When Joe D’Amato makes a Mondo movie you know you’re in for something special. If you go in expecting something along the lines of Mondo Cane or The Killing of America, you might be disappointed. Crazy Nights is more like an anthology film using the Mondo framework. It’s supposedly a spotlight on the various lurid nightclub acts found around the world, but it soon becomes apparent that it’s just a jumping-off point for D’Amato to string together some inspired exploitation lunacy.
Our host is Amanda Lear, a trans performer who at one point was romantically linked to everyone from Salvador Dali to Bryan Ferry to David Bowie. Before the film begins, she sings a catchy disco number “Follow Me” while wearing a slinky red dress and a Dracula cape. Then, the segments begin.
The first two segments play out like Tales from the Crypt episodes, except with lots of sex and nudity. They start off with an unlikely premise and just when the participants have reached their… ahem… climax, D’Amato pulls the rug out from under you with a warped O. Henry type ending that will leave you speechless. The first sequence revolves around a sexy girl in a sheep costume who is raffled off. The ending is fairly shocking, but the finale to the next segment, the Satanic “Choo-Choo Sacrifice”, is a real doozy.
Even the sections that adhere closer to the traditional Mondo movie format have a lot of energy and style. One episode involves a pair of lovers dressed only in newspaper clippings who fuck on stage. The “Panther Woman” segment, in which an exotic dancer does a wildly exuberant striptease, is particularly memorable as well. Other sequences include a pair of ballroom dancers who resemble a nudist version of Bobby and Cissy from The Lawrence Welk Show, a couple who specialize in African folk dancing, and a ballerina-themed striptease that ends in a lesbian lovemaking session
There are also a lot of scenes devoted to magicians who perform risqué magic acts. One prestidigitator does a gender-bending stage show, another (this time a woman wearing only a white cloak) performs feats of levitation (which ends in predictable fashion), and an old dude pulls doves, scarves, and flags out of his sexy assistant’s pussy! I’d like to see David Copperfield try THAT.
The longest sequence is an expose on a German brothel that specializes in S & M where prostitutes dress like extras from Conan the Barbarian and sock it to rich perverts. One slices a guy with a knife and rubs lemon juice in the wound. I don’t mean to kink shame or anything, but GODDAMN. There’s also another interview-style segment that involves a husband-and-wife duo of porno actors. Both include brief hardcore footage.
The travelogue shots of the cities profiled are meant to lend an air of authenticity, but all of this is obviously phony and staged. You won’t care though. Lear makes for an engaging hostess too. Her introductions are usually tongue in cheek, and her musical numbers have style and flair. All told, you’ll have a crazy good time with Crazy Nights.
AKA: Follow Me. AKA: Mondo Erotico.
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