Plot: What’s it about?
Dr. Humpp (Aldo Barbero) has some serious plans that involve sex, but he doesn’t want to have sex, he wants to control sex. You know how some people want to control the computer software business, well this dude wants to control sex and as such, he kidnaps youngsters in the middle of their sexual sessions. His workers include some strange looking automatons, which wander about and snatch up folks as they engage in the dirty deed, then hike back to Dr. Humpp’s castle with their prisoners in tow. Once they arrive within the castle walls, Dr. Humpp injects them with a special serum, which enhances their sexual energies and as such, means they can really do it to it, like never before even. As the folks get their rocks off, old Dr. Humpp drains a certain fluid from them, which he needs in order to keep from turning into a hideous monster. Yeah, it is pretty gross when you think about it, but since Dr. Humpp listens to a disembodied brain for advice, who knows with him. Will Dr. Humpp’s mad plans ever be stopped, or will he be eventually drain the love juice from all the sexually active folks in the world?
I know the name of this flick sounds questionable, but this is not a low rate porno movie. Now this movie does contain some nudity and has sexual themes, but by no means does it qualify as even a hard R movie, so no worries there. As you should be able to tell from the synopsis above, this is one very unusual film and if you’re into that kind of flick, then this is one you don’t want to miss. I will say that some scenes are very dull here, but when the odd ones creep in, it simply doesn’t get much better, in terms of bizarre cinematic bliss. The visuals can be offbeat also, especially a few really unusual sequences, which you can’t help but watch over and again, such as the excellent lute sequence, which defies all sense of reason. It seems as though this one has extended sexual scenes sprinkled in also, which could offend some, even if they’re vital to the main premise here. So we have a lot of sex and a very eerie tone, sounds like a good one to me, kids. If you’re a fan of films of this ilk, then The Curious Dr. Humpp is well worth a look, whether you choose to rent or purchase this release.
I don’t think you look at films like this one to see good acting, so I won’t bother much with that. As far as low budget exploitation flicks go, the acting here is better than most, but still well below the normal feature films standards. But when the material doesn’t need even decent performances, then the actors have no chance to ruin or better the script, so why even sweat the details, eh? Some of the folks seen here include Susana Beltran (Sangre de Virgenes), Gloria Prat (The Deadly Organ), Michel Angel, Justin Martin, Richard Bauleo (To Hell With This Priest, The Deadly Organ), and of course, Aldo Barbero (The Truce, Time For Revenge) as the lovable Dr. Humpp. At the helm of this picture is Emilio Vieyra, who directed more than a couple cool flicks like this one. I love the visuals used here and of course, the focus on bizarre antics and sex, which are welcome elements in the exploitation genre. Other films directed by Vieyra include Stay Tuned For Terror, The Deadly Organ, and Violated Love.
Video: How does it look?
The Curious Dr. Humpp is presented in a full frame transfer, which seems to be a proper viewing form. This is a terrific looking presentation here, a very clean print is used and I saw no real problems to report. I saw minimal debris present here, which is impressive and should please fans to no end. This black & white image looks crisp and very well defined, no issues to take to task here. The contrast is well balanced and consistent, which means detail is always high in this transfer. A few scenes look worse than others, but on the whole, this is a superb visual presentation, kudos to Image Entertainment and Something Weird Video for this one.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc uses a simple mono track, which takes care of the basics here without any problems. The track seems very clean and never gets too harsh, but then again, it isn’t all that impressive either. But since this film doesn’t need dynamic audio presence, this basic mono track is more than enough, so no real complaints. The music sounds good, the sound effects come off well, and the dialogue is always easy to understand. Not much else you could ask for here, so I am giving this audio track a passing grade.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes theatrical trailers for this film and The Deadly Organ, as well as television spots for the latter, all of which are cool to own here. You also get three short films, The Girl and The Skeleton, Rasputin and The Princess, and My Teenage Fallout Queen, which are also a lot of fun to watch, as usual for these Something Weird short film inclusions. The disc also includes a selection of exploitation artwork, radio spots, and an alternate animated title sequence for The Curious Dr. Humpp.
