Review #692: 'Forbidden Zone' (1982)

For anyone familiar with, or is a fan of, the Midnight Movie circuit that was most popular between the early 70's and mid-80's, will no doubt have seen Richard Elfman's warped black-and-white musical Forbidden Zone. Taking the natural step from theatre to film, Elfman took the playful and smutty performances of his musical troupe Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo (along with his brother Danny and co-writer Matthew Bright) and delivered a true head-fuck, and one that is filled with frog-headed butlers, machine-gun toting teachers, a scat-loving Satan, and an entrance into the sixth dimension that literally shits you into its bizarre universe.

Frenchy Hercules (Marie-Pascale Elfman) lives with her dysfunctional family in a house that happens to be hiding the entrance to the sixth dimension in it's basement. After being told by chicken-man Squeezit Henderson (Bright) that his transgender sister Rene (also Bright) has entered the sixth dimension, Frenchy decides to have a little peek but ends up falling in. There she discovers a world ruled by sex-mad dwarf King Fausto (Herve Villechaize) and his domineering Queen Doris (the wonderful Susan Tyrrell). Fausto takes a liking to Frenchy and takes her as his personal prisoner, much to the wrath of Doris. After being gone for days, Hercules family members Flash (Phil Gordon) and Grampa (Hyman Diamond) enter the sixth dimension to rescue her.

The 'plot' is no more than a excuse for Elfman and Bright to put on some truly remarkable and deliciously twisted musical numbers. Their influences were always 1930's vaudeville and jazz, but here they also embrace the 80's with rock and ska, with the particular stand-out for me was Danny Elfman's rendition of Minnie the Moocher as Satan. They try to make the most of an obviously tight budget, but the film does look dirt-cheap. The walls and sets look like they've been drawn by a child, but some sequences evoke the work of Monty Python.

But I doubt Elfman and Bright had in mind to make a professional-looking film, and preferred to just have their original vision out there for the world to see. Where the film lacks in budget it tries to make up for in smutty humour, and although the comedy and visuals here are often overly crass (I've never seen so much dry-humping), it has the cheeky playfulness of early John Waters. It's pointless to try and make sense of Forbidden Zone, I mean, why bother with a sixth dimension when the 'real world' is just as equally screwed up? Instead just enjoy this true one-of-a-kind, whether it be the breakneck pace, the farcical humour, Tyrrell's battle-axe performance, or the truly inspired musical numbers.


Directed by: Richard Elfman
Starring: Marie-Pascale Elfman, Hervé Villechaize, Susan Tyrrell, Gisele Lindley, Matthew Bright
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie