Side Order of Ninjas

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Thirsty Dead (1975)

Blood Hunt
The Blood Cult of Shangri-La


Cast:

Jennifer "I need me some White Lightning" Billingsley is Laura
Judith McConnell is Claire
John "I was there When Time Ran Out?" Considine is Baru
Tani Guthrie is Ranu
Fredricka Meyers is Ann


What the box says:

A stewardess, an erotic dance, and two beauty queens are kidnapped and taken to a cave in the jungle. They soon discover their gruesome fate. They're captives of a cult of immortals who survive by drinking blood.


Plot:

The sun sets, as men head to the gentleman’s club, the gyrations begin…Plot specific radio announces how a number of women have been kidnapped. One woman, Claire, is grabbed to summon the opening credits.

Later, the cops start to investigate Claire’s disappearance.

Francisco, a native guy, asks Laura to marry him but is blown off. After he leaves, some monks grab her.

Later, Laura awakens and is taken to an underground sewer with another girl. They are canoed into the river. The monks take them with Bonnie and another girl. The Bataan Death March through the jungle ensues.

The cult is ready and begins worshipping Raoul. The girls are taken to the village. The cult believes that one of the girls may be the one if Raoul decides.

The ceremony calls on Raoul. Apparently, Laura is the chosen one; destined to free mankind from the machines…The natives take the other girls to a cell. Laura manages to escape into a nearby cave but found shortly.

Laura is brought to Barouk, the head priest.

Push out the jive...





Get out on the floor and do the Funky Monkey...
A metaphysical rant ensues. Laura is shown an ancient painting of her. Barouk offers to let her learn their ways.

Back in the cell, a native warns Laura to leave while she still can or else.

The next day, as the ceremony begins; the girls realize that Laura has been taken again.

All cults must have bizarre interpretive dance numbers. Laura is readied and is introduced to Ranu, the queen. A number of girls are tied to tables and are cut. The cult uses the girls’ blood to make the cult immortal. Ranu offers Laura the opportunity to join them. Laura refuses. Ranu has her shown what happens to those who refuse. Laura is thrown into a cell with zombies?

Barouk tries to convince Laura to join. A bad philosophical debate ensues; something about ugliness is to be prevented. Laura keeps refusing. .

Taken back to the cell, some elderly native lady offers to help the girls escape.


Things get even wackier on the next Mystery Date...
The day for night jungle scenes have to start. The girls reach a village where they’re welcomed. Barouk is able to recapture them.

At the blood drinking ceremony, Barouk had to recapture Laura. He shows her the pit of bones of those that refused. Suddenly, Barouk decides to help the girls escape. He lets out the zombies to cover the escape. Laura and Claire, who wants to stay, get into a cat-fight. During the struggle, Claire falls off a cliff and dies.

The zombies attack the serum room.

Barouk leads the girls down a steep trail.

The guards finally overpower and beat the zombies into submission.

Ranu sends people and guards to bring the escapees back but warns her people not to go past the ring of age.

Hiding in a cave, they head back out and have to stay ahead of their pursuers. Let the jungle chase ensues.

Barouk is getting weaker and older after passing the ring of age.


Luke, tell your sister I'm sorry..
(Got to do the pointless Star Wars in-joke..)
The cult pursuers send the guard that aren’t immortal and drastically aging past the ring, either.

Barouk can’t go any further and has the girls keep going. The guards catch up him and promptly kill him.

The girls are trodding on and come across a road. Flagging down a passing jeep and ride off to escape the guards.

A helicopter is making aerial recon passes over the jungle and can’t find the cult village.

The cops don’t believe Laura’s story and can’t find any trace of the village.

Ranu uses her telescope and spies on them.


Can't turn away from Rosie O'Donnell's nude beach...


What I say:

Somewhere in the middle of making a movie that has hot 1960s women captured by a cult of immortal blood-drinkers, a small error was left unchecked. Unfortunately, some people don't realize how small errors can multiply beyond comprehension. Though, it was a small error it magnified not exponentially but an example of the Ackerman function

3↑ ↑ ↑ 3
or, 333
or, 327
or, = 7625597484987.

The error of the movie being bad. Not bad in any semblance of entertaining but bad in the manner of being a health-hole of biology and business classes.

Plenty of things have been said about cheap Italian movies and the bad Kung Fu movies from Hong Kong. In the Pacific, one country does stand alone for their creativity and brilliance: the Phillipines. Any country that made making the world's greatest midget spy movie: For Your Height Only. Deserves more respect than could be heaped upon them. However, they have also made quite a few bad movies.

Horror movies set on islands have led to things like Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla, I Eat Your Skin, King of the Zombies, Revolt of the Zombies, or Snake People. None of which are stunning examples of superior filmmaking. While the horror movie ending with no one believing the hero is not a new thing, it is close to being as annoying as having the dream ending that totally invalidates the time you spent watching the move. Did it happen or not? If that's not bad enough, they have to throw out a few hints like having the villain appear as the mean teacher or something.

Some women are kidnapped and taken to a cult. None of them seem slightly bothered by being kidnapped or being caged. I guess it was a generational difference of 20-somethings in the 1970s between people with thoughts in their heads. Women that have their blood used to preserve the youth of others grow older and turn into withered zombie shrews.

I have to admit that Barouk at least had some nice 1970s disco clothes. Had only he been boogieing in Studio 54 rather than trying to kidnap women to drink their blood to stay young. Too bad, this was pre-Botox. After quitting the Hemoglobin Horse, Barouk rapidly aged to reaching Joan Rivers chronological age.



1 1/2 NINJAS

Quotable Dialogue

"How'd you like to be a white slave?"
"Raoul knows and Raoul will decide."
"You think they're eunchs?"
"Come drink."
"Do not go beyone the ring of age."


Morals of the Story

Women normally dance in giant bird cages.
Monks love to kidnap women.
All natives know about healing herbs.
Cult girls must dress like Uhura from Star Trek.
Hot tubs can make one forgive kidnappings.
Mice love to gnaw on bones.
Priests wear mini-dresses.
Spider webs are terrifying.


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