Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay (1971)

With a title like Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay you pretty much know what to expect from this movie, but in fact the title is extremely misleading. This is not soft-core porn (although there’s certainly quite a bit of nudity). Directed by Bruno Gantillon in 1971, this is an example of a genre the French call the fantastique – a kind of combination of horror, the surreal, fantasy and fairy tale. Two young women lose their way on a lonely country road, and find themselves falling into the clutches of an ancient and powerful witch. If they choose to stay they will gain immortality, but at the cost of their freedom. Like the films of Jean Rollin this movie combines elements of the erotic with horror and general strangeness, and a rather effective dream-like atmosphere. If your idea of a good horror film is lots of gore then you needn’t bother with this one. If you prefer your horror to offer a slightly unsettling sense of the weird then this one is worth checking out.

The DVD from Mondo Macabro includes an interview with the director, and the picture and sound quality can’t be faulted. These really are happy days for fans of that delirious genre of art/horror/exploitation that thrived in Europe from the late 60s to the late 70s. There are just so many movies off-beast movies like this coming onto the market – it’s fabulous!