I think I may be turning into a cinematic masochist. After suffering through two of Ted V. Mikels' abominations--"The Astro-Zombies" (1967), one of the world's worst, and "The Corpse Grinders" (1972), which is marginally better but still decidedly crummy--I had to rent out the Mikels-produced 1977 effort "The Worm Eaters," another incredible stinker. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson, but no, I then had to go out and rent Mikels' 1973 witchcraft epic "Blood Orgy of the She-Devils," and I guess I got what I deserved. In this one, a coven of hotty SoCal witches is led by a high priestess named Mara (Lila Zaborin). What little plot there is to speak of deals with the coven sacrificing the occasional male chump to Satan, some foreign agents who ask Mara to kill a U.N. ambassador with her voodoo powers, a (surprisingly well-done) seance ceremony, and a college professor who battles the high priestess. As usual in a Mikels film, the acting, scripting, lighting, editing, directing and FX are all rock-bottom deplorable, but at least--unlike, say, "The Astro-Zombies"--the story is comprehensible here, outlandish as it may be, and Zaborin intones her lines with great intensity. Some gratuitous scenes of witch torture from what I gather is supposed to be the 1600s only make the picture weirder than it would have been otherwise. Anyway, perhaps Michael Weldon, in my beloved "Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film," puts it best concerning this movie: "From the man responsible for 'Astro-Zombies,' so don't expect quality of any kind." I guess I'm a hopeless case, though, because now I'm searching out Ted V. Mikels' other 1973 masterpiece, "The Doll Squad"...
28 Reviews
Bland Orgy of the She Dulls
Eegah Guy22 April 2002
T.V. Mikels movies often have outlandish plots and titles but the execution almost always lacks excitement. This PG-rated hokum about suburban occultism will have your mind wandering half way into it and fully asleep by the end. So what's good about it? I did like the electronic score and the harem of dancing girls swaying to a native bongo beat in their castle. Whoever played the head witch put some gusto into her performance but overall this movie is a real drag. Even more dull than watching this movie is watching it with Mikels' audio commentary on the DVD. If you've seen the episode of The Incredibly Strange Film Show on Mikels you know that he's a lovable eccentric but he barely says anything on the commentary.
Not The Blood Orgy I Hoped For
Witchfinder-General-6666 May 2008
"Blood Orgy Of The She Devils" - an awesome title, that raises hopes for an ultra-sleazy and gory 70s Explotitation effort full of gratuitous female nudity, chopped off limbs etc. Unfortunately Ted V. Mikels' film, which is nonetheless slightly entertaining for its trashiness, is a very tame, and often boring yawner, that does not nearly come up to what the title promises. As it often was the case with films with an extremely low budget, this was given a title that has little to nothing to do with the actual film in order to lure viewers into theaters. The film itself is an absolutely ridiculous mess, but even though often too boring, it has its amusing moments. The film has a ridiculous and confused plot dealing with witchcraft, which revolves around an occult voodoo circle lead by a witch named Mara. Mara has supernatural powers which she can use to communicate with the dead as well as for other black magic purposes. When she includes a pretty young woman in her unholy circle, the girl's boyfriend and best friend consider a doctor who is an expert for the occult. The doctor, basically the hero of the film, is constantly talking in 'sophisticated' nonsensical phrases about witchcraft. The performances are terrible, but terrible performances are something I can forgive in low-budget cinema. What I missed were the exploitative factors, namely the expected gore and sleaze. The popularity of Michael Reeves' British Horror masterpiece "Witchfinder General" starring the great Vincent Price spawned a number of violent 'Hexploitation' films about witch-hunts, most prominently the notorious (and great) "Mark Of The Devil". Director Mikels also tried to jump on the bandwagon here, and "Blood Orgy Of The She-Devils" therefore includes two flashbacks to the time of witch-hunts, which are incredibly corny, but probably even so the best scenes in the film. Mikels is probably best known for "The Corpse Grinders" of 1972, which has a certain cult status, and which I have yet to see. "Blood Orgy Of The She Devils" is certainly not the nasty Exploitation film the title suggests, but merely a quite tame, and very very silly little film that mildly amuses but bores even more. It somehow reminded me of "Snake People", an extremely odd low budget-production which happened to be one of the last films starring the great Horror icon Boris Karloff. The difference is that this one doesn't star Karloff. "Blood Orgy Of The She Devils" has its amusing moments, and fans of (awful) cult cinema can consider watching it. Others should avoid it. I personally don't regret watching it, as I was somehow entertained by it, however, I made sure to write this review the day after watching it, since I will probably have forgotten it entirely in a week.
Dumb and Boring
Gafke8 January 2004
I spent $5 on a VHS copy of this film. I want that $5 back. I mean, think of all the gumballs I could have bought instead!
There's no orgy, there's little blood and Leslie McCrae hasn't learned to dance any better since her terrible turn in "The Girl in Gold Boots." Everyone in this film looks like they swallowed a quart of Nyquil before filming began. The plot...was there one? I saw this film less than six months ago and I can't remember much about its central storyline. Maybe it's a subconscious defense mechanism that caused me to block it from my memory. It's AWFUL! It tried too hard to be arty, and fails because nobody's art is going to be taken seriously when you have scantily clad go-go dancers wiggling around with long spears.
Big yawn.
