Forbidden Zone
Reviewed by Saturn in Retrograde
Welcome to the Forbidden Zone, a bizarre world ruled by a sex-crazed
midget king and populated by his domineering wife, their beautiful
topless daughter, a giant dancing frog butler, a chicken boy, obese
bikini-clad maidens, a machine gun-toting schoolteacher, a human chandelier,
the irrepressible Hercules Family and Satan himself, and a place where
degraded beings of every imaginable kind run riot!
Forbidden Zone features the first ever film score by Oscar nominated
composer Danny Elfman (Corpse Bride; Charlie And The Chocolate Factory;
Spider-Man 2; The Nightmare Before Christmas; Edward Scissorhands;
Batman) with original songs by Elfman and The Mystic Knights of Oingo
Boingo!
The film stars cult Hollywood legend and self-affirmed outcast Susan
Tyrell as Queen Doris, the buxom, domineering wife of the diminuitive
and extremely horny King Fausto (played by Tyrell's former real-life
lover Hervˆ© Villechaize). Renowned throughout her career for her attraction
to Hollywood's darker side and her portrayal of various whores, harridans
and grotesque figures, Forbidden Zone sees Tyrrell in the role she
was born for! Playing opposite her is the enigmatic Hervˆ© Villechaize
(The Man With The Golden Gun; Fantasy Island) stars as Fausto, the
kinky king whose roving eye lands on the lithesome figure of Susan
B. "Frenchy" Hercules (Marie-Pascale Elfman).
THE STORY’Ķ
In the bowels of the Hercules Family's Venice Beach home lies a mysterious
portal’Ķ a gateway to the Sixth Dimension’Ķ
Bored after another humdrum day at school, where her teacher maintains
order with a machine gun and her closest friend is a half-boy-half-chicken
named Squeezit (Toshiro Boloney, aka writer-director Matthew Bright),
Susan B. "Frenchy" Hercules (Marie-Pascale Elfman) returns
home intent on satisfying her curiosity concerning the strange door
in the basement. On opening the door, Frenchy is sucked into an intestine-like
passageway and flung headlong into the bizarre Forbidden Zone where
she finds herself trapped and at the mercy of the vertically-challenged
King Fausto (Herve Villechaize), his wife, Queen Doris (Susan Tyrrell),
and their spoiled and permanently topless daughter, Princess (Giselle
Lindley).
With only obese maidens in bikinis, a dancing frog, robot-like boxers
(The Kipper Kids), Satan (Danny Elfman) and the Mystic Knights of
Oingo-Boingo to entertain him, Fausto has decided he wants a new concubine’Ķ
and Frenchy fits the bill!
Fortunately for Frenchy, her brother Flash (Phil Gordon), Grampa Hercules
(Hyman Diamond) and Squeezit are in hot pursuit and determined to
rescue her. But will they make it in time to save Frenchy before she
suffers the fate of the other damsels who have tempted the king and
infuriated the jealous queen? The answer lies in the Forbidden Zone
and, once there, there's no turning back!
THE BACKGROUND’Ķ
Co-written (with Matthew Bright) and directed by Richard Elfman, Forbidden
Zone began life as an attempt to capture on film what Richard and
brother Danny had been doing on stage with their musical-theatrical
group the Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo (which later formed into
cult new-wave rock group, Oingo Boingo). Essentially an absurdist
musical-comedy troupe, the Mystic Knights' only rule was "fuck
contemporary" and led them to perform only totally original works
composed by Danny Elfman or loving recreations of old classics by
the likes of Cab Calloway, Josephine Baker, early Duke Ellington and
Django Rheinhardt. The theatrics were inspired by the films of Fellini,
the cartoons of Max Fleischer and the physical comedy of the Three
Stooges.
Forbidden Zone brilliantly captures the spirit, imagination and musical
brilliance of the Mystic Knights and features the group as a whole,
as well as starring several of the individual from the group, including
founder members Richard, his then wife Marie-Pascale (as Frenchy Hercules),
brother Danny (as Satan), childhood friend Gene Cunningham (as Pa
Hercules) and one-time bass player and now a writer and director in
his own right, Matthew Bright (as Squeezit and Squeezit's sister Rene).
THE DVD’Ķ
A feast of visual and aural delights, reaching new found heights of
insanity, invention and questionable taste, the all-time cult classic
Forbidden Zone now boasts an eye-popping high definition widescreen
transfer and restored and remastered 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround soundtrack.
Propelled by the incredible songs of the one and only Danny Elfman
and the Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo it is without doubt a musical
and cinematic experience like no other.
