I recently reviewed a great documentary on the history of the video nasties list (see Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide). These films are seen as some of the most violent and obscene films ever created. Included on the list were films running the gamut of horror sub-genres, from slashers to cannibal flicks. One sub-genre that is also featured throughout the nasties is the rather obscure “Nazisploitation.” For my first foray into this Nazi exploitation realm, I chose Italian director Cesare Canevari’s Gestapo’s Last Orgy.
Lise Cohen (Daniela Poggi) is one of many female death camp prisoners who is being subject to the nazi regime’s brutal treatment. Humiliation, torture, and rape are all part of the everyday routine at the camp. Lise catches the eye of Commandant Conrad (Marc Loud) because of her strong will and ability to keep from weeping at such horrid sites until he is able to break her and make her his lover.
Gestapo’s Last Orgy is full of some of the most vile stuff I have seen in a long time. There are continuous scenes of degradation, including clips of women smearing feces all over their bodies, mother and daughter incest and torture, rape orgies, the burning of a live woman who is then eaten, etc. I believe it was Cesare Canevari’s goal to include as much depravity into his film as possible and believe me, he succeeded, especially for a film that came out nearly 40 years ago.
There isn’t any gore in this movie, which was a huge reason for most films to be included on the nasties list, but gore is certainly not needed here. Orgy will test your stomach on more than one occasion and have you questioning why you are even watching it. I know there are tons of horror fans out there that are always looking for the most disgusting stuff they can find. Take note, if you are one of these people, you should definitely seek out any of the many Nazisploitation films out there.
It is worth noting that films of this genre are meant to ‘exploit’ the subject matter in which they concern themselves, in this case Nazism. Not only does Canevari and his team show the savagery of the death camp generals towards the prisoners, but he also shows a certain level of stupidity (for lack of a better term) that they express towards each other.
There is one female Commandant that is the lover of Marc Loud’s character. At one point, Loud gets too excited at the sight of a prisoner’s torture, so to ‘punish him,’ the Nazi female spanks and sodomizes him. If they do that stuff to each other, it is no wonder they treat the prisoners so horribly!
There is little plot here and the acting is of average quality, so don’t expect a masterpiece going into this film. If you want to explore the sub-genre and cross one more film off of your “video nasties to see” list, give Gestapo’s Last Orgy a go. You can purchase a copy of the DVD from Severin’s official website. The DVD includes a bonus featurette, which helps shed some light on the history of the Nazisploitation sub-genre and why it even exists.
I give this film 2 baby-skin gloves out of 5.
