In 1924, author and journalist Richard Connell published the short story, The Most Dangerous Game, in the American magazine Collier’s. The story was about a big-game hunter who’s stranded on a tropical island and hunted by a Russian aristocrat. Over the years, the story has been adapted into multiple films, starting with 1932’s The Most Dangerous Game from RKO. Future Oscar winner Robert Wise directed the 1945 remake, A Game of Death, which was also produced by RKO. Several more adaptations were made, such as 1956’s Run for the Sun, 1961’s Bloodlust!, and 1972’s The Woman Hunt. Even Asian filmmaker John Woo’s debut in America, 1993’s Hard Target, was loosely based on the short story. And of course, the 80s saw a sci-fi version of the story from none other than Charles Band’s Empire Pictures. That adaptation was the 1987 sci-fi adventure film, Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity.
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Daria (Elizabeth Kaitan) and Tisa (Cindy Beal) have recently escaped from a space prison and taken off in a spacecraft. Unfortunately, the ship crashes on a mysterious planet, where they meet Zed (Don Scribner), who invites them to his fortress. After cleaning up and getting elegant dresses, they join Zed for dinner, along with two other crash-landing survivors. Rik (Carl Horner) and his sister Shala (Brinke Stevens) both warn the girls about Zed, saying the other survivors disappeared. Soon enough, they discover Zed’s trophy room and learn that he plans on hunting them for sport. While Rik and Daria go off to the jungle to prepare for the hunt, Shala is taken prisoner by Zed. Eventually, Zed figures out what’s going on, captures Daria and Tisa, and sets them and Shala loose for the hunt. The girls flee for their lives as they try finding a way to survive.
With a title like Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity, you’ll know right away if this is something you’re interested in. If you scoff at the title and find it ridiculous, this movie will obviously not appeal to you. However, if you know what you’re getting into and are looking for something silly but fun, this is for you. This is the sort of B-movie that knows what it is and has fun with it without being too self-aware. Elizabeth Kaitan and Cindy Beal, in addition to being gorgeous, clearly know what movie they’re in and act accordingly. Don Scribner makes for a decent villain, even though there’s not much to his character, but backstory isn’t necessary here. Carl Horner and Brinke Stevens do what they can with the small amount of screen time they’re given. Of course, it helps that the women are willing to show off their “assets”.
Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity feels like the kind of movie a 14-year-old would stumble across at 2am on CineMax. In addition to the women either wearing skimpy outfits or being nude, there’s also robots, mutants, and laser guns. What this movie lacks in story and character development, it makes up for in unapologetic fun and sheer ridiculousness. Shout out to the late John Carl Buechler, who worked on the make-up effects for many Empire/Full Moon films. It also helps that this movie is only 75 minutes long, so it never overstays its welcome or drags out. Admittedly, there are some moments where the movie tends to slow down, but not enough to make the movie boring. Given the sociopolitical environment we live in, this movie would upset the likes of Anita Sarkeesian and other hardcore feminists. For everyone else, Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity is great B-movie entertainment.
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