THE DISCO EXORCIST (2011)

The Disco Exorcist (2011)
Directed by: Richard Griffin
Written by: Ted Geoghegan, Tony Nunes
Starring: Michael Reed, Ruth Sullivan, Sarah Nicklin

THE DISCO EXORCIST (2011)
Directed by Richard Griffin

Rex Romanski is the grooviest cat in town, who knows how to get on down on the dancefloor and with the hoardes of sexy ladies who catch his eye under the discoball. After a night of passion with his latest catch Rita Marie, he sets his sights on Amoreena, an attractive pornstar from his favourite movies, and eagerly asks her to dance. A scorned Rita spots his betrayal and unleashes her fury on the couple. Whilst Rex and Amoreena brush her off as some crazy bitch, Rita curses the duo and returns to her home where she practices the occult, with a speciality in voodoo.
Life is fruitful for Rex and Amoreena, humping at every opportunity God sends, but when Amoreena suddenly turns murderous, Rex begins to realise that Rita’s curse may not be nonsense after all. Rex must do all he can to stop the bloody onslaught and save his girl.

If there was ever a fantastic name for a movie, it has to be The Disco Exorcist, complete with its disco version of Tubular Bells, an iconic tune used on the horror classic. Shot as a grindhouse, exploitation film, The Disco Exorcist balances its demonic story with plenty of sex, nudity, cocaine and disco music to entertain any fan of the beloved genre. It’s funny, raunchy and doesn’t take itself too seriously, much like the grindhouse films of the 70s, but a lot of heart and soul has clearly been put into the film to make it as damned near an exploitation film of the era as possible.

Though not particularly horrifying, there are some intriguing moments in the film that take the horror in the more satanic direction, with Rita Marie wriggling around naked on a pentagram, slicing herself with a knife. Other sights include a man being ripped in half and a porn star dismembered of his greatest asset. With porn and the free-and-easy lifestyle taking such a precedence in the movie, it’s fair to say that there’s plenty of sex scenes on screen and full frontal nudity from both the men and women. Though most of the cast have their kit off, the scenes are tastefully done and believable without being explicit.

The lead actors in the film are rather likable and carry the story of hexed love particularly well. Michael Reed’s dimpled Rex is handsome, charming and quite a mover, both on the dancefloor and in bed, so it’s not hard to see why he’s an attraction to the ladies. Amoreena, played by Reed’s wife Sarah Nicklin, is sick of the porn industry males and is looking for the love of her life. A mystic directs her to the discotheque, which is where she first lays eyes upon Rex and their lives changed forever.

With its scratched, grainy look, you could believe that THE DISCO EXORCIST is a genuine grindhouse film. With its tongue-in-cheek humour and gritty charm, THE DISCO EXORCIST is perfect Saturday night beer movie.

Rating: