Here from the folks over at Massacre Video is Avon Triple Feature – a Blu Ray release, which brings together three early 1980’s films from NYC based Avon Productions- who created some of the more grim/ downbeat porn of the decade. The three films here are very much in the hardcore roughie bracket- with light S&M and BDSM, and other generally sleazy nastiness. So certainly not a release for everyone, but if you dig uncomfortable-to-watch and nasty sleaze, this release will be of interest. 

The set takes in three films in all, with a total runtime of over two and a half hours. All of the films have received a 2k scan- though as you can imagine with this type of film, they all still look decidedly gritty and cheap. I am reviewing screener links of the three films- so I can’t comment on the packaging for this Blu-ray, though I do know the release is ltd to just 1000 copies- so if this is your thing, best act sooner-than latter!

All three films here were directed/ written by Bronx born Phil Prince- who had the nickname of The Prince of Porn. In all he’s credited with sixteen directorial credits on IMDB, these are all from the ’80s with titles like Kneel Before Me, Oriental Techniques in Pain And Pleasure, and his final film 1983’s John Boy Blue. By the sounds of it he was a  decidedly shady/  highly sleazy character- going from cocaine dealer, TV thief, to night manager/ projectionist at the Avon porn Theatre, though to smut film-maker for the Avon Productions.

Pain Mania is from 1983, runs thirty-nine minutes, and was sold as a documentary- which it’s still listed as on IMDB. The film features Intrepid/ trying not to smirk reporter Nina nookie(Bumble Bee)- a meant to be TV  reporter doing a feature on the performances at the New Paris Theatre in NYC.  It opens in a decidedly stark manner- with just a simple white text on black background credits showing just the doc's title, with the sonic backing of bleakly battering windstorm. The film is a blend of short interviews between Ms Nookie, and the performers in their dressing rooms, and the performances themselves. The interviews are somewhat stilted and amusingly awkward, and the performances going from stagey perverse to somewhat unsettling. On the tamer end- we have unconvincing mistress talk and phallic whipping, and on the more extreme side- we get staged rape/ strangulation, which ends up with a fisting. Featured along with the performers we have the known/ notorious Annie Sprinkle- though her role is a little underwhelming. All in all Pain Mania is a rather yin/ yang affair shifting between the unintentionally amusing, and rather intense/ unsettling- though quite how they managed to get away with calling it a documentary I don’t know, as it’s all clearly staged/ set-up beforehand.

Next up is The Story Of Prunellam this is from 1982 and runs at fifty-eight minutes.  The film focuses on three escaped convicts who gate-crash a wedding shower, which turns out to be for the daughter of the prison's warden.  In the lead role as said daughter Prunella we have Ambrosia Fox- who had around eleven porn credits in the early ’80s. She is joined by her cop boyfriend Paul- who is none other than porn legend Ron Jeremy. The film starts off moving between the escape footage, and Ron getting it on with his wife to be, then her mother Denise played Dixie Dew, fantasizing about doing it with big Ron.  As we move forward we get properly introduced to the escape crims- these are led up by vein 'n' eye budging 'Quick' Jimmy Connors(George Payne).  The sleazy action moves from consensual to forced sex with pegs, to the wedding shower orgy- which moves between semi consensual and more forceful action. George Payne is good as the lead crim, coming off suitable nasty and sleazily unhinged, his two accomplices have few lines, and make little impact. The soundtrack features pumping beats, grimly rolling-to-sleazily bouncing synths, animalistic grunts/ deranged laugher, and even farting sounds!. There are a few unsettling/ intense scenes here- first one occurs early on when Mother Denise is fantasizing about Ron- where she’s sucking him off, and he’s repeating  “all I want is you” - he’d said these words a few minutes early to her daughter. Then an intensely nasty scene appears in the finale, when we get the convicts finishing themselves on their victims, as we get looped and layered rape talk going on. And the whole films ends on a very starkly grim note too.  Filmed in the winter, The Story Of Prunella is a mean and nasty roughie- sure there are more camp 80’s touches and some of the acting lightens the film in places, but it’s a largely grim and unpleasant experience. 

Lastly, we have Forgive Me I Have Sinned this is from 1983, and it focuses on ‘the confessor’(George Payne)- who we get introduced to ticking off names in his sinner's book, then posting out letters to each. So, we get a series of three victims turning up: a young woman who gets taken advantage of by her older Asian friend in a tent. A weak jibbing big glassed and thick moustached brother who spies on his mistress sister- then gets beaten and forced to lick/ suck. And lastly, a woman who goes for a new secretary job and gets forced to give head/have sex with the boss, who is none other than Ron Jeremy.  
The confessors invites all the sinners (and their victims) back to his black slattered and dry iced hazed confession room, where he gives each drugged wine- then he and the victims get their way with the sinners.  We get in-stock whippings, forced fellatio, pussy teasing, and general cleansing from the confessor. The film runs at one hour and six minutes- with a neat pulsing synth soundtrack, and some light horror undertones- all making it of the three films the most entertaining- sure it’s still dirty and nasty in places, but it’s the most watchable thing here. 

In finishing this is a good look into the largely grim ‘n’ nastily sleazed world of Avon Productions and Phil Prince. It is a pity there are no extras here, as it would have been nice to get more background in both Avon and Prince, but I do understand why it’s such a bare-bones affair. As the audience will certainly be limited for this, but if you enjoy grimy and nasty 80’s porn, or Ron Jeremy’s work- you’ll be wanting to track this down.