There's no orgy, there's little blood and Leslie McCrae hasn't learned to dance any better since her terrible turn in "The Girl in Gold Boots." Everyone in this film looks like they swallowed a quart of Nyquil before filming began. The plot...was there one? I saw this film less than six months ago and I can't remember much about its central storyline. Maybe it's a subconscious defense mechanism that caused me to block it from my memory. It's AWFUL! It tried too hard to be arty, and fails because nobody's art is going to be taken seriously when you have scantily clad go-go dancers wiggling around with long spears.
Big yawn.
Another Mikels Meltdown.... :=8P
MooCowMo29 December 1999
Bad, boring, black magic mumbo-jumbo written and directed by Ted V Mikels("The Girl in the Golden Boots", "The Corpse Grinders")shows no blood, but there is an orgy of tedium. Mara, the "Queen of the Black Witches" kills via black magic - in this case, muttering the lines "so mote it be" over and over ad naeuseum, or pretending to channel an native american spirit who talks in the worst "Injun" dialogue ever ("you no want-em pappoose". The She-devils are her scantily-clad, empty-headed dancers, who perform odious dances not unlike those in Mikels' other miserable dance-choaked films ("The Girl in the Gold Boots")- in fact, Leslie McRea appears in both films, and is equally wooden. What "Blood Orgy" has that other Mikels' debacles doesn't is a lot of screaming - a whole lot! So much of the dialogue is screamed by the actors that the whole herd got a raging headache long before the much-welcomed ending. This is one of the longest 73 minutes you're likely to spend, and certainly one of the moost boring. As one character aptly states: "I don't like what I see here". The MooCow agrees whole-heartedly. :=8P
The worst of the worst.
gridoon1 March 2002
I'll give Mikels credit for one thing; when scantily-clad girls dance titillatingly, he knows where to place the camera to, er, "exploit" the situation. Otherwise, films don't get much schlockier or duller than this. Nobody can act, the story makes no sense and the "special effects" are either laughable or (more often) kept offscreen! A truly unwatchable film. Rating: Subzero.
Don't waste your time.
13Funbags26 May 2017
I've seen a lot of terrible movies but very few have been this bad.Of course there's no blood orgy and the girls that I assume are the she-devils have a very small part in the movie. I really don't even know what the the story was about. A witch channeled an Indian, summoned a ghost and contract killed a man(for which she was offered rupees,lol.I thought rupees were the currency in Legend of Zelda). Then she gets killed and her body just disappears, then she's alive again and now she's angry. So she makes some voodoo dolls and kills people and there's an African playing bongos and scientists who appear to have magical powers. So I guess it's about a witch who does voodoo and her followers who dance to African music and use spears. Total garbage.
stupid orgy
trashgang8 December 2008
A lot has been said about this film. But the title isn't what is in this movie. Blood, can't find any except some drops coming from someones mouth. But no more gore or blood in the rest of this flick.
Orgy, well I think you have to be naked and there have to be more then one girl and boy. Okay, so no nudity in this flick, not even a love or romantic part in this flick. No sex at all, why the word orgy?
She Devil, no devil is involved, just some spiritism. And I mean, a lot, of they go with blah blah blah and again blah blah blah.
a hell of a ride to sit this one out.
O yeah, did I ever mentioned that this one is a stupid one?
Orgy, well I think you have to be naked and there have to be more then one girl and boy. Okay, so no nudity in this flick, not even a love or romantic part in this flick. No sex at all, why the word orgy?
She Devil, no devil is involved, just some spiritism. And I mean, a lot, of they go with blah blah blah and again blah blah blah.
a hell of a ride to sit this one out.
O yeah, did I ever mentioned that this one is a stupid one?
Z-grade occult mumbo-jumbo.
BA_Harrison23 March 2021
A powerful witch and her acolytes practice black magic and perform human sacrifices. This being a Ted V. Mikel's movie, I knew to not get my hopes up too high, and sure enough, the titular 'blood orgy', which comes at the end of the film, fails to impress: rather than a room full of naked, entwined, blood-drenched Satanists caught in the throes of ecstasy, we get a half-dozen women in fur bikinis doing a bad Pan's People dance routine to a bongo beat. Furthermore, the trippy opening credits accompanied by weird experimental electronic music, which suggest a wild, psychedelic piece of surreal cinema is in store for the viewer, are totally misleading: Mikel's direction is about as vanilla as it gets. It's lame, but at the same time the film possesses a naive schlocky charm that might make it endearing to fans of low-budget z-grade movies. And that's this film in a nutshell: it ain't going to wow the socks off anyone, but it's good for a few giggles if you're in the right mood. The best part of the whole film is definitely the hilarious seance that sees witch Mara (Lila Zaborin) channelling the voices of the dead, including a native American who speaks in clichéd 'Tonto talk': it's heap load of hokey silliness - me findum funny. Mara also provides sporadic laughs with her oft-repeated catchphrase 'As I will, so mote it be!' - you'll be saying it for weeks afterwards! A flashback to medieval times - clearly designed to cash in on the success of films like The Devils and Mark of the Devil - is clumsily handled by Mikels, his scenes of the burning and stoning of young women not nearly as nasty as those that inspired them. A rushed ending in which practitioners of white magic defeat Mara and her followers rounds off the film in unspectacular fashion.
