase, similar to other titles such as Agent X. But it looks like it's only available at the one price to download to own.

I'm not interested enough to want to own a copy, so I guess I'll be giving this one a miss.

I'll still read the Ralphus Review, though, now that I've got past the idea of Ralphus being "drained."

A quick note:

Heroone: The Mac Os version in English appears to me on a Mac when I go to either to

Vermeerworks

Or to

Red Feline

If you're trying from an iPad or some device like that it may not appear.

Try the links above.

Canadian: When we release new titles we don't put them for rent for a while. Agent X is an oldie. Martyr is not for rent either and it won't be for a while.

YikYakker: wonderful pre-review, nice of you to stop mid film to comment on it. I'd love to hear what you think about the rest of the movie.

Concerning the review. The online mag where it appeared appeals to people of many tastes. It's a great review because it says what someone from the outside of our niche sees in the film and it gives an idea to that other world we're aiming for, in fact our "mainstream" poster will quote the review and the source. Powerful and disturbing. That sounds like a good quote, right?.

And to close, the release of Maleficarum has turned into a collective experience, so many people got it so quickly that it feels like they, you, all went together to their neighborhood cinema to watch it. It's amazing. We expected a good turn out in the coming months... not in three days, really. Good night, sweet dreams.

Good Luck getting out of that

Queen Margot, many thanks that did the trick, I was searching with my IPad. I do most of internet browsing with this device. The movie is downloading as I speak. I got the obsession to find out about the ending. I will report back to Jane what I like and anything I would not say on this site... I will report back to GIMP with giving any non spoiler information. Thanks again.

But my real bitch is this: I don't use Windows Media Player unless there is no other option. I have two of the media players that allow me to cut down files to keep the parts that I really like--oops, can't do that with M--and allow me to cap images that I really like from the video--oops, can't do that with WMP. So I spent a chunk (not complaining about the price) to get a video I can watch the way THEY want me to watch it. It has less than half the functionality in terms of my GIMP experience that it would have had if RF used a system like literally anywhere else on the web.

Adding insult to injury, when I finally got to open the file, my first message in WMP was that I didn't have a license! I did try again and later the file opened and played--to within I don't know how many minutes of the end. The size of what I have is 1.632 Gig, but I guess I need to go back and download more. I've had this experience with several other RF films--the frustrating long download times and being limited to what THEY want me to be able to do with the video instead of what I want to do. The quality of M is excellent, though I do agree with a number of the other comments that have been made in front of the official Ralphus review, but I'm finished with them until they find some more acceptable (to purchasers) way of distributing. And no, I don't buy DVD's, especially living in South America myself.

When we release new titles we don't put them for rent for a while.

Looking through the archives, it appears I knew that at one time but had forgotten. It could be a middle-age thing, although the fact that the official Ralphus Review of Agent X didn't appear until the movie was available for rent may have thrown my memory off.

Anyway, I appreciate the explanation.

Stay well all

Dear Margot and fellow GIMPers: I viewed Jane's movie last night (stopped a few times to catch my breath after an Ugh moment because of the intense and graphic torture scene); and I finish it early this morning. And all I say is Wow! All you Gimpers who told me so were sure right, This movie really shook me up, especially when that actor called Eric who played the Torturer who flog Jane, the way he grunt, threw his whole body into causing her pain, and his facial expressions of a man who really enjoys his job.

This movie is not a BDSM movie from the likes of Paingate, Kink Inc., DominatedGirls, Inquisition World productions, etc...there is too much fetish fantasies in those movies. I could classified this movie as a WSIM like the Les Mongoli 1961, The Story of O 1975, etc; but that would belittle this Movie. I see this movie as very good and a straight forward attempt to produce a low budget Historical Fiction, like the stage production of Trials of Jean D'Arc; and the screen play was well thoughout, well acted and marvel to watch. But It's very graphic and will shock most viewers, just like in Jane's own posting about that girlfriend of Jac' son.

This movie on a DVD is well worth the price and for one am glad to have order it. I can wait view it on my big screen. This movie will be good addition to my DVD library.

Stumbled is probably the correct word. I deliberated quite a bit before posting, realizing that I was likely breaking some sort of unwritten rules. Maybe I should have checked with Ralphus first, or held off until I saw the whole movie. I didn't want to step on anyone's toes or upstage anyone by submitting a "half-assed-semi-review".

My reasons for doing so include the following:

~ Ralphus said he welcomed comments, so I took that as a green light

~ I wanted to respond to Reine Margot's passionate post and offer a bit of validation

~ I was concerned that folks might be basing their decisions to buy or not to buy on past experiences with RF, and to make the point that this movie is nothing like past experiences with RF, at least from my perspective.

~ I knew that it would be awhile before I saw the whole thing, and didn't want to wait that long to chime in.

So I hope you all don't mind me being a teaser (not the first time that word has been used in reference to one of my posts). ;)

I'm just messing with you Sloth, thanks for your humorous response.

One last point that has not been mentioned and probably won't be, I found the appearance of the inquisitors during the torture scenes very effective (and affective as well). I think this technique would be quite disturbing and demeaning to the naked victim, even though there are already two men present tormenting them. I am not sure why but it might be for the same reason that executioners wore masks - not to protect their identities (everyone knew who they were) but to give the condemned a sense of privacy in his or her last moments. A masked face is less intrusive. The three inquisitors walking into the very private act of suffering of the girls is just the opposite.

Maybe I should have checked with Ralphus first....

Nah. With Ralphus away on his writing sabbatical, I'm assuming we pretty much have free rein to do whatever we want.

And if that means some premature reviewing by someone posting an Opinion in Progress, so be it.

Is that so? Well then, I'm going to post this pic of Sophie Turner dressed as "Pocahontas" for Halloween, because...

...well, because I think we should string her up from that tree, strip her and whip her, just like in The Ramrodder, as punishment for her affront to Native Americans.

There, both social and GIMP relevance in one post.

With Ralphus away on his writing sabbatical, I'm assuming we pretty much have free rein to do whatever we want.

Well, you can't do whatever you want, you guys still have to keep your posts on-topic. But yeah, any kind of feedback, even partial reviews, are always welcomed.

A lot of interesting stuff has been posted here the past few days. I'm going to keep things brief, though, by just thanking The Asian Gimp for those pictures. I hope they came out so everyone can see them. I love animated GIFs, those were kick-ass!

The Official Ralphus Review of Maleficarum is almost finished, look for it sometime this weekend. In the meantime, carry on, guys.

...well, because I think we should string her up from that tree, strip her and whip her, just like in The Ramrodder, as punishment for her affront to Native Americans.

There's no doubt about it, that's definitely on topic.

Depends on what you define as the best. Can you name some movies with specific scenes that you think rank the highest?

----------

Actually, I was just having a bit of fun with that post about Sophie Turner. She looks lovely in her costume and I'm sure the people of her tribe would be proud of her.

Until they saw all the whip marks.

This will likely be a long review, so let's cut to the chase right away...the anxiously anticipated release of Maleficarum turns out to be worth the wait. Simply put, it's a real winner. I say this as a totally unbiased fan of this type of entertainment. As many of you know, I'm credited in the film as an associate producer, which means I contributed a sizable amount of money and served as an advisor as to how certain scenes should be filmed. But that's where my input ended. And if I didn't like this film, trust me, I wouldn't have any problem at all bitching about how it turned out.

The whole reason why many of us like to watch films made about the Inquisition is to see women tortured. And on that level, Maleficarum succeeds far better than any other mainstream Inquisition film I've ever seen. It's literally packed with wall-to-wall scenes of torture to naked women. There are a few scenes that somewhat disappointed me, and unfortunately, those were the 2 most eagerly awaited scenes for me personally...the spit-roasting scene and the burning at the stake finale. More about those later. But with just a few exceptions, the film works beautifully from nearly start to finish.

Maleficarum was made by the people who created the production company Red Feline and it stars their biggest star Jane von Detlefson, appearing here under her real name, Amy Hesketh. It differs from other Red Feline projects in that it's not merely a bondage film, but an actual narrative movie based on the true story of Mariana de Castro, the last woman to be burned at the stake in Peru. Her lover Francisca, played by newcomer Mila Joya, is another real life person who was executed by the inquisition. The plot, for those who care about such things, is that Francisca is persecuted by the church so that they can seize her wealth, and they use the guise that Mariana is a witch and Francisca is her follower. Therefore, they're both guilty and must be tortured until they confess. Hey, that's as good a reason as any in my book. Now let's get to the good stuff.

It starts off as Mariana is stripped of her clothing and chained with her wrists and ankles spread against a stone wall. Amy does an outstanding job portraying the crying, humiliated and naked victim, a role she's excelled in before. She's soon joined by her friend who similarly take her space beside her in the chains. Joya's character is by contrast more stoic and defiant. That may be the reason why she's the first to be taken down and flogged.

They chain Francisca with her arms over her head and lash into her with the whip. She bravely endures each blow of the whip, and part of the strength of the scene is watching Mariana's horrified crying as she watches her lover being tortured. It was a smart move on director Jac Avila's part to let each woman watch as the other is forced to suffer. It adds an extra layer of drama to the proceedings. It's a well-done scene, shot with a minimum of blood so that the marks look realistic and not obviously painted on.

They are much more cruel to Mariana as she is also whipped, because they enhance it by suspending her by her wrists so that her body sways in the air with every lash. She is a lot more vocal and cries out in pain each time the whip cracks against her skin. There's also a bit more bloody marks on her as her limp body is finally taken down.

What would an Inquisition movie be without a scene involving the torture rack? In this case, we get two; first with Francisca and then, again taking turns, Mariana. They don't stretch the girls enough to cause any real permanent damage, perhaps so they can be intact for even more tortures later. But Francisca is much more vocal here than before and appears to be in quite a bit of pain. And both women look incredibly sexy stretched out on the rack and suffering.

At this point of the movie, Mila Joya's character is mostly relegated to the spectator role, as the heaviest tortures are then administered to Amy Hesketh, which is a very good thing in my book. I guess you get top billing based on the number of torture scenes you have. And the next scene is a standout, as Mariana is suspended with her arms spread wide apart and her legs tied together, which looks awfully uncomfortable in and of itself. But then she's lowered over and over onto a plank full of spikes directly onto her feet. Truth be told, I wish the spikes would have been longer and more scary-looking....these are about an inch high...but according to the movie's commentary track, they were quite painful. It's an outstanding torture scene with another anguished performance by Amy.

This segues into yet another nasty torment as Mariana is seated atop the Spanish Horse with her arms tied above her and off to the sides, allowing her no leverage and no way to pull herself up off the pointed edge between her legs. And heavy weights are then attached to her ankles, further anchoring her onto the horse. And if that wasn't enough, she is then given a bloody lashing to her back as Francisca watches helplessly with a full view of the abuse her friend is receiving.

After passing out from the whipping, the Inquisitors revive Mariana by throwing a bowl of water in her face. And in a rather bloody scene, they search for the "mark of the devil" by plunging a stiletto knife into her body several times. It's a nice effect, although if you watch it a few times you can probably guess how the illusion was done.

When we see her again, she's been removed from the horse but is still standing in an uncomfortable spread-eagle position. They follow this up by heating up an iron in a fire and burning her several times. I don't know if they were still looking for the mark of the devil at that time, but they sure make some nice marks of their own, another very impressive torture sequence.

This brings us to the aforementioned roasting scene, where Mariana is taken outside, tied to a giant rotisserie and literally roasted like a live piece of meat over smoking hot coals. This was the scene that I commissioned and paid for, and the one that ultimately got me my producer's credit. Roasting a girl on a spit been done on film a handful of times, but usually ends up looking fake because, well, it usually is faked.

Not this time. Amy agreed to actually perform the scene in real life, literally roasted over coals for hours while the cameras rolled. Before seeing the film, I expressed concerns that the director wouldn't give us an establishing shot of Amy and the coals below her. Well, we see that twice: once briefly at the beginning and then a quick 2 second shot later. That's a total of 5 seconds in the entire scene, and then never again until the final shot when she is removed from the spit, and the coals have mostly gone out. In between, there's just a few brief cutaways of the coals, and nothing that connects the two as happening at the same time. Why make her get up there and do it for real if you're not to going to film it like it's real?

Film is an illusion anyway. But in this case, they didn't have to create an illusion; it was right there, just shoot it documentary-style. And director Avila did Amy a grave disservice by making her go through hours of torture and then editing the film so that 90% of the scene looks like it was faked, even though it wasn't. Most of the shots are tight close ups of the upper half of Amy bring turned, which could have been shot anywhere. Oh, scattered in there are a few awesome shots of her being turned while smoke billows from below, flowing over her entire body. And overall, it's a hot scene. It's even hotter if you listen to the commentary track and hear Amy talk about what she went though to film it. The problem is, I don't think people are going to believe she was really being roasted by the way the scene was put together. I would love to see the proverbial "cutting room floor" to see what we missed. Better shot selection and this scene would have been a classic.

While witnessing her friend being roasted, Francisca can take no more and agrees to confess if they'll stop Mariana's torture. She's forced to sign a blank paper which turns over all her assets to the church, and condemns her and Mariana to death. But after taking them both back to the dungeon, they decide to frame Francisca as a witch and dish out...you guessed it...more torture. Why sure, we always have room for more torture!

For the first time since the beginning of the movie, the girls are now allowed to wear tattered clothing and are no longer chained to the wall. Mariana, now weak after her latest ordeal, can only watch while laying on the ground (but with her hands still tied behind her, I love it) as her friend is bound in a standing spreadeagle position. After stripping her clothing off her, Francisca is given a bloody whipping of her own. This time it's fairly obvious that the paint-covered whip was used as bloody marks appear on her skin with relative ease, giving away the trick way too quickly. But it's followed up with an impressive branding as a cross (how appropriate) is smokily burned into each of Francisca's hands and across her chest.

As if to reward himself for a job well done, the torturer then helps himself to Mariana's body, raping her from behind in a very intense but sadly way too short segment, lasting only about a minute and with no visible nudity. And then the sobbing girl crawls on her knees over to her unconscious friend, now hanging limply in bondage. Mariana is totally defeated and collapses in a heap on the ground, perhaps the most emotionally affecting scene of the movie. If you're not moved by her performance here, you probably don't have a pulse.

In the climactic final scene, the girls are taken out to a field where Francisca is tied to a cross to be left to survive the elements for 3 days, while Mariana is to be burned at the stake. The burning at the stake scene actually starts off great. Mariana is led to the stake, her garment is stripped away, and there's some nice close-up footage of her being tied to it with ropes and chains. Anticipation is building. And then the executioner approaches with a torch...an unlit torch. What? Okay, if you look carefully, you can see a wisp of smoke coming off the tip, but no flame whatsoever. He touches the slightly smoldering stick in several places around the pyre and it's almost like he's play-acting since there's no flame there. I swear, it's like they were going to add the fire afterward in post production but forgot.

In spite of that, the fire somehow does get started, although it seems to be blazing well in close-up but in long shots there's mostly just some smoke. And at this point, the executioner and the rest of the gang simply walk away and leave the girls alone. And I'm thinking, um, guys, that fire is barely going, you sure it's gonna do its job while you're gone? And the biggest problem is the relatively tiny pile of wood at her feet. There's not enough wood there to burn her up...maybe just singe her feet and ankles. Whose idea was it to order the kiddy-sized burning at the stake kit from Toys R Us?

Then there's the inconsistency in editing. I know the flames were added later, that's a given. But they vary wildly from shot to shot. From one angle it looks like they have a decent blaze going. A second later they cut to a slightly different angle and the flames have disappeared. We're talking about common sense continuity editing mistakes that throw the credibility of the illusion right out the window.

The acting in the scene by Amy is, like in all the other scenes, superb. She really sells her distress with some intense screaming. The scene closes out with close-ups of her anguished face as the flames and smoke whip up around her. This is the one time that the burning portion of the scene actually works, but by then, I was already a non-believer. What a shame, I was really looking forward to this scene.

The film's "secret" ending is one I won't reveal here, but there's a bit of a twist. It's seems tacked on and I didn't quite buy it, but then it's very brief anyway and doesn't adversely affect the rest of the good stuff we'd seen previously.

Maleficarum is a handsome production and looks more expensive than it probably is, shot on hi-def video and evoking a medieval atmosphere with gorgeous period lighting and the use of authentic locations. The acting by the two victims, particularly Amy Hesketh, is spot-on and makes nearly every scene work. One criticism I have of the editing is that too often the torture scenes are intercut with talking head interviews, at times even having their dialogue drown out the sounds of the screaming. Cutting away from the good stuff is an annoying aspect of most theatrical movies, and in trying to make his film more mainstream, director Avila yields to those same conventions. But it's a small quibble for an ambitious film with high aspirations that manages to succeed nearly every time. Well done, guys.

My grade: A-

Don't get me wrong. It seems to me that your criticisms were totally valid, most especially not framing the shot to show her suspended over live coals every chance they got. I agree that if Amy really was roasting, then the scene should have capitalized on her dedication, and their failure to do so was a huge missed opportunity.

Still, even with the flaws you pointed out, this sounded head and shoulders above any other Inquisition torture of hot naked chicks with a spit roasting and culminating in a burning at the stake flick I have ever heard of, much less seen. I mean, it's a full-length inquistion torture movie. It did almost everything right. I suspect you graded it down because it wasn't perfect, but frankly I have come to accept that less-than-perfect is the standard for GIMP flicks. If a less-than-perfect movie excels in some way that still rocks me in some respect, I tend to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Your review was sensational, though, and the movie looks like a GIMP success. Take a bow, Mr Associate Producer.

