Cultpix Radio Ep.62 - Daimajin and Doris Wishman, an Kaiju Sexploitation Mashup

Smut Peddler and Django Nudo cover two big film topics for the price of one, while also cursing Roku for still not having sorted out the missing Cultpix films.

First up is Daimajin, the giant demon god stone statue that comes alive and wrecks destruction on the unjust. Daiei produced no less than three Daimajin films in the span of one year (1966): "Daimajin", "The Return of Daimajin" and "Daimajin Striked Again". They are firmly in the Kaiju tradition and trace their roots to an unrealized sequel to the original Gamera, which will also be shown on Cultpix later this spring. They also have a kinship to the North Korean "Pulgasari" (1985). The plot of the first two are fairly identical, with Daimejin saving peasants from an evil feudal lord, but the third has an added kids-on-a-quest sub-plot that elevates it.

Interestingly this trilogy was made the same year as several of the films from Doris Wishman's 'Moonlight' period, that is the second season of her films on Cultpix. This is when the maverick cult director moved from the nudie-cuties of the early 60s to roughies, resulting in darker films, but still with tell-tale Wishman touches, like cut-aways to shoes and lamps. 

These hard-nosed, sex-focused noirs stand tall as some of her greatest, most perverted work. AGFA calls them “triumphant DIY treasures”. We are in debt to AGFA, Something Weird Video and Vinegar Syndrome for these remarkable films being available to share with you.

Included are "The Sex Perils of Paulette" (1965), a twist on the The Perils of Pauline films in Wishman's first 'roughie'; adultery and betrayal in "My Brother's Wife" (1966), with Wishman's signature downbeat conclusion; the housewife-on-the-run-forced-into-prostitution-classic "Bad Girls Go to Hell" (1965), considered to be   “Wishman’s formula perfected,"; the non-cannibal "A Taste of Flesh" (1967), with lesbians and political assassination attempts; a rare male lead in the form of a gigolo in
"Too Much, Too Often" (1968); a respectable middle class woman is forced into prostitution in "Another Day, Another Man" (1966) after her husband falls ill; super natural powers over a woman in "Indecent Desires" (1968) leads her to question her sanity. There is also the two Greek film re-edit oddities "The Hot Month of August" (1966) and "Passion Fever" (1969), featuring new dialogue and insert soft-core shots of drama films bought form Greece. 

We have a Spotify playlist that is full of musical gems and more from the Doris Wishman films.