One of the worst witchcraft films out there
Leofwine_draca29 July 2016
Although I've heard a lot about the films of cult director Ted V. Mikels over the years, I'm not sure I've actually sat down and watched any of his work - until now, at least. Having just endured the cinematic mess that is BLOOD ORGY OF THE SHE-DEVILS, I suspect that his career is based on a string of classic exploitation titles that the reality of the movies themselves can't hope to match.
Certainly BLOOD ORGY OF THE SHE-DEVILS is nothing like it sounds as a movie. Incredibly this film earned an 18 certificate here in the UK, even though there are only two or three mildly violent scenes in the whole thing and the American rating was PG. However it stands, this is a low budget mess of a film, in which very little happens. Mikels seems to be going for a pseudo-documentary approach at times, having a greybeard professor narrating various 'facts' about witchcraft to his assembled audience, which makes for exceptionally boring viewing.
The 'horror' comes from a couple of black mass sequences that are full of alternate chanting and screaming, although they're filmed in such a way that's completely devoid of excitement, danger, or horror. Mikels is clearly hoping to emulate some of the exploitational 'witch finder' films made a few years previously, particularly MARK OF THE DEVIL, with a couple of moments of tame witch torture, but the histrionic acting and extremely low production values render such moments laughable rather than horrifying.
Certainly BLOOD ORGY OF THE SHE-DEVILS is nothing like it sounds as a movie. Incredibly this film earned an 18 certificate here in the UK, even though there are only two or three mildly violent scenes in the whole thing and the American rating was PG. However it stands, this is a low budget mess of a film, in which very little happens. Mikels seems to be going for a pseudo-documentary approach at times, having a greybeard professor narrating various 'facts' about witchcraft to his assembled audience, which makes for exceptionally boring viewing.
The 'horror' comes from a couple of black mass sequences that are full of alternate chanting and screaming, although they're filmed in such a way that's completely devoid of excitement, danger, or horror. Mikels is clearly hoping to emulate some of the exploitational 'witch finder' films made a few years previously, particularly MARK OF THE DEVIL, with a couple of moments of tame witch torture, but the histrionic acting and extremely low production values render such moments laughable rather than horrifying.
Ted V. Mikels proves once again the sort of director he really is...
planktonrules11 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I sought out this film because I recently have been trying to get hold of the films of the worst film directors in history. Ted V. Mikels and his films rank up there with the worst directors of the 60s and 70s. Hershell Gordon Lewis, Al Adamson and Larry Buchanan all are in the same pantheon of badness as Mikels, as all these men have a long string up ultra low-budget and dreadful films--and most not only directed their films, but wrote and produced them as well. Which of these is the worst? Well, it's hard to say but with Mikels films such as THE CORPSE GRINDERS and THE ASTRO-ZOMBIES, it's obvious he's well in the running!
Well, I was not disappointed. When the film began, a priestess was doing some sort of past life regression mumbo-jumbo. While a dumb idea to begin with, her horrible acting really made every scene she was in worth while. While this lady was a formidable witch, she certainly was NOT a formidable actress! Despite her inability to speak in any sort of a normal fashion (mostly, she screams or reads her lines very, very slowly), I must admit that some of her black magic was pretty cool--especially the fire ants and the voodoo doll bit...nice.
The next portion of the film is pretty goofy. It consists of lots of vignettes involving people being tortured and killed for supposed witchcraft. This came by the witch doing a past life regression with one of her young followers--who was killed repeatedly in past lives. My favorite of this involved some bishop or other top church official exhorting his followers (some of which were in period costumes, some of which were in clothes circa 1972) to "stone her". He looked like some jerk off the street and the scene was done in a silly manner--as the folks dropped lots of fake rocks on a woman. There's more to the film than this, including some more past life regressions, some more cult mumbo-jumbo and overacting. However, the worst of it is the ending, which you just have to see to believe.
Overall, a truly stupid and amazingly overacted film. Listening to the witch/priestess shriek and watching the dreadful "sexy dancing"(?) of the cult members is something you won't soon forget...no matter how hard you try!! Dumb from start to finish. Amazingly, this is definitely NOT Mikels' worst film! However, it sure tried! "Pscyhometrizing"?!?!
Well, I was not disappointed. When the film began, a priestess was doing some sort of past life regression mumbo-jumbo. While a dumb idea to begin with, her horrible acting really made every scene she was in worth while. While this lady was a formidable witch, she certainly was NOT a formidable actress! Despite her inability to speak in any sort of a normal fashion (mostly, she screams or reads her lines very, very slowly), I must admit that some of her black magic was pretty cool--especially the fire ants and the voodoo doll bit...nice.
The next portion of the film is pretty goofy. It consists of lots of vignettes involving people being tortured and killed for supposed witchcraft. This came by the witch doing a past life regression with one of her young followers--who was killed repeatedly in past lives. My favorite of this involved some bishop or other top church official exhorting his followers (some of which were in period costumes, some of which were in clothes circa 1972) to "stone her". He looked like some jerk off the street and the scene was done in a silly manner--as the folks dropped lots of fake rocks on a woman. There's more to the film than this, including some more past life regressions, some more cult mumbo-jumbo and overacting. However, the worst of it is the ending, which you just have to see to believe.
Overall, a truly stupid and amazingly overacted film. Listening to the witch/priestess shriek and watching the dreadful "sexy dancing"(?) of the cult members is something you won't soon forget...no matter how hard you try!! Dumb from start to finish. Amazingly, this is definitely NOT Mikels' worst film! However, it sure tried! "Pscyhometrizing"?!?!