And I do give A grades if they are warranted. There are several Japanese bondage films that have gotten A's from me, particularly from the Attackers series. The ZFX movies South of the Border 4, Ballista 2, and The Cheerleaders of Perilous U., for instance. I gave an A grade to Megan Is Missing earlier this year, a mainstream film that's not really for GIMPers, but moved me nonetheless. But nothing has ever gotten an A+. That's reserved for the best film I've never seen.

I guess I'm a hard grader, but suffice to say that if you get a good grade from me, you deserved it.

Since I was the person who raised concerns last year about your dual hats (reviewer and associate producer of the same film), I will give you full credit for being transparent about your involvement in the film. Perhaps it was unavoidable, since you're named so predominantly in the credits, but the disclosure was still important.

I will say the large caps in the review were a pleasant surprise. I was concerned that your review would have those pop-up caps that you have used in the past. I'm glad you went with the big pics.

As for the movie itself, I'm still torn on Maleficarum. It looks like the movie has some nice moments, such as the scene with Jane (Amy, Mariana, whatever) being suspended in the air with her arms spread and her legs tied together. It sounds like some of the whipping scenes are better than expected, too.

But some of the other stuff, such as the rack scenes and the branding stuff, has no appeal to me.

I'm still not convinced the film is particularly great erotica. I didn't see much in the caps to change my thinking in that regard. And a rape with no nudity? I don't get it.

Finally -- and this last point will only confirm Fritz's suspicion that I don't endear myself to the producers -- I don't find Mila all that appealing (Sorry, Mr. Associate Producer, but someone had to say it).

I'm not sure when Maleficarum will be available for rental. It doesn't sound like it will be anytime soon. At any rate, when it does become available to the masses, I will give the movie a look.

EDIT: Funny. I see A Canadian and I differ on the pic sizes! Although I don't mean to go down to pop-up cap sizes, just somewhat smaller. Like width 600 instead of 700. Don't have to recap either, just use width=600 within the html img tag.

(As far as Fritz's bizarro post where he quotes me a few times and then goes off into nonsense, I'm gonna leave that for the time being so people the focus on Maleficarum.)

It's too bad the scenes you were most interested in didn't turn out the way you wanted them to.

But maybe there's hope for the roasting scene. If the folks at RF can retrieve the discarded footage, I can envision a fully-restored "Uncut Limited Edition Ralphus Version" in the future.

Hey, it's worth a shot, right?

----------

RIP, Cynthia Myers. Technically, she was a girl in merciless peril being chased by a maniac with a gun in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

Some of us will never forget her big, beautiful...eyes.

But maybe there's hope for the roasting scene. If the folks at RF can retrieve the discarded footage, I can envision a fully-restored "Uncut Limited Edition Ralphus Version" in the future.

I know you were kidding, but that's going to happen, seriously. For me, anyway. A few days before the movie came out, Jane wrote me and asked if I wanted them to edit and send me an extended version of the roasting scene. And of course, I said yes. Apparently the scene was longer originally and it was trimmed down to improve the pace of the movie. In fact, she told me to let her know after I saw it what I wanted, like "I want to see more of the shot that was at minute such and such". Isn't she a sweetie to offer that? Yeah, I paid for the scene but I never expected an offer like that. Maybe if it works better they'll offer it up to the public, who knows?

To clarify about the roasting scene, I know I was hard on it in my review, but it's actually a good scene. It just could have been a totally awesome, killer scene if only they had gone with some different shot selections. She was up there for hours; I'm sure they shot a lot more footage that might have worked better. When Bill K saw it, he posted here that it didn't look like she was really roasting because you never any shots of her over the hot coals. Bingo. That's what I thought, too. Some of the shots were amazing, but they weren't consistent with the smoke and like I say, a lot of it looked like they faked it. You've got to believe the fantasy. In this case, I knew it was real but I just wanted to see the evidence, I wanted to see more. Does that make sense?

Hey Fellow GIMPers, lets not beat around the "Bush" about Jane's Movie. True its an Indy Film that is very Graphic; but as a collector of WSIM, having spent a great deal on VHS tape, 12 inch Laser Disc and now DVDs: for over thirty five year. I have seen The Original Mongols in 1962, and The Story of O in France in 1975, and I can tell you all that subsequent DVDs of same are missing scenes that I saw way back then. I tell all of you WSIM collectors, that Jane's Movie is the real Deal. You all saw Ralphus Jpegs, scenes from the movie; they are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Ya Gotta see this movie to agree that its worth more than the money they are asking for... If the production company goes under and we don't see any others, this DVD will be at least worth its weight in Gold. I tell ya, this movie is a real keeper.

Bill K.

I don't know that any of them will be a guaranteed hit, but I certainly agree the December picks are better than the movies that Attackers is releasing this month.

Also, I'm not familiar with Hitomi, who stars in the tentacles movie, but I'd say her jugs are too big for my tastes.

As a connoisseur of whipping scenes those in Maleficarum are in the first rank because of their length, their verisimilitude, the splendific anatomies of the victims, their provocative cries, tears and animated body movements. Especially evocative is the manner in which they are introduced and woven into the fabric of the plot in the confines of the tenebrous dungeon.

Mila is a Joyful find and Jane (Amy) surpasses all her previous roles in this superlative reification of a GIMPer's wildest wet dream. There is more than enough variation of victimization to satisfy any and all needs of the GIMPers. Maleficarum has set the standard by which all other movies of this genre will be measured.

Jane, I saw that you wore many hats in the creation of your Movie. You created the Costumes, the Props: The Spanish Horse, The Rack, and even The leather Whip(s) used by Eric on Francisca and Mariana, therefore you are the best person to ask this Question.

Did you create more than One leather Whip for the whipping scenes? I notice the whip used on Mariana on the Spanish Horse, and during Francisca's Pennance/Punishment scene, caused her a lot of Pain and drew a lot of Blood on each stroke. Did this show that this whip unlike the other was designed to cuts more or was heavier, etc. Did it have metal tips to cut and draw immediate blood? A good question for the WSIM collectors.

Stay well all

I thought there was a bit of lesbian action in "M', but I didn't see it in Ralphus' review. Did it get cut?

Naw, there's some softcore girl-girl stuff in the movie, I just didn't think it was significant enough to mention in my review. I only reported on the good stuff, or what my interpretation of "good stuff" is...bondage, torture and rape. Lesbian action is fast-forward material in my book. I know some guys like it. Hell, probably most guys do. I'm not most guys. It's like how some people have foot fetishes and the others can't quite grasp what the fuss is about? That's me when it comes to lesbian scenes.

Now that the plot and pictures are up, I'm kind of laughing at the description of RBD-330, which on the cover and pictures looks like a pretty generic Slave Office Lady-type movie. However, the plot is this:

Yuko works for a shipping company. One day, the workers are going too fast and accidentally drop a shipping container in to the ocean. Yuko, being a nice, responsible office lady, takes the blame for the incident. Unfortunately, the lost container was filled with sex slaves being shipped overseas, and Yuko is enslaved in retaliation for the lost cargo.

I mean... wow... I don't even know what to say. A+ in creativity, I guess?

Yuko works for a shipping company. One day, the workers are going too fast and accidentally drop a shipping container in to the ocean. Yuko, being a nice, responsible office lady, takes the blame for the incident. Unfortunately, the lost container was filled with sex slaves being shipped overseas, and Yuko is enslaved in retaliation for the lost cargo.

I could see that happening.

-----

Ralphus wrote:

I only reported on the good stuff....

Assuming the lesbian moments in question were consensual, that decision makes sense to me.

However, if it were forced lesbianism, then I would say it would definitely have to be in the review. A good forced lesbo scene would appeal to me more than the Spanish Horse and some of the other stuff mentioned in the review.

jhlipton wrote: I thought there was a bit of lesbian action in "M', but I didn't see it in Ralphus' review. Did it get cut?

Ralphus responded: Naw, there's some softcore girl-girl stuff in the movie, I just didn't think it was significant enough to mention in my review.

Heroone can see Ralphus's viewpoint very clearly. Jhlipton, you have to see this movie from Jac Avila's viewpoint, a director of Independent Films and not a Fetish movie shotgunning a lot of scenes to attract a wide range of viewers looking only for a Purient, sexually arousing movie, good only for masturbators.

Jhlipton, this movie was made for mainstream audience...In 1975, Reims France, I saw Le Historie de O, the Story of O in french and there were families with children in that audience. I saw scenes that were shocking for an American that were cutout of the later NTSC VHS, LD, and DVD copies. In a way, I was shocked by brutality in Jane and Jac's Movie; but things and acceptability do change.

As you may have noticed this takes place in a town located in a desert - which means - they don't have a lot of wood. But, one does not have to burn the body to a crisp (or more precisely - a small charred block) to execute the subject. As we all know from the experience of modern burn centers, once third degree burns start surpassing 30% of the skin surface there is a significant danger of death. So, merely causing third-degree burns on the legs (and second degree burns higher up, to compound the damage to the body) will be enough to condemn the (particularly, untreated) victim to a painful death.

Actually this was a much more painful death than being consumed in a roaring bonfire as the process of dying from the burns would be much slower.The primary reason why "witches" were burned at the stake in roaring bonfires so often, was because in those times the people executing her were often afraid that the devil could/would raise her corpse from the dead to take revenge - so, to feel safe, they wanted to execute the witch in such a way that there would be no corpse afterwards.

But there is no reason in principle to dismiss the "small fire" version of being burned at the stake, as an "unauthentic" form of exection.

Of course one can always question "why" something was done one way and not another; if they were saving wood, why not hang her, or, if they wanted to make it slower and more painful, draw and quarter her, flog her to death, or...

But,that kind of argument is pointless - last time you ate out, why did you order blueberry pie for dessert and not cherry pie?? For whatever reasons, a choice had to be made, and it was.

You have to see this movie from Jac Avila's viewpoint, a director of Independent Films and not a Fetish movie shotgunning a lot of scenes to attract a wide range of viewers looking only for a Prurient, sexually arousing movie, good only for masturbators.

This might explain why I'm skeptical about Maleficarum, as I'm clearly in the people-with-prurient-interests camp.

*Caution: Potential spoilers ahead*

While the punishment for witchery is burning at the stake, that may not necessarily mean burning to death. Francisca's sentence was to be hung on a cross and be "left to the elements" for three days. Maybe Marianna was to be partially burned (since they did not have enough wood to completely consume her) and likewise left to the elements. Under those circumstances, Marianna's chances of survival were slim to none. Moreover, Francisca would be forced to watch her lover die in a slow, agonizing fashion, for hours if not days. Pretty cruel torture for both, IMO.

*End of potential spoilers*

That explanation is no consolation to folks like Ralphus who want to see a quick, all-consuming conflagration. But it may help to rationalize what was presented, and perhaps even provide a segue into the quirky ending.

I must say that Maleficarum definitely looks like a great movie. I will probably order a copy once it is released on DVD. And kudos to Jane, JJ, Reine Margot and everyone at Red Feline - it appears that all of their hard work was well worth it.

jhlipton: I did send you an e-mail concerning that copy of SOB 4. Please let me know if you did receive the e-mail.

One more thing, if I may, that is slightly off-topic. Supposedly, there was a movie released on Halloween called "The Toy Box". It is based on the case of David Parker Ray, a notorious sadist and serial killer in New Mexico in the late 90's. IMDB does list this movie, but I have not found much more on it, except for the trailer, which is linked above. I know this may fall into the "too real" department for some people, since it is based on an actual criminal case. But, I thought I would get the word out, if anyone is interested. With an estimated budget of $20k, I don't expect much. However, the trailer looked somewhat promising.

I do not know who is currently posting the authorized Jpegs from Jane's movie. I hope they chose the next pictures showing Mariana suffering, but pick and post the ones showing Her tormenter having way too much fun. This is what I meant when I said "Ralphus (vid-clips) shows only the tip of the iceberg".

My fellow GIMPers, Please buy the DVD or VOD this movie and view it yourself to make your judgements.

I couldn't find any more information on the film but I hope it makes its way to DVD at some point. Frankly, this is one I would pay to see it in the theatres, although I don't think the film is playing locally. I'll have to double-check the papers.

Certain facts are clearly known: Joan was taken through the streets and chained to the stake fully dressed in a billowy garment; the fire was ignited, then it was put out and then it was relit.

There are "vanilla" explanations for all this, but also others. The vanilla explanation for Joan being taken to the stake dressed, is "modesty", "decency", (maybe "convenience for the future Hollywood movie industry"?) whatever. The other explanation is that the English did not want the (largely French crowd) is see how extensively Joan had been tortured and not confessed (as this could have both elicited sympathy for the "witch" and made the crowd doubt her guilt). Once the burning started there is every reason to believe her loose fitting garment was burned off, leaving her figure naked for viewing but with her skin damaged enough for the signs of torture not to be too obvious.

The explanation given in the Wikipedia for why her pyre was ignited, doused and then reignited, is that the first burning was meant to and did kill her and to make sure that the crowd knew she was dead, the fire was put out so they could see her dead body (to prevent later rumors that she had somehow miraculously survived - those rumors rose anyway, but that is another story) and then was relit to totally destroy her body, after which the ashes were thrown into the Seine (so there would be no grave-site for supporters to rally around - a practice still used today - note the way the mortal remains of Rudolf Hess and Osama bin Laden were disposed of, just this year). That's the "vanilla" explanation.

The other explanation is that the first burning was just to put her body on display nude for the crowd (without anyone being "guilty" of doing the "indignity"). She was then left to suffer, terribly burned but alive, at the stake for a while longer and then the fire was re-lit (possibly after she had passed out) to both end her misery and destroy her mortal remains.

As for spoilers; yes, doing the pyre the way it was done in this movie would be they only way to make what is shown next, even remotely plausible.

Here's my answer to that...I don't care. All that may be historically true, but this is still a MOVIE and things could be embellished for the audience. You're going to have a BATS in the script, make it an impressive one. If we're going for only a true-life account, Jane's character didn't get roasted on a spit in real life, either. That was only added to the story because I put up the money to get it filmed.

Moreover, if they were going to torture her to death with a slow-burning fire, don't you think it's rather illogical to have everybody just up and leave when the fire was barely catching? When I build a fire in my fireplace, I usually have to watch it a while and tend to it, maybe stir up the logs a bit to make sure it doesn't go out. This was a pretty important fire, too. You had a supposed witch being consumed as her final punishment; it seems rather daft to just assume that tiny fire was going to do its job while you were gone.

And here's another point. The inquisitor was clearly a sadist. He liked watching women being tortured. What self-respecting sick fuck, no, make that self-respecting religious sick fuck would simply turn his back and walk away from the best part of the show? Why do you think so many women in history were burned at the stake naked? The sheer entertainment value. I mean, it's not like he had an episode of "House" waiting for him at home on his TiVo.

------------------

Rack 'Em Up wrote:

I must say that Maleficarum definitely looks like a great movie. I will probably order a copy once it is released on DVD.

You know it's out on DVD already, right? There's a couple of links already on the board, one for the actual DVD and another for the download. The download is 10 bucks cheaper, and it burns onto a DVD as it downloads off the site. No other equipment is needed. You just press the BURN button on the Vermeerworks site rather than DOWNLOAD. It's about the easiest system I've ever run across as far as online downloading goes. And the quality was excellent.

Thanks for the trailer to The Toy Box. I'm familiar with the David Parker Ray story; I followed the case pretty closely when it came to light some years ago. I always thought that story was rife with possibilities for a movie treatment. I've never been bothered by movies made based on true-life cases because a movie is not going to change any kind of real life crimes that happened in the past. This film looks particularly GIMP-worthy, but I'm concerned it may not be easily available. I found very little online about it, and the "official sites" listed on the IMDB are 2 broken Facebook links. Definitely looks like one to seek out, though.

That would be Ralphus himself, moderator of the forum and associate producer of the movie.

----------

I'm having a little bit of trouble wrapping my head around this Jane/Amy thing, so I've come up with a strategy to keep things straight in my mind.

When I'm referring to the actress from Maleficarum, I will use the name Amy, which is how she's credited; when I'm referring or responding to the person who posts here and is credited as an actress and producer in other Red Feline movies, I will use the name Jane. Seems logical, right?

But rumor has it that Jane/Amy are really the same person. Notice how you never see the two of them together? ;)

----------

BTW, I got a kick out of the costume credit for the movie: The Heskinator. We know that she took care of creating all of the costumes. What a busy, productive gal she is!

Of course, one can work more quickly when there is someone standing there with a whip.

I also chuckled to myself when one of the "witnesses" testified that whenever Francisca walked past, her husband would exclaim, "My goddess." His explanation: "Well, I am a man."

Yeah, I hear ya, dude.

Ralphus how do you rate Maleficarum Jane's bats event compare to what you have seen in your bats library movie collection?

Again I hope Red Feline makes more bats/fiery peril movie but please with bigger edit pyre more edit bigger flames next time.

Bill K.

YikYakker, thank you; you are so right, but who looks at beginning credits, I had my gaze on Mila and then Jane, and then on to reading the English subtitles, since I don't speak Spanish, and let alone my hearing is not that good, too much hunting with long barreled handguns in my past.

Many Thanks Ralphus for helping Jane make this Movie. Were you on the set, and got your image save on one of those authorized movie photos, I would like to see that... Oh yes, thanks for posting those Jpegs.

GIMPer please observe how the actor Eric (the Torturer) holds that Cat O' Nine, examining it. From that look, you all know what's gonna happen next to our sweet Jane. And you all know from Jane's previous work in Red Feline films, how Jane will react to the lash, and then there's the big, it's not the same. You GIMPers who already view this movie know what I'm talking about. To those WSIM followers, that's the eyeful I keep yapping about.

