Plot: What’s it about?
In The Joys of Jezebel, we meet bad girl Jezebel, who died about a week back. Now she is in Hell, which turns out to be not such a bad place, at least for a girl like her. But she is unable to partake in the pleasures of the inferno, at least until she settles the score with the man who murdered her. In order to return to the realm of the living, she strikes with a deal with Satan himself. The deal swaps her with a virgin who is still alive, so she takes over prim & proper Rachel’s life, while the chaste Rachel ends up down below with the devil. But can Jezebel use this second chance to get revenge? In My Tale is Hot, the devil finds himself short of new arrivals, so he heads upstairs to recruit for himself. He targets a faithful husband, hoping to tempt him with naked hotties, but will Satan’s plan work or is the devil in for a surprise?
This is a devilish double feature, with two movies hell bent on showing off a hell of a lot of naked women. If bad movies are a sin, these two are condemned to the lowest depths of the inferno, as these are pure schlock. The Joys of Jezebel has a plot that is thin even by sexploitation standards, with tons of rotten jokes tossed in. The humor is so bad, you have to laugh, but at least the quota of naked females is exceeded. This is one sex after another with little concern for narrative, so some will appreciate the approach, while others won’t. My Tale is Hot (aka Always on a Monday) is the better of the two flicks, with even worse jokes, even lower production values, and even more women in the nude. Neither stands out as remarkable, but both have a simple, enjoyable texture which makes it hard not to have fun. Something Weird has piled in a bonus mini-movie, some nudie shorts, and trailers, so this value packed disc is recommended to genre fans.
Video: How does it look?
Both films are presented in full frame, as intended. 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. 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?
The mono tracks used here sound stable, but both soundtracks are unremarkable. Not a lot to discuss outside here, as vocals come through well enough and sound effects seem in proper order. You’ll hear some age related defects here and there, plus these are older, very low budget pictures, so no one should expect pristine audio treatments, if you ask me. The audio in both films is acceptable, but flawed and that’s good enough, given the material that is involved.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You’ll find the nudie short Boudoir Belle, the animated piece Satan in Church, and bonus mini-movie Go Down, Death. The mini-movie is of interest, with an all black cast in 1944, not a common production at the time. The movie itself is passable, but as a bonus, Go Down, Death is a great inclusion.
