Orgie en noir

Although she had only started out as a performer little over a year before in the late Alain Payet's LA FETE A GIGI at the tender age of 18, Goth goddess Ovidie already seemed adamant to drastically alter the Continental adult industry from within. A philosophy student at college and a fierce feminist to boot, as local media hype rarely forgot to emphasize, her burning ambition intrigued French fornication film producer par excellence Marc Dorcel who decided to take a chance on this inexperienced ingénue. He must have felt a connection as he too had written his own success story, publishing naughty photo romances (akin to the Italian "fumetti" but sans clothing) in the late '60s after he had failed to succeed taking over his family's transport company.

While pleasantly surprised that the women in the adult industry were strong level-headed individuals rather than the victims they were generally perceived as, Ovidie still saw a lot of room for positive change in the explicit representation of female sexuality which had hitherto been given short shrift by an industry essentially establish on male masturbatory material. That said, her maiden movie-making effort still comes off as something of a hybrid and she was not to properly explore her personal preoccupations until her follow-up endeavor with the superb LILITH.

When I say "hybrid", I mean that Dorcel's guiding hand is particularly palpable, none too surprising as he surely wanted to make good on his substantial investment. Though credited to the actress, the screenplay (which, rather amazingly, bagged a Hot d'Or, awarded by French fornication film bible Hot Video) clearly bears the imprint of its producer's well-documented dedication to the idiosyncratic cinematic oeuvre of his good friend Jean Rollin, with whom he had collaborated on the supremely successful LE PARFUM DE MATHILDE, an unofficial remake of the latter's first hardcore epic PHANTASMES a/k/a THE SEDUCTION OF AMY.

It's unlikely that, at age 20, Ovidie would have had much interest in the Rollin universe of melancholy vampires and the inescapable nature of fate, superficial Goth trappings notwithstanding. Ironically, she was to star in the director's self-proclaimed artistic testament, the 2007 LA NUIT DES HORLOGES, closing the circle.

Somewhat handicapped by its clean, brightly lit visuals (courtesy of Golden Age genre DoP François About as the pseudonymous "Serge de Beaurivage") that was part and parcel of the Dorcel house style, ORGIE valiantly tries to conjure up foreboding atmosphere out of its convincing cemetery setting (emblematic of splendid set design throughout) which is where drunken lovers Titof and Daniella Rush retreat to continue their carnal cavorting, shades of Rollin's LA ROSE DE FER.

Titof is the pint-sized bisexual performer who gave an excellent turn in the farewell film of another lust cinema luminary, the incomparable Francis Leroi with the wonderful REGARDE-MOI. Ravishing Rush is the Czech beauty who did the dirty to finance her college education and was most memorable as Miss Orange in Christophe Mourthé's eye candy COLORSEX.

Lightning strikes and the couple's carried off by the shuffling undead as a sacrifice to their demanding ringleader, the eponymous Queen of the Dead (authoritatively portrayed by Ovidie herself), clearly patterned after the unforgettable Dominique in LE FRISSON DES VAMPIRES. This is where the orgy part kicks in.

Graveyard statues come to life as succulent Slovakian Karma, best remembered for Silvio Bandinelli's BAMBOLA, snacks on the sizable zombie schlong of Romanian refugee Steve Holmes (billed as "Christopher", an anglicized rendition of his real first name) as succulent Hungarian harlot Szilvia - in a rare feature rather than gonzo appearance - devours incredible hunk Reda Semlahen, star of Private's SEX CITY trilogy.

A pair of thugs, stalwart studs Bruno SX and Marc Barrow, chase lingerie-clad superstar Dora Venter (credited under her real name : Melinda Gall) amid the tombs, only to be met and mauled by zombie chicks Sandra Russo – who left a lasting impression on yours truly in Frank Thring's awesome THE ACADEMY – and Cristina Fodor a/k/a "Christel Starr" from Bandinelli's epic CUBA.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, Venter eventually falls prey to Queen Bee Ovidie in a devastating display of woman to woman lovin' that should prove once and for all to disbelievers that lesbians, as a famous quote goes, do "all the things you do, only longer and better" ! A cute twist wraps things up.

Dorcel must have breathed a sigh of relief. His gamble had paid off big time. On top of that, he also contributed one of his most accomplished soundtrack attempts – yes, he dabbles in music as well – with a mesmerizing trance dance theme and the odd choral chant thrown in for good Rollinian measure.