Last word, Lynn you are so right, that's the only issue I have with this film. If you have read my posting two weeks ago, you will see that I totally agree with you.

Well, I shot my wad and may the Great Hog Bless y'all. She's a funny one...Good Night y'all.

Lynn - I've read so many versions of Joan's BATS encounter I have no idea which one to believe is accurate - only because I'm such a sick twisted pervert the one I would like to believe is as follows - the stake at was set in a stone platform 2-3 feet above ground level - the wood was piled about the sides so at the onset no wood or flame was in direct contact and she was "slow roasted" - the executioner, known for his excessive cruelty in an age of excessive cruelty, watched as long as he could and decided she had suffered enough and ordered more wood applied directly on the platform and those flames brought the proceeding to an abrupt conclusion - total elapsed time about 45 minutes - then more wood was added to consume the body - sounds like the crowd got its money's worth.

Stay well all

Ralphus: I never did find the print article about Joseph Ellison, the one in which he explains how he handled the fire effects for Don't Go in the House. However, I recently watched American Grindhouse, an excellent doc which just happens to include an interview with the man. Here's a brief clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GkCu04WHoIE

Now do you believe that it was an in-camera composite shot, mannequin-man? Unfortunately, Ellison veers away from explaining the details, but it's pretty clear he was filming the actress and not some stuffed effigy. I do hope this is sufficient evidence to clear up the mystery once and for all.

Scribbler wrote:

As far as Fritz's bizarro post where he quotes me a few times and then goes off into nonsense, I'm gonna leave that for the time being so people can focus on Maleficarum.

What... we can't multi-task here? Methinks more likely you have run out of things to say. I know I have. But if you can't accept that we have different opinions on this matter and leave it be, please do as you ask of others and quote me when you refute what I'm saying. And calling my words "bizarro" and "nonsense" without pointing to anything at all is just childish.

Not that I'm likely to continue this thread. I'm far too busy preparing for my new life. I've packed my meager belongings and will soon be moving to Belgium, where GIMP DVDs grow on trees and a pair of handcuffs is on the national flag.

Heroone wrote:

In 1975, Reims France, I saw Le Historie de O, the Story of O in french and there were families with children in that audience.

Are you sure that wasn't in Belgium?

Ralphus how do you rate Maleficarum Jane's bats event compare to what you have seen in your bats library movie collection?

Well, seeing as it was the part of the movie that I felt was the least successful, and the one scene that I was most critical of in my review, one would assume I wouldn't rate it so high on the list of all-time BATS scenes, right? Not true.

There was a lot to like in the scene, most of which was followed nearly exactly by Jane from when we were planning how to shoot the BATS scene long before filming even began. The fact she would be naked, the precise way she was to be tied to the stake (rope around the neck, waist, wrists, upper knees and ankles) and the fact that the bondage would be applied on the screen. All that was great. Naked BATS on film is actually not that common to begin with, and then you have a victim as pretty as Jane and have her scream and emote at the stake for several minutes, that's going to put the scene in the upper portion of most scenes in my vast collection.

It was the lighting of the fire with the non-existent flame on the torch, followed by inconsistencies in the shots of the fire, that let me down. The scene did finish out well, so it redeemed itself somewhat by the end. My expectations were very high on this scene, and that's a hard target to hit. But they had the tools in place that could have made it the all-time best.

-------------------

Heroone wrote:

Many Thanks Ralphus for helping Jane make this Movie. Were you on the set, and got your image save on one of those authorized movie photos, I would like to see that.

You know, I appreciate the kudos, but they're really not deserved. My title as associate producer was more ceremonial than anything else. I wasn't on the set, I was here in Ohio while all the fun stuff was happening desperately hoping to get an e-mail from Jane to let me know how things were going. My sole role was putting up the money to help get the movie shot and advising Jane by e-mail the way I wanted to see the roasting and BATS scenes filmed. That's it. The real credit should go to Jane, JJ, Margot and the rest of the crew that created this movie.

It's still a nice feather in my cap to have a producer's credit in the opening and closing titles, especially on a film that turned out as well as this one did. I mean, my last movie credit was in Killer Sex Queens from Cyberspace. This is a step or 2 up from that one, I would have to say.

-------------------

Margot: How lucky we are to have you stop by and explain all the goings-on regarding the shoot. Immensely interesting as always. I wondered why there was no longer shot of the spit with Jane tied to it, which would have given the audience the much-needed proof that this was really happening. A solution would have been to throw some hay on the coals to produce smoke during the overhead shots you did use. That's really the only establishing shot that works, so if he didn't get enough coverage, that would make it hard to edit, for sure. I'm hoping the longer cut works better when it gets put together.

You mentioned the ropes were coming loose as they turned Jane on the spit. I noticed that in one shot. One of the ropes definitely became unknotted and was dangling loose as Jane was turning. That had to be scary as hell being up there and then to feel the ropes start to give way. I know Jane was apprehensive about filming that scene to begin with. You've got to trust that the people who are securing you above 150 pounds of white-hot coals know what they are doing.

Fritz: Thanks for the YouTube link by the director explaining how they shot the burning scene in Don't Go In the House. He sounded pretty horrified describing what he was seeing through the camera lens. I guess if it's bad enough to fool the director, that's the sign that the scene was working, and working real good. I can't recall if I've ever seen a more impressive burning illusion on film.

Actually, she's beautiful even when she is not in agony.

My goddess.

Bill K.

In response to Heroone Fritz wrote: In 1975, Reims France, I saw Le Historie de O, the Story of O in french and there were families with children in that audience.

Are you sure that wasn't in Belgium?

Heroone definitely saw this then Shocking Movie in a theatre in Reims, France in October 1975 and it was in French and had been showing for over three week, so I had been told by the American girls staying at the student hotel (converted from a Brothel the year before}, where I stayed in a Red wallpapered Room with a bathtub, toilet, and fancy bedet. Oh ya, I do recall the mirrors in that room, on the walls, and ceiling, beside the four poster bed with lots of pillows; and all for fifty Francs a night.

And why not, I was then the rich American who could afford to buy two cases of Mum's Red at Seventeen Francs per bottle from the Mum's Champaign Factory that morning. And all those parties we had every night (no loud music) just the four musketeers and five girls drinking Mums out of the bottle with a bedet full of ice and champagne bottles.

And getting back to Story of O, I do recall that cute looking teenager walking up and down aisle carrying a box tray with oranges with straws, packaged candies and nuts, and of course the little kids with their parents. And when the movie started, those kids were bored as hell. And because I don't speak french; you remember all the African American group sitting in front of your favorite seats in crowded movie theatre...yes, Heroone was told to shut up in more languages than he could understand, Heroone, who kept nagging his friends and asking what was said by people on the screen, especially the whipping scenes.

This American was shocked by what he saw on the silver screen, let alone who was in that audience. He would see the poster for this movie, then in English be shown in the Tenderloin theatres in San Francisco, two years later. That's my story and I'm sticking with it. Oh ya, it was raining that night, and I soaked; I forgot to bring a raincoat.

Many Apologies to all GIMPers who read my story about the Story of O in Reims... especially to Fritz... I guess my time line is a FUBAR...

My Evil Twin Brother, TerryBear, one those four Musketeers, the others were students from Hull University, UK, corrected my very errant memories. Terry remember we spent Turkey Day (drinking champaign) in Reims and saw this movie on the first of December before heading for Paris...

Hey Fritz was there a debut showing in Beligum? Were you there? And if so, did see what I was talking about those missing scenes?

----------

petelobo: I've experienced the same problem that you describe. When capping from a DVD, I use the free VLC Media Player. It has a Snapshot tool that produces excellent screen shots. The default file type is .png, so users of VLC have to convert the image to .jpeg if your purposes require that.

Capping from streaming media is a more difficult process. I have never succeeded with it when the movie uses Windows Media Player, which is the case when using Red Felines Flickrocket program.

Many forums, such as this one, explain how to capture screenshots in Windows Media Player by tinkering with the video acceleration and overlay options. Problem is, once you do that, Maleficarum won't play. At least, that's been my experience.

I think your best bet, if you're viewing the download version, is to burn it to a DVD and use VLC to cap it. I have not done that yet, so I can't guarantee that it will work.

Anyone else have a solution?

YikYakker, you are so right on about our sweet Jane. Thank God, and may she smile on us; that we are never ever at receiving end of actor Eric Calancha Cossío's Cat O' Nine. And not all of Jane's cries and pain were do to good acting.... Prop designer Jane made the leather whips, and maybe a little too for realism sake:

http://ralphus.net/dailypic2011/MaleficarumMO6224.jpg

Jane: what an actor has to suffer for her craft. Heroone: Wow...

I think your best bet, if you're viewing the download version, is to burn it to a DVD and use VLC to cap it.

I haven't downloaded the movie, so I speak -- once again -- from a position of complete ignorance. But my guess is that option makes the most sense.

The VLC is great for capping movies. It certainly gives you the ease you need to create caps that you can send to Ralphus at all hours of the evening for upgrades to your older reviews.

I made a mistake when I was downloading the movie the first time. I accidentally hit DOWNLOAD (seems logical, yes?) but I should have hit the button marked BURN. So it downloaded, but then it was broken up into little pieces instead of the whole file and I didn't know how to put them together. Fortunately, Jane came to my rescue and I downloaded it a second time, this time hitting the option marked BURN. And then it's so simple. It does everything for you. 2 hours or so later out popped a brand new spanking DVD.

Capping it is easy with VLC Player. Just hit Open File instead of Open Disc. If you don't have VLC Player, it's a free download off the net. I wish I knew about this years ago.

BTW, I got my Maleficarum DVD in the mail from Bolivia today, which means all of you should be getting yours soon, assuming you ordered it on the 31st when it came out. Hopefully we'll get some more reviews on the board soon.

If you haven't ordered the DVD, there is no difference whatsoever in the quality from the download. They're exactly the same, and the download is 10 bucks cheaper. The only thing extra you get for the DVD is a the very cool DVD box cover. You'll have to decide if the box is worth the extra money.

------------------

A Canadian wrote:

The VLC is great for capping movies. It certainly gives you the ease you need to create caps that you can send to Ralphus at all hours of the evening for upgrades to your older reviews.

Voice of Experience, eh? Seriously, if anybody would like any of their reviews upgraded with caps, let me know. I'm more than happy to help you out.

------------------

Bill K wrote:

Say guys I just noticed Jane and Mila in Maleficarum have no body armpit hair or leg hair. Correct me if I'm wrong but in the 1600 century women didn't shave off their body hair. It doesn't subtract from the quality of any of the dungeon torture scenes or fiery peril scenes but I curious has to why Mila and Jane didn't let their armpit/leg hair grow out? Jane or Margot want gives, why no hair??

Ladies, let me handle this one, if I may.

Dude, it's a MOVIE! It may not be historically accurate but they're trying to please today's audiences, too. That's why they cast 2 pretty girls to play the leads. Does anybody think it would be better if we saw the girls with hairy legs and armpits? Show of hands? No one? Okay, that's what I thought.

That's why.

I ordered that DVD on 31Oct, and it was in today's mail. I have already seen the downloaded version; but I'm gonna wait until this weekend to view it on a two hundred inch screen, my in-focus projector; and listen to the audio with my Boise QC15. I don't want the neighborhood hearing all that screaming.

I don't need San Francisco's finest knocking on my door.

So, onto better things... WOW... I think ya'll seriously like the movie. I'm really happy about that! As you might imagine.

I worked particularly hard on Maleficarum, in a lot of capacities, I wore a lot of hats. I'm glad someone liked the "Heskinator" joke. It's actually a nickname an ex of mine gave me, because of my capacity to get things done in a methodical, robotic kind of way. Which I did in this movie.

A technical note about the difficulties of filming outside in high altitude, which is pertinent to the roasting and BATS. The light here is extremely strong. So, you have to use filters, because the sun reflects off of everything. Even then, the exposure is very hard to control, you make sacrifices. For instance, in the roasting, the high angle shot we have for a few seconds didn't turn out how we hoped it would. When we showed the coals (and the straw and plants underneath and that were burning) as they are, grey and roasting me, I was bleached out. I have very white skin, so the cinematographer had to set exposure for me, thus making the coals underneath look black, and the smoke from the burning plants, not come out in the picture. So we didn't use much of that shot in the movie, because it ruined the illusion. The camera does not see what the human eye sees. Maybe someday they will invent the technology for that. I hope so, it would be cool.

Ditto in the BATS scene. Ralphus was complaining here that the torch wasn't lit. In reality, it was. So when I'm looking down at the torturer, Eric Calancha, lighting the fire, I was actually scared that he would light fire to the pyre and they wouldn't be able to get me down in time, being tied tightly and chained with padlocks to the post. It was not a nice moment for me, and he knew it. However, why can't we see that it's lit? Because we're outside in the sun at 16,000 feet above sea level. If we set the exposure to show the fire of the lit torch, the rest of the picture would be dark (like a bad day-for-night dark) and you wouldn't see me very well. The sun is the factor that we can't control, even with filters. In other parts of the world, closer to sea level, this is not a factor.

So, some have been speculating about the whips. Yep, they're leather, they're real. I made 'em myself. And this leads me to another sacrifice that had to be made. I experimented with a lot of different materials trying to make something that would make a nice effect and not hurt. After many many tries, I found that I could not find a material that would do what I wanted. They were too light and looked wimpy. And we wouldn't want that, now would we? So, I found some really fine leather and used my excellent skills learned on the playground long ago making friendship bracelets for my girlfriends. I know, like, when did I ever think I would use that skill again? Now I know.

Mila and I had to trust Eric Calancha not to hit us too hard. But sometimes he did. There was a day of shooting the horse scene when I saw JJ's eyes widen during shooting and look at me. I was acting, and trying to finish the scene, and when JJ said cut, he came over to me and asked if I was ok. I actually felt like crap and I said so and had them call a cab for me and got out of there. Only later in the shower did I see that under the effects, there were real purple bruises, awful looking and covering the entire right side of my body and right breast. I freaked out. Really freaked out. The crew, who had come back to HQ to capture reels from shooting, heard me crying in the shower. JJ came in to the bathroom thinking I had slipped or something and I showed him. He had seen what was happening, but hadn't said anything, because that was up to me. It was weird, I hadn't noticed. I guess we'd been shooting the horse scene, with the whipping and all that for days and I got so into character that I didn't notice that Eric was plying the whip too hard.

I didn't know what to think about that afterward. That fact that I hadn't noticed freaked me out just as much as the bruises. After that I tried to pay more attention to what he was doing.

I'm a method actor, that's what I started out doing at 6 years old, and I've continued with that. So, making Maleficarum was pretty hard on me. I don't just play a character, I become the character, I feel what she must be feeling. So at the end of the day I didn't feel great, there were days where I couldn't shake off a complete feeling of despair. But it was worth it! Not to toot my own horn, and I hope I'm not sounding conceited, but I'm actually moved by my own performance in this movie.

It's always weird for me, seeing myself on camera. Because I don't really see "myself", I see the character, but I have a simultaneous flashback of what it felt like to shoot the scene. It's a weird moment. Like the horse scene, I see Mariana up there and think, "Oww, that really looks like it hurts!", at the same time thinking back to "Yes, indeed, that's didn't feel pleasant at the time.".

So, I've been thinking that it might be nice to make this a bit more interactive. The idea would be that ya'll could ask me questions about Maleficarum and I could answer them, on camera, and post the interview to Youtube. Let me know what ya'll think. We could collect the questions until we have enough and then shoot the answers and post it.

Congratulations on the success of Maleficarum. I really enjoyed the movie and thought the whipping and horse scenes were fantastic, even better than I had expected.

This may be hard to believe, but I was just thinking about posing a question to you or Margot about the altitude there.

I had come across an article about the altiplano ("high plain") in Bolivia, and wondered if the altitude affected your movie-making (and everyday lives) in any way.

I was up about 14,000 feet once on an excursion in the Rockies and found breathing and physical exertion very difficult. Guess one has to spend a lot of time at those heights to become acclimated. I'd love to hear your comments about that.

And I understand what you are saying about the fire, too. Things burn differently at even a mile up (5,000 feet). Found that out while trying to cook something.

Maybe the next time you do a BATS scene, you can relocate here to Pennsylvania. Lots of wood, shady spots and cloudy days available. The highest spot is only about 3,000 feet.

I'll even volunteer to be an extra on the set.;)

* * * * *

Anyone who wants to see Keira Knightley bent over and spanked (from the movie A Dangerous Method) can download the clip from Upcoming Nude Scenes. There are two of them, and in the second one it looks like her wrists are tied to a headboard.

Thank you Jane, your eye filling comments and experiences about the making of this movie has answered all my questions.

I still see this film as a mainstream movie that's just very graphic and shocking. And so was the The Story of O in 1975; which was accepted in Europe as mainstream; two years later as soft porn in the U.S.A.

Again, I say that this one film that lovers of GIMP should have in their library. Thank y'all and good night.

Ralphus you are right about my hairy question/comment for it is just a movie and no more historically correct or not logical question/comment from me for same reason. It doesn't matter whatsoever to the quality of the movie.

Jane is one brave and talented peril actress for doing that bats scene and roasting scene and also all the dungeon torture stuff. A real G.I. Jane for sure.

Bill K.

Although each seems to be set in a different place and time, they have the following in common:

~ a girl is chained/fastened in a spread position to an X-frame/rocks/the ground

~she has her clothing ripped/whipped off

~afterwards she is stabbed, and then her bloody body is licked/sucked/eaten by some white-robed, hooded cult members (apparently some order of knights whose uniform resembles that of the Klan).

I like the babe in the first one, she really puts up a good fight. But the dubbed-in screams are terrible.

