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{{short description|1970s American pornographic parody film by an anonymous director, released in 1996}}
{{short description|1970s American pornographic parody film by an anonymous director, released in 1996}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Bat Pussy
| name = Bat Pussy
| image = BatPussyDVD.jpg
| image = Bat Pussy DVD cover.jpg
| caption = DVD cover illustrated by Matt Allison
| caption = DVD cover illustrated by Matt Allison
| director =
| director =
| producer =
| producer =
| writer =
| writer =
| starring =
| starring =
| music =
| music =
| cinematography =
| cinematography =
| editing =
| editing =
| distributor = [[Something Weird Video]]
| distributor = [[Something Weird Video]]
| released = Early 1970s<br/>1996 {{small|([[VHS|Home video]])}}
| released = {{Film date|1971}}
| runtime = 50 minutes
| runtime = 50 minutes
| language = English
| language = English
| country = United States
| country = United States
| budget =
| budget =
}}
}}
'''''Bat Pussy''''' is an American [[pornographic film]], believed to have been produced and possibly released in the early 1970s. Ostensibly a [[parody|spoof]] of the 1966–1968 [[Batman (TV series)|''Batman'' television series]], it has been cited as the earliest example of a [[pornographic parody film]] and more infamously considered to be the [[List of films considered the worst|worst pornographic film ever made]].<ref name="BPTelegraph">{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11395280/The-rise-of-parody-porn-the-Chaucer-of-our-times.html |title=The rise of parody porn, 'the Chaucer of our times' |publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |author=Merz, Theo |date=February 23, 2015}}</ref><ref name="BPio9">{{cite web |url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/5545416/a-brief-history-of-batman-themed-pornography-nsfw |title=A brief history of Batman-themed pornography (NSFW) |publisher=[[io9]] |author=Lamar, Cyriaque |date=May 22, 2010}}</ref>
'''''Bat Pussy''''' is an American [[pornographic film]], believed to have been produced and possibly released in the early 1970s. Ostensibly a [[parody|spoof]] of the 1966–1968 [[Batman (TV series)|''Batman'' television series]], it has been cited as the earliest example of a [[pornographic parody film]] and more infamously considered to be the [[List of films considered the worst|worst pornographic film ever made]].<ref name="BPTelegraph">{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11395280/The-rise-of-parody-porn-the-Chaucer-of-our-times.html |title=The rise of parody porn, 'the Chaucer of our times' |publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |author=Merz, Theo |date=February 23, 2015 |access-date=April 4, 2018 |archive-date=April 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425105912/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11395280/The-rise-of-parody-porn-the-Chaucer-of-our-times.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="BPio9">{{cite web |url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/5545416/a-brief-history-of-batman-themed-pornography-nsfw |title=A brief history of Batman-themed pornography (NSFW) |publisher=[[io9]] |author=Lamar, Cyriaque |date=May 22, 2010 |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307104420/http://io9.gizmodo.com/5545416/a-brief-history-of-batman-themed-pornography-nsfw |url-status=live }}</ref>


Released in relative obscurity and near-anonymity, ''Bat Pussy'' was discovered in the storeroom of a [[Memphis, Tennessee]] [[adult movie theater]] in the mid-1990s and subsequently issued on home video by [[exploitation film]] distributor [[Something Weird Video]]. No credits or copyright information can be found on this print, and as a result, nothing is known for certain about its production or who was involved; it is not known who made the film or even stars in it. Since its video release, it has attracted a [[cult following]] among exploitation and pornography fans for its notoriously poor quality, with most reviews criticizing its technical flaws, bizarre dialogue, and the sexual ineptitude and physical unattractiveness of its lead actors, who are known only by the names they receive in the film itself.
Released in relative obscurity and near-anonymity, ''Bat Pussy'' was discovered in the storeroom of a [[Memphis, Tennessee]] [[adult movie theater]] in the mid-1990s and subsequently issued on home video by [[exploitation film]] distributor [[Something Weird Video]]. No credits or copyright information can be found on this print, and as a result, nothing is known for certain about its production or who was involved; it is not known who made the film or even stars in it. Since its video release, it has attracted a [[cult following]] among exploitation and pornography fans for its notoriously poor quality, with most reviews criticizing its technical flaws, bizarre dialogue, and the sexual ineptitude and physical unattractiveness of its lead actors, who are known only by the names they receive in the film itself.


==Plot==
==Plot==
Purportedly set in [[Gotham City]], the loose plot of ''Bat Pussy'' primarily focuses on married couple Buddy and Sam in the bedroom of a small apartment. While reading an issue of [[Screw (magazine)|''Screw'' magazine]], Buddy is inspired to experiment with [[oral sex]] on Sam and the two spend the remainder of the film together in bed, alternating between [[cunnilingus]], [[Fingering (sexual act)|fingering]] and [[fellatio]], despite Buddy's [[Erectile dysfunction|visibly and perpetually flaccid penis]]. Throughout these scenes, Buddy and Sam continually insult and argue over each other's sexual performance.
Purportedly set in [[Gotham City]], the loose plot of ''Bat Pussy'' primarily focuses on married couple Buddy and Sam in the bedroom of a small apartment. While reading an issue of [[Screw (magazine)|''Screw'' magazine]], Buddy is inspired to experiment with oral sex on Sam and the two spend the remainder of the film together in bed, alternating between [[cunnilingus]], [[Fingering (sexual act)|fingering]] and [[fellatio]], despite Buddy's [[Erectile dysfunction|visibly and perpetually flaccid penis]]. Throughout these scenes, Buddy and Sam continually insult each other and argue over their sexual performance.


Meanwhile, across town at Bat Pussy's Secret Warehouse Hideout, Bat Pussy's alter ego Dora [[Dildo]] awaits for her "super senses" to alert her to nearby trouble – the film's sole bit of narration explains that she can sense crime "when her [[twat]] begins to twitch". Angrily sensing that someone is about to "shoot a fuck movie" in her "holy Gotham City" without her, she proceeds to change into her Bat Pussy outfit and slowly travel across the "city" (which is actually a park) on an inflatable [[space hopper]], stopping only to [[urination|urinate]] behind some bushes and thwart an attempted [[rape]] or [[robbery|mugging]] by beating the attacker with her space hopper.
Meanwhile, across town at Bat Pussy's Secret Warehouse Hideout, Bat Pussy's alter ego Dora [[Dildo]] awaits for her "super senses" to alert her to nearby trouble – the film's sole bit of narration explains that she can sense crime "when her [[twat]] begins to twitch". Angrily sensing that someone is about to "shoot a fuck movie" in her "holy Gotham City" without her, she proceeds to change into her Bat Pussy outfit and slowly travel across the "city" (which is actually a park) on an inflatable [[space hopper]], stopping only to urinate behind some bushes and thwart an attempted rape or mugging by beating the attacker with her space hopper.


Back at Buddy and Sam's, Buddy starts taking pictures of Sam's vagina to sell and "make a fortune" with when Bat Pussy breaks into their room and confronts them. They immediately engage in a [[threesome]] involving the use of a [[dildo]] until Bat Pussy suddenly puts on her costume and vanishes, bringing the film to an abrupt end.
Back at Buddy and Sam's, Buddy starts taking pictures of Sam's vagina to sell and "make a fortune" with when Bat Pussy breaks into their room and confronts them. They immediately engage in a [[threesome]] involving the use of a dildo until Bat Pussy abruptly gets up from the bed, takes her costume, and walks out, leaving Sam and Buddy to bicker and argue again. The film ends with Bat Pussy returning to her hideout in a dishevelled state and collapsing outside it.


