Severin Films

Around 1993, I met a guy at a bachelor party, and we hit it off by talking about movies. We both had the same tastes in obscure and cult films. His name was Nick, and thirty-plus years later, he’s still one of my closest friends. We started talking about a filmmaker we were interested in but couldn’t find any of his movies locally: Russ Meyer.

The following weekend, we drove to the legendary Thomas Video in Royal Oak, MI. If a movie were available, no matter how obscure, chances are, they would have it. In fact, Quentin Tarantino had been photographed there acquiring films for his personal archive. The place was loaded with VHS, LaserDisc, and eventually DVDs. While browsing the LaserDiscs, I found Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, one of only two films Meyer would direct for a major studio. That night was our first introduction to the maestro’s work, and I’ve been obsessed ever since.

Russ Meyer is mainly known as a director of softcore comedies featuring a bevy of beautiful women and their enormous assets, but there were many more layers beneath the surface. He made political statements and tackled controversial subjects while trying to entertain and titillate in some respects. He had a style all his own that was often imitated but never replicated. His editing style would be rapid fire and dialogue that was ridiculous, quotable, and hilariously funny. Meyer would have several writing partners, but film critic Roger Ebert was the most prolific.

Most of his films were self-produced, and he hung onto the rights to those films until the day he passed away in 2004. Aside from his VHS releases, they were available on LaserDisc for a short period, then becoming highly sought after. There was a Region 2 DVD release, but that is now out of print and very valuable to collectors.

Thankfully, Severin Films struck a deal with The Russ Meyer Charitable Trust, and the first batch of films has arrived. Those films are known as the Vixen Trilogy. I was surprised to see these titles selected, but it’s exciting nonetheless, and I dove into them.

Vixen! (1968) stars Erica Gavin as the titular character, the wife of a Canadian bush pilot. The two run a resort for vacationers, but Vixen has way more fun than she should. Her husband is a bit naïve and has no clue what she’s doing when he’s away. Eventually, a Communist hijacks her husband’s plane and forces him to fly to Cuba. What will Vixen do?

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Meyer isn’t afraid to tackle a satirical film about racism, infidelity, rape, and incest. It’s been quite a long time since I last saw it, but it’s not nearly as provocative as I remembered it; it’s relatively tame. Erica Gavin is a powerhouse and absolutely stunning in the lead despite her character being somewhat unlikable at times. Needless to say, you can’t take her eyes off her.

It’s also great to see Harrison Paige (Lionheart) in a supporting role, stealing almost every scene. I can see why it was such a success when it was originally released.

In Supervixens (1975), Clint (Charles Pitt) works at a gas station, leaving his beautiful wife at home. After she is brutally murdered by psychotic police officer Harry Sledge (Charles Napier), he has to flee the town since he was framed. On his journey to seek refuge, he meets a cast of zany characters until he falls for a young woman (Shari Eubank) who runs a diner in the middle of BFE.

Some regard this as a masterpiece, and there’s much to love, but some of the more violent scenes clash with the comedic tone of the rest of the film. Shari Eubank shines playing dual roles, and other standouts, including Meyer regulars, are Uschi Digard, Haji, Stuart Lancaster, and John La Zar. Charles Napier is particularly nasty as the cop you love to despise.

Some heavy-hitting laughs and a healthy portion of nudity make it memorable, even though some of the violence is off-putting.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens (1979) would be Meyer’s final theatrical film. At that time, hardcore pornography was taking over, and instead of giving in, he gracefully hung it up. There really isn’t much of a plot here, just zany vignettes strung together VERY loosely by the story of Lavonia (Kitten Natividad) and Ken (Lamar Shedd). The couple has a great life together, but with her thirst for sex and his obsession with going in the “back door,” they’ll have to work on themselves before they can truly take care of each other.

Set in Small Town, USA, it may be his wackiest film to date and a real blast. He goes all-in, it’s highly entertaining, and the women are in complete control. He has no reservations about showing off the female form. In addition to Natividad, he brought along Ann Marie, Candy Samples, Uschi Digard, and June Mack for the ride.

It should also be noted that Roger Ebert helped Meyer with the script. Although it is far from his best work, it is still a ride you’ll want to take.

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Partnering with The Russ Meyer Charitable Trust, Severin would spare no expense in restoring these films; they look better than ever. Crisp, clean, and vibrant, I don’t think you could ask for better transfers. The discs are loaded with special features, including archival commentaries by Meyer on all three films, a commentary by Erica Gavin on Vixen, other classic interviews (and some new ones) with Gavin, Kitten Natividad, Charles Napier, as well as Russ Meyer, and others. It was also great to see they included The Incredibly Strange Film Show episode devoted to Meyer, which never aired in the U.S. (I had only seen it on a third-generation VHS copy decades ago.)

These have to be the releases of the year for cult/exploitation film fans, and hopefully, this is just the beginning. Meyer has a plethora (a word I never used until I heard it in Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!) of fantastic films just waiting for their day to be given the same treatment. Severin Films are, without question, the ones to do it.

  • Watch the Vixen! (1968) trailer.
  • Watch the Supervixens (1975) trailer.
  • Watch the Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens (1979) trailer.

Russ Meyer's 'Vixen Trilogy' Blu-ray

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