In the fourth installment, the treatment is given to three different victims, although the last one is apparently rescued.

Thanks for belonging to a number of our groups. I know you have your hands full here but I love when you are able to post your own thoughts or anything else. I am happy you have shared info on the GIMP there with our members and told them about Maleficarum. It appears Jane and her folks have done an amazing job and I look forward to seeing the film myself. The descriptions, reviews and scenes shown from the production are making me drool.

Speaking of our collection of groups, one can go to the Google Docs page I show as my homepage and find an entire list of our groups there (including groups featuring racks, stocks, whipping, breast torment and other "fun" things).

Unfortunately, the powers that be have just deleted one of the groups, Horse of a Different Color but in time, if it is not reinstated, we will bring out some kind of replacement.

It is important that when anyone applies for membership that they list their age. We approve everyone 18 and over but you must tell us so or we have to delete the application. If someone applied and was turned down, that was the reason. If so, please do reapply.

Keep up the fine job you are doing here. It is much appreciated by everyone, posters and non-posters alike.

All my best!

Scourge

Busty actress Uschi Digard appears only 3 mins in this film 'Poor Cecily' no dialogue but only screaming. In one scene her hands lifted up in cage and folded and in another scene she was on the torture rack (nude) with Brigette Maier. Apart from these two scenes, I don't see her anywhere in the film she appears again. But in one of the web site I have seen her hanging alone on the torture (below pic). If anyone has seen this scene in any uncut version, do let me know. I have asked many folks but none of them have seen this clip though they said they have uncut version of this film!

But - no marriage proposals?! Damn. Well, I guess there is that age difference thing that might get in the way. I mean, I'm old enough to be Jane's, er...um...older brother! Yeah, that's it.

----------

John Galt: Glad I could be of service.

BTW, I forgot to mention that there's a scene - I think it's in the 3rd or 4th movie - where instead of getting licked by cult members, the girl staked out on a beach is set upon by a horde of crabs.

That's something you just don't see often enough in movies these days.

It's too bad the villain looks a bit like a refugee from Mel's Rock Pile.

1. Are you Bolivian? If not, how did you end up in Bolivia? (I seem to remember a French connection for you, but I could be wrong).

2. What initially triggered your interest in torture? (which, as can be clearly seen from your website, predates this movie).

3. How did the idea to film this particular story come about?

4. Where could I find the historical account of the events this was based on. Is an account available also in English?

5. If you could/would have to do this film again; based on your experiences this time, what would you do differently?

6. Of course, we are all wondering, what will be the topic of your next project? (OK, you do not have to answer that!)

7. I have a practical question - I haven't seen it on your website - is there a way to order your DVD w/o using a Credit Card? Are there any alternatives to Credit Cards, like money orders, etc?

You mentioned the abuse you took while shooting the scene up there on the horse, really getting physically bruised underneath all the marks. Of all the scenes you had to shoot for the film, which one was the most difficult for you to endure?

I ask you this because obviously I have an interest in the subject, since I commissioned the scene. What was it really like to be roasted on a spit? I know you were pretty scared initially. Is that why it took 2 days to film it?

So...do you prefer Jane or Amy? Amy or Jane? How about Jamie?

That's it for now. I may offer up a few more later.

---------------------

We have a new story in our GIMP FICTION section called Come and See, written by that talented writer Lynn. She earlier wrote The Golden Gift, one of my favorite stories on the site. And this one is really good, too. It's got a simple but intriguing plot: What would you do if you saw a girl being tortured and could do something about it? Well, I know what I would do...

Before Maleficarum your movies had a small number of intimate, familiar cast members. How did you go about recruiting thespians from outside the RF circle? When did the auditioners fully realize what kinds of scenes they were going to be participating in (nudity, torture, etc.), and how did they react?

OK, that's three questions, but inquiring minds want to know.

And thank you so much for doing this, it's going to be a real treat.

Thanks

My question is why hasn't this film ever been released on DVD? It was an expensive production, not some video cheapie. I don't know who the studio was, but they're doing the public a disservice by ignoring this film in a DVD restoration. It's not like it's that old, in was made in 1974. I know of nowhere where one can get this movie except through bootleggers. Surely the dungeon scene is among the greatest GIMP footage ever shot.

I don't have answer to your query on DVD release..

My question is why hasn't (Poor Cecily) ever been released on DVD?

Good question.

-----

Ralphus also wrote:

And ironically, now that you've made this generous offer to answer our questions, we haven't had a lot of people asking.

The Red Feline folks have the right to market and promote their movie however they wish. However, I find it a bit peculiar to describe their P.R. efforts as acts of generosity. Are the film's proceeds going to charity?

Or instead, was it a very cool thing to have the fans be a part of the experience, to give them their own little "brush with greatness", so to speak? When I was a boy, I got to talk to pitching great Tom Seaver on the radio, and I recorded it and still have it today. It may not seem as noteworthy or impressive now since the world wide web has made communication with celebrities so much easier, but for a long time, that was one of my proudest accomplishments growing up. And even today, how cool is it for people to have President Obama appear in one of those video chats and answer one of their questions? I mean, imagine the President of the United States talking time to talk to you, and answering your personal question.

I know, bad example since you're Canadian, but let's change "President Obama" to "Jessica Alba" and see how you would feel. Do you understand where I'm coming from? I know Jane posts here regularly, but it's a little more special to see her on camera reacting to you than it would be to simply read it on a forum. She's taking her time, setting up lights, microphone and camera, to address you on a site that's viewed by millions of people. To talk to you. To talk to us. I think it's generous. Call it publicity, yeah, sure it is. But it's also a pretty special thing to do for her fans.

So let me ask you, when Rick Masters did the same thing with Lisa Kinkaid, having her answer the GIMP reader's questions in an on-camera interview and including it as part of the plot of The Dirty Dreams of Lisa Kinkaid, was that not a generous thing to do?

Given what I know of the situation (remembering that I wasn't around in those days), I would say no, it wasn't a "generous" thing to do.

It was definitely a smart thing to do. Lisa has a huge fan base, even to this day, and having her answer questions from the fans could only add to her stardom and the appeal of her movies.

But "generous"?

Perhaps there were circumstances I don't know about, such as Rick having fallen on hard times and Lisa agreeing to help him further promote his movies, even though she hates being interviewed and stood to gain nothing. If that were the case, then it was generous. But that's all completely hypothetical and probably untrue.

Based on the known facts, I would say it was a smart publicity move (I wish I had been here in those days) -- but not generous.

(muttering to myself) Rape men. They're so damn stubborn...

Speaking of which, where's your question for Jane? I know you haven't seen the movie but why not ask her why the rape scene included no nudity? I'll bet if it had, you'd be more obliged to buy the movie, am I right?

I'll bet if it had, you'd be more obliged to buy the movie, am I right?

You're half-right.

You're definitely right about the nudity. The rape scene should have had nudity. I'm totally puzzled by the decision to depict a clothed rape, particularly since most of the movie has nudity.

However, even if the rape scene had been done properly, I would still want to be able to rent the movie before I would consider buying it.

My take on Red Feline is somewhat similar to the view expressed recently by jhlipton. To date, the company hasn't been producing movies that I want to own. I have enjoyed seeing some of them as rentals but nothing so far has struck me as a "keeper."

That may change with Maleficarum, but it may not. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I will want to see the film first before I decide whether to buy my own copy.

I don't have a particular bias about Kink.com but I'm doubtful this would be my kind of movie. I'm usually leery about girl-on-girl GIMP flicks. I will say that Felony looks quite attractive. I would love to hear about any good Kink.com movies where she is the victim.

Bill K.

Too many tattoos and a little more surgically enhanced than I normally prefer.

I checked out the trailers and you're right. I was OK with the tats but the inflated boobs were worse than I realized. Oh, well....

I'm familiar with Felony; I saw her in a smoking video and think she's hot in a dirtybutt kinda way. She has the kind of persona in that I think she'd be a good dom, although I think she looks better with her clothes on. That tats bother me, too. For me, I don't really find the victim as appealing, though. Probably the phony red hair turns me off. I will admit, though, you sold the movie very well in your review. Great job.

The link for your latest review is where else? That's right, my Homepage URL above.

-----------------

Sung: I dig those animated GIFs, keep 'em coming.

Hello fellow GIMPers, Heroone will probably have more to say after Jane's next movie with Mila and JJ in the title roles. In the meantime, let me run off in a tangent and talk about us all.

Big big F'n "F", WTF are GIMPers; we are the ordinary Joes like our ancestors, who like to look and be shocked by what we spied... Joe Roman went frequently to watch burnings, floggings, gladiatorial fights and ritual deaths...because we were bored, and that's why the Romans were so good at crucifixions.

Even today, the dramas on the small screen, like CSI, where we like to watch the redhead Catherine, who while going to school, took off her clothes for money; or Mariska Hargitay's character, whose mother was a rape victim and she got born. They all are girls in merciless peril...and we like to watch.

Enough of Heroone running off at the mouth; my fellow GIMPers, are there any other good WSIM out there that's newer than the "Hitman"...

DHT - FYI - that film link is from a movie shot in Colombia that was apparently released to theaters in that country earlier this year - can't find any indication of a dvd release.

Finally, a chance for national exposure on YouTube - have not received my copy of the film yet but with all the caps posted by our host gnome I do have a question for Jane - when you were lowered onto that bed of spikes I assume the "bed of nails" principle applied - enough surface area so no one point is subject to extreme pain - if that's so, was that one of the easier aspects of the filming?

Stay well all

If I was on the other side, I wouldn't be content to let Alexandra just hang like that. Every hour or two would bring a new torture...

This film about a conspiracy by Carlos Varela looks very interesting to this GIMPer. I have seen some of the theatrical trailers; my Spanish is poor, so I can make out visually, a story line at best. I wish they had more trailers with english subtitles. I guess we all have to wait past the December 7th release date to learn more

Jane, do you any have viewpoints about this film from your next of the woods; have there been news release in the Bolivian theatrical set about Carlos' film.

Do and can any of you GIMPer help us translate some of the trailers, and help us understand the story line better.

http://www.4shared.com/video/UZfbM9Fl/test1.html

If there was ever any doubt, this is proof that the Japanese are way ahead of us. I mean, who else could come up with a concept like this? They need to try this in the US. Wouldn't you like to see Danica Patrick riding one of these cars?

If I'm not mistaken that's Maria Ozawa riding the Number 5 car from Natural High.

Yup, that's her. I remember when that film was released a couple of years ago. I never bought it, as it looked a little too bizarre for my tastes.

Jack - I am very disappointed that you would want to hurt us by "sharing" our movie. We're a small company and a collective. Which means that everyone who put their work into the movie "Maleficarum" shares a percentage of the profits. Many of the people who worked on the movie have children, or in my case older parents, whom they support, so it's really not nice to do what you're suggesting.

If you like what you see, then please help us to grow as a team, not harm us and what we're trying to do. :)

I'm glad you're back; and have been location hunting. Ahh, this sounds like a new project in the works, and if it's a movie like Martyr, I know it's gonna be good.

I watch the Martyr twice last night; I'm getting old and can't read them subtitles quite as fast as I used to. The story line was good, and psyches of three main character had this viewer hooked, and never bored. I just felt sorry for JJ's character at the conclusion of this film.

This film was more cerebral and mainstream than your Maleficarum, which was more visual and more shockingly graphic. The Marytr is still has a good WSIM scene.

I know times are tough for everyone, and some people have the attitude that it's stupid to pay for entertainment anymore. Everything's free on the Internet, right? Except it's not free, someone put down the money to make it and they should be the ones to profit from it. Think about who you're hurting when you pirate someone else's movie. These are real people with real lives and you're taking away their livelihood when you "share" their work. So if you want to see more movies like Maleficarum, do the right thing and support the people that made it.

Way to go Jack! You walk into a public forum and immediately proceed to put your foot in your mouth.

Some people have the attitude that it's stupid to pay for entertainment anymore.

My guess is that's the predominant view on the Internet these days.

I've said this before -- some forums not only encourage people to get their porn for free, they ridicule anyone who still pays for it. It may be wrong but that's the attitude that exists.

Let's not pile too heavily on Jack. He may not have known that this site holds a different view than many other websites. And I'm sure he's not the only person on this forum who's familiar with file sharing.

That link to that japanese movie was from a company that was trying to make money also. Granted it would be a small part of the movie but if I go through my files I bet I can find more parts from another part of that movie. Granted that sample didn't have sound but when it comes to Japanese videos no one really watches them for the plot.

Sooner or latter there will be bootleg copies of your movie being posted. Me I'm a friend of the group but that other guy is a rat fink? If that Yakka Zumma actress from that movie was a member of this group than I would be the Rat Fink?

Groups have always run the fine line of pirates or places to put trailers. If no one sees any samples of a artists work how would anyone know they were out there?

Its late and I'm tired. I'll more or less hate what I typed right now.

Ralphus: you are right, it is just like steal something from someone's house, if someone do it to me, i will very uncomfortable.

Jane von Detlefson: I have to sent all of my sincerely apology for you, because of my stupid ideas and selfish behavior. I'm no mean to hurt you and someone else. Because it is commone to see people share files through P2P software in my living area, i don't know how serious the problem is.

I also owe the director, Mila, and all of the crew of "Maleficarum" a apology, Thank you guys to let me learn this lesson, and i won't do the stupid things again!

At least the American version wouldn't have blurred crotches.. The Japanese have an odd (to me) sense of what you should and shouldn't see!

Subhunt : ) ---:

Once again thank you for Maleficarum. Now I am interested to know when the release date of ( Le Marquis de la Croix) will be. As you are the director, I am waiting to purchase this movie. Please keep up the good work.

Thanks

Nonetheless, it's never been my intention to infringe upon anyone else's rights. It's always been posted on my site that these compilations are sold from one collector to another, and no rights are either given or implied. Although I feel these DVDs provide a needed service, it's posted that if the actual copyright holder objects to the inclusion of a particular scene in either of these compilations, I will remove it from all versions of the DVDs, if that is what the copyright holder wishes.

I would imagine the studios have bigger fish to fry than to go after someone whose compilations contain 2 to 3 minutes of cribbed footage from one of their movies. It's not like I'm getting rich by doing this, I'm just supplying a service for fellow collectors. I sell anywhere from 2 to 5 DVDs a year, just enough to cover the cost of the website. You can find probably 80-90% of the same footage that was uploaded to YouTube. And a good portion of my comps are old public domain titles or footage that I shot at home with a camcorder.

You can call what I do hypocritical; I don't care. I think it's a little different from openly ripping off bondage producers by uploading their entire works for free to thousands of strangers you don't know and then basking in the limelight when one of them thanks you. It's not like you made the movie yourself so why are you taking credit? Meanwhile the ones who suffer are the ones who put their time and money into creating a movie, only to lose out on profits because someone else decided to be a big shot.

Dear Jane, Ralphus and all other GIMPers:

This is Heroone' "Mea Culpa" moment, for he too is technically guilty of video piracy. My crime occurred in the 1980's, when I purchased a VHS copy of Les Mongoli 1961 (the movie I cut HS class to see on a dare), from Medford, Oregon.

I duplicated a copy for one of the working owners of the then Endinburgh Castle, a Pub in San Francisco; no cash monies were exchanged, but Heroone received a free night of drinking John Courage. I justified my action by doing this for a friend.

About the same time frame, I was a subscriber to Matt and Janet Tralldom, Olive Society, and Diane's (a Bay Area Local) Renderotica website. I downloaded a lot of their stuff... and unless my recall has gone "snafu-ee", I think I might have shared some of this with Margot C on a forum at Rfx.Com.

After spending a lot on WSIM stuff, if I'm asked to share some of my collection in the future, especially if was a creation by Jane or Margot, my answer would be Buy your own copy; but if they are really good friends, I'll buy a copy and give it to them...they should get that DVD cover with it, looks nice on the shelf.

"Heck", if all ya want to see is just real bloody whippings, etc., buy a "Dr. Lomp" video from Elite Pain, and see how much ya got to fork over, after the credit card company does the Euro exchange. Maleficarum cost less then half and has a plot line and better acting...I swear them European girls are on drugs and scarred for life.

if y'all notice an improvement in my grammar, it's do to the sunset off by one and a haft hours. I don't drink during working hours. I don't drink and drive. Then at 5 PM, I'm taking my family to Nick's at Rockaway beach, for the annual San Francisco Archers Dinner where I will be inducted into their board of directors, a one year service thing. Many thanks my fellow GIMPers for letting me bend your ears; and yes, definitely TMI.

As for small independent Movie company's i agree that their work should not be ripped off but that goes for all countries not just the US.

Now that the paste is out of the tube, I have to admit ... that's a very good point.

I may have posted this before, but I do think there is a U.S.-centered basis to some of the unwritten "rules."

For example, many GIMPers have watched and reviewed the Attackers movies made in Japan (Attackers probably isn't a "small" company, but that's not really important to my point). We all know the majority of Attackers fans on this site are watching pirated movies. I suspect some people rationalize it as OK because we're talking about foreign movies that are difficult to obtain.

Fair enough. But for those of us outside the U.S., that same line of rationalization could apply to some of the movies produced in the U.S. Much is available through legitimate online sources, but not all of it.

Something to think about.

We have talked about this before. This group has people in the business of entertainment. They would and should have the right of selling their wares and making a profit doing it.

I run a Google group and I post everything under the sun. For the most part I do a bit of art found on Ebay and Heritage Auctions. I have old stuff from years ago on the web when people were posting for free. I check out what I like on other groups and forward them or just post them on my group. Google doesn't have the best way to moderate posts so I let people post what they find. I have original art posted by amature and semi profession artists. I even can come up with stuff posted by Mr Trickle who has permission to post samples. It doesn't take much to get groups deleted. I'm not the owner of the hottest group on the web. I'm a guy that works and makes friends on the group. If the group goes down I have to find a place to start another and hope to keep friendships going.

