Search the Cinema Head Cheese Archives!

August 4, 2015

Interracial Sex Havoc #9: 1985 – 1990


The Interracial Sex Havoc project is a reviews selection of films that contain at least one interracial sex scene. The present chapter is about movies released from 1985 to 1990. Many goodies are presented, including a Dennis Hopper film and a flick with Mickey Rourke. So, enjoy!

Foreword on Compilations

For this Interracial Sex Havoc instalment I had to ignore the Afro Erotica film series that (from 1986 to 1989) produced 33 volumes, and the Black Ass, White Gash film series that I believe it produced 10 volumes, because although they are both very important compilations of ethnic pornography and among the first too, these videos were still a patchwork of unrelated sex scenes and no matter how hot many of them are (some of them coming from classics of the era) there is really not much you can write about plot-less intercourse sessions. The bottom line is that I will try to avoid compilations as much as possible.

Irrelevant Introduction

Up to around 1988 (roughly the end of the golden age of porn), movies usually portrayed interracial sex as something exotic. From around 1988 onwards things changed a bit and usually interracial sex worked as a vehicle for fetishsized racism. Some subgenres of porn do that with several subjects, including rape. Racism and rape are undeniably the greatest evils in this world. They are occasionally eroticized in some porn subgenres, but I don’t think that we should make quick conclusions of the films that do that (or any film). After all, adult films work as a fantasy (no matter how realistic) and contrary to prostitution they actually keep perverts off the streets when they offer them harmless orgasms through masturbation. Rape and racism are cultural problems that society needs to solve with education and other means, but to ignore them by simply banning them on film is outright stupid.

Another problem with porn from around 1989 to 2009 is (in most cases) the lack of story. The rise of the so called gonzo porn killed storytelling. This seems to be changing the last few years with the introduction of genres such as the staged casting videos and those work solely because we the audience get introduced to the performers. Sure, most of what the performers say is bullshit, but a character development of sorts takes form there. This works as a masturbation material because it is absolutely vital to know a thing or two about the performers even if that is only a fake name and a fake date of birth. It looks like the ‘amateur’ genre won’t go away any time soon, but it also seems that many people are now bored of seeing people portrayed as fuck meat. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely find many ‘amateur’ videos to be very hot, but as a reviewer I find it impossible to write an article about two (or more) people fucking in a room.

Another thing I noticed is that although the adult film industry was always producing comedies, somewhere around the late ‘80s parodies and self-mockery themes became very frequent. And it has been said by various theorists that when one film movement stops taking itself seriously then it is dead. Well, porn proved this argument to be wrong.

The Reviews

Angel Heart (1987)

The beginning of this film is set in New York in 1955 where Louis Cyphre [Robert De Niro who around the same time was also in The Untouchables (1987)] delegates private detective Harry Angel [Mickey Rourke fresh off 9 ½ Weeks (1986)] to find singer Johnny Favourite.

Harry goes on a mission in Louisiana (which is very stereotypically portrayed as uncivilized) where dead bodies start piling up around the hunt for Johnny. It is there that he will meet underage mother Epiphany Proudfoot [Lisa Bonet from High Fidelity (2000)] and between them the sole interracial sex scene will happen. It is a very interesting scene which is pivotal to the plot and gorgeous to look at with its use of the small space that a single room is providing and with the rain that comes through the ceiling and later becomes blood which is showering the couple.

There is a twist ending to the film, which nowadays may seem very obvious, but back then it was quite original as nobody in the audience was so well trained to such surprises. Also, the names given to the characters are a bit stupid and obvious. This being a neo-noir, the main character is smoking cigarettes throughout the entire running time which makes you want to take a puff too. This is in my opinion the greatest film by director Alan Parker [Pink Floyd The Wall (1982)].


Black Moon Rising (1987)

This film was directed by Ethan Marks, and I believe its title was meant to cash-in on John Carpenter’s Black Moon Rising (1986). It has nothing to do with it, and it is about three white housewives that all have black men. The story is nothing to write home about, but the performers are so hot that you’ll forgive a lot of things and you will even get rewarded with a MFFF orgy and a girl-girl scene. Also, the soundtrack is great beyond belief; that is, if you like cheesy ‘80s beats.

The Further Adventures of Tennessee Buck (1988)

Ken Manchester [Brant von Hoffman from Guilty by Suspicion (1991)] is a camera-obsessed rich person who’s on a honeymoon with his super-hot wife Barbara [Kathy Shower from To the Limit (1995)] in Borneo. Over there they will meet the titular hero [David Keith from Men of Honor (2000)] and together they get captured by natives.

The local women oil Barbara and she seems to enjoy this very sexy scene (her naked body is sexy beyond belief), but a bit later a guy will rape her in a short but uncomfortable scene which is the sole interracial action that you will see in this film.

Okay, this is a jungle adventure, but it is an R-rated one at that. Meaning that aside from the aforementioned nudity and rape, you will also see beheadings and all sorts of gore. What’s offensive though is the racism. This film obviously has a comedy angle throughout and many of the racial references are meant to be received as jokes, but I think that director David Keith’s film would be better without them, especially at times when these seem unable to generate a laugh.

Godmother 1 (1988)

This seemingly shot-on-video affair by prolific director John Stagliano takes its cues from The Godfather (1972), but it is really more about the ongoing police investigation of a prostitution ring that is apparently focusing on interracial sex.

Godmother 2 (1988)

This sequel was seemingly shot back-to-back with the first film judging from the use of the same settings and the return of many performers. Whichever is the case, I think they were both released in 1988, although the IMDb lists 1991 as the release year of the previous film; but why should you trust them? Other than that, things are business as usual here as director John Stagliano delivers a film with very little story to speak of and a string of mostly unrelated sex scenes, the majority of it of interracial nature.
 
