Sorceress (1982) Review

 

With the help of Krona warrior-sisters Mira and Mara are concealed and hidden as boys for 20 years. After their village is attacked they embark on a dangerous quest to avenge the death of their mother and to defeat a resurrected warlock and the god Caligara. 

Roger Corman produced fantasy sleaze-fest, director Jack Hill (Foxy Brown, yes, Foxy Brown) delivers a colourful cheap fantasy. Written by Jim Wynorski who would go on to produce/ direct the similar Deathstalker II  (1987) cult classic Chopping Mall (1986) and a steady slew of B-movies and T & A films including Sorority House Massacre II and Hard to Die (1990). 

Jack Hill’s offering is slight step up from the countless Italian fantasy features (but suffers from the same issues, poor sound design, editing, clunky staging, tone shifts and the like) that were doing the rounds at the time in the wake of Clash of the Titans (1981), Dragonslayer (1981) and Conan the Barbarian (1982).This is debatably better than The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982).

The optical effects, make-up and practical effects vary in quality and have a charm of their own, arguably better than many of the low budget DTV CGI seen today. There’s an impressive winged lion, monkey man’s facial design is notable. The underworld is noteworthy, the sets and the zombie warriors fight being a highlight in the third act. The costumes, props and sets are mixed-bag of good craftsmanship and pure cost cutting Corman. James Horner music is great; but recycled from Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) and at times ill fitting, also overused.

Blessed with magic Mira and Mara are played by former Playmate twins Leigh and Lynette Harris who do their best with the fight scenes under the circumstances, and getting topless as Wynorski and Hill dictate. The story does get a little interesting when the pair is split up with some twists and turns. The support cast are solid enough. The rest of the cast include hammy Roberto Ballesteros’ Traigon, a typical evil wizard. Mexican actress Ana De Sade light up the screen but has very little to do as Princess Delissia. Erlik (Bob Nelson) is a barbarian, Baldar (Bruno Rey) a Viking and there’s creepy bleating Pando (David Millbern) a horny faun/satyr. Martin LaSalle out acts everybody as master of sorcery and handy with a blade Krona in a small part. Unknown Douglas Sanders does a good job as Hunnu the monkey man.

Hill offers gratuitous male and female nudity littered and blood letting throughout as an evil army murder, rape and pillage. Many fantasy staples are thrown in for good measure and some that aren’t; including impalement, sexual telepathic twins, sacrificial virgins, also group of nasty monkeys. It’s tonally unbalanced swinging from serious themes to childishly laughable at the drop of a hat.

Again, this one of those low budget films where the tantalising poster artwork promises a better film. It’s choppy, cheesy, sleazy at its mediocre best but unexplainably hypnotic. If any sword and sorcery film could do with a reworked remake, it’s this one.