Now what the heck am I supposed to do if someone or me posts something that one of the people in the business created and might take offence at it being posted in my group? I don't know how much of a sample or a set is enough to entice someone to look and buy or make the owner complain and out goes my group.

That clip I have had for a while. When I saw that vid cap I made a comment that I had that and after requests I posted it on a free site. I had no control over who reposted it and I was kind of amazed that you posted that link. It seems you didn't think the movie was that important till you saw the sample clip. Maybe that will be cause somone to order to get a good copy or maybe they will ask for a bootleg copy.

I just had to say something and it seems we now have hard feelings. Hey maybe Gary Roberts will join my group and share a picture. Maybe someone will post a picture and get him mad at me. Jeff Gord, Steve Powers, who else might take offence at what might get posted there? Maybe they will find links to others that post a lot more pay stuff than what I end up with? I don't want to be a reason that groups are deleted. I know for the most part the groups that get the boot remove the water mark and rename artists work. I don't do that. I might if it is huge file mark it as RESIZED but we have size limits.

I don't think I came off as two faced or high and mighty in my reply to you but this is your group and you can do and say what you want.

Why don't you get one of your polls going and ask about what is posting samples on groups or running pirate groups.

I ask on my group that if you have a picture, post it as it might be a piece to a missing photo set or a sharper or better copy. If you want to promote your group share a sample. I also try to treat people as you would want to be treated. My group has about 6800 members and if anyone that runs a pay site wants to promote it with your samples please do but since you know about it please don't use it to get other groups deleted. Take my group down but don't do harm to anyone else.

I tell people that when it becomes a job instead of a fun thing get out of it.

BP aka Who is not high and mighty.

I respect the group you run and the job you do running it. Like you mentioned, you post everything under the sun. A good number of the daily pictures I run were posted at one time on Boilerplant. Even though you have one member who regularly posts full-length videos, what you don't do is run a group that exists solely to rip of bondage companies, like a number of others I've seen on Yahoo and Google.

I'm no saint, and I don't know anyone who hasn't downloaded free stuff. But this is the one site where I have the authority to say stop, let's respect the work of these artists and we're not going to make this like everywhere else on the net. In my opinion, that's largely a reason why we've had so many producers come by and join us in the conversations here, because they know they can be safe here and promote their work and not worry about getting it stolen.

I don't know if they're as evil as the RIAA (who should be charged with cruel and unusual punishment for their thousand-dollar-a-song fees). They're not QUITE as stupid, but they still don't have a clue about monetizing the Internet (unlike Apple -- iTunes appears to be doing quite well).

And both the MPAA and RIAA rip off artists. Evil, evil people.

To Ralphus, BP and a Canadian:

Well said y'all. Now stage left and to change the subject material; does anyone have a good WSIM movie title that is more recent than Jesse Franco, etc. worth viewing?

Now where did leave that snifter of cognac... Good night y'all...

Woe is me, alas and alack as I languish in the depths of despair - my copy of "Maleficarum" still has not arrived - must I fill the time viewing InquisitionLive reruns - some old Paul Naschy movies perhaps - this is worse than waiting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles or sitting in the lobby of the Social Security Office.

Stay well all

Missed lots of opportunities to comment on pics, reviews, links and cool conversations. So I'll just say thanks and well done to all of you who have contributed. You know who you are.

----------

Heroone wrote:...does anyone have a good WSIM movie title that is more recent than Jesse Franco, etc. worth viewing? What is your particular taste in whipping scenes?

You might want to check out Chain Gang Girls, a Japanese product that was actually made in this century (2007).

Not as much whipping as that found in a Red Feline flick, but worth a look.

Of course, we've seen some terrific whipping scenes in clips from the "Hispania" TV series, thanks to links provided by posters. No nudity, but gawdamitey Ana de Armas is splendid.

I see the WSIMD has a few new entries. That's worth a look too.

----------

Did someone here mention Sasha Grey?

----------

Yes, I too have been guilty of downloading flicks and clips. However, I have some strict criteria, among them:

~ The movie is out of print or is only available in VHS - OR

~ Only the edited version is available, and in all probability the scenes I want to view most are missing. - OR

~ The movie is available, but it is so rare that someone is selling a used copy for hundreds of dollars on Amazon.

I have no idea how to upload movies, but if I did, those I upload would have to meet at least one of the criteria mentioned above.

----------

Homepage URL: Folks, I need your help in identifying this beautiful dark-haired babe whose picture I found on the 'net. She's haunting my GIMP fantasies but I don't know who she is. Actress? Model? Reality TV star? Hef's latest fianceé?

Thank you kindly.

As long as she didn't show up in knee-high black leather boots, fishnet stockings, a severe black bustier and brandishing a whip, then start reading de Sade's Justine to the kids, I'm not sure what the big deal is. (Mmm. Just thinking about that image gets me excited.) Oh, wait. I know what the big deal is. Hipocrisy and hate reign supreme in the American psyche.

If the PTA had had any brains at all, they would have scheduled her appearance on "Bring Daddy to School Day." Then they would only have had to deal with angry complaints from the bitchy, frumpy mommies. Well, okay, also the gutless, whipped daddies.

Happily, after I read the articles I pulled out the Kink.com appearances Sasha Grey did and re-watched them to remind me how incredibly awesome she looks tied up and used.

I don't recognize the gal in the picture, although she is pretty hot. I can see how she might haunt your GIMP fantasies.

Ren, a captured spy whose arms and legs are tied to a table, does a terrific job selling the scene when vibrators are used on her breasts and pussy. Even though her tits are inflated, the scene is still great and definitely worth seeing.

The rest of the movie is forgettable.

A promotional pic of Ren tied to the table is copied below:

In Sasha's case, she found mainstream success in movies with an Oscar-winning director and on TV and decided to move on. She'd done just about everything she could have done as a performer in the porn industry, including a whole bunch of bondage films, at least one of which (her shoot with Hogtied) that was very good. John Galt reviewed it and gave an A grade. It's still the best thing I've ever seen Hogtied do, mainly because of Sasha's great performance. Pity she never got a chance to work with Rick Masters; that would have been something special.

In my mind, she's the very definition of The Perfect Woman. She's smoking hot, intelligent, confident and not ashamed to explore her limits in adult films, particularly in fetish material. I hope she continues to have great success in her career. It would be nice to live in a world where porn stars are respected instead of constantly having to fight the stigma that narrow-minded people continue to embrace.

I found this link off a newsletter from the Free Speech Coalition. Sasha Grey on "The View" talking about the incident.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/ex-porn-actress-sasha-grey.html

Surprisingly, the women on the show are pretty respectful to her, even though you can tell old fogey Barbara still doesn't quite approve.

That reminds me of another show where I first discovered Sasha Grey, then just 18 and treated with quite a bit of disdain by host Tyra Banks, who clearly looks down on her and tries to make her feel ashamed. Sasha, to her credit, stands her ground despite the obvious disapproval of the crowd. This was posted on the board some years ago but it's worth taking another look if you haven't seen it.

http://poetv.com/video.php?vid=37681

Good Morn'n, my fellow GIMPers:

On the subject of Sasha Grey in her "pre" mainstream days prior to the Girlfriend Experiment and HBO Entourage, she worked in my neck of woods, at Kink.Com (BDSM Paysite), located at San Francisco's the old (national guard) Mission Armoury. And most of the scenes with Sasha were filmed in the basement. I had the pleasure of being in that basement in pre-Kink days and yep its still dank and dusty as ever.

Since Heroone does not get too excited from fetish bondage, he thinks the best Sasha Grey scene is from a Kink's property called Sex and Submission's, and their story called "Journalist". A story that reads like our Jane's Red Feline's Fantom; a dream of abduction and torment. In a pre-dream sequence, Sasha masturbates prior to falling asleep and Heroone found this scene to be the best part of the hold story, except when she wakes up.

I guess Heroone is just an Old Fashioned Guy who wish there was more graphic sex in mainstream media.

Thanks fellow GIMPers for allowing Heroone to honk his horn.

I do have to say, though, The Girlfriend Experience wasn't much of a movie. Maybe I just didn't get it but I thought it was boring.

What website can I buy HBA-010 (Ayana Nanjou) DVD for US/Canada shipping? Please email me your response. The link to the box cover is here http://www.shocker.jp/SOD/HBA-010.jpg

I read about your quick review of it here http://ralphus.net/archives/gimp2007/oct07.html (October 7)

What website can I buy HBA-010 (Ayana Nanjou) DVD for US/Canada shipping? Please email me your response. The link to the box cover is here Ayana Nanjou.

That's a tricky question. I sincerely doubt you will find it online.

To begin with, I think that movie is about eight years old ... and older titles are always difficult to find.

In the case of that particular movie, I didn't buy it online. I will send you an e-mail to let you know the location of the store where I found it, but I haven't seen that title available in years.

The other Ayana Nanjou movie that I really like, Insult Raped Female Avenger (HAVD-016), is available at asianscreens.com (You can read my review in the Reviews section). But I don't know if anyone is selling HBA-010 online. I tried a Google search but I'm not having much luck.

It's too bad I no longer own that movie, or I would simply burn you a copy.

Heroone wants to say thank you to Ralphus, John Galt (I like your reviews on the works of Sasha Grey), and YikYakker...

YikYakker, I'm gonna go back though the WSIM database, you are so right...he now lists "The Warrior and the Slavegirl", a movie from my high school days, and many new films I never heard of... That Latina TV series "Hispania" looks very interesting...and god it's on YouTube too...boy that's liberating.

Big but about Chain-Gang-Girls, I'm gonna sound like a racist pig... Yes, I'm a fourth generation Chinese American, but all them years having my immediate relatives trying to pair me off with an eligible bachelorettes; some way too smart for me, some without English as a second language, it's all way too close to home... I prefer to do what did since high school, I like mature red headed women. Again, thank you my fellow GIMPers and a good night to y'all.

I had heard bad things about the 2010 remake, and read the GIMP play-by-play in Elkcreek's earlier review. I have to say, for the most part, Elkcreek pretty much nailed it. I disagree that the electric shock scene at the very beginning (right before the opening credits) was not good. It was just too short, IMO. A young captive woman (Gia Mantegna) is tied sitting on the floor with her hands tied to a pipe in dark warehouse. The bad guy enters, douses her with water and then zaps her several times on the legs until she collapses on the floor. It's very brief, lasting only a minute, but it's still the best scene in the movie, which unfortunately isn't saying much here.

Fortunately, I found the scene on YouTube. What do you guys think?

So after we that promising start, later in the film they capture the gorgeous Amber Heard and get out the same wires, but it's nothing but a mere tease. She's tied up on the floor with her hands handcuffed together in front. The bad guy turns on the juice and touches two electrodes together in front of her, setting off sparks. And then just when he's ready to make his move, he stops to take a phone call! What kind of idiot does that? And of course, he never gets back to what he planned to do. Major suckage.

I put together a page for the upcoming Electro-Torture Database in my Homepage URL.

As for the rest of the movie, it's pretty much a waste. The casting is perfect. You have Amber Heard and the equally beautiful Odette Yustman as potential captives, and both do get tied up, but every time, it's with their wrists in front and their feet untied. "Oh no, my hands are tied up in front of me! I'm completely helpless! I can't run, I can't fight back, I guess I'll just have to sit here and be a victim." Really, do the filmmakers think we're stupid? Plus that, no nudity in the entire film. If you're going to take a chance and make a classic film into a true GIMP movie, you have to use common sense. The makers of this film blew it.

Thanks for your advice

re "Come and See":

First of all - thanks for commenting on the story, it is NICE to get feedback!

"The Needs of the Many outweigh the Needs of the One". I would hope that I would be tough enough not to say a word."

In the story they are both tough like that, the narrator does not say a word but rather attempts a self-sacrifice to resolve the dilemma the interrogator has tired to set up. As for Alexandra, no doubt the interrogator would have liked to have her beg and plead to be "saved", but, she doesn't.

"If I was on the other side, I wouldn't be content to let Alexandra just hang like that. Every hour or two would bring a new torture..."

That would make practical sense, but, even in totalitarian states there are laws and limits - albeit, much more stacked in the favor of the State than in say, the US. You may recall that the policeman says that beating prisoners was banned in 1953 (with the death of Stalin), so in ordering Alexandra to be treated the way she is, he is working within his limits. (If the story had taken place 50 years earlier - Alexandra could/would have been whipped.)

Both of my stories, while not "true" in the sense that they faithfully describe exactly what happened to a specific person, or based on real situations.

Dear Lynn, thank you for sharing your emotional and moving story about pre-federation Russia, and Ralphus for making it so...

Ralphus, has the movie "Hitman" and its WSIM scene of a sex slave being punished been discussed? If so, what month and year was it reviewed?

Thank you all, my fellow GIMPers.

At the very least, the two girls should have been tortured in their bikinis. But here is Heard topless. Yustman apparently doesn't do topless, so this is the best I can do.

Definitely a waste.

=================================

Lynn: Both of my stories, while not "true" in the sense that they faithfully describe exactly what happened to a specific person, or based on real situations.

You have to tell the story you want to tell, and make it as accurate (or not) as you wish. I just like my stories somewhere between Fritz and this one (I haven't read "The Golden Gift" yet).

It's all good!

Got "Maleficarum" in today's mail and hope to view in the next few days.

Stay well all

And even today, how cool is it for people to have President Obama appear in one of those video chats and answer one of their questions? I mean, imagine the President of the United States talking time to talk to you, and answering your personal question.

I know, bad example since you're Canadian, but let's change "President Obama" to "Jessica Alba" and see how you would feel.

President Obama probably was a bad example in my case.

His Democratic predecessor, Bill Clinton, was in town this afternoon signing books. But there was no way I was going to waste my time at something like that.

Now, if it had been Jessica Alba....

I read a short story of in Europe in the medieval times (this did happen from time to time) where a rich wicked lady with the help of her equally wicked hubby had ladies kidnapped that were traveling cross country that would not be missed and torture them to death at their castle type home mostly by hanging them by their wrists and whipping them to death so badly they would bleed out and then have sex on the blood pool of the victim. It was a true story and they murdered many women this way before being caught or just stopping. I forget which. It was 20 years ago I read this story which I am sorry I do not remember the name or the details. Does it ring a bell with anyone?

Bill K.

Ralphus, has the movie "Hitman" and its WSIM scene of a sex slave being punished been discussed? If so, what month and year was it reviewed?

We have a search engine here called "Search the GIMP". Type on "hitman" and "Kurylenko" (the actress getting whipped) and it comes up a couple of times. From there, you can hit Control F to find whatever it is you're looking for on the page. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. We've also got some caps in the Whipping Scenes in Movies Database.

-------------------

Bill K: The story you're referring to sounds a bit like Lady Elizabeth Bathory. Google her. I've heard that the story of her bathing in victim's blood is only a myth, but it happened so long ago we may never know.

Eli Roth paid tribute to her in the most memorable scene from his film Hostel: Part 2.

I'm appreciating your site in leap and bounds. I just finished for the night, investigating your archives and found the January postings by Margot and Jane concerning her movie Maleficarum with a lot more information than I could ever imagine asking her or our fellow GIMPers in the future (after a few more months when I figured that the movie had been well viewed and that I will get some immediate responses), or that they themselves would have made comments about beforehand... and if I keep reading, maybe I won't have so many lame questions to ask.

Thank you for the instructions on searching "Hitman"; and I will check WSIMD first.

I for one am very glad you were a producer of Maleficarum, I appreciate those authorized vid-caps from the movie you have posted for our viewing pleasure; they are far superior than anything I have seen before and a good carrot for owners of the DVD or download to watch the movie over and over again. As GIMPers and WSIMers, we appreciate the realistic performance of Jane Von D and Mila Joya. Thank you GIMPers, and Good Night.... Heroone

It reinforced my opinion of ZFX -- some of their scenes are hot, but I'll never be a huge fan.

I received Rack 'Em Up's disk of "South of the Border 4". It was OK -- the acting was pretty bad, and the cuffs were far too loose, but the girls were pretty and the torture fairly good.

Interesting. That's one of my favorite GIMP movies, and definitely my favorite ZFX title. I guess it just reaffirms there are a variety of tastes within the GIMP universe.

As for me, I've never been much into the rape and humiliation fantasies. I prefer the torture aspect, with electro being my favorite. (That being said, I look forward to the return of the Electro Scenes Database, if Ralphus should ever have time to work on it. The old list can still be found by Googling "Electro Scenes in Movies".) I am somewhat surprised that electro scenes from Caged Fury and Big Doll House can be found on YouTube, of all places.

I like other aspects of torture, as well - rack, inquisition, etc. Therefore, I always look forward to reading this forum, to read about a variety of topics. That is part of what makes this forum so great!

Stay well all

I dunno, maybe if the girls had died a slow violent death instead of merely being tortured it might have been more to your liking? :)

----------------

Sloth: I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you gave Maleficarum the exact same grade as I did. You and I almost always agree on just about everything, which shows you have superior intelligence and good taste. As for my Mr. Opposite Canadian friend...well, I'm just glad we have a forum where both sides can be heard and let the public decide. Although to be fair, he also gave a big thumbs up to SOB-4, which means he's not wrong all the time.

In regards to South of the Border 4: that was the first ZFX film I ever watched. I'm still not really so impressed by the whole company, honestly, although that particular series was probably their best output. I liked the series thematically; "consensual non-consensual" is something that's still not all that common with bondage videos, there still isn't really a plethora of sites with good rape/bondage combo scenes. One thing I absolutely loathe, though: fake dicks. God. I've only seen that a couple times, South of the Border being unfortunate examples. It just looks so silly in my opinion, so so silly...

One scene I do remember with some fondness from ZFX was (IIRC) South of the Border 6, in which a woman is handcuffed behind her back, with a tube strapped into her mouth (in which water is running through, spilling down her front) and receiving electrical shocks until she starts to piss. That was actually a pretty nice scene of humiliation.

Yep, just OK. When is saw the cuffs, so loose the girls could have gotten BOTH hands through them, I thought "This should lose about 20 demerits in Ralphus-land. You're always bemoaning bad bondage in other companies -- how does SOB4 get a pass?

Look at scenes 2 and 4 at the link you provided. There's no room for movement at all. Just some mild bounces. How veddy excitin...zzzzzzzzzzzz...

Here's a noose at scene 5. Are we going to see any breath-play? Hah! You dreamer you. Even when the villain lifts her leg, he doesn't rest it on the rope like any properly trained torturer would.

At scene 7, we finally get 2 girls together, but for some unknown reason, they're not face-to-crotch. The interaction is such that they might as well be whipped separately.

Drowning is my second least favorite form of asphyx (suffocation is the worst) but I still had hopes. These were quickly dashed as the girl (I think this is Lisa, but I didn't make note of who was getting which torture) is slowly (very very very slooooooooooooooooowly) raised up and down into a bucket of water. No terror as she's brought up, no gagging or coughing, no sense that she's in mortal peril. At the end of the scene, I wasn't sure if she was dead or merely unconscious.

Let's jump to Scene 10, shall we? Another misstep as the girl is whipped against a wall -- but she's facing the wall! We sure get a lot of facial expression that way -- NOT!

That's a lot of negatives for an "A" movie! Add in the horrid acting and the lack of tears (I don't recall one girl crying, and crying helps sell a scene for me), and this movie would get a B- if I was feeling generous.

So, yeah, just OK describes it pretty well.

One minor problem though. I downloaded my copy from the link on here, and the quality is great, the menu gives the option of 'English', but I cannot work out how to view the movie with subtitles! I know that I am a bit of a luddite, but I am not normally this incompetent. Am I missing something? It would be lovely to be able to view the movie and follow the dialogue as well as view the torture...

Dear Margot, you are so right on...you can't please everyone, and everyone is a critic, including me. I for one had wanted the movie to end with the two lovers gong up the stairs with a badly injured Jane on a stretcher and Mila holding her hand leading the way. I remember Ralphus saying in a posting concerning comments of disappointment over the BATS scene; Ralphus: "Hey Guys, it's only a movie". I then realized that my point about the ending was "moot".

We should be greatful for the abilities of Jane, Mila, JJ and all the participants of Maleficarum, that they where able to create a decent screenplay with a small buget of an independent film company. Remember this not the schockingly film like Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ; a mega budget film, that also produce a lot discussions of a similar thought.

Bill K.

Bill K.

All I'll say about ZFX's SOB4: best Lisa Kinkaid AOH scene IMO-great reactions while she's tortured.

All I'll say about ZFX's SOB4: best Lisa Kinkaid movie ever. Period. And that's saying something.

-----

jhlipton wrote:

Another misstep as the girl is whipped against a wall -- but she's facing the wall! We sure get a lot of facial expression that way -- NOT!

It's an interesting point, but I still think it is one of the better whipping scenes out there. It has an intensity that is rarely matched. I liked it.

jhlipton also wrote:

I don't recall one girl crying, and crying helps sell a scene for me.

Not me. If I want to see crying, I'll watch a Barbara Walters interview. I'm happier without the crying (and without buckets of blood, for that matter).

Seriously, as someone who often has a hard time taking criticism in "real life", I admire your philosophical reaction to the many (and sometimes conflicting) voices weighing in on Maleficarum.

I'm still contemplating doing a review to provide my own detailed "criticism", but on the whole I enjoyed the movie and would give it an A- just as Ralphus and Sloth did. Taking a broader perspective on the movie, I found that it delivers a lot of what I (and some others here) have been clamoring for: a well-made film that tells a story, makes the most of its budget, includes fine performances, and does not skimp on the GIMP. In fact, this movie delivers more GIMP per cubic foot than any that I've seen in a long while.

I agree with Sloth's words: "that was simply fucking phenomenal".

----------

A Canadian: A belated thanks for the description and image of the Ren Miyamura scene.

Reminds me of my family at the dinner table on Thanksgiving Day, except for, you know...the naked girl.

Hello my fellow GIMPers, while enjoying a nice BV cab, and watching the Ghost Hunters mini marathon on Syfy channel, and with all them BATS comments floating through my worthless head, I recalled a story from the travel guide of the no longer there Pioneer Motor Hotel in Sparks, Nevada. I'm directing story to our BATS aficionados.

The many Horror stories about how the local Paiute Indians would treat their women folk was no better when they found trespassers on their lands, white settlers, the men and women were treated same. They would be stripped naked, abused in un-mentionable ways (let your inventive minds wander), then they would staked the man or woman spread eagle on a red ant hill.. The Indians would then start a very small fire on top of their victims lower stomach extending to their private parts, with Mesquite brush, which can burn for a long time. The Indians would amused themselves with their victims screams and only leave when they got bored or the screaming stopped. Their victims rarely died of this torture, if the ants and coyotes didn't finish them off, then the exposure to the elements would...

Concerning the Maleficarum, I remember all them negative comments from BATSers, especially about how small the fire wood pile was...go figure. Think about it, my fellow GIMPers, all the inquisitor, Don Francisco wanted was Francisca's properties and our poor Jane to suffer a horrorific death and not a merciful one either. Three days naked in the desert would finish off anyone.

http://ralphus.net/special/stories/moreauthors/jamessmith1755.html, that Ralphus posted at SDamsels and here somewhere that I believe is the most brutal I have ever read.

Bill K.

High Horse - Flickrocket has a new release of the FluxPlayer for Windows OS, one of the key features being access to subtitles in the menu. If you download the update, that should do the trick!

mrerotics - You can purchase DVD through the site in my link above (with color cover or in discrete cover) or through http://vermeerworks.com/store/movies

~ There aren't very many dark-haired models in Switzerland

~ Searching model sites is a great way to see lots of pictures of hot chicks

After sifting through all of the dark-haired models I could find from Switzerland, I still could not identify my fantasy girl (see image below left). But I did find a picture of one who resembles her a bit, IMO. Same elegant-yet-exotic looks. The kind of babes I like to collect in my dungeon.

The title for the image on the right is Rose Black, which could be her name, or more likely describes the intended motif. In any event, I like the way her eyes seem to move with you when you change the angle at which you view the screen. ;)

So what do you think, folks? Apples and oranges, or dead ringers?

----------

Bill K.: Thanks for the link to the story of James Smith 1755.

I'm getting a special kick out of the story because it references the familiar names of areas in my home state of Pennsylvania.

In fact, just last night I was driving along Braddock Avenue, a remnant of the Braddock's Road mentioned in the story.

Having skipped ahead to the parts with female victims, I must agree that yes, this is very brutal stuff. There is plenty here for fans of whip, pyro, rape and other things. I hope to finish the whole story in the near future.

Hey, maybe Red Feline should make a movie based on this story. Jane could play one of the European women who get flamed, and Mila could play one of the Native American victims. Cool.

--------

This woman set a world record by stuffing and zipping herself into a suitcase in 5 minutes and 43 seconds.

Hey, maybe Red Feline should make a movie based on this story. Jane could play one of the European women who get flamed, and Mila could play one of the Native American victims. Cool.

I don't think that story could be made into Red Feline movie and even if Jane/Mila would want to do it, could they do it? What the Indians did to that one white young woman makes Jane's whole Maleficarum peril look like brutality wise "a walk in the park" or "a day at the beach". Then there the large casts of Indians. Maybe a large downsize version of casts and brutality but then what would be the point?

There is still Western 1800s small band of Indians vs captured damsel/s small scale in fiery peril they could do which did happen very often back then. They could film it in Colorado my home and I could help (My dream job). What do you think Jane?

Bill K.

jhlipton: You brought up some challenging arguments about South of the Border 4, a film I've always rated highly but admittedly haven't seen in years. Since I've got it handy on DVD, I thought I'd take another look.

You wrote:

When is saw the cuffs, so loose the girls could have gotten BOTH hands through them, I thought "This should lose about 20 demerits in Ralphus-land. You're always bemoaning bad bondage in other companies -- how does SOB4 get a pass?

You said "girls", which implies you saw loose cuffs on multiple victims. So I looked at all the scenes carefully. I did see 2 instances of loose handcuffs, but they were both with one girl, Lisa Kinkaid, in 2 of her scenes. The first occurred during her Lisa's whipping scene against the post. In the 5 minute, 14 second long scene, there's one 4-second close-up of her wrists, and yeah, those cuffs could be a bit tighter. Not overly loose though, and very brief overall. In my mind it does nothing to take away from a great whipping scene.

The other scene is where she's being dunked upside down in a tub of water and being shocked with a stun gun. And yes, absolutely those cuffs appear to be too loose. I never caught that before. There's no way she could free herself the way she's tied upside-down, but I agree, there's no excuse for loose bondage. Good point.

Look at scenes 2 and 4 at the link you provided. There's no room for movement at all. Just some mild bounces. How veddy excitin...zzzzzzzzzzzz...

Wow, couldn't disagree with you more there, sir. Since when is tight, restrictive bondage a negative thing? The idea is to tie 'em down so they can't get free from the torture being dished out. Lisa did plenty of squirming while tied there getting shocked. If she had been able to move around a lot in that position, that would basically mean she wasn't tied well enough. I love the way Rick tied her there.

Here's a noose at scene 5. Are we going to see any breath-play? Hah! You dreamer you. Even when the villain lifts her leg, he doesn't rest it on the rope like any properly trained torturer would.

Well, you're into breath-play, but that's not what the scene was about. It was an interrogation and whipping scene. He held her leg in the air for less than 10 seconds, just to threaten her that he would tie it that way. A very minor issue, barely even worth mentioning.

At scene 7, we finally get 2 girls together, but for some unknown reason, they're not face-to-crotch. The interaction is such that they might as well be whipped separately.

Again, you're into that forced lesbianism stuff that I find boring. Like tying them face-to-crotch is some of punishment, but it's really not. That's strictly a humiliation thing that guys who are into girl-girl scenes would like. They were tied separately so that each man could have a girl to work over. They just both happened to be tied next to each other in the prison. Nothing wrong with the scene except it's different than your personal preference.

No terror as she's brought up, no gagging or coughing, no sense that she's in mortal peril. At the end of the scene, I wasn't sure if she was dead or merely unconscious.

There was some coughing in the scene. Would more coughing and gasping have made the scene better? Yeah, absolutely. But I still think the scene works well. And she's unconscious at the end, ZFX doesn't do death.

Let's jump to Scene 10, shall we? Another misstep as the girl is whipped against a wall -- but she's facing the wall! We sure get a lot of facial expression that way -- NOT!

We actually see her face a number of times in that scene. Travis often picks her up by the hair to look at her face, and she also turns her head toward the camera a lot in the scene. And when you can't see her face, you still get some wonderful moaning and pleading from Kelly throughout the segment. I think it's a really good scene.

Add in the horrid acting and the lack of tears (I don't recall one girl crying, and crying helps sell a scene for me)

Horrid acting by whom, exactly? I think all the girls and the villains were great. I do agree that crying is a genuine plus when selling distress, but so are screaming and muffled groans of pain. This film delivers from start to finish in my book.

Dear Margot C.:

My fellow GIMPers, WSIMers, and BATSers aficionados...Jac or JJ got it right on in editing the released film, and forget about Heroone's comments concerning re-shooting the end to make the movie more plausible. Ralphus and others who said: "guys, it's just a movie"... and they are so correct. All your comments are fueled by how realistic the performance of the Maleficarum cast, moving y'all to want to be participating in reflective feedback, which as Margot has already said is all very positive.

Jac Avila, after seeing those authorized Maleficarum vid-caps, I see why the movie had what I perceived as missing scenes, but what you did was remove scenes that would cause more negative comments... I remember an Indy film called "No Name", a spaghetti western with Terence Stamp and Henry Fonda, that had concluding a "high-noon scene" in Lafayette Square, New Orleans... the editor did not notice the modern TV antennas on some of buildings. It was a trivia question concerning that movie for as long as I can remember.

Thank God for a designated driver, I got home from this Turkey Night A-Ok...I eat enough, but not enough to dilute all the wine and cognac I drank. Well, Good Night Y'all.

What I meant to say was that perhaps they could adopt some elements of the story - specifically the time and place, the capture and torture of a female settler, and the punishment of a tribeswoman for trying to run away. There may be one or two additional scenes from the story that they could adapt.

I haven't read the whole thing yet so I don't know what else is in the tale, but it covers what would be a 25-page book if it were in print. That's too much GIMPage to pack into one movie. (And isn't it interesting that this is yet another situation where the printed word may trump film as a story-telling device.)

I've been trying to think about ways that RF could apply their special style to other scenarios where the bondage, rape and torture of women might work. (Not that they asked me for advice.) So here goes:

~ a Cold War-era spy movie set in Eastern Europe - sort of like an expanded version of Agent X

~ a Jess Franco-like story, set in the tropics, involving the capture and torture of political dissidents

~ a tale of marauding religious zealots (Catholic or Protestant, doesn't matter) during the Thirty Years war period (Europe, 1600's) involving attacks on small villages and the capture, rape and torture of female residents

~ sexual slavery in a desert setting with slave traders and a slave auction

~ women caught between warring factions during a revolution (France in the 18th century) or nation-building conflict (Italy in the 19th century)

~ a story of intrigue/horror with a castle and dungeon setting.

No need for a big budget or cast of thousands. RF could do what they did with Maleficarum - extract a small, intimate story from larger circumstances and tell it well.

Dear YikYakker:

Your are so correct, and right on the money. I like all those options of story lines. Perfect for a good precise screenplay, without any waste.

Our Jane is a good screenplay writer besides all those other hats she wears; of set designer, costume and props (she made the rack, Spanish horse, and real leather whips) designer, actor, director, and producer. Oh please buy and watch her next release...it will say it all. Ralphus was so correct when he told us that she was multi-talented.

Margot C. many years ago wanted to produce a stageplay about the torture and crucifixion of a Red-feline character during the Roman Empire, which never really got made. Maybe with our Jane and Jac Avila's film company help, Margot's story can be made...just maybe...but there are many better plots in the works if I'm reading between the lines of all Margot's postings correctly. Maybe just in Heroone's own imagination.

We're going to have to agree to disagree on this matter, old chum.

For example, I do agree -- in hindsight -- that Lisa's cuffs were too loose. Honestly, I'm another viewer who didn't notice that at the time, but it is a valid point.

On the other hand, I share the conclusion that the scene with Lisa tied to the post and getting zapped with the stun gun works just fine. It's one of my favorite scenes in the movie, and I think Lisa's helpless wiggling is just perfect.

I'm sure all this like-minded thinking between Ralphus and me is probably a bit disorienting for everyone. Fortunately, I'm confident it will be short-lived. It will only be a matter of time until Ralphus praises some movie where an unattractive woman has all kinds of repulsive stuff done to her, and the natural order of things will be restored.

Dear fellow GIMPers,

Heroone who said he never likes fetish bondage, let alone watches fetish whippings; has a paradox, he does like WSIMs, he also owns the DVDs of SOB4, SOB6, and a few others from ZXTrope. Heroone thinks the rubber hose flogging of Lisa in SOB4 is the best of all, and the bull whipping of Lisa hung to a coat rack after being stun-gunned, and then pissing all over herself is the worst WSIM, just not believable.

After seeing the WSIMs of Maleficarum, this WSIMer is spoiled for life, Jane and Mila scenes are too real. And I'm looking towards see Mila Hoya in the next Vermeer Works, and I know it will be good because our Jane wrote the screenplay and directed it, and that's how much faith I have in their work.

In the Maleficarum dungeon torture scene there was no torturing of the tits or the womb area at all which is great with me whereas that is what a lot of Indian torture stories are all about is burning/torturing the genital/womb area of men and women. Jane and JJ have you done or would you guys want to do that kind of torture peril movie? I would not what to see those kind of torture scenes in any movie but that just me.

Now that doesn't mean I still wouldn't like to see a Indian bats story with Jane and or Mila in fiery stake peril but genital/womb torture not so much that just not my thing. Bill K.

After seeing the WSIMs of Maleficarum, this WSIMer is spoiled for life, Jane and Mila scenes are too real.

As one of the cheapos who's waiting for Maleficarum to be available for rent, all I can say is I hope you're not setting expectations too high.

Let's face it, whippings scenes have not traditionally been a Red Feline specialty. The company sometimes gets them right, but not often. I hope you're right about the whippings in Maleficarum but you can expect to read a long rant from me if the scenes don't live up to the hype.

Dear "A Canadian",

Where Pines and Maples Grow, Great Prairies Spread and Lordly Rivers Flow...you have to understand Heroone. Heroone see Jane in a new light, and not what he has seen from her Red Feline films, "Training Jane", "Red Room", "Agent X", and "Fantom", etc. I see our Jane acting in Maleficarum as a more mainstream film on her part; and in a drama-horror with horrific torture scenes.

Let Heroone put his monies where his Yapper is...I'll buy ya a DVD copy; just you... Send me an email with a safe mail drop address or P.O. Box and I contact VermeerWorks and have them ship you a copy. It will be shipped from Bolivia and will take 10-15 days upon payment until you receive it. I believe it will be a long time before Maleficarum will be setup for any sort of rental, but at least you'll have a nice DVD, with a nice cover for your library shelf.

