Starting life as “La Venganza del Sexo”, this silly bit of Argentinian sexploitation was extended by almost 20 minutes for its US release, where it appeared in cinemas as “The Curious Dr Humpp” in the early 1970s. The additional footage, consisting almost exclusively of writhing hippies, overexcited lesbians and a random assortment of nymphomaniacs, definitely makes this a film for the adults-only crowd, although it’s all done in the best possible taste. Still, it might not be the sort of thing you’d want to watch with grandma. Grandad would probably be into it, though.
Dr Humpp’s first fifteen minutes are spent with a team of boggle-eyed mask-wearing madmen smothering couples who are “in the act” (of having it off), causing the unwitting love-makers to fall unconscious before being bundled into the back of a hearse. A reporter and a police chief team up to solve the mystery behind the kidnappings, and their investigation leads them to a mad scientist who’s attempting to discover the secret of eternal life by harnessing the power of what Derek and Clive might refer to as “the horn”. And when the participants in these experiments are no longer useful (such as the poor man who’s “got nothing left”), the dirty doctor also intends to turn their lifeless corpses into “veritable screwing machines”…
A lot of questions are raised during this 90-minute softcore bonkathon, many of which are left unanswered. A meandering plot, schizophrenic direction, awkwardly-dubbed dialogue and a cacophonous soundtrack that swings wildly between upbeat jazz and sinister psychedelic clangs and drones make this perfect for fans of bizarre and obscure oddities. The fun doesn’t quite end with the main feature, though – also included are the original Venganza del Sexo cut, an audio commentary by Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case director and renowned fan of all things trashy and absurd), a brief selection of titillating trailers and an unexpectedly hilarious (and awkwardly-named) short called “Tomb Itmay Concern” in which an explorer and his diminutive assistant poke their noses around an old tomb and reanimate the surprisingly healthy and energetic corpse of a 2000-year-old belly-dancing Egyptian princess. Sexcellent stuff indeed!
