JUNGLE VIRGIN FORCE!

Last month I purchased Tales of Voodoo: Volume One on ebay for 59 cents plus $2.95 shipping.  It contains two garbage flicks:  Escape from Hell Hole and Jungle Virgin Force.  The movies have absolutely nothing to do with the DVD cover art:

(The cover says it includes Hell Hole, but it’s actually Escape From Hell Hole, an Indonesian film made in 1983.  Hell Hole is a different movie, made in the Philippines in 1978.  In any case, “Women in Prison” movies aren’t my thing, so I don’t have much to say about this one.  There was a minute or two of kinda-looks-like-a-jungle scenes with gory bamboo traps, but don’t waste your time with this one.)

“Jungle Virgin Force” just rolls off the tongue, don’t ya think?  I’ve been annoying my wife  at random moments the last couple weeks by saying in a movie trailer voice:  “JUNGLE VIRGIN FORCE!!!”

A couple days ago, my brother asked if I wanted to borrow a DVD of a movie starring Anne Hathaway.  I replied:  “Nah.  I’m gonna watch JUNGLE VIRGIN FORCE instead.”  We laughed.

So I did watch Jungle Virgin Force instead.  Made in Indonesia in 1988.  Near the beginning of the movie, the “Professor” says:

Your expedition could very well be fatal.  You’ll be encountering real savages who don’t apprehend the concept of mercy.  You won’t find this island on any map in existence.  It’s uncharted and unexplored.  It lies roughly midway between Australia and New Guinea, in an area known as “The Triangle of Death.” 

This may sound melodramatic, but only a handful of explorers who have gone there have lived to tell the story.  I befriended their queen, and with their help I got out alive.  The rest of my men weren’t so lucky.  Their high priest encourages the practice of cannibalism.  His black magic is something you must take seriously. His powers are quite real. 

Your guide will be a hunter named Bunyon.  He spent over ten years searching the jungle for his daughter, who was lost in a plane crash. 

And on final thing:  I implore you to forget about any stories you may have heard about tribal treasures.  Don’t invite your own death.  There’s no way to emphasize this too strongly:  

Forget about the treasure! 

That sums up the movie well.  Of course, it’s all about the treasure.  The jungle and caves were ok, but the real highlight of the movie is the grating music and grunting jungle natives.  There’s even a High Priest and Priestess that shoot lightning from their hands and magically hurl stalactites through their enemies’ chests.  A borderline candidate for inclusion on the Big List of 1980s Fantasy Movies.

Jungle Virgin Force is bonkers and headache inducing, but except for rampant violence it’s actually quite tame.  No virgins or nudity or cannibalism, so you can watch it with the family…depending upon your family.

Hey, speaking of humans eating humans.  Cannibal movies don’t interest me much, but I have seen a couple:  Last Cannibal World (1977) (aka Jungle Holocaust) and Cannibal Holocaust (1980), both directed by Ruggero Deodato.  Cannibal Holocaust is the more infamous of the two, but it’s little more than a shock showcase.  Last Cannibal World has a more interesting adventure and contains some of the best jungle footage of all time.  Superb rain forest with huge buttress rooted trees and a variety of thick foliage and swamp.  The caves and natives are well done too.  This movie is not tame, so do not watch it with the family…depending upon your family.

Text at the beginning of Last Cannibal World says it is based on an actual story regarding the discovery of a stone age tribe on Mindanao.  I’m 99% certain that’s completely false, based on what I know about Mindanao and the Tasaday.  Also, there is conflicting info about where Last Cannibal World was filmed.  I’m skeptical that any of the jungle was filmed in the Philippines, as is suggested in some places.  I don’t know for certain, but I’m of the opinion that the jungle scenes were all filmed in Malaysia.

One last time before I give it a rest…

JUNGLE VIRGIN FORCE!!