Here's an ultra-sleazy obscurity, the result of an unusual union between the British Isles and Denmark which has produced a no-budget story of depravity with epic proportions. Although the distinct lack of talent on the part of all involved makes things feel grubby rather than disturbing, this is certainly still strong stuff and light years away from the kind of home grown horror yarns that Hammer were weaving at the time. The sex-fuelled plot is basically an excuse for lots of shots of naked girls either coupling or lying around on beds in a drug-crazed stupor. Flashes of sadism comes to light in scenes showing the girls being repeatedly raped and/or groped by a series of perverted sex customers come to fulfil their darkest fantasies. If a girl demands too much from the drug supply then she'll no doubt be whipped in graphic detail whilst the camera watches leeringly.
The rest of the film involves loosely-connected series of weirdness. There's Auntie Lash (!), a scarred ageing madame who enjoys dressing up in old-time clothes and singing, much to the delight of her elderly friend who watches whilst sipping tea; a kindly toy shop owner who stuffs teddy bears full of heroin and runs a successful drug smuggling operation until the police close in; a sappy writer who spends the film neglecting his beautiful wife, looking for a job, and who eventually ends up working for said toy shop proprietor; and then, finally, the dwarf of the title. Played by Danish celebrity Torben Bille, 'Olaf' is a really nasty little character you'll hate no end, especially when he collects cash in his grubby mittens after selling some of his sex slaves to willing customers. Olaf's other filthy habits include Peeping Tom-ism and generally abusing the naked girls in captivity. Bille plays him as an over-the-top caricature complete with German accent and the result is startling effective; sometimes unintentionally funny but more often than not completely disturbing.
The rest of the cast's acting skills range from the below average to the downright abominable. Yep, it's a film in which stilted unconvincing dialogue reigns supreme, especially on the parts of leads Anne Sparrow and Tony Eades, playing the pivotal married couple. Eades is just wooden and unconvincing whilst Sparrow overacts for all her worth - check out her laughably hysterical reaction to finding a cute mouse in her cupboard! Despite being an European co-production the movie is evidently cheap, with static camera-work and poor editing. Yet somehow the lack of budget adds to the realism of the movie; the genuinely grubby sets and locations look authentic and somehow the events portrayed seem believable. Obviously (and unfortunately) these kind of drug-fuelled slave rings do happen around the world, both past and present, so the plot is slightly disturbing as a result of this - in a way it glamorises the humiliation of women, reducing them to the mere level of sex objects.
The finale is abrupt and very amusing. After the boarding house-cum-brothel is raided by a gang of hard-assed coppers, Lash finds herself shot twice through the heart in revenge for her cruel actions, whilst Olaf climbs out of a window and falls to his death via a rather unconvincing dummy. Although the film is gore-free there are plenty of nasty moments like Olaf injecting the girls with heroin and the makers compensate for the lack of grue with plenty of sex and nudity to move things along. One thing I did like about this film was the use of children's toys as a creepy method of luring unsuspecting girls into becoming prostitutes and selling drugs; a nice original touch to what is otherwise a sorely lacking production. Watch out for the excruciating teddy bear torture sequence in which a fluffy toy is sliced up whilst making pitiful squeaking noises - it's unbearable! One of the weirdest movies that you'll ever see.
The rest of the film involves loosely-connected series of weirdness. There's Auntie Lash (!), a scarred ageing madame who enjoys dressing up in old-time clothes and singing, much to the delight of her elderly friend who watches whilst sipping tea; a kindly toy shop owner who stuffs teddy bears full of heroin and runs a successful drug smuggling operation until the police close in; a sappy writer who spends the film neglecting his beautiful wife, looking for a job, and who eventually ends up working for said toy shop proprietor; and then, finally, the dwarf of the title. Played by Danish celebrity Torben Bille, 'Olaf' is a really nasty little character you'll hate no end, especially when he collects cash in his grubby mittens after selling some of his sex slaves to willing customers. Olaf's other filthy habits include Peeping Tom-ism and generally abusing the naked girls in captivity. Bille plays him as an over-the-top caricature complete with German accent and the result is startling effective; sometimes unintentionally funny but more often than not completely disturbing.
The rest of the cast's acting skills range from the below average to the downright abominable. Yep, it's a film in which stilted unconvincing dialogue reigns supreme, especially on the parts of leads Anne Sparrow and Tony Eades, playing the pivotal married couple. Eades is just wooden and unconvincing whilst Sparrow overacts for all her worth - check out her laughably hysterical reaction to finding a cute mouse in her cupboard! Despite being an European co-production the movie is evidently cheap, with static camera-work and poor editing. Yet somehow the lack of budget adds to the realism of the movie; the genuinely grubby sets and locations look authentic and somehow the events portrayed seem believable. Obviously (and unfortunately) these kind of drug-fuelled slave rings do happen around the world, both past and present, so the plot is slightly disturbing as a result of this - in a way it glamorises the humiliation of women, reducing them to the mere level of sex objects.
The finale is abrupt and very amusing. After the boarding house-cum-brothel is raided by a gang of hard-assed coppers, Lash finds herself shot twice through the heart in revenge for her cruel actions, whilst Olaf climbs out of a window and falls to his death via a rather unconvincing dummy. Although the film is gore-free there are plenty of nasty moments like Olaf injecting the girls with heroin and the makers compensate for the lack of grue with plenty of sex and nudity to move things along. One thing I did like about this film was the use of children's toys as a creepy method of luring unsuspecting girls into becoming prostitutes and selling drugs; a nice original touch to what is otherwise a sorely lacking production. Watch out for the excruciating teddy bear torture sequence in which a fluffy toy is sliced up whilst making pitiful squeaking noises - it's unbearable! One of the weirdest movies that you'll ever see.