==Discovery and release==
==Discovery and release==
Virtually nothing is known about the production of ''Bat Pussy'', as the film bears no [[Credit (creative arts)|credits]] and no names have been publicly associated with the film. There is no known record of ''Bat Pussy''{{'}}s existence prior to the 1990s, when musician and filmmaker Mike McCarthy (known for creating the 2009 film ''[[Cigarette Girl (2009 film)|Cigarette Girl]]'') discovered roughly 200 boxes of vintage [[Super 8 film|Super 8]] and [[16 mm film|16 mm]] [[pornographic film]]s and [[Pornographic film|porn loops]] in the back room of the Paris [[adult movie theater]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], among which was a 600-foot 16mm reel labeled "BATPUSSY".<ref name="BPMcCarthy">{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/LongGoneLoserRockShow-Episode9 |title=Long Gone Loser Rock Show - Episode 9 |date=August 20, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/MoviesAboutGirlsPodcastEpisode27 |title=Movies About Girls - Podcast Episode 27 |publisher=Movies About Girls |date=August 1, 2009}}</ref><ref name="BPBRMcCarthy">McCarthy, Mike. ''I Saved Bat Pussy'' Blu-ray liner notes</ref> McCarthy contacted Mike Vraney, founder of [[exploitation film]] distributor [[Something Weird Video]], and Vraney purchased the Paris Theater's collection for $1000.<ref name="BPMcCarthy" />
Virtually nothing is known about the production of ''Bat Pussy'', as the film bears no [[Credit (creative arts)|credits]] and no names have been publicly associated with the film. There is no known record of ''Bat Pussy''{{'}}s existence prior to the 1990s, when musician and filmmaker Mike McCarthy (known for creating the 2009 film ''[[Cigarette Girl (2009 film)|Cigarette Girl]]'') discovered roughly 200 boxes of vintage [[Super 8 film|Super 8]] and [[16 mm film|16 mm]] [[pornographic film]]s and [[Pornographic film|porn loops]] in the back room of the Paris [[adult movie theater]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], among which was a 600-foot 16mm reel labeled "BATPUSSY".<ref name="BPMcCarthy">{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/LongGoneLoserRockShow-Episode9 |title=Long Gone Loser Rock Show – Episode 9 |date=August 20, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/MoviesAboutGirlsPodcastEpisode27 |title=Movies About Girls – Podcast Episode 27 |publisher=Movies About Girls |date=August 1, 2009}}</ref><ref name="BPBRMcCarthy">McCarthy, Mike. ''I Saved Bat Pussy'' Blu-ray liner notes</ref> McCarthy contacted Mike Vraney, founder of [[exploitation film]] distributor [[Something Weird Video]], and Vraney purchased the Paris Theater's collection for $1000.<ref name="BPMcCarthy" />


Despite being found in Tennessee, it is uncertain where ''Bat Pussy'' was filmed. Based on the actors' heavy [[Southern American English|southern accent]]s, McCarthy believes the film was shot in the "Mid-South area": "That is to say, around Memphis, Tennessee (or nearby Arkansas, Alabama, or Mississippi)".<ref name="BPBRMcCarthy" /><ref name="BPMcCarthy" /> In a 2013 interview with ''[[Seattle Weekly]]'' about the documentary film ''That's Sexploitation!'', in which ''Bat Pussy'' is briefly featured, Vraney mentioned that the film was likely made in Texas, saying "I love sexploitation movies made in Texas, just because these girls have these amazing accents. In ''Bat Pussy'', that girl's accent is hilarious".<ref name="BPSeattleWeekly">{{cite web |url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/home/948381-129/sexploitation-movies-documentary-film-didn-porn |title=That's Sexploitation! |publisher=[[Seattle Weekly]] |date=August 20, 2013 |author=Warner, Mark |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307105458/http://www.seattleweekly.com/home/948381-129/sexploitation-movies-documentary-film-didn-porn |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Following the film's 2K restoration, it was discovered that the actor who plays "Buddy" has an [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas Razorbacks]] tattoo on his buttock.<ref name="BPBRcommentary">''Bat Pussy'' Blu-ray audio commentary, 2017</ref>
Despite being found in Tennessee, it is uncertain where ''Bat Pussy'' was filmed. Based on the actors' heavy [[Southern American English|Southern accent]]s, McCarthy believes the film was shot in the "Mid-South area": "That is to say, around Memphis, Tennessee (or nearby Arkansas, Alabama, or Mississippi)".<ref name="BPBRMcCarthy" /><ref name="BPMcCarthy" /> In a 2013 interview with ''[[Seattle Weekly]]'' about the documentary film ''That's Sexploitation!'', in which ''Bat Pussy'' is briefly featured, Vraney mentioned that the film was likely made in Texas, saying "I love sexploitation movies made in Texas, just because these girls have these amazing accents. In ''Bat Pussy'', that girl's accent is hilarious".<ref name="BPSeattleWeekly">{{cite web |url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/home/948381-129/sexploitation-movies-documentary-film-didn-porn |title=That's Sexploitation! |publisher=[[Seattle Weekly]] |date=August 20, 2013 |author=Warner, Mark |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307105458/http://www.seattleweekly.com/home/948381-129/sexploitation-movies-documentary-film-didn-porn |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Following the film's 2K restoration, it was discovered that the actor who plays "Buddy" has an [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas Razorbacks]] tattoo on his buttock.<ref name="BPBRcommentary">''Bat Pussy'' Blu-ray audio commentary, 2017</ref>


The year of ''Bat Pussy''{{'}}s production is also of debate. Although the [[IMDb|Internet Movie Database]] and the [[Internet Adult Film Database]] both list a year of 1973, Something Weird more vaguely dates it as "1970s". The issue of [[Screw (magazine)|''Screw'' magazine]] which Buddy is reading from at the beginning of the film has a [[cover date]] of September 14, 1970.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.specificobject.com/objects/info.cfm?object_id=17404#.Vty7COY8jIU | title=Screw: The Sex Review | website=Specific Object | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013093252/https://www.specificobject.com/objects/info.cfm?object_id=17404 | archivedate=2018-10-13 | url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[audio commentary]] of ''Bat Pussy''{{'}}s Blu-ray release, the commentators even dispute [[Wikipedia]]'s listed date of the "early 1970s", believing it to have more likely been made around 1968 or 1969,<ref name="BPBRcommentary" /> but this notion is disproven by the 1970 issue of ''Screw'' seen in the film.
The year of ''Bat Pussy''{{'}}s production is also of debate. Although the [[IMDb|Internet Movie Database]] and the [[Internet Adult Film Database]] both list a year of 1973, Something Weird more vaguely dates it as "1970s". The issue of [[Screw (magazine)|''Screw'' magazine]] which Buddy is reading from at the beginning of the film has a [[cover date]] of September 14, 1970.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.specificobject.com/objects/info.cfm?object_id=17404#.Vty7COY8jIU | title=Screw: The Sex Review | website=Specific Object | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013093252/https://www.specificobject.com/objects/info.cfm?object_id=17404 | archivedate=October 13, 2018 | url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[audio commentary]] of ''Bat Pussy''{{'}}s Blu-ray release, the commentators even dispute [[Wikipedia]]'s listed date of the "early 1970s", believing it to have more likely been made around 1968 or 1969.<ref name="BPBRcommentary" />


