Fantasm / Fantasm Comes Again
(Synapse Region 0 NTSC DVD)
(1976/1977)
review by Blackgloves

Featuring the All-New Horrorview Wank-o-Meter!!

Distributor turned producer Antony I. Ginnane owes most of his subsequent success to a soft-core sex "comedy" produced in the mid-seventies: "Fantasm" (1976) was apparently the first Australian soft-core movie -- although most of it was shot in the US with American hard-core actors such as Serena and Rene Bond providing the on-screen "action", with only the segments linking each sexy escapade actually being filmed down under (so to speak!)

The enormous success of this venture ensured a quick sequel, but by this time the hard-core revolution had overtaken the sex industry and "Fantasm Comes Again" did not even secure a theatrical release in the US and failed to match the success of its predecessor at home. The films have acquired something of a cult reputation since then, thanks to their unavailability in an uncut form -- with only murky bootleg copies in circulation. Now those days are over thanks to Synapse films, who present the films in uncut, widescreen, anamorphically enhanced special editions -- complete with producer's commentary tracks and (in the case of "Fantasm") a twenty-three minute featurette. These sleazy, shot on 16mm, wank-fests have certainly come a long way since their inception ... no pun intended!

"Fantasm" was directed by Richard Franklin (using the name Richard Bruce) who went on to direct antipodean classics such as "Road Games" and "Patrick". The basic mock-umentary set up is that Professor Jurgen Notafreud (John Bluthal -- better known these days as Frank from the Richard Curtis written sitcom "The Vicar Of Dibley") is a sexologist who is opening his case files in order to teach us about the "inner mechanisms of the female mind". Really of course, it is an excuse to present us with ten smutty stories featuring the American hard-core cast in various soft-core scenarios: Erect nipples, hairy pudenda and flaccid peckers are the order of the day!

In the first segment a woman's trip to the beauty parlour results in a rather unorthodox beauty session involving powdered nipples and shaved pubes (with a cut throat razor)! In other episodes: a woman deals with a knicker-sniffing pervert by way of a strap-on delivered where the sun don't shine; two women meet in a sauna (one with very big knockers, the other with very small ones -- don't say we aren't given variety!) and indulge themselves in a spot of sapphic fumbling; well-hung porno superstar, John Holmes, indulges in near hard-core shenanigans in a swimming pool; and cult starlet Serena is ravished during a Satanic orgy (the producer's tribute to Terence Fisher apparently)! In-between, Professor Notafreud delivers his often incoherent verdict on the lessons to be learned from each film about female sexuality. Bluthal's comedy inserts are typically tedious and unfunny but at least the wonders of DVD will allow you to fast forward through them (alternatively they provide you with enough time to go in search of a box of tissues). As far as the sex goes -- well, you're sure to find at least one seventies hard-core starlet to your taste among this lot!

The follow up, "Fantasm Comes Again" (1977) was not a big success. Richard Franklin had gone on to greater things and the film was instead helmed by Colin Eggleston. The film still keeps within the bounds of soft-core but the recent Hard-core revolution meant that this time out, the producers had to push things as far as they would go (again -- no pun intended)! The ten episodes are mostly reruns of the scenarios from the first film with most of the same cast appearing again. Another swimming pool romp takes place -- now featuring three women -- and it looks like real penetrative sex is occurring at one point; but fast cutting and careful placement of the camera means we never quite get the kind of forensic details that true hard-core delivers -- although there are also a lot more todgers and gonads on display from the male members - ahem! - of the cast!

This time, the ten stories are linked by Clive Hearne and Angela Menzies-Wills as two newspaper journalists who write the "Dear Collette" advice column for an Australian newspaper. Wills is taking over from Hearne who is showing her the ropes. As they read through each sex problem, we get to see each one acted out by the American cast. This is actually a sexier film than its predecessor, despite the fact that it never had the same amount of success. Highlights include the luscious Michael Barton induced to take part in some naked gymnastics by her randy sports instructor: after naked trampoline bouncing and some contortions on the bars, the pair get steamed up in a sensuous massage. Once again, this seems to be venturing into hard-core territory but discrete camera angles obscure many of the sordid details. A reappearance from Serena marks another of the film's highlights: after attending church to confess her sins she ends up getting a good seeing to by the janitor and displays a great deal more underarm fuzz than would be considered tasteful these days!

The only thing that casts a shadow over these, otherwise harmless, seventies soft-core sleaz-o-thones is the inclusion in both of some rather unpleasant rape scenes. Since the first film claims to be dealing with sexual fantasies, I suppose it could just about be justified there (and in any case, the scene isn't particularly explicit and involves Rene Bond being kidnapped by a black boxer, tied up naked and raped in a boxing ring!) although we all know that the film doesn't really have anything to do with exploring real sexual fantasies!

The rape sequence from the second film though does seem rather unnecessary and features blonde bombshell Cheryl Smith refusing the advances of her randy boyfriend at a drive-in (where the rape sequence from the first "Fantasm" movie is playing ... oh the irony!) and choosing to walk home rather than submit. Unfortunately, this results in her being dragged into a van on her way and given a damn good seeing to by a rapist! The problem is of course, that real rape involves the rather unsexy prospect of the victim pissing themselves with terror and vomiting in disgust -- which is not the biggest turn on in a sex movie! So instead, the victim in both these episodes ends up - at a certain point in the ordeal - finding that actually, they are rather enjoying the experience, and end up willingly submitting to their attacker! Thus the old "no" means "yes" myth is inadvertently bolstered in both cases.

At the end of the day though this is good old, no nonsense, exploitation and never pretends otherwise -- so we can't be too surprised if it is not exactly politically correct! The synapse discs of both films give us anamorphic 1.66:1 transfers which although not offering perfect video quality, are way better than anything that has been seen before. Both discs feature commentary tracks by producer, Antony I. Ginnane which detail the technical aspects of filming each sequence and explain the censorship problems that were encountered & how they were exploited for publicity purposes.

Each disc also includes a trailer for their respective films and "Fantasm" also includes an entertaining twenty-three minute documentary, "Penetrating Fantasm" which, as well as another contribution from Ginnane, also features director Richard Franklin interviewed in silhouette and captioned as Richard Bruce!

If I were him, I'd be more embarrassed by the fact that I'd directed "FX 2"!