31 (or so) Days of Terror: Machete Maidens Unleashed!

Today's review is something of an experiment. Instead of this month's usual fare of high to lowbrow horror, I'm looking at a documentary on the subject. Specifically Machete Maidens Unleashed!, a look at the b-movie scene in the Philippines from the 50s through the 70s. Following WW2, The Philippines was one of the few countries whose film production capability was still in functioning order. And the cost of making movies over there was so low that soon the low-budget independent schlock studios from America flooded in, recruiting local talent to churn out hundreds of b-movies to fill drive-ins back in the States. This film is a chronicle of that over-looked time and place in the history of American cinema.


One of the dangers of projects like this is being overly praising, of describing the subjects in such glowing terms that the end result is something of a polemic. Thankfully that isn't a problem here. Many of the interviewees are the first to admit that many of the movies discussed in the film are not masterpieces let alone good movies. But despite the low quality of the material, the documentarians tackle it with enthusiasm. You can feel a love for these weird movies in the production, delightfully invoking their overblown marketing slogans or showing clips from their (often deliberately) misleading trailers. Indeed, in documentary more than any other form of film narrative does the film come together in editing. And Machete Maidens is excellently edited, mixing together scenes from the films discussed with interviews and vintage news footage to great effect. The film often employs a split-screen effect to show contrasts, or similarities between, all the different movies.

Besides the editing, where Machete Maidens really succeeds is in creating a sense of time and place. This is done mostly through the interviews which range from the stars of these old b-movies like Sid Haig & Pam Grier to directors like Allan Arkush and Joe Dante and Independet film legends like Roger Corman. The interviews are uniformly candid and engaging, no one is afraid of discussing the nitty gritty of making movies in the Philippines. Long hours in the jungle, encounters with dangerous animals, very little regard to the safety of cast and crew; all feature into their stories and are juxtaposed with footage from the final product. But the funny thing is that the interviewees tell these stories of filmmaking hell with a nostalgic sheen, laughing about how much blood, sweat, and tears they poured into movies that weren't even all that good. I'm not sure if it's ironic realization or a bemused acceptance, but their attitude is infectious and helps transport the audience back to that time.

But Machete Maidens isn't just about the movies, it's also about the place the movies were made. And the documentarians do a decent job of describing just what a weird place the Philippines were at the time these movies were made. Placed under martial law by then President Marcos, the Philippines of the 60s and 70s were a dangerous place to make movies. Most of the populace were armed at all times, stunt people would willingly attempt fatal stunts, and for enough cash productions could basically rent the Filipino Army. It sounds bizarre, but the documentarians hear it straight from the mouths of the Filipinos who worked on these films and still live in the country. Adding this real history into the film strengthens the sense of place they're trying to convey, and brings attention to unknown Filipino filmmakers like Eddie Romero and Cirrio Santiago, but I feel they don't go far enough. The focus is rightly more on the films, but giving more historical detail could have created a greater context for the material and enriched the final product.

Of course it wouldn't be a documentary about film without a little cultural critique. The arguments are fairly interesting as well, if not anything wholly original. The view is put forth that many of these Philippine-made films were rather progressive in their way, despite being cheap exploitation filled with bare breasts. The idea is that because these b-movies had such little oversight and such low barriers for entry, they were allowed to do things that higher-budget studio films could never get away. Things like leading roles for women and minorities who were shut out of bigger budget opportunities. One of the interviewees, Andrea Cagan, described the nudity and awful working conditions as just the cost of getting a lead part which is something no one else would give her. They also bring up that in all these films where women are tortured and have their shirts ripped off always got their revenge in the end, taking righteous retribution on their attackers. But others like John Landis dismiss looking for deeper meaning in this shlock, saying that it's just an exercise in overthinking. But what can't be argued, and is another area where I think the film could have gone farther with, is that these films did offer a chance for Filipino directors and cinematographers to get work and break into the industry. Some of the filmmakers interviewed and discussed who are now considered luminaries in their home country got their start working on these films and were able to make an artistic name for the Philippines.

Machete Maidens Unleashed! is a enthusiastic overview on b-movie productions in the Philippines. If you're the kind of film buff who has an affection for the kind of low-budget trash discussed here, you'll probably find a lot to like here. The memories and stories of the actors and filmmakers involved are fun and enthralling, bringing you right back to that bizarre time and place. But it is a brief overview, never dealing with one film or personality for too long before moving on to the next. This doesn't make it feel rushed, but it does make one wish that the film would slow down and give some more detail on certain films or events. It could also push the cultural critique a bit further too, despite their exploitative nature these films do have interesting undertones of revolutionary action and fluctuating gender roles that could be discussed. Still, as is it's a fun history lesson with a clear love for the material. If you love bad monster flicks or women in prison movies, definitely check it out. And even if you don't, check it out anyway. You may gain an appreciation for them yet.

Final Score: 4/5