Alex Chandon has recently released the critically and fan embraced Cradle of Fear, an anthology of very grotesque, effects laden tales that give some of the most gruesome films ever made a run for their money. After viewing that film I had some reservations about his sophomore effort, Pervirella, a soft-core/sci-fi comedy. Happily, my VERY low-expectations made for a very fun late night viewing!

Pervirella is set in the distant future, where a war-torn Condom (pronounced KONE-DOM) is run by a centuries old mad matriarch who is sustained by a precious elixir. When the ingredients to the elixir are exhausted, Pervirella (Emily "Bouffante" Booth), whose insatiable sex drive is controlled only by the necklace she adorns, is sent to fetch more. Along the way there are frequent reasons for Pervirella to "lose" the enchanted necklace, bear her breasts, and screw her enemies into the ground. hehehe.

I'm still laughing as I'm typing this because Chandon's Pervirella is just great fun. It's easy to write off as a soft-core film, but that's not even the half of it. It's more like Barbarella as performed by Monty Python, with plenty of T&A, gross out effects, and belly laughs. It's cheaply done and obviously intentional, with blatantly visible strings holding up "spaceships", models of cities that look like trainsets and hilarious use of the British countryside as everywhere from Asia, Africa, and South America. Emily Booth is very charming and hot as all hell, and can actually act, which is a rarity in late night boobfests, so that helps raise the bar a little as well.

Chandon's visual style recalls a low-budget Terry Gilliam, making the most of his minimal funds, and gets a lot of help from a funny and vibrant cast of characters. The film loses points in the "joke-a-minute" department, because many (most actually) fall flat, but the one's that work do so wonderfully and had me rolling on the floor.

The Region Free DVD release from Eclectic DVD/Screen Edge contains cast and crew bios, stills, and info on the film and soundtrack. The picture quality is as good as a film shot on Super 16mm is gonna get, with some artifacting, and hot spots, but nothing major.

Pervirella is something of a cult hit, and deservedly so, with loads of cheeky Python-esque humor, nudity, and tasteless site gags. All the stuff a growing boy needs.