Sunday, September 1, 2013

She Demons – Crusty Faced, Curvy Cuties Experimented On By Mad Nazi Scientist

By Steve D. Stones 

This 1957 low-budget film was produced by Astor Pictures and directed by Richard Cunha, the man who gave use such drive-in schlock as Frankenstein’s Daughter, Missile To The Moon and Giant From The Unknown.

The one thing going for She Demons is that it stars beautiful Irish McCalla, who was a nude model for men’s magazines and later the star of the 1950s TV series – Sheena, Queen of The Jungle. A ship carrying three men and a woman is wrecked after a violent storm. The four manage to row to shore on an uncharted island off the coast of Florida. Does any of this sound clichéd yet?

When they reach shore, they find the dead body of a beautiful young woman with a crusty face and bulging eyes, thus the name – She Demons. A number of these She Demons are kept in cages on the island. One of the men of the ship wreck is killed by a spear early on in the film when the other three survivors leave their camp to explore the shores of the island.

The three survivors go exploring the island when they encounter a dozen women in skimpy outfits in a tribal, voodoo dance. The women are caged in cells and used as experiment subjects by a crazed Nazi scientist. Does this also sound clichéd?

 Soon, the three survivors of the ship wreck are captured by Nazi soldiers. The crazed Nazi scientist is infatuated by Irish McCalla, the only woman survivor of the ship wreck, and wants her to be his new bride. His current wife is badly scarred by experiments to restore her youth and beauty. McCalla refuses as he threatens her with her life.

The two surviving men are tortured by Nazi soldiers. McCalla and the two men eventually escape the clutches of the Nazi soldiers and the scientist when a bombing raid helps a volcano erupt on the island, conveniently destroying everyone and everything but McCalla and the two men.

If this film is a complete bore to any viewer, the eye candy of Irish McCalla certainly helps it. Never mind her unconvincing acting and the clichéd blonde airhead she plays who is eager to be saved and is constantly high maintenance for the men who surround her. That type of acting is better suited for her Sheena – Queen of The Jungle role she played on TV in the mid-1950s. The role of Sheena required simple, sparse dialogue.

Sinister Cinema in Medford, Oregon sells She Demons on a double-feature drive-in combo with another Richard Cunha film – Giant From The Unknown (Drive-In Double Feature #28). The two films are a fun combo to enjoy on a Friday night. Happy viewing!!! Below is a picture of McCalla.

No comments:

Post a Comment