Good low-budget occult film
quridley3 June 2017
This is not a scary or polished horror film, but a very personal and knowledgeable morality play about the supernatural evils of our world. Ted V Mikels has made so many fluffy and shallow movies that works like this get overlooked. He has some genuine experience with the occult and its dangers and his best stories reflect this. The characters and action in "Blood Orgy" are his most realistic and disturbing. Mikels pays more attention to his art direction and soundtrack here to produce an appropriately dark and creepy atmosphere and mood. This isn't as commercial and fun as HG Lewis or other schlock from the period, but its more sincere and effective. This film shows Mikels was probably the least cynical of that genre of filmmakers even if he wasn't the most polished.
Surprisingly morose Mikel
InzyWimzy20 February 2001
I have to admit, this movie was not as bad as I thought it would've been. Now, it's no Dario Argento, but there is this underlying dark theme of witchcraft, occult, the black arts and the low budget quality is apparent. Plus, considering I've seen "Girl in Gold Boots" first, I thought this one scored higher (although Gold Boots has become a favorite laffer for me). The music and visual effects helped add a creepiness to the film. Mara as the head witch does scream a lot especially during the seance scene. The Indian guy reminded me of Tomy Chong. Tom Pace did not make as many goofy faces as usual and Leslie McRae (ROWR, yum yum!!) was just great to look at despite her so so acting (I think Ted agrees). Some flaws included the witch trial flashbacks with the men donning modern dress slacks (poor kid got whipped) and the fake bat. Good late night fodder.
Great title, bad movie
Stevieboy6661 August 2017
This film centres around the exploits of witch/medium Mara, who is happy to perform curses if the price is right, and her coven who like to sacrifice men - which is a kind of gender reversal as it's usually good looking, naked women who normally end up on the alter in such movies. Films concerning black magic were quite popular around this period & this certainly has a stand out title. Sadly it does not deliver on the promise of either orgies or blood. I'm surprised that it's rated 18 here in the UK, it really is quite tame. It's also pretty boring & repetitive, suffers from bad acting & poor production values, though it's low budget obviously has to be taken into account.
See the Pope lead a public stoning!
umberto_scalli19 January 2002
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** This movie is an excuse to see a series of death scenes, made possible by demonic entities. The first features a woman who looks at her "future in the crystal." She is in an apartment. A man approaches her. Hilarious cuckoo clock music plays as she is being strangled. "Die, die, die", the man says as the music goes "cuckoo! cuckoo! cuckoo! cuckoo!". Following the assassination of the ambassador to the UN from Rhodesia(!)and the complications of this, a professor describes the days of witch hunting. Religious organ music plays as we see first the torture of the alleged witch, and then her death at the stake. They whip her child for good measure. This would probably be the most disturbing of the death scenes. The next that will come up is similar, yet done in a totally hilarious way. Almost immediately following the witch burning scene, another woman is made by Mara the witch to see her past life in a mirror. Naturally, she sees how she died in this past life. A cleric who seems to be wearing the garments and hat of the Pope begins with an exorcism. The religious music of the witch scene is used again, but is hilariously distorted, and includes what seems to be slide whistle accompaniments. The Pope says these prayers of exorcism, causing her to scream, and quickly gives up, saying "She is lost! Stone her!". So the Pope leads a mob which carries her outside a ramshackle-looking wooden church to some wooded area where the stoning begins; the scene ends with a giant stone about to fall on her. After a brief scene where the professor is told of the great ceremony that Mara the witch is planning, the boyfriend visits Mara to find out about one of his past lives. He too was executed; this time by American Indians who dance around and throw an axe into him. This was appropriate preparation for what Mara had in store for him.
A delightful film to make fun of.
mark.waltz8 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The performance of Lila Zaborin seems so over-the-top (matching her bad wig that looks like a monster may pop out of it at any second) that it seems like she had spent all night watching old bad biblical epics or sword and sandal programmers and copying the worst performances of the evil queens in badly dubbed English. She gives a performance that would have had her laughed off the set of "Dark Shadows", yet she seems to think that she is Dame Judith Anderson as Medea. At least she has fabulous earrings.
As the queen of a witches coven, Zaborin holds seances which raise evil spirits (and her voice in screaming rages), and she is supported by an actor who looks as if he has just come off a bad production of "Salome", still sweating from watching the princess dance. At certain times, he also resembles the Richard Libertini character from "All of Me", and throughout the film, I expected him to keep repeating "back in bowl".
This is the type of film that you have to enjoy as a comedy, unintentional or not, and don't expect to find a sensible plot. My tongue reviewing this was so far in my cheek that I may have drawn blood, but there is absolutely no blood and no real horror in this film. It is silly beyond belief, filled with amateur acting, poor sets and cheap looking costumes, and a ridiculous view of covens which perpetuates the stereotypes that show why people think they are absurd.
As the queen of a witches coven, Zaborin holds seances which raise evil spirits (and her voice in screaming rages), and she is supported by an actor who looks as if he has just come off a bad production of "Salome", still sweating from watching the princess dance. At certain times, he also resembles the Richard Libertini character from "All of Me", and throughout the film, I expected him to keep repeating "back in bowl".
