Prior to his death in a helicopter crash in Manila, Philippines, in January 1978, while scouting locations for his next film project (a Star Wars response known as The Overlords), writer-director William Girdler was a driven, prolific filmmaker who shot nine features in six years between 1972 to 1978. His final film was the Tony Curtis-starring The Manitou (1978). His debut was this shot-in Louisville, Kentucky, response to Rosemary's Baby (1968), which deals with the head of a mental hospital who sidelines as a Satanic priest. Girdler's most infamous film, his second, earned its notoriety courtesy of its later 80s VHS shelf life: Three on a Meathook.
Those films impressed Samuel Z. Arkoff enough, so he hired Girdler to direct pictures for American International Pictures. Those three projects were Blaxploitation pictures: the first is The Zebra Killer (1973) starring Austin Stoker (Assault on Precinct 13), the ever-amazing Abby (1974) with William H. Marshall (Blacula), and the Quentin Tarantino favorite Sheba, Baby (1975).
Girdler's next film was a ripoff of the more successful and better known James Caan-starrer, The Killer Elite (1975), known as Project: Kill (1976), which also served as one of the few non-comedy films of Leslie Neilsen (The Patriot). Then he followed with his most financially successful film - which was another ripoff, this time, Jaws - only with a man-eating bear, known as Grizzly (1976). Christopher George returned from that film for the loose, man-verses-nature sequel, Day of the Animals (1977) - which also starred Leslie Neilsen from Project: Kill. Girdler's final film was his most expensive production - and the best-looking production of his career: a truly original piece based on a best-selling book, The Manitou, even though it was a cash-in on The Omen.
But hey - Asylum of Satan cost around $50,000 and doesn't look like it: the basement bowels of the Satanic chapel under the "hospital" is surely a wonder of costuming and lighting, so we'll forgive the papier-mâché head of the Devil when he appears. Lucina Martin (San Francisco born Carla Borelli, later of Billy Jack Goes to Washington and O. C. and Stiggs) gets assigned at the titled abode and learns that she'll soon be taking part in a Black Mass which has Michael Aquino, the man who wrote the rituals in The Satanic Bible, to ensure the accuracy. Except that, you know, LaVey and even Temple of Set Satanists don't kidnap and kill. It is, of course, the type of Satanic movie your less-informed, ignorant self - drunk on a wealth of UHF-TV era Hammer and Amicus films - would make, complete with naked, bound up girls on altars, which makes this movie such a fun, retro-watch.
The film stock that was left over from this went towards making Girdler's next film, Three on a Meathook. If anything, Girdler knew how to make movies on a budget - and he wrote and arranged the music for the two songs - performed by the Blues Express - that appeared in the film. Girdler also wrote the music for his next film - also performed by his friend, Eddie "Eddie D" Dempley with the band American Xpress - in Three on a Meathook.
Those films impressed Samuel Z. Arkoff enough, so he hired Girdler to direct pictures for American International Pictures. Those three projects were Blaxploitation pictures: the first is The Zebra Killer (1973) starring Austin Stoker (Assault on Precinct 13), the ever-amazing Abby (1974) with William H. Marshall (Blacula), and the Quentin Tarantino favorite Sheba, Baby (1975).
Girdler's next film was a ripoff of the more successful and better known James Caan-starrer, The Killer Elite (1975), known as Project: Kill (1976), which also served as one of the few non-comedy films of Leslie Neilsen (The Patriot). Then he followed with his most financially successful film - which was another ripoff, this time, Jaws - only with a man-eating bear, known as Grizzly (1976). Christopher George returned from that film for the loose, man-verses-nature sequel, Day of the Animals (1977) - which also starred Leslie Neilsen from Project: Kill. Girdler's final film was his most expensive production - and the best-looking production of his career: a truly original piece based on a best-selling book, The Manitou, even though it was a cash-in on The Omen.
But hey - Asylum of Satan cost around $50,000 and doesn't look like it: the basement bowels of the Satanic chapel under the "hospital" is surely a wonder of costuming and lighting, so we'll forgive the papier-mâché head of the Devil when he appears. Lucina Martin (San Francisco born Carla Borelli, later of Billy Jack Goes to Washington and O. C. and Stiggs) gets assigned at the titled abode and learns that she'll soon be taking part in a Black Mass which has Michael Aquino, the man who wrote the rituals in The Satanic Bible, to ensure the accuracy. Except that, you know, LaVey and even Temple of Set Satanists don't kidnap and kill. It is, of course, the type of Satanic movie your less-informed, ignorant self - drunk on a wealth of UHF-TV era Hammer and Amicus films - would make, complete with naked, bound up girls on altars, which makes this movie such a fun, retro-watch.
The film stock that was left over from this went towards making Girdler's next film, Three on a Meathook. If anything, Girdler knew how to make movies on a budget - and he wrote and arranged the music for the two songs - performed by the Blues Express - that appeared in the film. Girdler also wrote the music for his next film - also performed by his friend, Eddie "Eddie D" Dempley with the band American Xpress - in Three on a Meathook.