9. Fight For Your Life (1977)
Redneck scumbag Kane breaks out of prison with his sidekicks. They hide in an African American preacher's house where Kane proceeds to dump a deluge of physical and racial abuse against the preacher and his family. Some of these scenes are totally outrageous in their racism such as the gang rape by the felons of the minister's pretty daughter and the minister is forced to sing and dance at gun point. Eventually the minister decides that the Christian doctrine of "Turn the other cheek" is not feasible in this situation, and he turns on Kane. The pair face off in a battle to the death. The racist language of Fight For Your Life is astounding in its hatred, scorn and vitriol. It is monumentally offensive to African Americans and this makes the film uncompromising and uncomfortable viewing as Kane spits out one racial slur after the other. The only Video Nasty to be successfully prosecuted for offensive language, Fight For Your Life is a virtual recruitment campaign for the Black Panthers. The film is an exploitation classic in the vein of the Rape/Revenge exploitation sub genre, only it has the added racism to give it an even nastier twist. Produced in a pre-politically correct era, Fight For Your Life could never be made today due to its unpleasant racial epithets. Inflammatory language, racist rhetoric and the humiliation of the minister's family made this one of the nastiest nasties.
Clare Simpson
Contributor
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
See more from
Clare