This is the type of film that you have to enjoy as a comedy, unintentional or not, and don't expect to find a sensible plot. My tongue reviewing this was so far in my cheek that I may have drawn blood, but there is absolutely no blood and no real horror in this film. It is silly beyond belief, filled with amateur acting, poor sets and cheap looking costumes, and a ridiculous view of covens which perpetuates the stereotypes that show why people think they are absurd.
Decent Ideas That Lack Execution
Reviews_of_the_Dead16 August 2023
This film is one that I heard about thanks to the Horror Show Guide encyclopedia that I'm working through. This is one that I watched back almost a decade ago. I wasn't the biggest fan and forgot about it. I've now given it a second watch as part of my Traverse through the Threes now that I'm a more seasoned cinephile.
Synopsis: Lorraine (Leslie McRay) and Mark (Tom Pace) enter the world of witchcraft where Mara (Lila Zaborin) foretells the future and helps them remember their past lives. When a series of mysterious murders occur, they turn to Dr. Helsford (Victor Izay) for advice.
We start with Mara leading a ritual. Helping her is Toruqe (William Bagdad) along with a bunch of young women who are dancing for the ritual. This is accompanied by a man playing bongo drums. There is also another man who is tied up. To end the ritual, he is sacrificed by the women with spears.
This then shifts to Mark and Lorraine. She is dropped off at a house and she is let in by Mara. Lorraine asks about Sharon (Kebrina Kincade) and then she is taken into a room to work on her abilities.
It is from here we learn how powerful Mara is. She meets Rodannus (Ray Myles) and Barth (Paul Wilmoth). The former wants Mara to prove to her that she has powers. She breaks his glass of wine with her mind, cutting his hand. Satisfied, he asks her to kill an ambassador for the U. N. He says he will be pay her 40,000 rubles, but then she informs him that for her to do this, she would need 10x that amount and in United States dollars. He does agree to these terms.
We then shift it back to Mark and Lorraine. She wants them to attend a séance led by Mara. We then see what happens there. Mara allows a Native American to take over her body who tells two women to change their plans, because they will die. Her body is then taken over when her aunt who tells another woman to let her father pass on peacefully and to stop fighting, because he will rejoin her mother on the other side. There is then a ghost seen by all in the room.
Mark is shaken but doesn't fully believe it. He meets with a former college professor, Dr. Helsford. They tell him about what happened and Mark states that he still doesn't believe that she is the real deal. He also reveals that he is going back for another ritual. Izay tells him to be careful, because magic is not good or bad, it all depends on the user.
We do see how truly powerful Mara is. She can kill the man that was hired to. Rodannus doesn't want to pay up though. He sends his bodyguard to dispatch her. That is just the start though. There is another ritual that goes down. Mara needs to be stopped before it is too late, but it will be difficult to kill someone as power as her.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. I must admit something. Coming in I was expecting this to be full of nudity. That is not the case as it is rated PG. The most that I noticed was the outfits our women are wearing during their ritual. I'll give this credit. The title is provocative to get people to check it out.
Where I'll start to delve into this is that I like the concept. Even if we just look at this as a cult of 'she-devils' led by Mara, that's fine. This is a coven of witches. Having this political assassination, another solid part. There isn't a large budget and what they do is great. It would never get traced back to them. Trying to kill her to tie up that loose end wasn't needed, but I know how people in government work. It is classic. How everything ends is fine as well. That also fits in with the talk between Mark, Dr. Helsford and Lorraine.
Now there is something that is a negative aspect to me. We have fillers here. This doesn't run 80 minutes so they added elements of witchcraft in the past. There is one that involves witches and how they were found by witchfinders. This plays out with the witch being forced to confess or be executed as a 'test'. There is another one where a woman is stoned to death. They are decent scenes. The first one is better than the later one. I've seen worse since this at least is in line with theme of the movie. It also makes sense with the professor telling this information at the least.
What truly hurts this though is that it is boring. The story is quite minimal. We have this coven and we see the different powers that Mara has. I understand the first séance. This is to entice Mark to join. He then takes part again in an age regression one, which is why we see the view in the past. That makes more sense there. The pacing just meanders here without a strong enough force guiding it in my opinion.
Something else that hurts this is the acting. No one is particularly good. I'm also guessing that the writing wasn't strong to help either. Zaborin is good though as this main witch. She isn't completely evil, but she does use her power for evil when needed. Bagdad is solid as her right-hand person. Pace and McRay are okay as our leads. It is interesting for the latter is that she is the model for the poster for Lizard in Woman's Skin, but uncredited. Izay is fine as the professor. I did like all the women that are part of the cult. Their dance scenes were good. The rest of the acting is mediocre at best.
All that is left is filmmaking. I've already said that the pacing is off. The cinematography is something else that is fine. It doesn't stand out and the print I saw was muddy. I'm guessing it was a VHS rip so I can't hold it against the movie itself. This is low budget. The minimal effects were cheap. Looked to be early computer and practical ones. I have a soft spot for both here. The best part though is the soundtrack. There were multiple times with my notes that I commented on it and it gave an eerie vibe. That helped the atmosphere.
In conclusion, I'm not going to completely beat this movie up. They weren't working with much. I don't mind the idea of this coven of witches that are able to do rituals. The problem is that they didn't know what to do with it so we got about a sixty-minute movie with filler. Those minutes drag as well. The acting feels amateur as does the filmmaking. The best part is the soundtrack. I enjoyed that quite a bit. Not one that I can recommend unless you like these types of films. I commend them for what they did so there's that.
My Rating: 3.5 out of 10.
Synopsis: Lorraine (Leslie McRay) and Mark (Tom Pace) enter the world of witchcraft where Mara (Lila Zaborin) foretells the future and helps them remember their past lives. When a series of mysterious murders occur, they turn to Dr. Helsford (Victor Izay) for advice.
We start with Mara leading a ritual. Helping her is Toruqe (William Bagdad) along with a bunch of young women who are dancing for the ritual. This is accompanied by a man playing bongo drums. There is also another man who is tied up. To end the ritual, he is sacrificed by the women with spears.
This then shifts to Mark and Lorraine. She is dropped off at a house and she is let in by Mara. Lorraine asks about Sharon (Kebrina Kincade) and then she is taken into a room to work on her abilities.
It is from here we learn how powerful Mara is. She meets Rodannus (Ray Myles) and Barth (Paul Wilmoth). The former wants Mara to prove to her that she has powers. She breaks his glass of wine with her mind, cutting his hand. Satisfied, he asks her to kill an ambassador for the U. N. He says he will be pay her 40,000 rubles, but then she informs him that for her to do this, she would need 10x that amount and in United States dollars. He does agree to these terms.
We then shift it back to Mark and Lorraine. She wants them to attend a séance led by Mara. We then see what happens there. Mara allows a Native American to take over her body who tells two women to change their plans, because they will die. Her body is then taken over when her aunt who tells another woman to let her father pass on peacefully and to stop fighting, because he will rejoin her mother on the other side. There is then a ghost seen by all in the room.
Mark is shaken but doesn't fully believe it. He meets with a former college professor, Dr. Helsford. They tell him about what happened and Mark states that he still doesn't believe that she is the real deal. He also reveals that he is going back for another ritual. Izay tells him to be careful, because magic is not good or bad, it all depends on the user.
We do see how truly powerful Mara is. She can kill the man that was hired to. Rodannus doesn't want to pay up though. He sends his bodyguard to dispatch her. That is just the start though. There is another ritual that goes down. Mara needs to be stopped before it is too late, but it will be difficult to kill someone as power as her.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. I must admit something. Coming in I was expecting this to be full of nudity. That is not the case as it is rated PG. The most that I noticed was the outfits our women are wearing during their ritual. I'll give this credit. The title is provocative to get people to check it out.
Where I'll start to delve into this is that I like the concept. Even if we just look at this as a cult of 'she-devils' led by Mara, that's fine. This is a coven of witches. Having this political assassination, another solid part. There isn't a large budget and what they do is great. It would never get traced back to them. Trying to kill her to tie up that loose end wasn't needed, but I know how people in government work. It is classic. How everything ends is fine as well. That also fits in with the talk between Mark, Dr. Helsford and Lorraine.
Now there is something that is a negative aspect to me. We have fillers here. This doesn't run 80 minutes so they added elements of witchcraft in the past. There is one that involves witches and how they were found by witchfinders. This plays out with the witch being forced to confess or be executed as a 'test'. There is another one where a woman is stoned to death. They are decent scenes. The first one is better than the later one. I've seen worse since this at least is in line with theme of the movie. It also makes sense with the professor telling this information at the least.
What truly hurts this though is that it is boring. The story is quite minimal. We have this coven and we see the different powers that Mara has. I understand the first séance. This is to entice Mark to join. He then takes part again in an age regression one, which is why we see the view in the past. That makes more sense there. The pacing just meanders here without a strong enough force guiding it in my opinion.
Something else that hurts this is the acting. No one is particularly good. I'm also guessing that the writing wasn't strong to help either. Zaborin is good though as this main witch. She isn't completely evil, but she does use her power for evil when needed. Bagdad is solid as her right-hand person. Pace and McRay are okay as our leads. It is interesting for the latter is that she is the model for the poster for Lizard in Woman's Skin, but uncredited. Izay is fine as the professor. I did like all the women that are part of the cult. Their dance scenes were good. The rest of the acting is mediocre at best.
All that is left is filmmaking. I've already said that the pacing is off. The cinematography is something else that is fine. It doesn't stand out and the print I saw was muddy. I'm guessing it was a VHS rip so I can't hold it against the movie itself. This is low budget. The minimal effects were cheap. Looked to be early computer and practical ones. I have a soft spot for both here. The best part though is the soundtrack. There were multiple times with my notes that I commented on it and it gave an eerie vibe. That helped the atmosphere.
In conclusion, I'm not going to completely beat this movie up. They weren't working with much. I don't mind the idea of this coven of witches that are able to do rituals. The problem is that they didn't know what to do with it so we got about a sixty-minute movie with filler. Those minutes drag as well. The acting feels amateur as does the filmmaking. The best part is the soundtrack. I enjoyed that quite a bit. Not one that I can recommend unless you like these types of films. I commend them for what they did so there's that.
My Rating: 3.5 out of 10.
No orgy, but aural treat?
Bofsensai24 July 2016
So here am again trawling through known worst in some hope of locating a redeeming factor (as someone here earlier assessed it, in a sort of 'masochistic movie musings mode'), and you should know - especially if paid attention to other reviews here - that being a T. Mikels' film, the answer is that still, it's a resounding NO: not least because most of it is shot in the dark (even one bright sunlit exposition scene still has one of the dialogue interlopers filmed in darkened face shadow, still!)