Colors (1988)

This film kicks off with a scroll which informs us that gang members in L.A. outnumber the cops that hunt them. And I thought it was more likely to get killed by a cop than a gang-banger...

Robert Duvall [The Godfather (1972) & The Godfather: Part II (1974)] plays a supposedly good old cop, and Sean Penn [Death Proof (2007)] plays an ape-shit crazy cop, and they are partners; and both white. For the first half of the film the only thing we see is the two of them cruise the streets of L.A. and bullying several black people. Things don’t get much better in the second half, as we see the bad cop being abandoned and then cheated by his Latina girlfriend [Maria Conchita Alonso who with Sean Penn pair for what could barely qualify as the film’s sole and brief interracial sex scene], so she must be evil too, right?

When you approach sensitive subjects such as gang violence and police, then things are never as simple as good vs. bad. In the film under review you can’t even find an attempt of approaching simple questions such as: How the gang culture was created? What are the economics behind it? Who is gaining from it and what? Does going after them in full-force solve anything? Why the people that became gang members the pursued this path? Because – oh what a surprise – there is always an actual human being, an actual person, behind every action.

I suspect that Dennis Hopper who directed this was trying to put together a Martin Scorsese kind of picture [maybe Mean Streets (1973) was an inspiration in aesthetic tone only], but Scorsese’s films work because he cares about the characters that live in each side of the coin, which I don’t believe is the case here. Keep your eyes open though and you’ll catch a small but good performance by a young Tony Todd [a few years before he became a horror icon with Candyman (1992)].

Black Dreams (1988)

This film is set in Amorous Acres which is a beach resort in California where loads of sex is happening and most of it is of interracial nature. The beach and the sand in the first scene are visually stunning, but the rest of the film is pretty much your standard late-‘80s fare. Most of the performers are gorgeous, including my favourite, Laurel Canyon [from Hidden Obsessions (1992)] who has two sex scenes, the latter of which is a threesome with Nina DePonca [from Dr. Caligari (1989)] and Ron Jeremy (who also directed).

Nights of the Demons (1988)

This film was directed by Kevin Tenney [Witchboard (1986) & Witchboard 2: The Devil’s Doorway (1993)] and is a favourite among fans which is not difficult to see why; even the titles in the beginning are somewhat iconic and really cool.

The setting is pretty much standard Slasher-fare as two carloads of teenagers decide to spend a night in the possessed house by the cemetery, but instead of a killer, they will soon start getting murdered by a bunch of demons that they summoned with a séance in the first place.

In the first few scenes Joe Augustyn’s screenplay is trying to sort of aim for some commentary when he is showing teenagers in a very good light while at the same time portraying old people’s establishment as being nuts. I wish that the filmmakers had elaborated more on this.

This is a scary film more than anything, but it is also a very sexy film (horror star Linnea Quigley bares her breasts). There is a brief interracial sex scene that takes place in a coffin, but it is nothing to write home about.

This was shot in Los Angeles in four weeks on a $1.2 million budget, and it made $13 million on its opening weekend domestically alone. With such success it was inevitable that sequels were made, both for the theatrical market [Night of the Demons 2 (1994)] and the video market [Night of the Demons III (1997)]. Recently Adam Gierasch directed a remake [Night of the Demons (2009)].

Alice in Whiteland (1988)

The titular character is a gorgeous black girl [Angel Kelly from The Barlow Affair (1992)] who wakes up in the titular place, and she soon gets laid with two white performers [Mike Horner and Denise Connors]. Other than these two scenes the film should not be of much interest to Interracial Sex Havoc readers.

The performers are able to transfer themselves in place and time instantly with a clap of their fingers, and director Duck Dumont [Back to Nature (1991)] achieved this with one of the oldest and lamest tricks in the book (shooting the same shot once with an actor and once without) and an annoying sound effect. Also starring Nina Hartley and Keisha, so maybe you’ll ignore me and you’ll proceed to watching this.

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)

Betty [Deborah Harry who was also in the similar Body Bags (1993)] keeps a young boy [Matthew Lawrence from Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)] locked up in a cage, who in order to survive has to tell three scary stories.

The first one [short screenplay written by Michael McDowell, based upon a story by Arthur Conan Doyle] is about Bellingham [Steve Buscemi from Reservoir Dogs (1992)] who digs up an ancient mummy which in turn will kill a couple of people, including Susan [Julianne Moore in her first film part].

The second story [screenplay written by George Romero, based upon a story by Stephen King] is about Halston [David Johansen from Scrooged (1988)] who is a hit-man hired to kill a black cat.

The third story [written by Michael McDowell] is about a monster that hunts a white artist [James Remar from Django Unchained (2012)] who in turn picks up a random black girl [Rae Dawn Chong from Commando (1985)] off the street, and they have a brief sex scene which is the sole point of interest for the present column.

Although this is an anthology, the entire thing was directed by one filmmaker, namely John Harrison who is mostly known for his TV work. Speaking of TV, I’ve seen a few Tales from the Darkside episodes, back when they were released on tape, and although I occasionally flirt with ‘80s television, I really can’t call myself a fan.

Unrelated Postscript

Approximately a year ago here at Cinema Head Cheese I begun writing the Column of the Dead (you can find the first instalment online which is about 1930s zombies), but I decided that I should not proceed because it proved to be my least popular blog upload which I think may be because the living dead have been done to death. Similarly I will not do the article on the vampire classics that I was planning. This development will give me all the time I need in order to further pursue my beloved Interracial Sex Havoc. See ya next month!

No comments:

Post a Comment