Since his premature death from
heart disease at the age of only 54 in 1978, much has been written and
documented about the life and work of Edward D. Wood Jr., the infamous
low-budget filmmaker responsible for such mind-bending and unique cult gems as Glen or Glenda (1953) and Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959). Wood’s
oeuvre and eccentric personal life has been thoroughly dissected and discussed
in print and a number of documentaries, as well as Tim Burton’s acclaimed (if
somewhat fantasised) 1994 biopic Ed Wood,
starring Johnny Depp in the title role and Martin Landau in an Oscar-winning
turn as a broken and brittle Bela Lugosi (whom Wood befriended and threw some
work to during the famed horror star’s sad last days).
With all this interest, you would
think that the Ed Wood archives had been well and truly plundered and exhausted
by now. But Wood’s twilight years, spent in an alcoholic haze across various
Hollywood dives and crash pads, saw the angora-loving writer and filmmaker
struggling to eke out a living in the porno netherworld, his prolific fingers
banging out a string of unique adult paperbacks on his old IBM Executive
typewriter while also directing a slew of quickie sex films, both soft and
hardcore, to help keep his tab at the local Pla-Boy Liquour Store ticking over.
Unfortunately, a lot of these books and films were written and directed under pseudonyms
(or often lacking any credits at all, in the case of many of his sex film
shorts), giving Wood’s fans and archaeologists a tough job when trying to
compile a complete filmography and bibliography.
Thanks to the efforts of New York
based filmmaker and exploitation historian Keith Crocker, the Ed Wood
filmography moves a step closer to completion with the discovery of a number of
his Super 8mm porn film loops, which have now been made available through
Crocker’s important boutique film label Cinefear Video. Filmed between 1973/74
for the famous Swedish Erotica company, this collection of grimy hardcore XXX shorts
were originally produced for home movie sale (advertised in the back pages of
men’s magazines), as well as shown in the burgeoning porno cinemas and adult
book shops, where they were screened in peep booths and coin-fed viewing
machines (in the later, they would play continuously, hence their popular term
of ‘loops’).
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| Above: the young John Holmes |
Taken at face value on their own
terms, the collection of 10 loops presented here are fairly indicative of and
standard for the grainy, low-rent porn material of the day. Swedish Erotica did have a bit of a
reputation for (comparative) quality, but these films were produced when the
company was still in its infancy, and in fact were the first series of loops
which they produced for the commercial market. Each loop runs for around 10-12
minutes in length, and were directed by Wood in the San Fernando Valley area. Originally
shot in 16mm, they would later be transferred to 8mm and offered for sale.
Filmed in silent with subtitles added (like they were needed), some suitably
retro porn fuzz instrumental rock has been dubbed in for some extra mood on
this collection. Like many loops, they often start off with a brief outdoors
sequence before quickly moving into the boudoir or lounge room and getting
straight down to the action. Featuring titles like Wet and Wild, Western Lust,
Devil Cult and Girl on a Bike, one of the more interesting things about these
early Swedish Erotica loops - apart from the fact that Ed Wood was in the director's chair - is the appearance of the legendary John (Johnny
Wadd) Holmes is several of them (Hollywood
Starlet, Behind the Ate Ball and
the two-part The Virgin Next Door),
leading one to imagine what a meeting and working relationship between Wood and
the Wadd must have been like. And anyone who has seen Wood’s 1971 adult feature
Necromania (released in both
softcore and XXX versions) will recognise the bizarre owl eyes wall prop from that
feature, which turns up in The Virgin
Next Door (as a device which allows John Holmes to peep on his sexy
neighbour).
Running at nearly two hours, Ed Wood’s 8mm Porn Loops may not make for particularly arousing erotica, but is an
important compilation and artefact of its type, a recommended and worthy acquisition for both
fans of Wood as well as those with an interest and fascination in the early
days of hardcore filmmaking (even if the interest extends no further than a
simple enjoyment of its visual and aural sleaze 'n’ cheese).
Ed Wood’s 8mm Porn Loops is available from the Cinefear website at Cinefear Adult Sinema,
and an interesting interview by Robert Monell with Cinefear head honco Keith
Croker, talking about the compilation, can be found here: Cinemadrome interview with Keith Croker
Review Copyright John Harrison 2016
