I rented this video back in the early nineties, not only due to its seductive exploitation vibe, but also because it featured swamp - rockabilly - country musician Sleepy LaBeef a.k.a " The Human Jukebox "as the monster. This film opens with a New Orleans travelogue then plays like an R rated version of the Ed Sullivan Show on acid with strippers, flaming tassels, human contortion, mobsters, giant harmonicas and a Bigfoot style bog monster. Beautifully lurid full color sleaze allegedly filmed in a studio that belonged to the Methodist Church with exterior shots at the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. The premise involves the mobster/ owner of a strip joint who seeks a bigger and better attraction by capturing the swamp thing but not before the creature rips off the arm of a would be captor and beats him with it. Now, that's entertainment! I was in Connecticut a few years after viewing this film and caught Sleepy at a local venue where he was kind enough to let me sit in on a few songs and what a blast that was. I asked him about this movie, referring to it as " The Exotic Ones " although he called it " The Monster and The Stripper " and that's the title of the VHS copy I bought shortly afterwards. He said the Ormonds wanted him in more films, but in his own words ( more or less ) " hell, I'm a musician, I ain't no actor ". He certainly is a terrific musician and made a great film monster as far as I'm concerned. I recommend checking this one out along with his many C D's so you can decide for yourself.
Review of The Exotic Ones
