John Bartha Movies

Primarily a showcase for the gory special-effects artistry of Gianetto de Rossi, this revolting horror film stars Giovanni Lombardo Radice (also known as "John Morghen") as a drug-dealer who comes to the Amazon jungle from New York looking for a cache of stolen emeralds. He joins some American college students and soon introduces them to his special lifestyle, raping a native girl, then beating a young Indio senseless before gouging out his eyeball with a knife. Naturally, the local cannibals don't take too well to this treatment, so they cut off Radice's penis with a machete, gouge out his eye, then scalp him and eat his brain. Deciding that his companions are also to blame, the natives hang a young woman by impaling her breasts on meat hooks while her sorrowful companion sings "Red River Valley." Eventually, one woman gets back to New York, where she reads a dissertation on cannibalism to earn her PhD. Cult filmmaker Umberto Lenzi really outdid himself with this bloody spectacle, which maintains a consistent air of cruelty with a non-stop procession of beatings, rapes, real-life animal slaughter, larva-chewing, genital-chopping, cannibalism and the infamous meathook scene. Definitely for acquired tastes only, this nauseatingly effective shocker features a brief appearance by adult-film star Richard Bolla as a New York policeman. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Shakespeare is combined with the spaghetti western in this interesting offering. Though the language is modernized, the plot is basically the same as Hamlet. In this version, the hero does not die--instead he rides off into the sunset. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this spaghetti western, the head of a band of desperadoes steals the gold from a Union fort and hides it before the leader is captured by Yankee soldiers. In captivity, the outlaw is tortured by a sadistic Army officer, formerly the trader who conned him into the heist. The torture will not stop until the thief reveals the location of the gold. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Thora (Essy Persson) and Kress (John Karelsen) are superior beings from another planet who find themselves marooned on the moon. A U.S. space mission lead by Major Perry Rodan (Lang Jeffries) rescues the couple. Kress is suffering from an unknown ailment, and a medical examination reveals he has leukemia. The rescue team secretly brings the ailing alien to an African physician who specializes in blood disorders. Soon word gets around about the aliens, causing a full-scale search for the rescue team and the two space cadets. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Not originally a "Ringo" entry, this exciting spaghetti western was redubbed to exploit the series' popular success. Mark Damon plays Ringo (Johnny in the original), a bounty-hunter who is hired to nab outlaw leader Franco Derosa, but ends up taking on Derosa's entire gang and demolishing half of Coldstone City with dynamite before the situation is resolved. Skillfully directed by Sergio Corbucci, this action-packed film features a stirring Carlo Savina soundtrack and numerous explosions, as well as an engaging performance by Damon, star of Roger Corman's The Fall of the House of Usher. Corbucci went on to direct the immensely popular Django. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi