Scum of the Earth! aka Devil's Camera is a 1963

1963 in film

The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....

 American exploitation film

Exploitation film

Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...

 directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis

Herschell Gordon Lewis

Herschell Gordon Lewis is an American filmmaker, best known for creating the "splatter film" subgenre of horror...

 and produced by David F. Friedman

David F. Friedman

David Frank Friedman was an American filmmaker and film producer.-Life and career:Friedman first became interested in entertainment after spending part of his childhood in Birmingham and Anniston, Alabama, traveling carnival sites. He met exploitation film pioneer Kroger Babb during his stay in...

. It is credited as being the first film in the "roughie" genre.

Synopsis

An innocent college student, named Ryan Parino, is lured into doing "glamour" poses to earn money for tuition. Once she has done this work she is blackmailed by the photographers into doing more and more explicit posing. Various forms of implied sexual violence follow until the girl is rescued from her desperate situation.

Cast

• William Kerwin: Harmon Johnson
• Allison Louise Downe: Kim Sherwood
• Lawrence J. Aberwood: Lang
• Sandra Sinclair: Sandy
• Mal Arnold: Larry
• Craig Maudslay Jr.: Ajax
• Christy Foushee: Marie
• Doug Brennan: Carl
• Christina Castel: Cindy, the model
• Edward Mann: Mr. Sherwood
• Lou Youngman: Dave, punk in diner
• William Caulder: Joe, punk in diner

Production

In his autobiography, David F. Friedman writes that Scum of the Earth was shot in six days. It was filmed in black and white not to save money, but to intentionally give it a dirty look, "like an old, scratched 16mm stag film." Friedman had the idea of promoting the film a week before its showing by giving theater audiences comic books of the story.

Critical reception

Allmovie reports that Scum of the Earth "certainly has its moments for connoisseurs of bad cinema, but others will find it tawdry and dull."

Availability

Something Weird Video

Something Weird Video

Something Weird Video is an American publisher of video tapes and DVDs, based in Seattle, Washington. They specialize in exploitation film, particularly the works of Harry Novak, Doris Wishman, David F. Friedman, and Herschell Gordon Lewis. SWV videos are available on demand to Comcast subscribers...

 released Scum of the Earth on DVD with The Defilers (1964) on February 20, 2001.