Shown on local TV recently, this film attracted my interest because of its classical title, (totally belied by the contents). Sadly I found it a very ugly film that I would not recommend to anyone except perhaps those who enjoyed the live dismemberment sequences in such turgid melodramas as "Bordello of Blood". In retrospect, I regret that I did not turn it off promptly, but it was saved by a sort of perverted style and logic. For example the chief villain was a paraplegic named (Cock)roach,. which somehow got reduced to Roach - this unfortunate loss seems to have started the long sad story. It stars Shannon Tweed who is not noted for sophisticated performances. Films in which I have previously seen her have been straightforward action thrillers, often with added eye candy in the form of the lightly clad and highly gymnastic unarmed combat sequences in which she excels. Some of these movies had even incorporated "naked into their titles - the last that I saw was Naked Lies, a fairly straightforward and business like thriller no better and no worse than many others featured on late night television. It is now too late, but consideration could have been given to re-making this as Naked Electra, to enable some of its more gross sequences (such as one character cutting out the heart of another and passing it on to a third as a snack) to be exorcised and replaced by a few more sequences where Shannon could have displayed her undoubted combat ability, and also perhaps some of the sundry other assets she often featured when she was Queen of the Playboy empire. Done well enough, this might even have justified increasing the rating I have given it from an undeserved one star to as high as perhaps three stars.
After the North American film industry abandoned the Hayes code, it retained for many years a series of unofficial voluntary taboos on displaying material regarded as still being extremely controversial, or socially unacceptable. These taboos have gradually faded away but I believe they could still serve a useful function in protecting the industry from rising public wrath when they find they have paid good money for what is quite simply disgusting material - such as the sequence referred to above. Had I unsuspectingly bought this film as a DVD I would have been furious. Cannibalism is an acceptable component of some serious movies as well as others which are simply satirical; but films which present it as pure humour are simply gross and should never have been released. I know some will wish to raise an outcry about this statement, but I believe most IMDb users would agree with me. In the old days we would have demanded our money back from the cinema manager, today major studios should be expected to give all DVD purchasers the right to a refund if any such contents are not clearly and adequately indicated up front.
After the North American film industry abandoned the Hayes code, it retained for many years a series of unofficial voluntary taboos on displaying material regarded as still being extremely controversial, or socially unacceptable. These taboos have gradually faded away but I believe they could still serve a useful function in protecting the industry from rising public wrath when they find they have paid good money for what is quite simply disgusting material - such as the sequence referred to above. Had I unsuspectingly bought this film as a DVD I would have been furious. Cannibalism is an acceptable component of some serious movies as well as others which are simply satirical; but films which present it as pure humour are simply gross and should never have been released. I know some will wish to raise an outcry about this statement, but I believe most IMDb users would agree with me. In the old days we would have demanded our money back from the cinema manager, today major studios should be expected to give all DVD purchasers the right to a refund if any such contents are not clearly and adequately indicated up front.