Sin You Sinners / Dance Hall Racket – DVD

SIN YOU SINNERS (1963; B&W; 67 minutes): Bobbi, an aging stripper, has the power to hypnotize men and women and captivate them with her time-worn body. The strange power comes from a mysterious amulet she wears, which has also allowed her to exert a powerful influence over her daughter Julie and a freeloading boyfriend and resident stud, Dave. Julie is drawn into sex parties and bizarre erotic rituals under Bobbi's influence. She plots with Dave to steal the strange amulet with deadly consequences. Sin You Sinners is a bizarre amalgam of the horror and sexploitation film genres by famed sleaze-meister Joe Sarno, a prolific filmmaker during the sixties. Sarno used several pseudonyms including Anthony Farrar. Starring June Colbourne, Dian Lloyd, Beverly Nazarow. Written by Joseph W. Sarno. Directed by Anthony Farrar (Joseph Sarno).

DANCE HALL RACKET (1953; B&W; 59 minutes): A sleazy dance club is the setting for crime, murder and the sexual exploits of loose women. Umberto Scalli is the club's unscrupulous owner and a racketeer who is rough on his girls and greedy for the ill-gotten money his crimes produce. He also has a low-life associate named Vincent, a gangster who kills without conscience. When Scalli learns that a business rival has stashed some stolen gold he plots with his associates to get his hands it. The perfect companion piece, Dance Hall Racket is notable as an ultra low-budget, nearly tongue-in-cheek sleaze drama, written and starring a young Lenny Bruce. It was his only film role. Bruce abandoned acting to become a stand-up comedian in New York City. His act contained graphic material that many considered brilliant and others (such as the U.S. Government) deemed obscene. Bruce died of a fatal drug overdose in 1966. Dance Hall Racket was directed by Phil Tucker, who gained fame for making what is considered one of the all-time worst movies ever, Robot Monster. Starring Lenny Bruce, Timothy Farrell, Joie Abrams. Written by Lenny Bruce. Directed by Phil Tucker.

• exploitation