#575. Blood Orgy of the She-Devils (1972)

Directed By: Ted V. Mikels

Starring: Lila Zaborin, Victor Izay, Tom Pace




Tag line: "A terrifying, screaming plunge to the depths of hell!"

Trivia:  An alternate title for this film is Female Plasma Suckers

Blood Orgy of the She-Devils. The name alone commands your attention. Now, being somewhat familiar with this sort of ‘70s fare, I knew going in there was little chance the movie would live up to its title. I’ve been burned before (The trailer for the 1971 film, Chain Gang Women, had all the makings of a women-in-prison flick. Turns out there were only two girls in the entire picture, who: A. weren't in prison, and B. had about 10 minutes of screen time between them). Yet even with my expectations set to low, Blood Orgy of the She-Devils proved a disappointment. 

Mara (Lila Zaborin) is the high priestess of a Satanic cult, with a number of beautiful women as her followers. Lorraine (Ledlie McRay), one of Mara's newest disciples, convinces her boyfriend, Mark (Tom Pace), to accompany her to a séance, but when things get out of hand, they ask Dr. Helsford (Victor Izay) to look into the matter. Though he's seen many phonies in his day, Helsford believes Mara is the real deal, a true harbinger of evil determined to unleash her powers on an unsuspecting world. He asks several of his colleagues to assist him in defeating Mara, but is she too powerful to be stopped? 

I wouldn't even classify Blood Orgy of the She-Devils as a “near-miss”; this movie falls way short of the mark. The opening scene involves a ritual in which a coven of beautiful, sword-wielding witches parade around a half-naked man tied to the ground. Mara is there, as is Toruqe (William Bagdad), her assistant, who wears a funny hat lined with animal skins. After the women do a bit of dancing, Toruqe lets out a yell, and the bevvy of beauties descend on the man, stabbing him to death. Not a bad way to start a film about Satanists, right? Except that the scene has no life to it. It’s all so very bland in its execution, and what might have been an interesting opening serves instead as an omen of the drudgery to come. Even Mara, the supposed Black Witch, doesn't do much except perform a few parlor tricks, and utter a whole lot of philosophical claptrap (“Power is something you cannot see, but are aware of in many ways”). She does undergo a physical transformation of sorts halfway through the film, yet it doesn’t improve her abilities one lick; she's just as unimpressive as ever. As for her female followers, they're definitely easy on the eyes. I just wish they were given more to do than sit around and watch Mara make an ass out of herself. 

You have to give writer/producer/director Ted. V. Mikels some credit: as misleading as this film's title is, it got my attention, and was the sole reason I wanted to see it. But don’t you make the same mistake I did. Blood Orgy of the She-Devils is an utter waste of time.