Plot: What’s it about?
Do you ever wonder what happens in other parts of the world, in distant lands that bear no resemblance to your own home? Do you ever wonder about the strange customs in those lands, or the unusual people that reside in the remote corners of the world, places where civilization hasn’t taken control? If so, then you’re in luck, as Something Weird has issued this double feature of global adventure. Now you can travel all over the world, soak in all the sights and of course, learn all about the madness that takes place. But this isn’t like reading a book, as you will witness these unusual events, strange rituals, and odd people, as if you went along on the treks to these distant places to see for yourself. You’ll be safe at home as you watch of course, but you will feel like you’re right in the middle of it all. A world of violence, madness, and sex erupts across the screen, as hidden cameras, infra-red cameras, and hell, all kinds of cameras capture images never meant to be seen by outsiders. Yes, the far reaches of the world offer some unique experiences, but the United States is home to ample madness as well. So now you can see the domestic craziness also, including a peek inside a dressing room, as women try on clothes. But be warned, once you’ve seen these sights, you’ll never be the same again.
The wonderful world around us is filled with oddballs, kooks, and crazies, as seen in these two madcap mondo adventures. I’ve seen a lot of mondo movies, most of which have a couple of cool scenes and a bulk amount of lame stuff. As with most mondo epics, these two are a mixture of real footage from around the globe and staged material, which provides a blend of sex, violence, and other cultures. In Mondo Bizarro, we see such sights as a special vulture repellent program, a look into the dressing room of a lingerie store, a special massage parlor, some self abuse, and much, much more. This is one of those movies that is so outlandish, you can’t help but laugh, especially as the producers present such madness as real life. The same creative team brings us Mondo Freudo, in which even more of the world’s secrets are revealed. These flicks are fun, if just to spot how bad the staged footage can be and in the case of these two epics, you’ll see just how bad that staged footage can look. If you can’t spot the fake scenes in these pictures, then you might be blind, as its painfully obvious. I do want to warn you however, as some animal violence is found here, as is often the case in these mondo movies. This is a solid double dip of hilarious mondo madness, so for genre fans, this is a recommended release.
Video: How does it look?
Mondo Bizarro & Mondo Freudo are both presented in full frame. I found both transfers to be quite good, considering the age and nature of the material. Some of the elements have more grain and debris than others, but that’s to be expected here. Mondo Freudo is cleaner and has a sharper visual texture, but both movies look solid. The prints, like I said, have some worn spots and flaws, but look better than expected in most instances. The colors are stable, with bright hues and contrast provides smooth black levels in most scenes. A few sequences show more signs of trouble, but on the whole, these movies look good. And given the age and nature of the material, I am surprised the elements look as good as they do here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio on both movies is mono and basic, no real problems to report, but no real praise to be given either. The tracks have held up well over the years and have little in terms of age related issues, which is great news. I did hear some slight distortion at times, but nothing serious and given the nature of these movies, that’s expected. The music and sound effects are as good as mono from the 60s allows, while dialogue is clean and never hard to understand. You won’t want to use these tracks to showcase your surround sound, but this is about as good as we can hope for, due to the age and nature of these pictures.
Supplements: What are the extras?
An audio commentary track has been included for each movie, as Johnny Legend and Eric Caidan discuss the pictures. These sessions are an overview of the mondo movement, as well as a kind of reference guide to the cast & crew members involved. Not a hands-on kind of experience, but one which provides a solid amount of information. This disc also includes theatrical trailers for both movies, a special short film titled Dungeon Party, and as always, a selection of mondo movie exploitation artwork & audio oddities.
