THE POSSESSION OF NURSE
SHERRI (1978)
aka NURSE SHERRI
aka BLACK VOODOO
aka HOSPITAL TERROR
Directed by Al Adamson
Retro Shock-O-Rama/ei Cinema DVD
THE FILM
If you're only familiar with the
name "Sherry" through
novelty hits from Frankie Valli
and Journey, you've got a lot to
learn. Professor Al Adamson is here
to help.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Adamson
is gonna make you work. By now,
that's expected. If the extremes
of Al's fabled career in thrifty
horror can be stapled in place by
Doctor Dracula (slo-core
agony) and Brain
Of Blood (trash bliss),
our new flame Sherri lies somewhere
inbetween. That is, if you're a
normal person. And if that is the
case, just drop the class. Prof.
Adamson has no time for discontent,
but encourages haunted apartments
and nurses who like sex. I'm not
even jivin' you.
Released theatrically as Nurse
Sherri and suffering from a
major home video identity crisis
in the 1980s (Black Voodoo
takes the cake), The Possession
Of Nurse Sherri is my idea
of walking on air. Four minute scenes
of guys driving in cars do not pose
a threat; breathtaking irrationality
is worth the hard labor. As it stands,
Nurse Sherri was Al Adamson's
last major film, as well as his
final collaboration with longtime
friend and Independent-International
genius Sam Sherman. Famous last
words were never so dauntless.
The trees are without leaves. A
hospital reeks of dusty confinement.
Doctors elicit foreplay whilst in
the throes of surgery. Within these
walls, Nurse Sherri (Jill Jacobson,
The Jigsaw Murders) works
her magic. After an evil cult leader
bedevils Sherri's body (I think),
she's out for random revenge. Pitchforks
gouge! Bad toupees fly! Meanwhile,
A blind ex-football player named
Marcus says "You're jivin'
me" and talks about Haitian
Voodoo while Nurse Tara (blaxploitation
queen Marilyn Joi) falls in love
with him. Doc Peter (Geoffrey Land,
Doctor Dracula himself)
tries to figure it all out, but
loses track during the haunted car
sequence. Oh Sherri, our love holds
on.
I won't kid you; Sherri and her
pals know how to talk and there's
more than enough padding to go around.
Combining those unfortunate traits
might spell sudden death in the
hands of a trash-auteur amateur,
but this is the work of Al Adamson.
Writhing, spastic edits carve through
the stuttering dialogue. Hand-scribbled
noise collages push the faux-art
limits. Sherri's voice is dubbed
with the cult leader's rasp in times
of duress. People dig graves at
the witching hour. The library music
is thick with literal Outer
Limits theremin and inopportune
brass. All together, Nurse Sherri
lingers. It's a collective lump
of everything you love (or hate)
about Al Adamson's singular, exploitive
style. Creepy, claustrophobic, or
just plain crazy? All three? Sounds
like the start of an intriguing
thesis to me.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
The 1:33.1 picture is full of bright
colors, high on contrast, and soaked
with beautiful grain. The print
is in great shape, with very little
damage. In other words, a perfect
night at the drive-in. I noticed
some slight background compression
on the hospital walls (and during
night scenes), but it wasn't distracting.
The mono sound was loud and clear.
EXTRAS
Truly spectacular. Nurse Sherri
was originally shot and completed
as a softcore-horror romp, which
escaped public release. Until now.
The film's vastly different, sex-infused
earlier cut is included here. You
can expect tons of alternate footage,
including drippy softcore scenes
(Sherri & Peter, Sherri &
a blonde woman, Tara & Marcus),
a college classroom blowjob gag,
and a few expositional scenes. The
print looks very similar to the
theatrical cut, with even more clarity
at times (the graveyard scenes look
stunning in this version). Producer
Sam Sherman's decision to cut the
sex and re-shoot was a good one,
but that doesn't diminish the fascinating
charms of low budget evolution.
As if that wasn't enough, Mr. Sherman
stops by to deliver one of his outstanding,
self-recorded commentary tracks
over Nurse Sherri's theatrical
cut. Sam's full length track discusses
inspirations, the who-what-why on
the African-American subplot, his
motivations for modification, and
a nice overview of the work of Bob
LeBar, title designer extraordinare.
When the phone rings, Sam explains
his philosophy on the art of recording
commentary tracks. Awesome.
Don't forget: An amazing theatrical
trailer, a 30 second TV spot, and
thirteen trailers for other ei Cinema
DVD releases (including Al and Sam's
The Naughty Stewardesses)
fill it all out.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Sherri, can you come out tonight?
Somehow, The Possession Of Nurse
Sherri has escaped the radar
of most everyone. Remedy that. Independent-International
aficionados will find much to love
and the DVD is a knock-out, so get
yer hands on it.
— Joseph A. Ziemba, 07.13.06 |
Take it away, Al
No more touchdowns
Couch Vs. Knife
Hold on, Sherri
|
