Thundercrack!

Another World Entertainment

R0 DVD

Thundercrack! is a film that stands on its own in the history of cult cinema; it is the only bi-sexual X rated horror cult porn film ever made. Thundercrack! was released to an unexpecting public in 1975 by director Curt McDowell and cult film screenwriter George Kuchar. Thundercrack! has continued to shock and amaze audiences ever since. Since its release it has been censored and banned in many countries and still manages to offend many who see it, according to cult film aficionados it is the most walked-out on film ever made !

Thundercrack! is unusual in that it combines a mystery/whodunit with solid acting, a very eccentric plot, unusual monologues and hardcore footage. The film has a very “pansexual” approach to sex including gay sex, blowjobs, straight sex, lesbian scenes, voyeurism, sex with a gorilla (I kid you not) and lots more. Thundercrack! is marked by an outrageous sense of humour and a wicked sense of play.

No pretence is made of the deliberately bad sets or the over the top acting and this just adds to the quirkiness of the film. Each of the characters has a ridiculous story which are more often than not told in melodramatic monologues which are rip-roaringly funny.

The tale begins during a terrible thunderstorm. Chandler has just picked up a hitchhiker and has settled down for some man-on-man action when he is interrupted by a strange woman knocking on his car window. Willene Cassidy explains her husband is the famous country singer Simon Cassidy (whose music is heard at various times during the film) and asks for their help as a car has crashed and seemingly exploded down the road. Reluctantly they agree and they all travel to the first house in sight. The house is Prairie Blossom and owned by Mrs. Gert Hammond who is so drunk she cannot stand.

Willene sees that Gert is in a terrible condition and helps her to the bathroom where she puts her in a bath, soon one thing leads to another and Gert receives a welcome vaginal massage from Willene. This is the first of many strange and quirky hardcore scenes. Gert explains to Willene how difficult her life is since her husband died and since her son “no longer exists”, whatever that means.

Soon Gert welcomes a range of strangers who have been stranded by the storm. Each has their own strange story to tell and their own perverse sexual habits. Chandler, as he regularly wishes to inform anyone who listens, is the widower of the wealthy Sarah Lou Phillips of The House of Phillips which is the largest girdle maker in the United States located in Waco, Texas.

His story is both ludicrous and tragic. It seems the girdles made by the company are made of highly flammable rubber and at a dinner party at their estate his wife caught fire. The unthinking guests threw their drinks on her in a vain attempt to put her out but she simply burn brighter and brighter. Since Chandler sees the girdle that caused her death on ever girl he approaches he uses this as a justification for his addiction to casual gay sex. We get told all sorts of other strange tales as the movie unfolds as well. They include the tale of Mr.Hammond who, when covered in wheat pollen, was eaten to death by locusts. We also learn he has been pickled, rather badly it seems, by his wife and his various body parts kept in the basement!

Gert Hammond is a randy old goat and she encourages the guests to change into dry clothes in the end room once used by her sex addicted son. She positions herself behind a peep hole in the kitchen and as the guests are seduced by the sex toys and gadgets on show and pleasure themselves, she watches from the kitchen masturbating with a cucumber, which she then feeds to Willene !

After dinner Gert and her guests become agitated as they hear and see strange shapes outside including one that looks like an elephant. Since the storm has left them stranded, the tension between them all explodes into clashes and fights.

The final guest to arrive at Prairie Blossom is Bing and he certainly has a tale to tell. Bing’s vehicle crashed in the storm and let loose various circus animals including a female gorilla named Medusa. It seems that Medusa is a very dangerous gorilla who is sexually antagonistic to humans. Medusa was a great hit at the circus but one night Bing’s mates got him drunk and told him they had a great date for him. In his drunken state he enjoyed being kissed and masturbated but in the morning he awakes to find it was Medusa the gorilla. When Medusa realizes her affection is not reciprocated, she began to hate all men. This extended to woman as well when her only real friend, an aging circus Burlesque dancer begins to mistreat her as she cannot deal with the onset of old age. While Medusa can be calmed down with bananas her real desire is Bing.

Soon there are all sorts of sexual shenanigans and bizarre plot twists. As Medusa begins to smash her way in, Bing dresses up in a wedding dress and they join together in cross species love. However, everyone is not so lucky. One of the guests, Toydy has found a key to a locked room and soon discovers Gert’s unbearable shame. It seems that when her son travelled to Borneo to collect some erotic objects he returned with elephantitis and is deformed with huge sex organs, he lives hidden in a secret room suffering in pain and disgust. He grabs Roo and Toydy and now has companions of his own.

As the storm clear, Chandler and Sash leave together continuing his journey to the House of Philip in Waco. Bond and Willene also leave together though Bond makes it quite clear his wandering ways with both sexes will continue. Bing and Medusa and now married and have decided to stay with Gert. Gert now has a houseful and celebrates with a drink, sharing it with her dead husband’s pickled parts.

Thundercrack! is one hell of a cult film. It combines a truly bizarre plot, some of the most hysterical dialogue you will ever hear with a dark sense of humour and hardcore sex. This is a very underrated film, while the cult films of John Water’s have been celebrated and released in special editions, Thundercrack! is hardly known. Another World Entertainment of Denmark (http://www.anotherworldent.com/) has a nice edition available. While there is discussion of a special restored edition (see http://www.thundercrackthefilm.com/) this is not available as yet.

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This review will appear in Volume 3 No.2 of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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