Something Weird released ''Bat Pussy'' on VHS in 1996 as a double feature with the 1973 film ''Baby Bubbles'', forming volume 23 of "Bucky Beaver's Dragon Art Theatre Triple XXX-Rated Double Feature". This version of ''Bat Pussy'' is preceded by a vintage theatrical introduction to the Dragon Art Theater by theater owner and exploitation film producer Donn Davison, though it is uncertain whether ''Bat Pussy'' actually played at the Dragon Art Theater.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XIzQpu1HeXsC&dq=%22bat+pussy%22&pg=PA34 |title=Headpress Guide to the Counter Culture |publisher=Headpress |author1=Kerekes, David |author2=Drake, Temple |date=2004 |isbn=9781900486354}}</ref> The ''Bat Pussy''/''Baby Bubbles'' double feature was later reissued as a [[print on demand]] [[DVD-R]] in 2007, and as of 2017, is also available as a [[Digital distribution|digital download]] through the Something Weird website.<ref name="BPSomethingWeird">{{cite web |url=http://www.somethingweird.com/product_info.php?products_id=23351 |title=DRAGON ART THEATRE DOUBLE FEATURE VOL 023: BAT PUSSY / BABY BUBBLES - DVD-R |publisher=[[Something Weird Video]]}}</ref>
Something Weird released ''Bat Pussy'' on VHS in 1996 as a double feature with the 1973 film ''Baby Bubbles'', forming volume 23 of "Bucky Beaver's Dragon Art Theatre Triple XXX-Rated Double Feature". This version of ''Bat Pussy'' is preceded by a vintage theatrical introduction to the Dragon Art Theater by theater owner and exploitation film producer Donn Davison, though it is uncertain whether ''Bat Pussy'' actually played at the Dragon Art Theater.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XIzQpu1HeXsC&dq=%22bat+pussy%22&pg=PA34 |title=Headpress Guide to the Counter Culture |publisher=Headpress |author1=Kerekes, David |author2=Drake, Temple |date=2004 |isbn=9781900486354}}</ref> The ''Bat Pussy''/''Baby Bubbles'' double feature was later reissued as a [[print on demand]] [[DVD-R]] in 2007, and as of 2017, is also available as a [[Digital distribution|digital download]] through the Something Weird website.<ref name="BPSomethingWeird">{{cite web |url=http://www.somethingweird.com/product_info.php?products_id=23351 |title=DRAGON ART THEATRE DOUBLE FEATURE VOL 023: BAT PUSSY / BABY BUBBLES – DVD-R |publisher=[[Something Weird Video]] |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307105414/http://www.somethingweird.com/product_info.php?products_id=23351 |url-status=live }}</ref>


On November 10, 2016, the American Genre Film Archive announced it would be partnering with Something Weird Video to release a [[2K resolution|2K]] [[Film preservation|restoration]] of ''Bat Pussy'' on [[Blu-ray]] the following year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/filmarchive/status/796813178717892608 |title=AGFA on Twitter |date=November 10, 2016 |publisher=[[Twitter]] |author=American Genre Film Archive}}</ref> After nearly a year's worth of restoration, an official press release was finally published on September 20, 2017, announcing a release date of October 17, alongside a humorous emphasis that the film had been banned from sale on [[Amazon (company)|Amazon.com]] due to its pornographic content.<ref name="AGFAPress">{{cite web |url=https://www.americangenrefilm.com/bat-pussy-blu-ray-will-be-released-on-october-17-banned-by-amazon/ |title=BAT PUSSY Blu-ray will be released on October 17 — banned by Amazon! |date=September 20, 2017 |publisher=American Genre Film Archive}}</ref> The restored print of ''Bat Pussy'' made its world premiere at the [[Fantastic Fest]] film festival in [[Austin, Texas]] on September 23, 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fantasticfest.com/films/bat-pussy-presented-by-agfa-and-something-weird |title=BAT PUSSY - PRESENTED BY AGFA AND SOMETHING WEIRD |publisher=[[Fantastic Fest]]}}</ref> ''Bat Pussy'' was released on Blu-ray on October 17, 2017, featuring audio commentary by members of the Something Weird and American Genre Film Archive, liner notes by McCarthy and Something Weird's Lisa Petrucci, several archival shorts and trailers from the Something Weird vaults and the 1971 pornographic short ''Robot Sex Slaves'' as a bonus film.
On November 10, 2016, the American Genre Film Archive announced it would be partnering with Something Weird Video to release a [[2K resolution|2K]] [[Film preservation|restoration]] of ''Bat Pussy'' on [[Blu-ray]] the following year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/filmarchive/status/796813178717892608 |title=AGFA on Twitter |date=November 10, 2016 |publisher=[[Twitter]] |author=American Genre Film Archive |access-date=November 14, 2016 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511192856/https://twitter.com/filmarchive/status/796813178717892608 |url-status=live }}</ref> After nearly a year's worth of restoration, an official press release was finally published on September 20, 2017, announcing a release date of October 17, alongside a humorous emphasis that the film had been banned from sale on [[Amazon (company)|Amazon.com]] due to its pornographic content.<ref name="AGFAPress">{{cite web |url=https://www.americangenrefilm.com/bat-pussy-blu-ray-will-be-released-on-october-17-banned-by-amazon/ |title=BAT PUSSY Blu-ray will be released on October 17 — banned by Amazon! |date=September 20, 2017 |publisher=American Genre Film Archive |access-date=September 23, 2017 |archive-date=June 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615012241/https://www.americangenrefilm.com/bat-pussy-blu-ray-will-be-released-on-october-17-banned-by-amazon/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The restored print of ''Bat Pussy'' made its world premiere at the [[Fantastic Fest]] film festival in [[Austin, Texas]] on September 23, 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fantasticfest.com/films/bat-pussy-presented-by-agfa-and-something-weird |title=BAT PUSSY – PRESENTED BY AGFA AND SOMETHING WEIRD |publisher=[[Fantastic Fest]] |access-date=September 23, 2017 |archive-date=September 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923145214/http://fantasticfest.com/films/bat-pussy-presented-by-agfa-and-something-weird |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Bat Pussy'' was released on Blu-ray on October 17, 2017,<ref>{{Citation |title=Bat Pussy Blu-ray |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Bat-Pussy-Blu-ray/188278/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |archive-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605143401/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Bat-Pussy-Blu-ray/188278/ |url-status=live }}</ref> featuring audio commentary by members of the Something Weird and American Genre Film Archive, liner notes by McCarthy and Something Weird's Lisa Petrucci, several archival shorts and trailers from the Something Weird vaults and the 1971 pornographic short ''Robot Sex Slaves'' as a bonus film.


