ED WOOD'S ORGY OF THE DEAD

"This is a story of those in the twilight time . . . once human, now monsters, in a void between

 the living and the dead. Monsters to be pitied, monsters to be despised . . ."

- Criswell

With a budget of only $10,000 (PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE was flush with $60K), Ed Wood put together what only can be called a parade of topless dancers under the thin guise of of a horror film. It's not known what they were paid, but I'm guessing maybe a hundred bucks (hey, it's better than a five-dollar tip on the rail at a strip joint!).

Orgy of the Dead novel by Ed Wood. Cover art by Robert Bonfils.

Released on 01 June 1965 by independent low-budget film distributor Crown International Pictures who were responsible for letting loose on the world such gems as THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS, THE DEVIL'S HAND, VARAN THE UNBELIEVABLE, the U.S. version of the U.K.'s NAKED AS NATURE INTENDED, BLOOD OF DRACULA'S CASTLE, and THE POM POM GIRLS, ORGY OF THE DEAD was Ed Wood's twenty-first as a film story/script writer. With the shooting title ORGIES OF THE DEAD, it was based on Wood's novel of the same name and filmed in gorgeous and shocking Astravision and Sexicolor (background laughter).

First, let me explain the plot -- wait, there isn't one! Maybe there's an idea of a plot but it dissipates as quickly as mist from the fog machine that's running for almost the entire length of the movie.

After an excruciating opening moment with pop culture psychic Criswell (as The Emperor) and his mysterious pronouncements (not quite as Lugosi's "Pull the string" monologue in Wood's GLEN OR GLENDA?), we watch horror writer Bob (William Bates) and his girlfriend Shirley (Pat Barrington as Pat Barringer) crash his car when he's out looking for a cemetery for "inspiration".

SHIRLEY: We sure picked the wrong night to find a cemetery. Let's turn back.

BOB: No. It's on a night like this when the best ideas come to mind.

SHIRLEY: But does it have to be in a cemetery?

BOB: You wouldn't understand. Seeing a cemetery on a night like this can stir in the mind the best ideas for a good horror story.

SHIRLEY: But there're so many wonderful things to write about, Bob.

Cut to the aforementioned fog drenched cemetery and The Emperor has summoned his "Princess of the Night", The Black Ghoul (Fawn Silver) to entertain him for the night; if he is not pleased, he will send Bob and Shirley to eternal damnation.

A voice-over Criswell intones a ominous portent:

"It is said on clear nights, beneath the cold light of the moon, howl the dog and the wolf, and creeping things crawl out of the slime. It is then the ghouls feast in all their radiance."

What follows is what seems to be an endless procession of the spirits of departed topless girls doing their best to bump and grind themselves into favor with The Emperor. I'd say most of the girls are fairly attractive and have nice figures; I particularly liked Pat Barrington's riff of Shirley Eaton in GOLDFINGER, Stephanie Jones' skull routine and Mickey Jines, just 'cause she's cute.

Mickey Jines, cover girl.

Here's the role call of the dancing spirit girls:

1. Bunny Glaser - Native American who died in flames. Not much info available on Miss Glaser except for being credited in only three films, including MOTEL CONFIDENTIAL (1960) and THE BACHELOR'S DREAMS (1967).
2. Colleen O'Brien - Street Walker. Miss O'Brien also played in only three films during her short career, including MONDO FREUDO (1966) and with Bunny Glaser in MOTEL CONFIDENTIAL.
3. Pat Barrington (also plays Shirley) - Coveted gold. Early in her career, she hooked up with gangster who got her into exotic dancing. After moving to L.A., she started modeling and then got into acting in the 1960's.
4. Lorali Hart (as Texas Starr) - Cat dancer. She suddenly appeared again in the 1980's to play in THE NAKED GUN films.
5. Nadejda Klein - Slave girl. Bulgarian-born Nadeja studied under Lee Strasburg (!). She appeared in THE BACHELOR'S DREAMS with Bunny Glaser, Barbara Nordin and Colleen O'Brien.
6. Stephanie Jones - Danced over matadors who died in the bull ring. She also appeared in UNCLE TOMCAT'S HOUSE OF KITTENS (1967)
7. Mickey Jines - Worships snakes, smoke and flames. Miss Jines was quite active as a model for men's magazines, including cover appearances on SWANK, WILDCAT, and CAPER, as well as several men's sweat mags. She was also in a long-list of nudist and other male-oriented 'zines.
8. Barbara Nordin - Dances with the skeleton of her dead husband. She was a topless dancer and a model for men's magazines.
9. Dene Starnes - Zombie dancer. She was in DOWN AND DIRTY (1969) with Mickey Jines and appeared in a few men's magazines.
10. Rene de Beau - Died for fur and fluff. Played in MONDO KEYHOLE (1966) and a couple of pictorials in men's magazines.

Oh, here are the other monsters.

In the middle of all this, Bob and Shirley come upon the scene and watch in disbelief (wouldn't you?). Also joining the proceedings are a mummy (Louis Ojena) and a werewolf (John Andrews) who do their best -- which isn't much -- to look scary and menacing in what looks like nothing more than modified Halloween masks and costumes dreamed up by makeup artist Margaret Davies who also lent her talents to SAVAGE ABDUCTION (1973).

Pat Barrington as "The Golden Girl".

Director Stephen C. Apostolof (as A.S. Stephen) seemed to like a number of the actors in ORGY, as he also cast them in a few of his next films:

1. SUBURBIA CONFIDENTIAL (1966) - Louis Ojena.
2. THE BACHELOR'S DREAMS (1967) - Bunny Glaser, Nadejeda Klein, Barbara Nordin and Colleen O'Brien. Apostolof appropriated the idea used in ORGY with a man dreaming of a succession of strippers dancing on stage in this nudie cutie.
3. MOTEL CONFIDENTIAL (1969) - Bunny Glaser, Barbara Nordin, Colleen O'Brien, Louis Ojena.

Director Stephen Apostolof applies the finishing touches.

After these, he went on to wrangle better known strippers such as notorious L.A. gangster Mickey Cohen's main squeeze, Liz Renay (Ray Dennis Steckler's THE THRILL KILLERS [1964], BLACKENSTEIN [1973], and an episode of ADAM-12 [!] and Rene Bond (NECROMANIA: A TALE OF WEIRD LOVE! [1971], PLEASE DON'T EAT MY MOTHER! [1973], INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS [1973] and FLESH GORDON [1974].

Pat Barrington screams after she agrees to play a dual role.

After all that's said and done, I think Wood could have thrown in a few bucks on a few more monsters, but hey, the soundstage wasn't big enough to hold all of them.

Despite the skin-fest, it's hard to sit through this movie, but any B-movie and exploitation film lover should see it at least once.

ORGY OF THE DEAD Pressbook:

(Official?) ORGY OF THE DEAD Trailer):

The fabulous Pat Barrington:

Some things are just meant to be looped:

Thank God!