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Released by: Alpha Blue Archives
Released on: December 9th, 2014.
Director: Arthur Nouveau
Cast: Kim Pope, Michael Gaunt, Levi Richards, Lynn Bishop
Year: 1975
The Movie:
Directed by Arthur Nouveau and written by one Nelson Decco (it's understandable why the people behind this nasty roughie would use pseudonyms… and those are obviously pseudonyms!), 1975's The Intrusion opens with a scene in which a car drives through the Queens/Long Island border (a sign for Douglaston Parkway is a dead giveaway as to the area this was shot in despite claims elsewhere online that this was shot in upstate New York) into a residential upscale suburb. The car stops on the opposite side of a house and we see a man (Levi Richards) step onto the stoop in his bathrobe to get the morning paper. He heads back inside and tells his wife Ellen (Kim Pope) that he has to go away for business. She assures him she'll be fine, after all her friend Gail (Lynn Bishop) will be coming by to keep her company while he's gone.
They have sex in the kitchen and then on the rug before he gets dressed and heads out, and shortly after he does Ellen answers a knock at the door. A man (Michael Gaunt) gives her an insurance pitch but she's not interested. He gets pushy and tries to make his way in, as he does and she moves back just enough, he coldcocks her to the ground. From there, he takes her upstairs, undresses her, slaps her around and then brutally rapes for a good long while, verbally abusing her and then even going so far as to penetrate her with the handle of the switchblade he's been brandishing. Eventually Gail comes to the door - the man answers, tells her 'Mrs. Anderson is right up stairs' and he lets her in. As they get closer to the bedroom door he attacks her too and then forces them into a three-way.
As to how it ends, well, there's only one way that it can end, and once it does, the camera simply pulls back, leaves the house and, to the sound of a serene and pastoral suburban neighborhood, calm as calm can be, the movie simply finishes.
Presented in what has to be a completely uncut version on this DVD, The Intrusion is a seriously nasty hour long roughie that deserves to be every bit as well known (and in most circles reviled) as better known pictures like Waterpower, Sex Wish and Forced Entry. While it may not be as polished as those films or use inner city locations, it definitely operates on the same disturbing level. The direction from whoever on Earth Arthur Nouveau is might not reinvent the wheel but the movie is well paced. The opening scene between husband and wife is well handled and they seem to be enjoying themselves and there's no reason we can't by them as completely involved in an act of marital bliss.
Of course, once the 'intruder' shows up, it's a different story. Gaunt might be decked out as the consummate seventies goofball in terms of his outfit and hairstyle but he's disturbingly convincing as the demented rapist. The passion that Pope's character showed in the first scene pretty much disappears here and is replaced with a look of fear and panic as he has his way with her. Once Lynn Bishop joins in things do get a little bit porny but that doesn't last too long and the film ends on a freakishly strong note. Credits to all involved in the action in front of the camera for staying in character and creating something genuinely frightening.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Intrusion arrives on DVD in its original 1.33.1 fullframe aspect ratio. It does look to have been sourced from a film print, albeit on that has seen better days. Expect plenty of print damage and scratches mostly during the first five minutes or so of the movie - it clears up a good bit after that, but there is still print damage throughout. Colors are fairly good despite some fluctuations and details is about as good as can realistically be expected.
The only audio option for the feature attraction is an English language Dolby Digital Mono track. There's some hiss here and there and some jumps and spikes in the balance of the levels but for the most part the stilted dialogue and oddly familiar music used throughout the film come through okay.
As far as the extras go, ABA has included two bonus feature length attractions featuring Ms. Pope. The first of these is The Summer Of Laura made in 1976 by David Davidson. Shot on what looks like the shores of Long Island, the story revolves around two young men - Ritchie (David Hunter) and Gene (Eric Edwards) who are vacationing on the shore. They're fairly sex obsessed and spend a lot of time peeping in on a pretty woman named Laura (Marsha Moon) who has some exhibitionist tendencies that seem to come into play any time she gets it on with her husband Bob (Wade Nichols). When they're not peeping on Laura they're spending time with some local girls they're involved with, Sheila (Kim Pope) and June (Helen Madigan), even boffing them out in the open at a movie theater one night (where clips from It Happened In Hollywood play).
Things change when Bob goes off to fight in a war overseas. When Ritchie runs into Laura one day and she asks him to help her out around the house, he finds out that Bob was killed in action. Laura, now feeling very much alone, finds comfort in the arms of the younger man.
This is a moderately interesting triple X melodrama that sadly suffers from some obvious and occasionally 'we'll fix it in post' style dubbing that makes the characters sound more than a little bit goofy. As far as the acting goes Edwards is his typically likeable self and lends the type of warmth and humor featured in his best performances to the show, while Hunter fares less favorably and comes across as a little bit wooden. Marsha Moon, who doesn't seem to have done anything outside of this film, is okay looking but no better than an average adult movie actress and her handling of the more dramatic side of the picture is less than amazing. Kim Pope and Helen Madigan are fun here, both look good and they have a quirky, weird scene on a boat where Kim shows Helen what was done to her on her last date with a manual demonstration that inspires Helen to respond in kind.
Some top notch camera work and excellent location photography help to ensure that the movie looks great. Music is used here to decent effect too. This occasionally feels like one of Joe Sarno's melodramas, but outside of Edwards' efforts the acting isn't as strong. The tape sourced transfer on this disc is flat and wobbly. The Summer of '42 was the obvious inspiration for this one, it's basically a remake.
The second bonus film is Shaun Costello's Schoolgirls Reunion. The movie begins in high school where Roger Caine is the king of the jocks. He can have any girl he wants but convinces a shy and awkward young lady who is obviously crushing on him hard to spread for him. He has sex with her and then treats her like it didn't matter, pushing her away. Obviously and quite understandably, she's brokenhearted about this.
Cut a few years into the future and a class reunion takes place. Here we find out what happened to him and what happened to her. Predictably, she grew into herself and is now quite a stunner while he's lost all his charm and charisma. Without want to spoil what is actually an amusing story from here on out, let's just say that with the tables turned the battle of the sexes winds up resulting in… a lot of actual sex. C.J. Laing shows up here (and looks great, performing with plenty of enthusiasm) as does Jean Dalton and yes, Pope as the female lead. Aside from Caine, the male members of the cast include Bobby Astyr, funny as always, and Alan Marlow - both stock players in Costello's company of performers. The director himself has an amusing cameo in the picture. Attentive listeners will note 'Tubular Bells' (best known as the music from The Exorcist) used in the soundtrack.
This is a fun comedy with some inspired sex scenes made all the more interesting and amusing but the talented case. It was, like a lot of Costello's output from this point in his career, likely made fast and cheap but he plays to his strengths. The timing and editing of the movie have a good rhythm and this turns out to be a fun watch.
Aside from that we get static menus, feature selection, a trailer for The Intrusion and trailers for a couple of other ABA titles.
The Final Word:
The Intrusion is a legitimately rough roughie, a disturbing and gritty rape-sploitation picture that's a fairly convincing, and as such, disturbing watch. The inclusion of the other two (much lighter) hard to find films will certainly appease fans of Kim Pope, even if their presentations are far from immaculate.