On February 14, 2019, the American Genre Film Archive announced that Something Weird's Lisa Petrucci had located a second 16mm copy which included footage missing from the ending of the previously found print.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt4QGXUlwga/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/Bt4QGXUlwga |archive-date=2021-12-24 |url-access=registration|title=American Genre Film Archive on Instagram: "Happy Valentine's Day! This is the perfect opportunity to let you know that Something Weird head honcho Lisa Petrucci located a second…"|last=|first=|date=February 14, 2019|website=Instagram|language=en|access-date=2020-04-12}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
On February 14, 2019, the American Genre Film Archive announced that Something Weird's Lisa Petrucci had located a second 16mm copy which included footage missing from the ending of the previously found print.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt4QGXUlwga/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/Bt4QGXUlwga |archive-date=December 24, 2021 |url-access=registration|title=American Genre Film Archive on Instagram: "Happy Valentine's Day! This is the perfect opportunity to let you know that Something Weird head honcho Lisa Petrucci located a second…"|last=|first=|date=February 14, 2019|website=Instagram|language=en|access-date=April 12, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The American Genre Film Archive reissued their Blu-ray release on December 1, 2022 to include a new preservation based on this newly discovered print.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bat Pussy |url=https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/bat-pussy |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=Vinegar Syndrome |language=en |archive-date=December 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202124710/https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/bat-pussy |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Reception==
==Reception==
Since its initial video release, ''Bat Pussy'' has achieved [[cult following|cult status]] as the worst pornographic movie ever made, with [[Gawker Media]]{{'}}s [[io9]] proclaiming it "the absolute nadir of pornography, period. Not just Batman-themed pornography. ALL pornography".<ref name="BPio9" /> In a 2014 interview, Tim Lewis, the general manager of Something Weird Video, selected ''Bat Pussy'' as the one film "so nuts it has to be seen to be believed" out of Something Weird's entire catalog of over 2,500 schlock and exploitation films, mentioning it was "only for the truly jaded adult film viewer".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://atomiclegdropzine.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/something-weird-video/ |title=Something Weird Video |date=March 4, 2014 |publisher=The Atomic Leg Drop Zine! |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814030804/http://atomiclegdropzine.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/something-weird-video/ |archivedate=2014-08-14 }}</ref>
Since its initial video release, ''Bat Pussy'' has achieved [[cult following|cult status]] as the worst pornographic movie ever made, with [[Gawker Media]]{{'}}s [[io9]] proclaiming it "the absolute nadir of pornography, period. Not just Batman-themed pornography. ALL pornography".<ref name="BPio9" /> In a 2014 interview, Tim Lewis, the general manager of Something Weird Video, selected ''Bat Pussy'' as the one film "so nuts it has to be seen to be believed" out of Something Weird's entire catalog of over 2,500 schlock and exploitation films, mentioning it was "only for the truly jaded adult film viewer".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://atomiclegdropzine.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/something-weird-video/ |title=Something Weird Video |date=March 4, 2014 |publisher=The Atomic Leg Drop Zine! |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814030804/http://atomiclegdropzine.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/something-weird-video/ |archivedate=August 14, 2014 }}</ref>


"[T]hanks to some incredibly unarousing sex and a general attitude of awfulness", nearly every aspect of ''Bat Pussy'' has been heavily criticized.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/5914178/the-bizarre-history-of-superhero-porn-nsfw |title=The Bizarre History of Superhero Porn [NSFW] |author=Anders, Charlie Jane |date=May 30, 2012 |publisher=[[io9]]}}</ref> General critiques of the film involved its acting, technical quality and the slipshod nature of its [[Low-budget film|low-budget]] production: for example, the director can be heard giving actors various directions throughout the film, while a crew member can be heard audibly [[burping|belching]] during one of the sex scenes.<ref name="BPAVClub">{{cite web |url=http://avmaniacs.com/features/bat_pussy.html |title=Deep Inside Bat Pussy |author=Allison, Matthew |publisher=AV Maniacs |url-status=dead |access-date=2016-03-07 |archive-date=2015-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026200719/http://avmaniacs.com/features/bat_pussy.html }}</ref> In the final scene, Buddy frequently refers to Bat Pussy as "[[Batwoman (identity)|Batwoman]]" before being corrected by the other actor.<ref name="BPAVClub" /> Some of ''Bat Pussy''{{'}}s harshest criticisms were often focused on the unattractiveness of the film's actors, in particular Buddy and Sam, who ''PornParody.com'' wrote were "physically unappealing specimens [...] even by the looser standards of 1970s porn"<ref name="BPPornParody" /> and ''AV Maniacs'' bluntly described as "two white trash, out of shape, drunk on [[Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company|Schlitz]] yokels".<ref name="BPAVClub" /> Something Weird Video described the two actors' seemingly unscripted dialogue - consisting mostly of insults and vulgar [[Non sequitur (literary device)|non sequitur]]s such as "My horoscope says I'm going to fuck you in the nose"<ref name="BPSomethingWeird" /> - as "almost surreal", likening it to the "babbling" of "two escaped mental patients".<ref name="BPSomethingWeird" />
"[T]hanks to some incredibly unarousing sex and a general attitude of awfulness", nearly every aspect of ''Bat Pussy'' has been heavily criticized.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/5914178/the-bizarre-history-of-superhero-porn-nsfw |title=The Bizarre History of Superhero Porn [NSFW] |author=Anders, Charlie Jane |date=May 30, 2012 |publisher=[[io9]] |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=March 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327103621/http://io9.gizmodo.com/5914178/the-bizarre-history-of-superhero-porn-nsfw |url-status=live }}</ref> General critiques of the film involved its acting, technical quality and the slipshod nature of its [[Low-budget film|low-budget]] production: for example, the director can be heard giving actors various directions throughout the film, while a crew member can be heard audibly belching during one of the sex scenes.<ref name="BPAVClub">{{cite web |url=http://avmaniacs.com/features/bat_pussy.html |title=Deep Inside Bat Pussy |author=Allison, Matthew |publisher=AV Maniacs |url-status=dead |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=October 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026200719/http://avmaniacs.com/features/bat_pussy.html }}</ref> In the final scene, Buddy frequently refers to Bat Pussy as "[[Batwoman (identity)|Batwoman]]" before being corrected by the other actor.<ref name="BPAVClub" /> Some of ''Bat Pussy''{{'}}s harshest criticisms were often focused on the unattractiveness of the film's actors, in particular Buddy and Sam, who ''PornParody.com'' wrote were "physically unappealing specimens [...] even by the looser standards of 1970s porn"<ref name="BPPornParody" /> and ''AV Maniacs'' bluntly described as "two [[white trash]], out of shape, drunk on [[Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company|Schlitz]] yokels".<ref name="BPAVClub" /> Something Weird Video described the two actors' seemingly unscripted dialogue—consisting mostly of insults and vulgar ''[[Non sequitur (literary device)|non sequitur]]s'' such as "My horoscope says I'm going to fuck you in the nose"<ref name="BPSomethingWeird" />—as "almost surreal", likening it to the "babbling" of "two escaped mental patients".<ref name="BPSomethingWeird" />


