Orgy of the Dead
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Orgy of the Dead is an unrated 1965 film directed by A. C. Stephens and written by Ed Wood. It is something of a transition for Wood: it is a combination of horror and erotica, thus showing where Wood came from and where he was headed (pornography). Wood also wrote the novel of the same name.
Plot summary
A young couple, Bob (William Bates) and Shirley (sexploitation starlet Pat Barrington, billed as Pat Barringer) survive a car crash only to find themselves tied to posts in a misty cemetery where they are forced to watch dead spirits dance for the Emperor of the Night played by Criswell (best known for Plan 9 From Outer Space). Ten campy striptease performances by topless dancers from beyond the grave outfitted in various motifs make up the bulk of this movie. A moth-eaten werewolf and mummy are also tossed in for a few comic relief bits. Barrington doubles as the blond Gold Girl (inspired by Shirley Eaton in "Goldfinger") while her red-headed "Shirley" character watches her perform. Criswell's undead consort, the sexy Black Ghoul, was written for Maila Nurmi, a.k.a. Vampira, but was instead played by busty Fawn Silver wearing a black bouffant wig and looking more like Elvira.
Ed Wood served as writer, production manager, casting agent, and even held up cue cards on this low-budget film. Although he did not direct, this nonetheless contains many unintentionally humorous Wood-isms familiar to fans of his work. These include: mismatched day/night shots, amateurish acting, inane dialog (Criswell: "Torture! Torture! It pleasures me!"), and peculiar inserts of stock footage (a rattlesnake shaking its tail during a Hawaiian dance number). An in-depth article on the making of this film was published in "Femme Fatales," 7:1 (June 1998).
