Plot: What’s it about?
In Take Me Naked, a hapless bum is turned into a raving madman thanks to some incredible sexual fantasies. The hobo had spied on a woman named Elaine (Roberta Findlay), a hooker who wasn’t shy about closing the blinds. So as she disrobes, lays around naked, and even pleasures herself, the wino keeps a watch. Of course, his mind races with all the scenarios of romance between the two, though chances are, he would be rejected. But he continues to watch her and dream of what could be, even if she would never consent to his presence. His usually timid sexual thoughts taken a turn for the hideous however, as his mind breaks down and he loses control over himself at times. So when he shows up at Elaine’s with a carving knife instead of flowers, how will the situation unfold? In A Thousand Pleasures, a man with a dark and twisted outlook on life meets his match in a tag team of sperm thirsty lesbians. Richard Davis (Michael Findlay) is a murderer who winds up with two hitchhikers who happen to be chicks and when they invite him back to their place, of course he accepts. But then he learns the two have a retarded adopted daughter and crave a real one, despite being hardcore lesbians. When they look to him to provide the needed joy juice, will he be drained to death?
The label that loves double features, Something Weird has offered up a double dose of cinema from exploitation’s favorite couple, Michael and Roberta Findlay. The dynamic duo is also behind such motion pictures as Shriek of the Mutilated, Satan’s Bed, The Touch of Her Flesh, Virgins in Heat, and of course, Snuff. I found these two movies to be the usual Findlay product, sleaze so thick and seedy, you’ll feel like you need to shower afterwards. The apartments are dirty, the stars look dirty, the entire productions just have a dirty texture, as if these were documentaries shot in real low rent, run down locations. I am sure that is true to an extent, but the violent approach to the sleaze is what puts the icing on the cake, as the couple never shied away from odd tones in their movies, as you can see in these two flicks. Take Me Naked is hilarious at times, as the film follows a total loser of a woman, a rejected madman with a knife, and a circle of violent murders within a skid row area, most of which involve winos, hobos, and bums. Plus penis biting, militant lesbians, and cuckolds, all trapped inside of one hell of an offbeat movie. A Thousand Pleasures is more of the same, only perhaps to an even more ridiculous level. In short, two wild and awesome movies on one disc, what more do you people want?
Video: How does it look?
The films are presented in full frame, as intended. As expected, both show signs of age & wear, but I am still pleased with the overall results. I mean, I’m surprised the prints are still watchable, let alone in as decent shape as seen here. The prints in both cases have nicks, grain, and debris present, but never to an extreme degree, so the image is still fairly clean and always watchable, to be sure. Take Me Naked looks a little rougher in places, but if you watch these low profile, low budget flicks often, you should know about what to expect. So don’t expect visual marvels here, but given the materials involved, I think the flicks look good enough.
Audio: How does it sound?
The films both feature mono soundtracks, which are acceptable, but don’t raise your expectations too much here. The music and sound effects are as well presented as possible, given the age & nature of the pictures, as well as the limitations of mono. I heard little in terms of hiss & distortion most of the time, which is terrific news and on the whole, I think both tracks are more than adequate in terms of the basics. I had no problems with dialogue either, which comes through well also, though the budgets involved sometimes curtail how well the audio was captured, but that is never much of an issue in these flicks.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes excerpts from two other flicks from the Findlays, as well as the theatrical trailer for Take Me Naked.