The largest area of criticism was placed on ''Bat Pussy''{{'}}s sex scenes, which have been heavily derided for their uniquely unappealing and unerotic qualities, as well as Buddy's visible [[erectile dysfunction|impotence]].<ref name="BPSeattleWeekly" /><ref name="BPAVClub" /> Multiple reviewers have labeled ''Bat Pussy'' "anti-porn" for its "unarousing" depiction of sex and nudity. Brad Jones of ''[[The Cinema Snob]]'' called it both "anti-porn" and "anti-sexy", while ''AV Maniacs'' not only agreed with the "anti-porn" title but also contested its categorization as pornography, as "there is no discernible 'fucking' in it" and it "completely and utterly fails to elicit even the minutest amount of arousal in its viewers".<ref>Jones, Brad (2016). Audio commentary for ''[[The Cinema Snob]]: Unerotic Fantasies''. Walkaway Entertainment.</ref><ref name="BPAVClub" /> ''The Snipe'' concurred, describing ''Bat Pussy'' as "the boner-killer of all time[...] Only a psychopath or possibly a [[replicant]] could withstand let alone enjoy a document so barren or unflinching in its contempt for humanity".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesnipenews.com/movies/reviews/bat-pussy/ |title=Bat Pussy |author=Mack, Adrian |publisher=The Snipe |date=May 12, 2009}}</ref> ''Radiation-Scarred Reviews'' wrote "This is the sort of sex film you show teenagers to encourage [[Sexual abstinence|abstinence]] because it just makes the act of fornication seem so repulsive, so utterly disgusting that it seems unthinkable to perform".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiationscarredreviews.com/?p=1950 |title=Bat Pussy (1973) |author=Adcock, Bill |date=September 23, 2014 |publisher=Radiation-Scarred Reviews |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014204549/http://www.radiationscarredreviews.com/?p=1950 |archivedate=October 14, 2014 }}</ref> Cult film website ''Movies About Girls'' concurred that it "does not work, on any level" but was nevertheless "stunningly weird, grubby, and ugly, an unintentionally hilarious bit of homespun cinematic folk-art so senseless, so maddeningly random in its execution that it very nearly approaches some sort of terrible genius".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moviesaboutgirls.com/2009/07/bat-pussy-1973.html |title=Bat Pussy (1973) |date=July 13, 2009 |publisher=Movies About Girls |author=McIntyre, Ken |access-date=2016-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307120120/http://www.moviesaboutgirls.com/2009/07/bat-pussy-1973.html |archive-date=2016-03-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The largest area of criticism was placed on ''Bat Pussy''{{'}}s sex scenes, which have been heavily derided for their uniquely unappealing and unerotic qualities, as well as Buddy's visible [[erectile dysfunction|impotence]].<ref name="BPSeattleWeekly" /><ref name="BPAVClub" /> Multiple reviewers have labeled ''Bat Pussy'' "anti-porn" for its "unarousing" depiction of sex and nudity. Brad Jones of ''[[The Cinema Snob]]'' called it both "anti-porn" and "anti-sexy", while ''AV Maniacs'' not only agreed with the "anti-porn" title but also contested its categorization as pornography, as "there is no discernible 'fucking' in it" and it "completely and utterly fails to elicit even the minutest amount of arousal in its viewers".<ref>Jones, Brad (2016). Audio commentary for ''[[The Cinema Snob]]: Unerotic Fantasies''. Walkaway Entertainment.</ref><ref name="BPAVClub" /> ''The Snipe'' concurred, describing ''Bat Pussy'' as "the boner-killer of all time[...] Only a psychopath or possibly a [[replicant]] could withstand let alone enjoy a document so barren or unflinching in its contempt for humanity".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesnipenews.com/movies/reviews/bat-pussy/ |title=Bat Pussy |author=Mack, Adrian |publisher=The Snipe |date=May 12, 2009 |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=October 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006191246/http://www.thesnipenews.com/movies/reviews/bat-pussy/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Radiation-Scarred Reviews'' wrote "This is the sort of sex film you show teenagers to encourage [[Sexual abstinence|abstinence]] because it just makes the act of fornication seem so repulsive, so utterly disgusting that it seems unthinkable to perform".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiationscarredreviews.com/?p=1950 |title=Bat Pussy (1973) |author=Adcock, Bill |date=September 23, 2014 |publisher=Radiation-Scarred Reviews |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014204549/http://www.radiationscarredreviews.com/?p=1950 |archivedate=October 14, 2014 }}</ref> Cult film website ''Movies About Girls'' concurred that it "does not work, on any level" but was nevertheless "stunningly weird, grubby, and ugly, an unintentionally hilarious bit of homespun cinematic folk-art so senseless, so maddeningly random in its execution that it very nearly approaches some sort of terrible genius".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moviesaboutgirls.com/2009/07/bat-pussy-1973.html |title=Bat Pussy (1973) |date=July 13, 2009 |publisher=Movies About Girls |author=McIntyre, Ken |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307120120/http://www.moviesaboutgirls.com/2009/07/bat-pussy-1973.html |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


Following ''Bat Pussy''{{'}}s Blu-ray release in 2017, a resurgence of reviews from cult movie websites further solidified the film's sordid reputation among genre fans. [[Cinapse]] dubbed it "''[[The Room (2003 film)|The Room]]'' of porno", "definitely hilarious in a so-bad-it's-good way" and a "gloriously amazing car crash of a film", while ''[[Deadline Hollywood]]'' considered it "one of the most sought-after lost films in the history of exploitation cinema", describing it as "what happens when your wildest dreams and most horrifying nightmares collide in an explosion of flaccid stupefaction".<ref>{{Cite web | first=Dan | last=Tabor |url=https://cinapse.co/fantastic-fest-2017-bat-pussy-the-room-of-porno-f21300f8da15 | title=Fantastic Fest 2017: BAT PUSSY—The Room of Porno | date=September 23, 2017 | website=[[Cinapse]] | archive-url=https://archive.today/20181214201356/https://cinapse.co/fantastic-fest-2017-bat-pussy-the-room-of-porno-f21300f8da15 |archive-date=2018-12-14 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/09/fantastic-fest-2017-downsizing-wheelman-professor-marston-the-wonder-women-austin-1202163016/ |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=September 6, 2017 |title=Fantastic Fest 2017: 'Downsizing', 'Wheelman', 'Professor Marston' Round Out Programming Slate |author=Ramos, Dino-Ray}}</ref> ''Cinepunx'', admitting the film was "exceptionally, peerlessly excruciating...a fleshy, unsightly ''[[Groundhog Day (film)|Groundhog Day]]'' of torturous porn purgatory", called it a "genuinely fascinating time capsule of regional filmmaking", noting "any fan of oddball trash cinema owes themselves at least one viewing of this strange, cinematic car crash".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cinepunx.com/Writing/bat-pussy-bounces-onto-blu-ray-tramples-our-libidos/ |title=BAT PUSSY Bounces Onto Blu-Ray, Tramples Our Libidos |publisher=Cinepunx |author=Gober, Adrianna |date=October 2017}}</ref> FilmMonthly singled out ''Bat Pussy'' as "a bizarre artifact", "unquestionably one of the strangest, most mysterious, and most outrageously entertaining" title in Something Weird's archives and "spectacularly un-erotic", calling it a "must-have" for exploitation fans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmmonthly.com/film/bat-pussy |title=Bat Pussy |publisher=FilmMonthly |author=Coffman, Jason}}</ref> ''Birth. Movies. Death.'', however, was less enthusiastic, acknowledging "it's difficult to describe just how fucking bad it is" but claiming "the absurdity wears out its welcome rather quickly" and concluding "''Bat Pussy'' is nothing more than a morbid curio for those who have seen it all – a campfire tale whose origins are probably best left to the imagination".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2017/09/23/fantastic-fest-review-bat-pussy-and-the-birth-of-the-porn-parody |date=September 23, 2017 |publisher=Birth. Movies. Death. |title=Fantastic Fest Review: Bat Pussy and the Birth of the Porn Parody |author=Knight, Jacob}}</ref>
Following ''Bat Pussy''{{'}}s Blu-ray release in 2017, a resurgence of reviews from cult movie websites further solidified the film's sordid reputation among genre fans. [[Cinapse]] dubbed it "''[[The Room (2003 film)|The Room]]'' of porno", "definitely hilarious in a so-bad-it's-good way" and a "gloriously amazing car crash of a film", while ''[[Deadline Hollywood]]'' considered it "one of the most sought-after lost films in the history of exploitation cinema", describing it as "what happens when your wildest dreams and most horrifying nightmares collide in an explosion of flaccid stupefaction".<ref>{{Cite web | first=Dan | last=Tabor |url=https://cinapse.co/fantastic-fest-2017-bat-pussy-the-room-of-porno-f21300f8da15 | title=Fantastic Fest 2017: BAT PUSSY—The Room of Porno | date=September 23, 2017 | website=[[Cinapse]] | archive-url=https://archive.today/20181214201356/https://cinapse.co/fantastic-fest-2017-bat-pussy-the-room-of-porno-f21300f8da15 |archive-date=December 14, 2018 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/09/fantastic-fest-2017-downsizing-wheelman-professor-marston-the-wonder-women-austin-1202163016/ |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=September 6, 2017 |title=Fantastic Fest 2017: 'Downsizing', 'Wheelman', 'Professor Marston' Round Out Programming Slate |author=Ramos, Dino-Ray |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=April 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425131756/https://deadline.com/2017/09/fantastic-fest-2017-downsizing-wheelman-professor-marston-the-wonder-women-austin-1202163016/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Cinepunx'', admitting the film was "exceptionally, peerlessly excruciating...a fleshy, unsightly ''[[Groundhog Day (film)|Groundhog Day]]'' of torturous porn purgatory", called it a "genuinely fascinating time capsule of regional filmmaking", noting "any fan of oddball trash cinema owes themselves at least one viewing of this strange, cinematic car crash".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cinepunx.com/Writing/bat-pussy-bounces-onto-blu-ray-tramples-our-libidos/ |title=BAT PUSSY Bounces Onto Blu-Ray, Tramples Our Libidos |publisher=Cinepunx |author=Gober, Adrianna |date=October 2017 |access-date=December 21, 2017 |archive-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051117/http://www.cinepunx.com/Writing/bat-pussy-bounces-onto-blu-ray-tramples-our-libidos/ |url-status=live }}</ref> FilmMonthly singled out ''Bat Pussy'' as "a bizarre artifact", "unquestionably one of the strangest, most mysterious, and most outrageously entertaining" titles in Something Weird's archives and "spectacularly un-erotic", calling it a "must-have" for exploitation fans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmmonthly.com/film/bat-pussy |title=Bat Pussy |publisher=FilmMonthly |author=Coffman, Jason |access-date=December 21, 2017 |archive-date=January 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200105221638/http://www.filmmonthly.com/film/bat-pussy |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Birth. Movies. Death.'', however, was less enthusiastic, acknowledging "it's difficult to describe just how fucking bad it is" but claiming "the absurdity wears out its welcome rather quickly" and concluding "''Bat Pussy'' is nothing more than a morbid curio for those who have seen it all – a campfire tale whose origins are probably best left to the imagination".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2017/09/23/fantastic-fest-review-bat-pussy-and-the-birth-of-the-porn-parody |date=September 23, 2017 |publisher=Birth. Movies. Death. |title=Fantastic Fest Review: Bat Pussy and the Birth of the Porn Parody |author=Knight, Jacob |access-date=December 21, 2017 |archive-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222104938/http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2017/09/23/fantastic-fest-review-bat-pussy-and-the-birth-of-the-porn-parody |url-status=live }}</ref>