It will be my pleasure to do so, and yes, you're welcome!

And she's unconscious at the end, ZFX doesn't do death.

That's not technically accurate. In 666: Mark of the Beast Part 2, the characters played by Christina Anderson and Kimberly Noble die at the end of their satanic ordeals. Granted, we don't see them being killed, but it's made clear they don't survive. In Machine Head 2: Cold Metal, Penelope Pace dies at the hands, or rather mechanical claws of "ED". Again, we don't see this happen, but we are treated to a brief glimpse of Penelope's butchered remains hanging from the ceiling. At the end of Mincemeat Pie Part 2 - Doer, Lisa Kinkaid is blown to smithereens. And though I have not seen the video myself, I've heard that there is a fatal strangling scene in Specter. There may well be more.

That said, in general you are correct. In spite of the frequently intense perils inflicted on the ZFX starlets, they usually survive their ordeals, often escaping in the end or even getting vengeance on their captors. But this is true of almost all bondage productions made before the age of internet porn, though one could argue that unlike ZFX, few fetish companies released material in which the tortures depicted were of a deadly nature -- clothespins normally don't kill people. Still, many of the better titles had traditional storylines in which one or more of the heroines and villainesses would be expected to meet a tragic end. But they almost never did.

This may have led to the myth that depicting hardcore (or even softcore) sex side-by-side with death scenes is an indictable offence in the US. Were that true, even before the fetish-clip explosion on the 'net, I'm sure many porn films (especially some of the roughies from the late 60's and early 70's) could not have been made. Perhaps the producers chose to avoid death scenes so as not to draw unwanted attention from feminist and religious groups, though it's hard to imagine a simulated demise being all that inflammatory in a film already chock-full of rape and torture. Besides, even mainstream films often combine sex and death without incident.

Personally, I always assumed producers pulled that final deadly punch for marketing reasons. Of the thousands of GIMPers who enjoy bondage videos, even those leaning to heavyweight action, relatively few want to see any of the female characters killed. In fact, those who find death in a fetish film a turn-off probably outnumber those of us who seek it out. That would explain why in the days of seedy bookstores and VHS tapes, when porn had to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, few companies depicted a narrow fetish which could potentially alienate their core customers.

However, that doesn't account for why, in these days of electronic distribution, the larger BDSM producers still remain squeamish about including death scenes in their output. I'm not referring to the one-man operations selling five-minute clips featuring "erotic demise" (mostly on Nicheclips), but companies producing primarily full-length bondage and peril films (like Kink, PainGate, and yes, ZFX). I'm not suggesting death scenes should always be a staple ingredient, but if killing a female character suits the story and adds interest, why not show it? JAV producers like GIGA and Attackers do this regularly, and for me, knowing that the peril faced by the girls could be deadly adds impact and suspense. Would mainstream films be as exciting if we knew the characters invariably survive?

Some peril producers are not afraid to have their heroines die - Red Feline and Teraz come to mind - but their films are more like mainstream releases with heavy GIMP content. What confounds me are the folks who feature naked, tortured heroines in deadly peril, but never, ever kill them. Even the argument that death scenes will turn away customers is no longer valid. Today's editing software easily allows producers to create alternate versions of essentially the same video to appeal to different markets. So for those who don't care for terminal GIMPery, the offending scenes could be excised so the outcome is Disneyfied or at least ambiguous. And wouldn't appealing to both camps generate more sales?

Speaking of Teraz, it seems Trevor has released their latest opus: Kristi and the Time Machine. The stills look promising and the preview clip gave me an acid flashback, but the Teraz women are always easy on the eyes. Maybe they've even learned to act. Then again, if I'm watching an oiled, naked chick fighting a fully-armored, beef-cake gladiator, I'm not going to quibble about her Polish accent.

Years ago on this forum, someone mentioned that Lisa Kinkaid's character died onscreen in a movie (I think she collapsed while being fucked) although the way it was shot, it was rather ambiguous as to whether she was dead or merely unconscious.

In those other instances you mentioned, it's implied death only. And yes, there's a fatal strangling scene in Specter, but sorry, it's a GUY who meets his demise (Nick Long).

My guess about the reasons ZFX doesn't do death scenes (or rather, "openly" do death scenes) might be two-fold. It could be that Rick doesn't have the death fetish himself (certainly possible) or doesn't want to turn off his fans who don't want to see the girl's demise (even more likely). But the other reason is probably a legal thing. As about the only commercial bondage company during his heyday making nonconsensual fantasy films, Rick was often a target of the political climate, particularly when conservative Republicans occupied the White House. Don't forget that when Extreme Associates got busted it was mainly because of one notorious film, Forced Entry (see my Homepage URL), in which there's rape scenes, pissing and...this is probably what pushed the prosecutor's buttons...a snuff scene, even though it was poorly done and clearly not realistic.

It's sort of amazing that Rick was able to skate by for 2 decades without someone going after him, considering the material he produced clearly pushed the envelope and rose above the lightweight consensual dreck that most of the other major producers were churning out. I'm not saying he deserved to be prosecuted, of course. His stuff is legal and even the penetration scenes were simulated, which was probably a saving grace that he didn't combine bondage with hardcore sex. But if he were to add scenes of the girls being killed to the mix, that would seriously be playing with fire and painting a big red target on his chest.

Let Heroone put his monies where his Yapper is...I'll buy ya a DVD copy; just you.

Now, that's the kind of generosity that should be encouraged on this forum. Particularly when I'm the beneficiary.

But, kidding aside, it's completely unnecessary, and probably a bad idea.

To begin with, it's not recommended that anyone should be arranging to have a GIMP DVD shipped into Canada, particularly one with cover art on the packaging. If you "Search the GIMP" and type in the words "Canada Customs," you'll quickly see what I'm talking about.

Furthermore, while I appreciate the kind offer, there is no need for anyone to subsidize my viewing habits.

Let's put this in context: My frugality when it comes to Maleficarum is a matter of choice, not necessity. I can certainly afford to buy my own copy (and would purchase a downloadable version, which bypasses Customs, if I were to choose to do it). As I have said before, I choose not to buy a copy at this time because I want to see the movie first, to determine whether it's something I really need to own.

If Maleficarum does prove to be worth owning, my approach -- rent first, buy later -- will actually cost me more money than simply buying a copy from the get-go. But I'm OK with that.

This probably takes us back to the discussion from a few weeks ago about supporting the producers. I'm prepared to do that, to a point. But in my case, the support goes no further than paying for a rental.

If the producers want me to buy a copy, then the onus is on them to deliver. I'll ante up the more significant coin required to buy a copy if and when I reach the point that I think it's in my interest to spend my money that way. And not before then.

I appreciate the kind offer to have a copy purchased on my behalf, but I'm going to respectfully decline.

I had not considered that Rick simply doesn't care to show any of his girls being killed, but as I said, it's quite possible that he knows most of his audience doesn't like it either. That doesn't explain why so many other producers follow this same pattern. The market is there, albeit smaller, but by releasing diverse content or alternate cuts of the same video, surely there would be additional revenue to be tapped.

There have always been cases where porn producers have been targeted by the authorities for crossing some imaginary line. And it's not just because of death scenes. Forced Entry had all sorts of OTT content, and Extreme Associates seemed to revel in trying to break as many taboos as possible to get publicity for the film. I mean, really... when you put "Extreme" in your company name, invite a documentary crew on set, then challenge a conservative attorney general to go after you, it's probably not the death scene that's to blame for the mess you're in. Do you think this would have gone any differently if the character had lived?

More worrisome is the capriciousness of the law in other countries. Britain is notoriously fickle about mixing sex with violence (and not just death) and here in Canada we have the infamous case in which Donald Smith (aka Dr. Don) had his life destroyed because he filmed nude women being shot. His clips showed no hard core sex, no male nudity, no torture, barely a glimpse of female genitalia -- only scenes which were virtually equivalent to Marie-Jose Crozée's death in Munich, a Spielberg film watched by millions. If you are afraid mixing sex and death will get you busted, you probably shouldn't get into the fetish porn business in the first place, unless you move to a country of limitless freedoms like say... Belgium!

Perhaps this was more of an issue before internet porn exploded onto the scene. But despite the completely depraved content available online - and don't tell me the feds are unaware of this - no producer that I know of has been charged with electronically distributing GIMP content of any kind (excepting child porn of course). Sure, there is always the risk, but it could just as well be that it isn't a death scene that nails a producer, but rather scat, torture, or crushing live toads. Think about it: when was the last time you saw water sports or anal rape graphically depicted in a Hollywood film? Now try to think of a movie that didn't have a death scene. It's hard to believe fetish producers would worry about obscenity charges for simulating a character being killed and not the other stuff they feature.

I'll admit what gets some people riled up isn't death alone, but a combination of three things: nudity, bondage and death. Remove any one of those from the equation, and a producer will have a safe, albeit vanilla product. Add a bit of penetration and torture, and the risk grows. But even when producers put all that in the mix, why are they not brought before the inquisition? My guess is this won't change unless someone deliberately baits the beast, or an actress is actually killed while filming, or some other incident puts our fantasy world on the front page. And then, I'll bet the sex-and-peril elements will be just as big an issue as simulated death.

If any GIMP video producers still hang out here, I would be most eager to hear their perspective on this.

Dear "A Canadian", I apologize to you for that taunting tone posting, and I should git off my high horse and maybe ride that Spanish one that our Jane (the prop maker) had made for Maleficarum, at least she knew where all the splinters were...she said so in a blog...and did not damage her "lady" parts. Yet those real leather cat o' nines that she made sure did a number on her back for real and scared her fellow actor Eric, almost shitless. I think there is an authorized photo of her back sans makeup...

I should have remembered that in a past posting you mention some sort of Canadian Custom restriction, sorry that went through one of my ears and since I'm brainless, out the other ear just as quick.

It's my current obsession for you to see this movie ASAP, can we arrange a download from VermeerWorks? Please email me with an appropriate recipient Mac OS or Windows OS address and I will see what is workable... Fellow GIMPer, Heroone.

Nonetheless, I'm not in any rush. Trust me, when the rental version becomes available to the cheapskate market, I'll make my move to see it.

The market is there, albeit smaller, but by releasing diverse content or alternate cuts of the same video, surely there would be additional revenue to be tapped.

Some producers do offer alternate versions of GIMP material. I know Steve Power from Powershotz made at least 2 endings of his film Hoosier Daddy...a good movie, BTW. In the one that John Galt reviewed, Delila Darling asks the man who just raped her if she can stay because she enjoyed it. Bleah! In the version I got, she is beaten to death at the end. It wasn't explicit at all and was actually pretty lame, but I still would prefer that over the consensual option.

Perhaps this was more of an issue before internet porn exploded onto the scene. But despite the completely depraved content available online - and don't tell me the feds are unaware of this - no producer that I know of has been charged with electronically distributing GIMP content of any kind (excepting child porn of course).

If you're talking about GIMP content to mean movies where women are tied up, I don't know of any specific prosecutions, but back during Bush's infamous reign of power, I know of several bondage producers who were forced to censor their content, sometimes to ridiculous extremes. Some were forced out of business. Insex was the most famous example of this, but there were others.

Sure, there is always the risk, but it could just as well be that it isn't a death scene that nails a producer, but rather scat, torture, or crushing live toads.

I don't know anything about crushing videos, but I know of one very successful scat producer during the Bush administration who was prosecuted and imprisoned for 5 years for running his business. If you mention torture, what are you referring to? ZFX shows torture, albeit theatrical, simulated torture. Extreme Associates showed hardcore rape and simulated snuff scenes. Is simulated snuff worse than simulated torture? True, they were challenging the Department of Justice to come after them, and they did.

There's no specific law that says you can't show rape, or you can't have hardcore sex with bondage. It's just accepted that if you do, you're setting yourself up for possible prosecution. I can't imagine things being any different for death scenes. Why would anyone in the adult industry want to take that chance? It was a different time back then. Things are more relaxed now that Obama is President, but during the 8 years of Bush, things were tense because one of his top priorities was going after porn. And porn is a lot different from a film made in Hollywood.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend.

A couple comments on your comments:

Ralphus: Thanks for the nice summary re-review of SOB 4. I agree the cuffs could have been tighter in Lisa's scenes, particularly the dunking scene. The wide angle lens and the angle itself contributed to the appearance of looseness.  Anyway, it surely could have been tighter. I think her lack of reaction during the dunking was partially from her being upside down for a long time and underwater with a lot of water up her nose. Blood rushes to your head pretty rapidly and it makes it hard to function. As I recall, I also had her open her mouth and eyes underwater. Not easy stuff.  

As far as death scenes, I do like them, but as you surmised, combining too many elements or the wrong elements could bring trouble. It sucks that it is that way, but that's how it is in this "free" country. I don't need a death scene to enjoy a movie, but a well done death scene can be very erotic. Adding death to all the other elements I like to incorporate would probably be pushing too many buttons.

The other thing is distribution. Like it or not, censorship is alive and well, now it's gone corporate. You can make content as edgy as you want, but you will have a harder time selling it.

Jhlipton: I think a B- is maybe a bit low, but I guess that's how you see it.  I think most people who like interrogation scenes, whipping, electro, hot chicks and very harsh treatment will like SOB4. 

After thinking about your gripes and predilections, I'm going to go out on a limb with this, but I think SOB3 might appeal to you more than 4.  I actually prefer it and SOB5 6 and 7 over 4 myself.  Others seem to find number 4 sublime, Ralphus probably included. I guess that's just differing tastes. 

Fritz: I'm also a big Teraz fan. They are in Poland and don't have to worry about Big Brother though<00>.

Before I go, I also want to congratulate Red Feline and EProd Ralphus on what looks to be a very fine production. It's always nice when producers go the extra mile to put in production values.

I haven't watched the movie, but judging from the stills it looks to be an extraordinary effort. Bravo! Ralphus had asked me via email if I was going to see it. Truthfully, I doubt I will, at least in the near future. Though I can appreciate a good period piece, I'm probably more of a modern torture guy and lack of a nude rape scene makes me even less eager. I guess my tastes are rather crude sexually speaking. I don't have a lot of disposable time at the moment either, so even it was exactly what I was looking for, I probably would have to take a rain check.

Still, I applaud their effort, and for the Medieval torture and BATS crowd, you have a very special treat.

Ok, that's it for now...

Rick

After thinking about your gripes and predilections, I'm going to go out on a limb with this, but I think SOB3 might appeal to you more than 4. I actually prefer it and SOB5 6 and 7 over 4 myself. Others seem to find number 4 sublime, Ralphus probably included. I guess that's just differing tastes.

I've seen a number of clips from ZFX, and, like Red Feline, I should like them. As you say "interrogation scenes, whipping, electro, hot chicks and very harsh treatment" -- what's not to like? :-)

But for some reason, they just don't excite me -- not like Kink or Powershotz. It's very much a matter of differing tastes.

In fact, I was rather surprised I was the only one who replied to Rack 'Em Up. I only did because it was free!

You have a number of very loyal fans here. I think that's great! I hope you are able to keep making and selling your videos for quite some time to come.

Now find me one scene that shows blood. There are none. Show me one scene with an injury. There are none. It doesn't matter people. The banks won't work with us. There is no law in America. Your freedom was lost long ago. It is the main reason bondage porn is so popular. It is the main reason punishment straight porn is becoming more popular. Americans have become slaves! Women are calling desperate to pose because they have been abandoned. Their husbands in prison for non violent crimes. Their husbands away at war. Their husbands broke or their ex husbands unable to pay alimony. They want to keep their child in a certain school district and will do anything to keep him there including posing for a bondage site.

These are state slaves turning to a bondage porn producer in a desperate attempt to obtain some form of freedom. The feds allow adult content to be stolen and given away en-masse so that they can watch it. They cannot have a credit card transaction show up to a porn site. They undergo rigorous background checks that will get them fired....they are not free. They are slaves. Your judges are slaves. They can't buy porn! It will show up in their background check. Because the bought judges allow our content to be stolen and given away in amounts millions of times greater than what we sell they have deprived producers of the money that we need to help the women who are starving. Children and adults can watch porn for free all day long! No charge! The state claims they cannot enforce the law on the Internet so they allow these free sites to steal our content and give it away! What a joke!

They could use the same bank tactics that are used to prevent me from selling death fetish on all porn sites and shut down free porn in a heartbeat. They don't because they want to watch for free! Everyone is a slave in America. Only the rich and the privileged in government that ride behind bullet proof glass have partial freedom because they have the money to travel. Freedom is an illusion here. Think about it. You can't travel without papers in this country. Papers being your drivers license. You are arrested for impure body fluids...blood alcohol over .008. You go out on Friday night you are in constant fear of cops more than drunk drivers. Our accident rate is probably twice what it should be because we are always looking for cops instead of watching the road. Freedom fighters have been replaced by socialists and fascists. Today a man was arrested because the person sitting next to them saw them watching kiddie porn. Yet we blow up houses with babies in them using robot bombs! Are you kidding me? Pure fascism at its finest. State control is what you've got. Murder is available in movies as long as you don't show them fucking. Your communist dictator has deemed it.

Me I am seriously considering leaving the country. I'm tired of fighting. Tired of paying 40% to a state that won't give me a bank account, won't protect my business from theft, won't protect my constitutional rights....and is sending me a line of beautiful women that are only on the set because they have been enslaved by the state. Caught with a vicodin in your purse....too bad for you baby. Suck cock or go to jail. They support the folks that steal from me and give it away. Happy Holidays....Baaaa Humbug.

Go buy a gun and learn to use it. If you have a daughter....don't let her get caught doing drugs. She'll be on my doorstep looking for work.