In fact the most useful advice I could pass on was that perhaps it would be a good one to put on for the background to a (Halloween?) party or the likes (thanks 'Al Omega' of online Creature Features) coz in its way, this could be of aural interest, first for all the really hokey dialogue (Main witch star, Mana (Lila Zaborin) mostly not really acting, only emoting - once in almost an (ex UK PM) Margaret Thatcher style barking out "I'm not here to frighten you; I'm here to help you!"), but also because the soundtrack has some great trippy sounds on it seeming more appropriate to a sci-fi offering (kudos to Carl Zittrer and/or James Christopher in the music / sounds departments): and yes, as warned, no orgy folks, but towards the end some pretty dancing (well hop and jumping) girls bop about to a pretty cool drumming beat. Oh, and also that if right on full throated feminine screaming somehow does it for you, then these otherwise amateur delivery actresses really put their heart and, well, lungs, into their cue, 'scream' scenes, indeed!
So there you go; plenty to keep ya ears attuned to, but otherwise, visually, on the whole - i.e. throughout - absolutely nothing (although I do wonder if the Monty Python team, circa Life of Brian, had seen and been inspired by the flashback stoning scene): as one other reviewer also suggested rank as below = sub zero: so, actually, standard fare for Ted as usual, really. What would you otherwise ever expect?
In fact the most useful advice I could pass on was that perhaps it would be a good one to put on for the background to a (Halloween?) party or the likes (thanks 'Al Omega' of online Creature Features) coz in its way, this could be of aural interest, first for all the really hokey dialogue (Main witch star, Mana (Lila Zaborin) mostly not really acting, only emoting - once in almost an (ex UK PM) Margaret Thatcher style barking out "I'm not here to frighten you; I'm here to help you!"), but also because the soundtrack has some great trippy sounds on it seeming more appropriate to a sci-fi offering (kudos to Carl Zittrer and/or James Christopher in the music / sounds departments): and yes, as warned, no orgy folks, but towards the end some pretty dancing (well hop and jumping) girls bop about to a pretty cool drumming beat. Oh, and also that if right on full throated feminine screaming somehow does it for you, then these otherwise amateur delivery actresses really put their heart and, well, lungs, into their cue, 'scream' scenes, indeed!
So there you go; plenty to keep ya ears attuned to, but otherwise, visually, on the whole - i.e. throughout - absolutely nothing (although I do wonder if the Monty Python team, circa Life of Brian, had seen and been inspired by the flashback stoning scene): as one other reviewer also suggested rank as below = sub zero: so, actually, standard fare for Ted as usual, really. What would you otherwise ever expect?
Ted Mikels Strikes Again!
gavin694225 November 2014
Lorraine and Mark enter the world of witchcraft where Mara foretells the future and helps them remember their past lives. When a series of mysterious murders begin to occur, they turn to Dr. Helsford fort advice.
Written, directed and produced by Ted V. Mikels, who is one of the more bizarre of the independent, cult directors. This is a guy who was known for his home life, as he once lived with groups of women in a Glendale, California castle. And judging from this film, some of those ladies may have made an appearance.
This movie is a bit odd, and definitely low budget, but not necessarily bad. People give it a bad rap, a hard time, and say it is awful. No. Any film that entertains is not awful ,and this entertains.
Written, directed and produced by Ted V. Mikels, who is one of the more bizarre of the independent, cult directors. This is a guy who was known for his home life, as he once lived with groups of women in a Glendale, California castle. And judging from this film, some of those ladies may have made an appearance.
This movie is a bit odd, and definitely low budget, but not necessarily bad. People give it a bad rap, a hard time, and say it is awful. No. Any film that entertains is not awful ,and this entertains.
A truly brilliant slice of 70s occult life from the master, TV Mikels!
Atomic_Brain26 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Blood Orgy of the She-Devils is one of several stone-cold sexploitation masterworks from the undisputed master of drive-in schlock, Ted V. Mikels. Orgy captures the flavor of the 70s New Age/Occult phenomenon perfectly, a time when curious suburbanites would prance over to their neighbors for a slapdash seance, with cocktails afterwards. Lila Zaborin is incredible as the lead witch, her bold soliloquies really hinting at an actress who knew whereof she spoke. There are some terrific optical effects throughout, specifically for the illustration of spirit plasma and psychic auras. A couple of ritual dance sequences are terribly charming, and supporting characters are charismatic to a fault. The heart of the film are two mind-boggling flashback scenes showing how previous incarnations of main characters were punished amd decimated for their bold feminist views, as terrified patriarchy targeted any woman with a brain and a will as an enemy of phallocentric hegemony. Certainly one of the most lurid and entertaining knock-offs to come after the Rosemarys Baby/Exorcist boom, Orgy has a slick look which belies its humble origins. Mikels was always able to make exceedingly handsome films on his small canvases, and like Russ Meyer, the films of Ted Mikels often look much "bigger" than they actually are. Interesting to see the generally lousy reviews from the video rabble - methinks they can't handle a real exploitation movie which features front and center a powerful matriarch who dispatches weak men with a flip of her wrist. On the other hand, that's my kinda woman...
Interesting exploitation movie
cofemug17 January 2001
Warning: Spoilers
Let's get the basics down first. I grew up in a white-bread, almost totally homogenized town. I am only 19. And, so, I haven't seen too many exploitation films. However, due to a recommendation from "Cult Flicks and Trash Picks," I bought this piece of trash a few years ago. I have watched it twice. The movie is good, and better than most.
*SPOILERS* The movie is almost incoherent, and shall be for most films. A group of sacrificing witches do rituals. Their head witch is hired to kill a politician, and then is killed, but reincarnates herself. She also does seances. She decides to extract her vengence on the two who attempted to kill her. We also have flashbacks of torture scenes from history's witches (some of the more disturbing images on screen). And, it ends with a bunch of witch hunters coming to kill her.
The movie is funny in parts, sometimes downright hilarious. However, it does have moments of disturbing images, much worse that Last House on the Left, if you need a comparison. The movie somehow got away with a 'PG' rating, probably because it does not show anything. So, I found it kind of entertaining, even if it was a little tedious.
7/10
*SPOILERS* The movie is almost incoherent, and shall be for most films. A group of sacrificing witches do rituals. Their head witch is hired to kill a politician, and then is killed, but reincarnates herself. She also does seances. She decides to extract her vengence on the two who attempted to kill her. We also have flashbacks of torture scenes from history's witches (some of the more disturbing images on screen). And, it ends with a bunch of witch hunters coming to kill her.
The movie is funny in parts, sometimes downright hilarious. However, it does have moments of disturbing images, much worse that Last House on the Left, if you need a comparison. The movie somehow got away with a 'PG' rating, probably because it does not show anything. So, I found it kind of entertaining, even if it was a little tedious.
7/10
Complete waste of time! Another Mikels turkey.
Infofreak8 February 2002
Ted V. Mikels is sometimes lumped together with Ed Wood, Ray Dennis Steckler and Herschell Gordon Lewis as a director of good "bad" movies. This is incorrect. He makes BAD "bad" movies! They stink! Mikels is probably the only director who can take a trashtastic title like 'Blood Orgy of the She-Devils' and make it boring. In fact I sometimes think Mikels is responsible for the most boring movies ever made. Not arthouse Warhol/Antonioni/Tarkovsky "boring" (which I can appreciate), but looking-at-your-watch-every-ten-minutes boring. Now this is quite an achievement when you're dealing with potentially sensational material concerning witchcraft and political assassinations! I found this movie a chore to sit through. And no, there is no "blood orgy" and the "she-devils" dance a lot but keep their clothes on. Awful on every level.
Slapping those Women
mrdonleone29 January 2020
Marvelous! I simply loved Blood Orgy of the She Devils, a good old fashioned scary movie on which they still dare to slap a naked woman in her face without shame. Slap! Slap! Slap! She's crying. Ooooh, that excited me... Wonderful movie!!
Girl In The Dull Boots
rufasff21 June 2003
You can believe Ted Mikels did in fact reserch witchcraft quite a bit before making "Blood Orgy Of The She Devils"; it has a lot of ideas jumbled into a non-plot trying to get Ted a piece of The "Roosemary's Baby" dollar.
Alas, it is all very lame, lacks any unintentional humor, and has none of the bounce of "The Girl In The Gold Boots". Much of Mikel's cast from that klutzy charmer are back, but even the wonderful Leslie McRae gets no chance to display any of the vunerable warmth and charm She had in that film. Hollywood sadly overlooked this stunning beauty who could have been a contender.
The rest is just cheap, absurd Ted, though played at a slower speed. On the DVD he talks a lot about his celebrated "castle"; where most of this was shot.
Alas, it is all very lame, lacks any unintentional humor, and has none of the bounce of "The Girl In The Gold Boots". Much of Mikel's cast from that klutzy charmer are back, but even the wonderful Leslie McRae gets no chance to display any of the vunerable warmth and charm She had in that film. Hollywood sadly overlooked this stunning beauty who could have been a contender.
The rest is just cheap, absurd Ted, though played at a slower speed. On the DVD he talks a lot about his celebrated "castle"; where most of this was shot.
By No Means as bad as it's 3.0 Rating
radioactivesound17 October 2022
Cheap and schlocky movies can be a real drag. Especially when you watch many in a row over a few weeks before a bigger budget or more widely acclaimed film.
This film is cheap and schlocky, yet it wasn't a drag at all for me for the most part.
The film is actually quite ambitious in many ways for an early 70's cheapie.
Maybe I was in the mood for something like this, but I liked the storyline for the most part.
No, it's not very titular or gory as the title might want you to believe, but still fun in many ways.
With a psychedelic slant from some opening visuals to the synthesizer music, it was something different for a witchcraft movie which was based a bit as a straight up crime movie too.
Leslie McCrae and a couple of the other girls were nice to look at.
There's some glaring continuity errors and special effects that aren't that special.
This film is cheap and schlocky, yet it wasn't a drag at all for me for the most part.
The film is actually quite ambitious in many ways for an early 70's cheapie.
Maybe I was in the mood for something like this, but I liked the storyline for the most part.
No, it's not very titular or gory as the title might want you to believe, but still fun in many ways.
With a psychedelic slant from some opening visuals to the synthesizer music, it was something different for a witchcraft movie which was based a bit as a straight up crime movie too.
Leslie McCrae and a couple of the other girls were nice to look at.
There's some glaring continuity errors and special effects that aren't that special.
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