On a slightly more positive angle, ''Bat Pussy'' has been cited by both ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' and [[io9]] as one of the earliest known examples of a [[pornographic parody film]].<ref name="BPTelegraph" /> ''PornParody.com'', a website dedicated to reviewing porn parodies, considers ''Bat Pussy'' to be either the first or the earliest known surviving example of a [[superhero]] pornographic parody film, a category which has since become a major subgenre of pornographic films following the success of 2010's ''[[Batman XXX: A Porn Parody]]'' by the superhero-based adult film company [[Vivid Entertainment|Vivid Superhero]].<ref name="BPPornParody">{{cite web |url=http://pornparody.com/2014/10/bat-pussy-the-first-superhero-porn-parody/ |title=Bat Pussy – the first superhero porn parody? |date=October 6, 2014 |publisher=PornParody.com |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008174205/http://pornparody.com/2014/10/bat-pussy-the-first-superhero-porn-parody/ |archivedate=October 8, 2014 }}</ref> However, reviewers have also criticized the parody aspects of ''Bat Pussy'': the book ''The Many More Lives of Batman'' edited by [[William Uricchio]], [[Will Brooker]] and Roberta Pearson - also describing it as "the worst porn ever made" - wrote that the film contains none of the core components of the character beyond "a pun in the title and a limited attempt to recreate some of the recognizable costumes".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0hZ5CgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Bat+Pussy%22&pg=PA115 |title=The Many More Lives of Batman |author1=Pearson, Rebecca |author2=Brooker, Will |author3=Uriccho, William |date=2015 |isbn=978-1844577644 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]]}}</ref>
On a slightly more positive angle, ''Bat Pussy'' has been cited by both ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' and [[io9]] as one of the earliest known examples of a [[pornographic parody film]].<ref name="BPTelegraph" /> ''PornParody.com'', a website dedicated to reviewing porn parodies, considers ''Bat Pussy'' to be either the first or the earliest known surviving example of a [[superhero]] pornographic parody film, a category which has since become a major subgenre of pornographic films following the success of 2010s ''[[Batman XXX: A Porn Parody]]'' by the superhero-based adult film company [[Vivid Entertainment|Vivid Superhero]].<ref name="BPPornParody">{{cite web |url=http://pornparody.com/2014/10/bat-pussy-the-first-superhero-porn-parody/ |title=Bat Pussy – the first superhero porn parody? |date=October 6, 2014 |publisher=PornParody.com |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008174205/http://pornparody.com/2014/10/bat-pussy-the-first-superhero-porn-parody/ |archivedate=October 8, 2014 }}</ref> However, reviewers have also criticized the parody aspects of ''Bat Pussy'': the book ''The Many More Lives of Batman'' edited by [[William Uricchio]], [[Will Brooker]] and Roberta Pearson—also describing it as "the worst porn ever made"—wrote that the film contains none of the core components of the character beyond "a pun in the title and a limited attempt to recreate some of the recognizable costumes".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0hZ5CgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Bat+Pussy%22&pg=PA115 |title=The Many More Lives of Batman |author1=Pearson, Rebecca |author2=Brooker, Will |author3=Uriccho, William |date=2015 |isbn=978-1844577644 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==See also==
*''[[BatfXXX: Dark Night Parody]]''
*''[[Batman XXX]]''
*[[List of films considered the worst]]


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0275956}}
* {{IMDb title|0275956}}
* [http://www.somethingweird.com/product_info.php?products_id=56329 Something Weird Video's page for ''Bat Pussy'']
* [http://www.somethingweird.com/product_info.php?products_id=56329 Something Weird Video's page for ''Bat Pussy'']
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[[Category:1970s pornographic films]]
[[Category:1970s pornographic films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:1970s parody films]]
[[Category:Batman in other media]]
[[Category:Batman in other media]]
[[Category:Parodies of Batman]]
[[Category:American pornographic films]]
[[Category:American pornographic films]]
[[Category:American parody films]]
[[Category:Pornographic parody films]]
[[Category:Pornographic parody films]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
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[[Category:Something Weird Video]]
[[Category:Something Weird Video]]
[[Category:Works of unknown authorship]]
[[Category:Works of unknown authorship]]
[[Category:1970s American films]]
[[Category:Unofficial Batman films]]
[[Category:Films set in apartment buildings]]

Latest revision as of 14:05, 10 October 2024

Bat Pussy
DVD cover illustrated by Matt Allison
Distributed bySomething Weird Video
Release date
  • 1971 (1971)
Running time
50 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Bat Pussy is an American pornographic film, believed to have been produced and possibly released in the early 1970s. Ostensibly a spoof of the 1966–1968 Batman television series, it has been cited as the earliest example of a pornographic parody film and more infamously considered to be the worst pornographic film ever made.[1][2]

Released in relative obscurity and near-anonymity, Bat Pussy was discovered in the storeroom of a Memphis, Tennessee adult movie theater in the mid-1990s and subsequently issued on home video by exploitation film distributor Something Weird Video. No credits or copyright information can be found on this print, and as a result, nothing is known for certain about its production or who was involved; it is not known who made the film or even stars in it. Since its video release, it has attracted a cult following among exploitation and pornography fans for its notoriously poor quality, with most reviews criticizing its technical flaws, bizarre dialogue, and the sexual ineptitude and physical unattractiveness of its lead actors, who are known only by the names they receive in the film itself.

Plot

[edit]

Purportedly set in Gotham City, the loose plot of Bat Pussy primarily focuses on married couple Buddy and Sam in the bedroom of a small apartment. While reading an issue of Screw magazine, Buddy is inspired to experiment with oral sex on Sam and the two spend the remainder of the film together in bed, alternating between cunnilingus, fingering and fellatio, despite Buddy's visibly and perpetually flaccid penis. Throughout these scenes, Buddy and Sam continually insult each other and argue over their sexual performance.

Meanwhile, across town at Bat Pussy's Secret Warehouse Hideout, Bat Pussy's alter ego Dora Dildo awaits for her "super senses" to alert her to nearby trouble – the film's sole bit of narration explains that she can sense crime "when her twat begins to twitch". Angrily sensing that someone is about to "shoot a fuck movie" in her "holy Gotham City" without her, she proceeds to change into her Bat Pussy outfit and slowly travel across the "city" (which is actually a park) on an inflatable space hopper, stopping only to urinate behind some bushes and thwart an attempted rape or mugging by beating the attacker with her space hopper.

Back at Buddy and Sam's, Buddy starts taking pictures of Sam's vagina to sell and "make a fortune" with when Bat Pussy breaks into their room and confronts them. They immediately engage in a threesome involving the use of a dildo until Bat Pussy abruptly gets up from the bed, takes her costume, and walks out, leaving Sam and Buddy to bicker and argue again. The film ends with Bat Pussy returning to her hideout in a dishevelled state and collapsing outside it.

Discovery and release

[edit]

Virtually nothing is known about the production of Bat Pussy, as the film bears no credits and no names have been publicly associated with the film. There is no known record of Bat Pussy's existence prior to the 1990s, when musician and filmmaker Mike McCarthy (known for creating the 2009 film Cigarette Girl) discovered roughly 200 boxes of vintage Super 8 and 16 mm pornographic films and porn loops in the back room of the Paris adult movie theater in Memphis, Tennessee, among which was a 600-foot 16mm reel labeled "BATPUSSY".[3][4][5] McCarthy contacted Mike Vraney, founder of exploitation film distributor Something Weird Video, and Vraney purchased the Paris Theater's collection for $1000.[3]

Despite being found in Tennessee, it is uncertain where Bat Pussy was filmed. Based on the actors' heavy Southern accents, McCarthy believes the film was shot in the "Mid-South area": "That is to say, around Memphis, Tennessee (or nearby Arkansas, Alabama, or Mississippi)".[5][3] In a 2013 interview with Seattle Weekly about the documentary film That's Sexploitation!, in which Bat Pussy is briefly featured, Vraney mentioned that the film was likely made in Texas, saying "I love sexploitation movies made in Texas, just because these girls have these amazing accents. In Bat Pussy, that girl's accent is hilarious".[6] Following the film's 2K restoration, it was discovered that the actor who plays "Buddy" has an Arkansas Razorbacks tattoo on his buttock.[7]

The year of Bat Pussy's production is also of debate. Although the Internet Movie Database and the Internet Adult Film Database both list a year of 1973, Something Weird more vaguely dates it as "1970s". The issue of Screw magazine which Buddy is reading from at the beginning of the film has a cover date of September 14, 1970.[8] In the audio commentary of Bat Pussy's Blu-ray release, the commentators even dispute Wikipedia's listed date of the "early 1970s", believing it to have more likely been made around 1968 or 1969.[7]

Something Weird released Bat Pussy on VHS in 1996 as a double feature with the 1973 film Baby Bubbles, forming volume 23 of "Bucky Beaver's Dragon Art Theatre Triple XXX-Rated Double Feature". This version of Bat Pussy is preceded by a vintage theatrical introduction to the Dragon Art Theater by theater owner and exploitation film producer Donn Davison, though it is uncertain whether Bat Pussy actually played at the Dragon Art Theater.[9] The Bat Pussy/Baby Bubbles double feature was later reissued as a print on demand DVD-R in 2007, and as of 2017, is also available as a digital download through the Something Weird website.[10]

On November 10, 2016, the American Genre Film Archive announced it would be partnering with Something Weird Video to release a 2K restoration of Bat Pussy on Blu-ray the following year.[11] After nearly a year's worth of restoration, an official press release was finally published on September 20, 2017, announcing a release date of October 17, alongside a humorous emphasis that the film had been banned from sale on Amazon.com due to its pornographic content.[12] The restored print of Bat Pussy made its world premiere at the Fantastic Fest film festival in Austin, Texas on September 23, 2017.[13] Bat Pussy was released on Blu-ray on October 17, 2017,[14] featuring audio commentary by members of the Something Weird and American Genre Film Archive, liner notes by McCarthy and Something Weird's Lisa Petrucci, several archival shorts and trailers from the Something Weird vaults and the 1971 pornographic short Robot Sex Slaves as a bonus film.

On February 14, 2019, the American Genre Film Archive announced that Something Weird's Lisa Petrucci had located a second 16mm copy which included footage missing from the ending of the previously found print.[15] The American Genre Film Archive reissued their Blu-ray release on December 1, 2022 to include a new preservation based on this newly discovered print.[16]

Reception

[edit]

Since its initial video release, Bat Pussy has achieved cult status as the worst pornographic movie ever made, with Gawker Media's io9 proclaiming it "the absolute nadir of pornography, period. Not just Batman-themed pornography. ALL pornography".[2] In a 2014 interview, Tim Lewis, the general manager of Something Weird Video, selected Bat Pussy as the one film "so nuts it has to be seen to be believed" out of Something Weird's entire catalog of over 2,500 schlock and exploitation films, mentioning it was "only for the truly jaded adult film viewer".[17]

"[T]hanks to some incredibly unarousing sex and a general attitude of awfulness", nearly every aspect of Bat Pussy has been heavily criticized.[18] General critiques of the film involved its acting, technical quality and the slipshod nature of its low-budget production: for example, the director can be heard giving actors various directions throughout the film, while a crew member can be heard audibly belching during one of the sex scenes.[19] In the final scene, Buddy frequently refers to Bat Pussy as "Batwoman" before being corrected by the other actor.[19] Some of Bat Pussy's harshest criticisms were often focused on the unattractiveness of the film's actors, in particular Buddy and Sam, who PornParody.com wrote were "physically unappealing specimens [...] even by the looser standards of 1970s porn"[20] and AV Maniacs bluntly described as "two white trash, out of shape, drunk on Schlitz yokels".[19] Something Weird Video described the two actors' seemingly unscripted dialogue—consisting mostly of insults and vulgar non sequiturs such as "My horoscope says I'm going to fuck you in the nose"[10]—as "almost surreal", likening it to the "babbling" of "two escaped mental patients".[10]

