by Ed Travis
Cinapse Pick of the Week
Exactly what it sounds like, the Pick of the Week column is written up by the Cinapse team on rotation, focusing on films that are past the marketing cycle of either their theatrical release or their home video release. So maybe the pick of the week will be only a couple of years old. Or maybe it’ll be a silent film, cult classic, or forgotten gem. Cinapse is all about thoughtfully advocating film, new and old, and celebrating what we love no matter how marketable that may be. So join us as we share about what we’re discovering, and hopefully you’ll find some new films for your watch list, or some new validation that others out there love what you love too! Engage with us in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook! And now, our Cinapse Pick Of The Week…
The post-apocalypse is upon us, yielding hellish badlands ruled by power-hungry despots. Two heroes, a male and a female, undertake a daring mission to rescue a harem of women complete with car chases and chastity belts. A thematic undercurrent of feminism and sexual politics is ever present amidst the action and entertainment. One could easily be mistaken that my pick of the week is Mad Max: Fury Road, but instead we’ll be shining a light on Rowdy Roddy Piper’s Hell Comes To Frogtown… a film which shockingly has all of the above things in common with Fury Road.
The initial wave of public support and sadness over the real life loss of Roddy Piper has come and gone. Big fans and wrestling followers will keep burning the candle for ole Rowdy for a while longer, but the public at large has already moved on. While I can’t say I was the world’s biggest follower of Roddy Piper by any stretch of the imagination, I can definitively say that before his passing, I didn’t even know that Hell Comes To Frogtown existed. Several savvy fans and film fanatics pointed the way to this hidden gem of a title, and that very night that we learned of Piper’s passing, I gave the film a spin. I’m sorry it took the man’s passing to discover this hugely entertaining little piece of obscura, but I thought there couldn’t be a more fitting pick of the week than to spread the love a little further in his honor.
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper played a generally villainous role in his heyday with the WWF in the 1980s. I grew up, like most kids of my generation, rooting for Hulk Hogan and jeering at Piper. Time has worn on, and it has become clear that Piper was in fact the more gracious, intelligent, and honorable man in real life than Hulk Hogan ever was. And Hogan must be quietly thanking Piper majorly for the timing of his passing, which has effectively swept under the rug the recent recorded racist rant that The Hulkster will forever have saddled to his legacy. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper was the real hero all along.
But now to hop off my soapbox and dig into this funky little movie. And do note that this IS a low budget sci-fi comedy, not some life changing piece of cinema that will forever alter the way you view the world. It’s a movie where Roddy Piper fights a gang of frog people while strapped inside of a metal cod piece marking him as the property of the United States government. Yes… in this radioactive future, sterility is rampant and females have (naturally, as will eventually happen in our own society) taken over and assumed control of the remnants of America. When Roddy’s discovered to still be… rowdy… AKA shooting live ones… AKA able to reproduce… he agrees to help with the er… re-population effort. Little does he know this will mean a chastity device which will track his every move, cause him pain at any time his rulers want, and will only open for business for fellow fertile women. There’s a whole lot of comedy mined from this story element, most of which goes to making Piper’s Sam Hell (yep, that’s his name. And he also comes to Frogtown) a very endearing hero.
Also bolstering the film is the presence of Conan’s Valeria herself, Sandahl Bergman as Spangle. She’s a nerdy scientist who’s forced to tag along with Hell in order to monitor his breeding process. But at some point, the government’s harem of fertile women fall into the hands of the rulers of Frogtown… who are actual frog people. While their design might be a little pedestrian, I couldn’t help but LOVE the practical nature of these frog creatures. It felt like a real gamble for such a low budget film, and the gamble paid off, creating a wacky tone that’s memorable and brings a distinctive feel to the film.
Sandahl Bergman has a really meaty role that isn’t a damsel in distress or even just a female sidekick. She’s got her own agenda and she’s completely in control of Sam Hell as well. Their dynamic is playful and is indeed romantic in the end. So no, the gender dynamics aren’t quite as sophisticated or progressive as those of Fury Road. After all, this is a film that repeatedly features women caressing long machine guns, or hones in on a gas pump being inserted into a gas tank. Subtlety isn’t the name of the game when you have cult writer/director Donald G. Jackson (who went on to direct a sequel starring Robert Z’Dar as well as a film called Lingerie Kickboxer…) at the helm. But that doesn’t nullify the interesting dynamics that are present. (Artwork featuring Bergman wearing somewhat of a “leash” is more complicated in the actual film and less exploitative). While Sam Hell is game to sow his seed to save the world, he’s no misogynist. He largely treats their female soldier companion (Cec Verrell as Centinella) with respect and clearly allows his heart to be won by Spangle. But at the same time, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s entirely okay with driving around in a pink war machine.
Hell Comes To Frogtown is silly. The action won’t blow you away. The special effects have been done better in other places. There’s stiff acting and low budget production design. But damn if it won’t win you over with its charm, its knowing sense of humor and genre roots, and most of all its secret weapon: the eternally lovable “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
And I’m Out
Hell Comes To Frogtown is currently streaming on Hulu, rentable on Amazon Instant Video (clickable below) and had a sick-looking limited edition Arrow Video UK Blu-ray release which is now out of print, but the artwork for which is featured below.