Orgy of the Dead

Orgy of the Dead
Directed by	A. C. Stephen
Produced by	A. C. Stephen
Written by	Ed Wood
Starring	Criswell Fawn Silver Pat Barrington (as Pat Barringer)
Music by	Jaime Mendoza-Nava
Cinematography	Robert Caramico
Editing by	Donald A. Davis
Distributed by	Crown International Pictures Rhino Video (VHS and DVD)
Release date(s)	1 June 1965
Running time	92 min
Country	United States
Language	English

Orgy of the Dead is an unrated 1965 film directed by Stephen C. Apostolof under the alias A. C. Stephen. The screenplay was adapted by cult film director Edward D. Wood, Jr from his own novel. It is a combination of horror and erotica, and is something of a transition for Wood, who began as a horror writer and later began writing pornography.

Plot summary

The film's graveyard prologue is a recreation of the opening scene from Ed Wood's then-unreleased 1958 film Night of the Ghouls. Criswell reprises his role from the earlier film. The action begins when a young couple, Bob (William Bates) and Shirley (sexploitation actress Pat Barrington, billed as Pat Barringer) survive a car crash only to find themselves tied to posts in a misty cemetery where they are forced to watch dead spirits dance for the Emperor of the Night played by Criswell (best known for Plan 9 From Outer Space). Ten striptease performances by topless dancers from beyond the grave outfitted in various motifs comprise most of this movie. The Wolf Man (wearing a very obvious mask) and The Mummy are also tossed in for comic relief. Barrington doubles as the blond Gold Girl (inspired by Shirley Eaton in Goldfinger) while her red-headed "Shirley" character watches her perform. Criswell's undead consort, the sexy Black Ghoul, was written for Maila Nurmi, a.k.a. Vampira, but was instead played by Fawn Silver, who wore a black bouffant wig.

Production

Wood served as writer, production manager, casting agent, and even held up cue cards on this low-budget film, although he did not direct. An article on the making of this film was published in Femme Fatales, 7:1 (June 1998).

See also

• Edward D. Wood, Jr. filmography

References

• The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1996), documentary film directed by Brett Thompson
• Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstacy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992) ISBN 978-0922915248

External links

• Orgy of the Dead at the Internet Movie Database
• Orgy of the Dead at AllRovi