Thanks Ralphus for the forum! I imagine you must keep it secret to avoid persecution. A secret society of slaves in a supposedly free nation. Ralphus....you are one of the few remaining freedom fighters in America! I salute you! And thanks for the business you have brought to me and the other producers!

Seriously, I think you are having a bad night. I don't think it is quite as bad as you describe but in broad strokes I think you are fairly on-target. America is certainly not the only "problem" nation, and I think you will be hard put to find somewhere else to move to that gives you as many different freedoms, although it is possible you will find one that denies you freedoms you care less about. As lousy as things are here at times, I am depressed to posit that things are generally the same or lousier anywhere else.

I will admit that I find Americans to be more gullible and easily manipulated, but I can't give you a baseline on which I am basing that. Maybe Americans have always been just a clever government-sponsored propaganda campaign away from some Orweillian dystopia. The advent and frightening popularity of FOX News and its rabidly ideologcal fear and hate tactics have made me realize America is a nation of sheep looking for a benevolent dictator shepherd (and the Christian imagery is intentional). It seems an indecent number of the American people are never happier than when they are being told what to believe, what to think, and more importantly NOT to think too much.

I only recently watched a fascinating 1999 British mini-series called Pornography: The Secret History of Civilisation that revealed that sex and erotica were a very commonplace part of life everywhere until the Victorians created the concept of (and the word) pornography. Pornography as a "sin" is a purely Western invention, although since the nations that invented the term colonized, plundered, or "civilized" many other countries, the concept has been exported. That's not say other, earlier historical civilizations have not tried to control populations by controlling sex, but "pornography" springs from the Victorians.

If you are interested, Pornography: The Secret History of Civilisation is available on DVD at Amazon.

All that to say that we do have some strange priorities, one of the strangest being that over-the-top violence, death, and destruction is just fine for the viewing public but sex is not. We also have an unhealthy fixation on punishing victimless or consensual crimes (also referred to as "sins"), while actual crimes where criminals actually victimize other people receive less attention. And I would be remiss if I did not also point out that it is only a crime if there is a law against it, and businesses traffic in practices that should be criminal but are not because they contribute to profitability and that makes it all okay.

Sorry. It is so easy to step up on that soapbox.

Steve, I sympathize with you. Take a chill pill. Things won't be any better in the morning, but your ability to put up with the bullshit might be recharged.

Thanks for the Aubrie clip. I am so happy that at last you posted a free clip that I had not already purchased. For anyone interested in seeing more of cute Aubrie, you can check out the GIMP review I did of her uncomfortable "anal training," called (oddly enough) Aubrie - Anal Trained. It's illustrated.

I am watching several Attackers videos now, trying like mad to appreciate them. But so far I am mostly annoyed (1) at the pixelation and (2) that the scenes go on and on without any appreciable increase in intensity or creativity. And let me just say that I think it is insane the way they zoom in on the pixelated genitals and hold the focus there. IT'S PIXELATED! What are you trying to show us? Okay, maybe the appearance of white square pixels in the middle of a sea of black square pixels at the conclusion of a nakadashi scene just to prove it happened. But other than that it is just a waste of time. Out of eight videos so far, I have seen one that I thought was decent. I just don't think JAV is my cup of tea.

Steve Power wrote:

Now find me one scene that shows blood. There are none. Show me one scene with an injury. There are none.

Have you been to the movies lately? Did you see Piranha 3D? Okay, so there is less blood, torture and death in fetish porn offerings, but several of your competitors on Nicheclips seem to be showing these elements with no apparent consequence. There are also companies who, as you point out, sell their extreme wares by relying on off-shore financial services.

Ralphus wrote:

Some producers do offer alternate versions of GIMP material. I know Steve Power from Powershotz made at least 2 endings of his film Hoosier Daddy...a good movie, BTW.

Yes, I've seen videos offered in alternate versions, sometimes with two different endings included for the price of admission. But this is quite rare. I bought Hoosier Daddy from Steve for that very reason. I would buy a lot more of his videos if he did the same thing for other releases.

Ralphus also wrote:

If you're talking about GIMP content to mean movies where women are tied up, I don't know of any specific prosecutions, but back during Bush's infamous reign of power, I know of several bondage producers who were forced to censor their content, sometimes to ridiculous extremes. Some were forced out of business.

Which I guess is my whole point. It's not just about the death fetish material. As Steve so passionately proclaimed, the whole system is fucked. No argument from me. But it's not stopping many bondage producers from continuing the good fight, or at least from turning a modest profit. Depending on the current climate and administration, the risk of being forced out of business for anyone in the porn industry goes up and down. But that applies to all sorts of sex-related commodities. Death mixed with sex is subversive, but it's been around forever, and that not only is testament to its prurient appeal, but also makes it just another fetish fantasy. I can understand why The State is afraid of it, but not why producers are as well.

Many demonize death-fetish GIMP because it simulates snuff films, and "real" snuff (if it even exists) is the only thing more abhorrent than kiddie porn. The accusers do not have words like "simulation" and "fantasy" in their vocabularies. If they did, they would realize that a pretend death scene in a fetish film is even more innocuous than one depicting anal penetration. That is why most actresses would consent to "die" tied up and nude before taking it up the ass.

There's no specific law that says you can't show rape, or you can't have hardcore sex with bondage. It's just accepted that if you do, you're setting yourself up for possible prosecution. I can't imagine things being any different for death scenes. Why would anyone in the adult industry want to take that chance?

But many producers do take that chance and regularly depict rape and hard-core sex with bondage. This limits billing options, but judging by the variety of sites which feature such content, it is doable and has not resulted (recently) in legal prosecution. So why are these producers reluctant to take the same risk to show the occasional death scene?

Rick wrote:

I'm also a big Teraz fan. They are in Poland and don't have to worry about Big Brother though<00>.

Actually, Teraz is run out of England, and from what I hear, England has become the poster country for Big Brother autocracies (though Steve Power makes a good case for passing the crown to the US). Trevor, who owns Teraz, does do some shooting in Eastern Europe (apparently his girlfriend is from there) and employs EE exotic dancers as actresses, but it's a British outfit. I once read that making the films appear as if they were produced in Poland throws off the Brit censors, but given they are openly distributed from England and bear English-language cover text, it's hard to believe anyone would be fooled by this.

Ironically, the only legal issue I'm aware Teraz has faced is the copyright debacle which resulted when the BBC got its knickers in a twist over the release of Trevor's Dr. Who porn parody, Abducted by the Daleks.

By the way, I also prefer SOB3, 5, 6 and 7 over SOB4, so it seems we have similar tastes. I do hope that some day you will continue the series. It was definitely the best in the ZFX line-up.

Steve Power wrote:

Me I am seriously considering leaving the country.

Housing costs are going up, but otherwise I've heard good things about Belgium.

With regards to censorship, the extremes of both parties have been attacking adult materials for as long as I can remember--the right usually for religious reasons; the left for women's issues. Both sides will gladly chorus together that it's "for the children." Really, the current American censorship of the Internet goes back to Bill Clinton and the Communications Decency Act of 1996 and PCCPA of 1995, which is kind of ironic since Clinton had the gall to talk about Chinese Internet censorship. In any case, American censorship is not as bad as say, China or Canada. Porn still gets made in Southern California, but the Internet has made it a whole lot less profitable.

With regard to your credit card processor, it has less to do with the government and more to do with simple economics; none of those companies can afford to have religious or women's rights protesters boycotting their company or giving them bad publicity.

In regards to the government not protecting your product, I know that they do seize domains/domain names selling counterfeit movies and counterfeit goods, obviously supported by the MPAA and other industries. I would wonder how much effort has been made to organize the grass roots of the adult video industry outside of the San Fernando Valley, in order to form a lobby group like the MPAA. Heck, do you submit your work to the U.S. Copyright office for protection? It's not that hard to do and affords you a much greater ability to extract damages from someone knowingly pirating your work.

Anyway, don't leave the country; the grass is not greener. And if you know of fresh-girl-next-door-models desperate to pose, send them my way. All the ones I see these days seem to be tattooed skanky types with mental problems.

Nowadays it looks to me (and maybe I'm missing something) more like a front page and sometimes a streaming site.

I'm not opposed to electronic ownership, but streaming really never did it for me. Can someone here recommend some good ZFX from recent years? I'm particularly keen on his mad scientist stuff, but I'm also a big spandex fan. Mind you, spandex is no substitute at all for a good performance.

Any suggestions?

Peace,

Iago

I get a threatening letter from the state at the end of the month if I am a day late on taxes explaining to me that if I don't pay I will be jailed and that my neighbors could be informed of my inability to pay. You only get those letters if you run your own business so most people don't know they exist. To me they are a direct affront. I learned the law from John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. Killin ain't right was the mantra. Fantasize about it all you want but at the end of the day you never point a weapon in the direction of a child. We do it for breakfast. The law never did exist. It only exists in the local group of people around you.

Beyond that it is an illusion....like bondage porn only the effects are real. I've traveled overseas enough to know that our standard of living could approach that of the people making all our electronic stuff for us very quickly. In Washington they have high school cheerleaders come for the summer to act as "aids." What needs to happen is that these cute little "aids" need to take the Senators and Congressmen they are "being schooled by", and whip their asses red in public! When they stop breaking the law the economy improves. My favorite Clint Eastwood line....."There's nothing like a good piece of hickory."

Housing costs are going up, but otherwise I've heard good things about Belgium.

Yes, that was a week ago but now I have to inform you that after more than 500 days we will finally have a government before the end of the year (thanks to Standards & Poor's).

But after all we are World Champion in Government Formation (from 14th of June 2010 till today)

Thanks for the caps, can't wait to get the money together to order Maleficarum. Jane looks SOOOOOO Hot! I will do some reviews when my schedule eases up around the first of the year.

Out of eight videos so far, I have seen one that I thought was decent. I just don't think JAV is my cup of tea.

I'd be curious to know which Attackers movies you have been watching. There's been a noticeable decline in the quality of their movies in recent years, which could be part of the problem. However, if your comments refer to older, preferred titles, then it may very well be that JAV isn't your thing.

Can someone here recommend some good ZFX from recent years? I'm particularly keen on his mad scientist stuff, but I'm also a big spandex fan.

The last 5 ZFX releases (we're going back some years) were South of the Border 7, Bitter Sweet Persuasion, The Jackbooth Job, Goon Squad and Goon Squad 2. There are a myriad of reviews of all of them in the Reviews section (one of them written by you!). All of them are worthwhile; although to my knowledge, none have mad scientist stuff or spandex. Spandex? Really?

3 of the movies have scenes where an unattractive woman has all kinds of repulsive stuff done to her, if you were to listen to our Canadian friend. But then you really shouldn't do that anyway.

-------------------

John Galt: Welcome to the fabulous world of Japanese bondage. The pixelation is the one drawback of JAV movies. No way to get around it; it's the law in Japan. It bothers some of us, others ignore it and enjoy the many other benefits the Japanese deliver. It's never really bothered me; I know where everything's supposed to be and don't need to see extreme close-ups of genitalia. It does seem rather silly to zoom in on oral sex scenes when most of the action is obscured, though. I'm not a big fan of blow jobs anyway and prefer the penetration part of a rape scene instead.

-------------------

Jane von Detlefson: I'm lovin' the first part of the interview about Maleficarum, very interesting stuff. I barely recognized you with your clothes on! Thanks for the shout-out; that was a nice acknowledgement. Was anybody else surprised about the way the title is actually pronounced? All this time I was saying it wrong. It's MAL-FEE-CAR-UM. I understand this interview was conducted before the movie was released; looking forward to the next installment and then of course, the new one where you'll be answering the questions presented here on the forum.

Paul Dubois - no government for 500 days huh? - sounds like paradise on earth - now if we could figure out how to implement that in the good old USA on a permanent basis.

Fritz - nice heads up on the latest Teraz effort - Trevor just keeps churning those out.

Reine Margot - so there is a hanging in the future eh - my day is complete.

Stay well all

Ralphus - in reference to our Jane's YouTube interview; it's really because of you that Maleficarum has become a great success. Those monies that you supplied made it all possible.

Those Maleficarum Pics of the Day (in response to Don Francisco's "Wake Her") is a keeper. I have saved it and a few others that do not appear on FB or from Jane's bogs. I'm gonna put these Jpegs and the YouTube interviews onto an archival disc which I will file away with my Maleficarum DVD...that coloured cover has an extra retainer...perfect for it...I'm glad that I got that cover now.

Changing the subject to fetish bondage videos: South of the Border (series). I have SOB 4 & 6 in my collection and always thought that #4 had a plot... After reading Rick posting, I have to see SOB3... Sorry to say that the Adult section of CDUniverse no long has it in their catalogue. But good news, I found an adult DVD store in Florida selling used copies, and hopefully will get it ten days. This GIMPer will give his two cent review after his viewing.

----------

Ralphus wrote: Was anybody else surprised about the way the title is actually pronounced?

Yeah I was. I was calling it Mal-EFF-ee-car-um. Dang. I was hoping all those years of learning Latin in Catholic school was going to pay off someday.

----------

Reine Margot: Many thanks for posting that clip of the interview with Jane/Amy. Having not heard her talk before (well, except for the screaming and moaning, and a small amount of dialog in Maleficarum), I found it fascinating to hear her express her views vocally.

She is intelligent, creative, beautiful, industrious and dedicated. I'm smitten.

RF chix rule.

----------

Sloth wrote: ...would love to see the marauding bands in the Thirty Years War thing as I'm a sucker for period pieces.

Yeah, me too. My feeling is that, since there was no "film at 11:00" in those days, you can let your imagination run free and concoct all kinds of scenarios. Who's to say it couldn't have happened?

The inspiration for that particular idea came from this passage in a Wikipedia article about the era:

While the regiments within each army were not strictly mercenary in that they were not guns for hire that changed sides from battle to battle, the individual soldiers that made up the regiments for the most part probably were.

The problem of discipline was made more difficult still by the ad hoc nature of 17th-century military financing. Armies were expected to be largely self-funding from loot taken or tribute extorted from the settlements where they operated. This encouraged a form of lawlessness that imposed often severe hardship on inhabitants of the occupied territory.

Sounds like a situation ripe with GIMPage possibilities.

----------

SOB4 was the first ZFX flick I saw, and I thought it was pretty good. The fact that I have not viewed it since is more a testament to my haphazard filing system than a lack of interest. In fact, I've got a sudden hankering to go watch it again.

----------

Heroone: I'm looking forward to your review of SOB3.

----------

Just obtained a download of a 1967 opus entitled Shanty Tramp.

Yeah, it was an uncharacteristically impulsive purchase that I may regret...but I'm hoping the movie is at least as entertaining as the trailer. An IMDb reviewer describes it this way:

On this one hot summer night, there's prostitution, religious hypocrisy, misogyny, drunkenness, fistfights, bigotry, interracial sex, biker gangs, incest, lynching, moonshine, a car chase with explosive results, nudity, murder, and even an instance of walking out on the restaurant tab!

Day-um. Sounds like the Thirty Years War.

Yes, that was a week ago but now I have to inform you that after more than 500 days we will finally have a government before the end of the year (thanks to Standards & Poor's).

Damn those Standard and Poor people! Well, maybe not the poor people, but the standard ones have been nothing but trouble. The dream is ruined! And just as I was getting set to retire in sunny, anarchic Belgium. I hope you enjoyed those 500 days, Paul.

Sloth wrote:

nice heads up on the latest Teraz effort - Trevor just keeps churning those out.

I'm not sure I'd call releasing a new film every year or so "churning", but Trevor does produce quality material. Like Red Feline, Teraz does not push out a new bargain-basement clip every week, but invests in more ambitious productions. Unfortunately, that means we have to wait a long time for anything new to surface. In both cases, I've found the wait to be worth it, but the fact that most other producers sacrifice quality for quantity leads me to believe that "churn" is the better business model. Trevor runs a distribution company on the side. I have no idea how Red Feline turns a profit.

You are totally right! I love this picture so so so so so much when they throw water on dear Jane's cute face. I hope it will become Jac Avila's own style in his following movies.

I need your help, because I don't have any experience to buy DVD through other country before.

First, may I ask the dollars on vermeerworks company. Is it Euro or US dollars? If transform it to NT dollars, how much would I pay for the movie "Maleficarum"?

Second, download the movie from internet is much more convenience for me, but I don't have a credit card, do the vermeerworks has their account to let me transfer my money to it?

Last, if they can transfer to their account and I have to buy DVD through net. Could they send the DVD to the post office near my house, and let the post office sent me a notice, then I can take my ID to bring the DVD to my house? (Sorry, I don't know how to translate this system to English, do you know what I mean?)

If there is something I said you don't know, please let me know, sorry, my English is poor!

Wish you have a nice day

Simon

And the (re)Search My Trash interview with her and Jac was full of great insights about what it took to put the film together. It was kind of humorous for the interviewer, who's clearly not one of us, to ask about the "strong sadomasochistic undercurrents" of their work. I thought both their answers were intelligent and well-thought-out and explained the thought process perfectly. If he had asked me, I would have said I'm just a filthy pervert who likes to see women tied up and tortured. It's probably a good thing he didn't interview me.

You wrote: Jane send her apologies for not showing up today, she's a bit sick.

Good lord girl, you don't have to apologize, just get well so we can see more of you getting tortured and killed.

I don't know if that came out right....

----------

Is is just me, or is it hard to hear what Amy is saying on that clip for interview 2? I heard the music fine, but her voice was faint.

I found a clip that worked better for me on Amy's blog (see URL above).

----------

Simon wrote: I love this picture so so so so so much when they throw water on dear Jane's cute face.

Here's that aftermath shot again: