Griffin’s ‘The Disco Exorcist’ (2011) Hits All The Right Notes on The Devil’s Dancefloor
Rex Romanski is the grooviest cat in the club and even groovier in the bedroom with the kittens; he’s a coke-snortin’, woman-pleasin’ disc deity in po
lyester. The fun never stops for Rex and when he meets a classy gal named Rita Marie, he does his thing, and does it well, stealing her heart in the process. The romance is short-lived when Rex meets porn actress Amoreena Jones, leaving Rita Marie disgraced and alone on the dance floor.
Rita’s no ordinary woman and doesn’t take kindly to rejection, she’s a powerful witch with voodoo and demons at her disposal. The terror has just begun as Amoreena becomes the target of a deadly demon looking to possess her body, kill Rex and kill everybody in the disco! That…is not…groovy. Can Rex, disco deejay Manuel and the disco’s janitor help free Amoreena of the demon possessing her and break the curse cast by Rita or will a spinning disco ball of death be the last thing they all see?
The Disco Exorcist is a sexy, campy throwback to 70′s supernatural horror cinema with a style absolutely unique to Richard Griffin. If you’re familiar with Griffin’s films, I own about seven of them, you know he has the uncanny ability to capture actual comedy, something lacking in low budget cinema, and honest-to-goodness horror together onscreen. While some directors lack an understanding of the importance of comedic timing, Griffin seems to have a grasp on it and knows when to use comedy and when to pull back for a little serious, hands-on horror. Not shy about combining nudity, simulated sex, wry comedy and practical FX, The Disco Exorcist doesn’t just look like something filmed on the cheap in the 70s but it feels like it.
The production design (read: ghastly colors and patterns) combined with colorful lightning, a funky disco-esque score and the hideously accurate wardrobe made The Disco Exorcist a treat to watch; successfully immersing me in the film, never losing continuity and taking me out of the experience as some films that emulate 60s & 70s exploitation cinema often do. Naturally throwing in some fantastic nudity and surprisingly effective “softcore” sex really kicked things up a notch but, in my opinion, none of it would have worked without the charismatic charm and million dollar smile of Michael Reed as Rex Romanski. He had the perfect physique for the clothing, righteous moves on the dancefloor and a nice handle on the comedic elements.
Now, I did feel that the first quarter of The Disco Exorcist seemed t0 drag but that really may have been my lack of enthusiasm with, yet another, “grindhouse” production. Thankfully it was both lighthearted and respectful of the exploitation cinema it so closely resembled. Richard Griffin has, yet again, made an entertaining film that will truly appeal to horror and exploitation fans tired of the same old, same old. I would definitely recommend checking out this Wild Eye Releasing release as a double feature with Simon, King of the Witches starring Andrew Prine.
