Plot: What’s it about?
In Dr. Sex, we’re shown some unusual sexual situations, in which the realm of the unknown mixes with sexual hijinks. Dr. Ludwig von Sex (Victor Sandor) is our guide through these offbeat experiences, but even he is sometimes shocked. A talking dog that wants to be a man is perhaps the most normal of the cases, though all are downright unbelievable. The dog that wants to be a man and a man who wishes to become a canine, its all business as usual for a perverse doctor such as Ludwig von Sex. A case involves common mannequins, the kind used to display clothes in various stores, but these models are quite unusual. Whenever the clothes are removed, these mannequins come to life. Not just that, but they have immense sexual appetites, so if you strip down these models, prepare for some serious lovin’. This is just one case examined by Dr. Ludwig von Sex, the master of oddball sexual habits. In Wanda: The Sadistic Hypnotist, a man is injured in a car accident, but he will soon wish he had died in the crash. The man is kidnapped by a strange woman named Wanda, who loves to crack the whip. She and her gorgeous friends use hypnosis to amuse themselves, such as turning innocent women into sex starved sluts. But when a madman enters her abode, will Wanda need to hypnotize herself?
I am always pleased to add another Ted V. Mikels classic to my archives, since he makes some of the coolest bad movies out there. Mikels directed Dr. Sex from this release, so his name alone makes this a worthwhile purchase. Dr. Sex is just what the promotional text on the case claims, a kind of mixture between The Twilight Zone and a skin flick. Of course, Mikels shot the movie on low, low funds and it shows, but we knew that. The premise is a good one however, with naked ghosts around every turn, so a massive budget wasn’t needed here. The supernatural angle makes Dr. Sex a lot of fun to watch, since the campish approach is effective. Even by the usual Ted V. Mikels scale of oddball cinema, Dr. Sex rates off the charts. This is just an off the wall, bizarre film that has to be seen to be believed. The other half of this double feature, Wanda: The Sadistic Hypnotist is also quite strange in its own right. You take some violence, toss in some drugs, then mix with the kind of sleaze Harry Novak is known for, then you’d have this movie. I don’t think anyone can understand it, but in this kind of flick, who needs to? You have to love the LSD soaked freakout visuals, which combine with violent images to make one wicked experience. I had fun with both of these films, so if you’re a fan of schlock and sexploitation, you can’t go wrong with Something Weird’s double feature release of Dr. Sex and Wanda: The Sadistic Hypnotist.
Video: How does it look?
Dr. Sex & Wanda: The Sadistic Hypnotist are presented in full frame. These movies have never looked pristine, so we should be thankful they’re even available, given the low rent, low profile nature of the movies. In the case of Dr. Sex, only one 35MM print is known to exist, so while it is a worn, rough edition, I am sure its the best available version. The prints on both films have signs of nicks and debris, as well as grain, but let’s be honest, would any other studio even take the time to transfer these little known classicks? So yes, the prints look worn and yes, colors and contrast are inconsistent, but I doubt these films will ever look better on DVD. I would love to see restored editions, but I seriously doubt that will ever happen.
Audio: How does it sound?
These insane nudie flicks don’t need much audio punch, so the included mono tracks prove to be more than adequate. Of course, these aren’t the cleanest or crispest tracks out there, but it all sounds good and I wasn’t let down much. You have to consider the age and nature of the materials here, which is why I am more lenient in my score in this section. The wacky music and hilarious dialogue all comes across is more than decent form, which is more than enough in this case. I doubt this stuff could be improved much without expensive restoration work, so I’ll take these tracks and be pleased to own the movies themselves.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A host of bonus short films have been included, such as Nudes and Nuts, Strange Sex Dreams, Naked Devil Doll, The Casting Director, Dueling Divas, Handyman, Naked Party, and Jane on a Train. So you can watch eight short flicks loaded with naked women, just the kind of bonus material for this release. You can also browse some sexploitation artwork and watch some bonus trailers, but no trailers for Dr. Sex or Wanda can be found.
