Haji Movies
American actress Haji developed a bit of a cult following after appearing in a few of nudie king Russ Meyer's exploitation films during the 1970s. The most famous of those was her starring role as the vile-tempered, knife-wielding Rosa. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Two murderous drag queens whose lives are a blood-spattered blur of drugs and death embark on a violent rampage of stoned-out destruction in this tripped-out homage to the sleazy exploitations flicks of the 1970s. Ginger (Alexis Arquette) and Coco (Omar Alexis) are two psychotic transvestites who kill for money and pleasure. When their obsession with murder and insatiable appetite for drugs clash in a psychedelic frenzy of bullets and blades, Ginger and Coco begin a harrowing descent into madness from which death is the only escape. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alexis Arquette, Haji, (more)
A superheroine who proves the old adage that "it's what up front that counts" takes on bad guys and gals in this over-the-top comedy. Chastity Knott (Kitten Natividad) is the owner of a saloon which had been taking a lot of business away from a nearby watering hole run by cranky Al Purplewood (Larry Butler). Purplewood is trying to find a way to drive Knott out of business, but she has problems of her own to deal with when she learns she has breast cancer (no small problem for her). Knott is told that the rare Crockozilla plant has remarkable healing powers and to her surprise it not only cures her cancer, it gives her super powers. Just in time, too, because Purplewood has told the strippers who work at his joint to wipe out Knott once and for all. Transforming herself into the Double-D Avenger, Knott takes on the heavily armed band of exotic dancers (among them Haji, Raven De La Croix, and Sherri Dawn Thomas) and tries to restore order to her community. The Double-D Avenger also features Famous Monsters of Filmland editor Forrest J. Ackerman in a supporting role as a caretaker at a museum. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Francesca 'Kitten' Natividad, Haji, (more)
- 1993
This sleazy little drama offers a grim slice from the lives of those who work in a seedy LA dime-a-dance ballroom. First there is ex-cop Miguelino who now makes a living finding ballrooms to buy while the drug-addicted dancer Sparkle gets drug money by informing for the mob. There is also the sharp-witted and freewheeling Mercedes and finally Billie, who puts up with the lasciviousness of her clients only during working hours. Billie is a dreamer and has fallen in love with two very different men. One is pizza delivery boy Bobby. The other is the wealthy Diamond Jim, a professional gambler who is unfortunately in deep trouble with local Vietnamese gangsters. When they suddenly show up to the gaudy dance hall to collect their debt from him, Billie gets caught in the middle and tragedy ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brittany McCrena, Sonny Landham, (more)
- 1976
- R
John Cassavetes takes a contemporary film noir turn (which he would return to in Gloria) after exploring domestic melodrama in A Woman Under the Influence with The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. Ben Gazzara plays Cosmo Vitelli, the owner of a sleazy Los Angeles strip joint, who loses $20,000 at a mob gambling club owned by a small time gangster (Seymour Cassel). Since Cosmo doesn't have the $20,000, he is forced to murder a Chinese bookie in order to clear his debt to the mob. What Cosmo doesn't know is he's part of a set-up. The bookie is actually a West Coast mob boss protected around the clock by bodyguards. The mobsters figure that Cosmo will be killed in an impossible hit and they can take over his nightclub. But Cosmo proves luckier than the mobsters think -- he manages to kill his target, and now the mobsters have to track down Cosmo and kill him. Initially, at 133 minutes, the movie was subsequently re-edited by Cassavetes to 109 minutes. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Timothy Carey, (more)
- 1975
Russ Meyer once again airs his obsessions with huge breasts, violent revenge and escaped Nazi war criminal Martin Bormann in this highly perverse sex comedy/action thriller. Clint (Charles Pitts) is working at a gas station (run by none other than Martin Bormann, who was working as a bartender in Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls) when his wife is brutally murdered by Harry Sledge (Charles Napier), a cop with a deeply sadistic streak. Clint tries to bring Harry to justice while Harry attempts to frame Clint for the crime. In the meantime, Clint is constantly pursued by a variety of women with improbable names, voracious sexual appetites and bodies that make Pamela Anderson look like Kate Moss. More violent and less witty than many of Meyer's films, Supervixens features a villainous performance by Charles Napier, another from Meyer stalwart Stuart Lancaster and several typically cantilevered beauties, including Haji, Shari Eubank and Uschi Digard. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shari Eubank, Charles Napier, (more)
- 1970
- NC17
After nearly a decade as one of America's most successful independent filmmakers, legendary sexploitation auteur Russ Meyer first reached out for the brass ring of major studio success with this frantic cult favorite, once described by Meyer and screenwriter Roger Ebert as "the first exploitation-horror-camp-musical." Kelly McNamara (Dolly Read), Casey Anderson (Cynthia Myers), and Petronella Danforth (Marcia McBroom) are the three members of an all-girl rock band called "the Kelly Affair" who pull up stakes for Hollywood in search of stardom; they're accompanied by their manager, Harris Allsworth (David Gurian), who also happens to be Kelly's boyfriend. Kelly has an aunt in Hollywood, fashion mogul Susan Lake (Phyllis Davis), who takes Kelly under her wing and informs her she's entitled to a share of a recent family inheritance, much to the chagrin of Susan's lawyer, the shifty Porter Hall (Duncan McLeod). Susan arranges for Kelly and her bandmates to attend a wild party thrown by Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell (John La Zar), a flamboyant and very successful record producer; Z-Man renames the band "the Carrie Nations," signs them to a record deal, and they're one of the biggest acts in America practically overnight. However, Harris is pushed out of the picture as the band's manager by Z-Man, and as Kelly's boyfriend by actor and gigolo Lance Rocke (Michael Blodgett), sending Harris into a deep depression even after he becomes the new boy-toy of adult film star Ashley St. Ives (Edy Williams). Meanwhile, Petronella finds love with law student Emerson Thorne (Harrison Page) until her head is turned by heavyweight boxing champion Randy Black (Jim Iglehart), and Casey explores her sexual boundaries with Roxanne (Erica Gavin), a beautiful lesbian designer. This nonstop train of decadence, drugs, and betrayal finally comes off the rails during a drug-fueled orgy at Z-Man's mansion, which erupts into violence when the rock mogul's darkest secret is revealed. Featuring one-hit wonders the Strawberry Alarm Clock, supporting performances by Meyer regulars Charles Napier and Haji, and a bit part from future blaxploitation icon Pam Grier, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls proved to be Meyer's biggest box-office success, though after his next film (The Seven Minutes) bombed at the box office, he returned to independent production in 1973. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, (more)
- 1967
A very dysfunctional family is saved through the intervention of some erotic magic in this typically top-heavy Russ Meyer soap opera. Burt (Stuart Lancaster) is married to the adulterous Angel (Alaina Capri), who routinely humiliates him for his impotence. Lana (Karen Ciral) is Burt's teenage daughter by a previous marriage, and she hates her wicked stepmother as much as she pities her emasculated father. Angel takes up with Stone (Pat Wright), a muscle-bound Lothario who makes it a habit to service a variety of unsatisfied wives in their tiny community (he also has plans for the lovely, underage Lana). The household is a spiteful, loveless place until one day when Burt takes a ride through the forest and is accosted by a beautiful, mysterious sorceress (Haji) who can only be seen and touched by humans one day a year. The ancient witch seduces Burt and awakens his virility, which he then takes home to reclaim his wayward wife and put a stop to Stone's reckless womanizing. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stuart Lancaster, Patrick Wright, (more)
Exploitation maven Russ Meyer created a cult classic with this turbo-charged action film. Three curvaceous go-go dancers in a cool sports car go on a desert crime spree, led by Varla (the amazing Tura Satana), a busty, nasty woman dressed entirely in black. Varla's lesbian moll, Rosie (Haji) -- who has an extremely overwrought accent -- and reluctant bimbo Billie (Lori Williams) are along for the ride. When they meet a naïve young couple, Tommy and Linda (Ray Barlow and Sue Bernard), Varla challenges the man to a race then kills him by breaking his back. They take Linda hostage and drive to a house owned by a crippled old lecher (Stuart Lancaster) and his muscular but retarded son, Vegetable (Dennis Busch). Varla discovers that the old man has money hidden on the property, so the girls try to find it. Meanwhile, Vegetable's perverted father tries to trick him into assaulting one of the girls as he watches, but his other son (Paul Trinka) finally shows up to save the day. A great deal of bloodshed, campy catfighting, and funny dialogue fills the bulk of this fast-paced comic book of a movie. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tura Satana, Haji, (more)
- 1965
This exploitation film delivers the typically sadistic and fast-paced action expected from cult director Russ Meyer. Alex Rocco stars as veterinarian Corey Maddox, whose wife is raped by a motorcycle gang. The three hoods are led by Brahmin (Stephen Oliver), who was a Section 8 in Vietnam. They kill an old man and terrorize his wife Ruby (Haji) until she gets away and joins up with Maddox. Together, the two of them hunt down the gang. Brahmin shoots one of them himself, Ruby knifes another, and Maddox blows Brahmin to pieces with dynamite during a standoff at an abandoned mine. The rape scenes are brutal, though not explicit, and Meyer (who appears briefly as the local sheriff) leavens the film with enough campy humor to make it inoffensive. It would have been odious in other hands, but Meyer is somehow able to present scenes in the worst possible taste and still leave viewers smiling. He made better films than this one, but it is still superior to most similar efforts of the time. Coleman Francis and George Costello also appear. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Steven Oliver, Haji, (more)
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