The largest area of criticism was placed on Bat Pussy's sex scenes, which have been heavily derided for their uniquely unappealing and unerotic qualities, as well as Buddy's visible impotence.[6][19] Multiple reviewers have labeled Bat Pussy "anti-porn" for its "unarousing" depiction of sex and nudity. Brad Jones of The Cinema Snob called it both "anti-porn" and "anti-sexy", while AV Maniacs not only agreed with the "anti-porn" title but also contested its categorization as pornography, as "there is no discernible 'fucking' in it" and it "completely and utterly fails to elicit even the minutest amount of arousal in its viewers".[21][19] The Snipe concurred, describing Bat Pussy as "the boner-killer of all time[...] Only a psychopath or possibly a replicant could withstand let alone enjoy a document so barren or unflinching in its contempt for humanity".[22] Radiation-Scarred Reviews wrote "This is the sort of sex film you show teenagers to encourage abstinence because it just makes the act of fornication seem so repulsive, so utterly disgusting that it seems unthinkable to perform".[23] Cult film website Movies About Girls concurred that it "does not work, on any level" but was nevertheless "stunningly weird, grubby, and ugly, an unintentionally hilarious bit of homespun cinematic folk-art so senseless, so maddeningly random in its execution that it very nearly approaches some sort of terrible genius".[24]

Following Bat Pussy's Blu-ray release in 2017, a resurgence of reviews from cult movie websites further solidified the film's sordid reputation among genre fans. Cinapse dubbed it "The Room of porno", "definitely hilarious in a so-bad-it's-good way" and a "gloriously amazing car crash of a film", while Deadline Hollywood considered it "one of the most sought-after lost films in the history of exploitation cinema", describing it as "what happens when your wildest dreams and most horrifying nightmares collide in an explosion of flaccid stupefaction".[25][26] Cinepunx, admitting the film was "exceptionally, peerlessly excruciating...a fleshy, unsightly Groundhog Day of torturous porn purgatory", called it a "genuinely fascinating time capsule of regional filmmaking", noting "any fan of oddball trash cinema owes themselves at least one viewing of this strange, cinematic car crash".[27] FilmMonthly singled out Bat Pussy as "a bizarre artifact", "unquestionably one of the strangest, most mysterious, and most outrageously entertaining" titles in Something Weird's archives and "spectacularly un-erotic", calling it a "must-have" for exploitation fans.[28] Birth. Movies. Death., however, was less enthusiastic, acknowledging "it's difficult to describe just how fucking bad it is" but claiming "the absurdity wears out its welcome rather quickly" and concluding "Bat Pussy is nothing more than a morbid curio for those who have seen it all – a campfire tale whose origins are probably best left to the imagination".[29]

On a slightly more positive angle, Bat Pussy has been cited by both The Daily Telegraph and io9 as one of the earliest known examples of a pornographic parody film.[1] PornParody.com, a website dedicated to reviewing porn parodies, considers Bat Pussy to be either the first or the earliest known surviving example of a superhero pornographic parody film, a category which has since become a major subgenre of pornographic films following the success of 2010s Batman XXX: A Porn Parody by the superhero-based adult film company Vivid Superhero.[20] However, reviewers have also criticized the parody aspects of Bat Pussy: the book The Many More Lives of Batman edited by William Uricchio, Will Brooker and Roberta Pearson—also describing it as "the worst porn ever made"—wrote that the film contains none of the core components of the character beyond "a pun in the title and a limited attempt to recreate some of the recognizable costumes".[30]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Merz, Theo (February 23, 2015). "The rise of parody porn, 'the Chaucer of our times'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Lamar, Cyriaque (May 22, 2010). "A brief history of Batman-themed pornography (NSFW)". io9. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Long Gone Loser Rock Show – Episode 9". August 20, 2014.
  4. ^ "Movies About Girls – Podcast Episode 27". Movies About Girls. August 1, 2009.
  5. ^ a b McCarthy, Mike. I Saved Bat Pussy Blu-ray liner notes
  6. ^ a b Warner, Mark (August 20, 2013). "That's Sexploitation!". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Bat Pussy Blu-ray audio commentary, 2017
  8. ^ "Screw: The Sex Review". Specific Object. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018.
  9. ^ Kerekes, David; Drake, Temple (2004). Headpress Guide to the Counter Culture. Headpress. ISBN 9781900486354.
  10. ^ a b c "DRAGON ART THEATRE DOUBLE FEATURE VOL 023: BAT PUSSY / BABY BUBBLES – DVD-R". Something Weird Video. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  11. ^ American Genre Film Archive (November 10, 2016). "AGFA on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  12. ^ "BAT PUSSY Blu-ray will be released on October 17 — banned by Amazon!". American Genre Film Archive. September 20, 2017. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  13. ^ "BAT PUSSY – PRESENTED BY AGFA AND SOMETHING WEIRD". Fantastic Fest. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  14. ^ Bat Pussy Blu-ray, archived from the original on June 5, 2023, retrieved June 5, 2023
  15. ^ "American Genre Film Archive on Instagram: "Happy Valentine's Day! This is the perfect opportunity to let you know that Something Weird head honcho Lisa Petrucci located a second…"". Instagram. February 14, 2019. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  16. ^ "Bat Pussy". Vinegar Syndrome. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  17. ^ "Something Weird Video". The Atomic Leg Drop Zine!. March 4, 2014. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014.
  18. ^ Anders, Charlie Jane (May 30, 2012). "The Bizarre History of Superhero Porn [NSFW]". io9. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  19. ^ a b c d e Allison, Matthew. "Deep Inside Bat Pussy". AV Maniacs. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  20. ^ a b "Bat Pussy – the first superhero porn parody?". PornParody.com. October 6, 2014. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014.
  21. ^ Jones, Brad (2016). Audio commentary for The Cinema Snob: Unerotic Fantasies. Walkaway Entertainment.
  22. ^ Mack, Adrian (May 12, 2009). "Bat Pussy". The Snipe. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  23. ^ Adcock, Bill (September 23, 2014). "Bat Pussy (1973)". Radiation-Scarred Reviews. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014.
  24. ^ McIntyre, Ken (July 13, 2009). "Bat Pussy (1973)". Movies About Girls. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  25. ^ Tabor, Dan (September 23, 2017). "Fantastic Fest 2017: BAT PUSSY—The Room of Porno". Cinapse. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018.
  26. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (September 6, 2017). "Fantastic Fest 2017: 'Downsizing', 'Wheelman', 'Professor Marston' Round Out Programming Slate". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  27. ^ Gober, Adrianna (October 2017). "BAT PUSSY Bounces Onto Blu-Ray, Tramples Our Libidos". Cinepunx. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  28. ^ Coffman, Jason. "Bat Pussy". FilmMonthly. Archived from the original on January 5, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  29. ^ Knight, Jacob (September 23, 2017). "Fantastic Fest Review: Bat Pussy and the Birth of the Porn Parody". Birth. Movies. Death. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  30. ^ Pearson, Rebecca; Brooker, Will; Uriccho, William (2015). The Many More Lives of Batman. British Film Institute. ISBN 978-1844577644.[permanent dead link‍]
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