The Sin Syndicate

Few women in "the industry" left more of an impression than the young, squirrelly, sometimes buxom, Rene Bond. Born Rene Ruth Bond on October 11, 1950, the Queen of Porn was one of the first superstars of the nascent, still-illegal industry. In this episode we chart Rene's relatively short but memorable career in both the hard and softcore adult film industry, with a special emphasis on her role in the Ed Wood-scribed women-on-the-run sex 'n action film, Fugitive Girls. 

Directed by Stephen C. Apostolof, a friend and frequent collaborator of the down-on-his-luck Wood, the film features memorable performances by a bitchy Bond, a butch Tallie Cochrane, and cameos by Erotic Zorro Douglas Frey, the small but powerful Maria Arnold, and Edward D. himself as a hapless station attendant. To name a few.

Joining us for the discussion is graphic artist Robin Bougie, who has studied every inch of Rene Bond's body. For research, of course. A fan of all things trash, sleaze and XXX, Robin put together some of the most substantial research into Rene’s life and career through Volume #7 of his Cinema Sewer series. We talk about that, and much more, such as Bond's frequent partner Ric Lutze being the annoying Bogie to her Bacall, as well as the difficulty in shooting day for night, and maintaining a convincing Southern accent.

Episode Specific:
Visit Robin Bougie's Store
Shop Cinema Sewer at Fab Press
Follow Robin on Instagram
Watch the VS trailer for Fugitive Girls
Stream Rene Bond on Cultpix
Watch Rene Bond on Break the Bank

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: [email protected]

I hope you haven't forgotten your girl. We sure haven't. It's true, we will never stop talking about The All-American Girl, director Mark Haggard's 1972 coming-of-age, sex positive, Southern California masterpiece. We discussed the film at length in Episode 20, "Don't Forget Your Girl," have long been clammoring for a new home video release, and thus, were more than a little excited when we heard that the film was being screened on 35mm at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles on Labor Day, 2026. Friend of the pod and enthusiastic Vinegar Syndromer Eli Olsberg was able to attend as our proxy, and joined us in this Short Ends episode to give his report. Keep your hankerchief on hand, it's going to get messy.

Episode Specific:
Revisit "Don't Forget Your Girl"
Listen to the Punk Vacation podcast
Follow Eli on Instagram

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: [email protected]

Can you afford the price? The film might call them hookers, but there is no hooking. Instead, in the 1967 anthology film, The Hookers, we are treated to three different stories dealing with three different ways in which the female body is sold and commodified, either by choice, or by coercion. 

Fleurette Carter (Aroused) plays Callie Sue, Sharon Kent (Indecent Desires) plays Julie, and Monica Davis (The Swap and How to Make It) plays Barbara. Each woman is from a different station, and each approaches the salability of their womanhood in a different way. Callie Sue takes back the power that was stolen from her; Julie is oblivious to the games that men play; and Barbara uses her charms to get out of a gambling debt. As the narrator, producer, actor, and director (?) of The Hookers asks at the end of the documentary, Queens at Heart: "Who are we to judge?"

Join us for Episode 46, "The Secretary, The Go-Go Girl and The Housewife," where we spotlight The Women, plus one fascinating man with a golden voice and a once-fierce karate chop. It's teasing, taunting, and opens on a shot of the Pan Am rooftop helipad where Michael Findlay was killed. Does that have anything to do with anything? No, not really.

Episode Specific:
Watch the documentary short Queens at Heart featuring Joel Holt
Stream All of Me and Karate, the Hand of Death on Cultpix.com
Purchase The Lost Sexploition Triple Feature and Maple Syrup Pix, Vol. 1
Visit the SWV VHS Archive

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: [email protected]

Here at the Sin Syndicate, we love websites. Not apps, not Substacks, not ad-filled modern forums, but websites. One of our favorites is Mondo Digital, the long-running project of Nathaniel Thompson, a long-time figure in the scene, whether it be moderating the Mobius Home Video Forum, covering genre cinema online and in print, contributing to disc releases, or working at Image Entertainment (not in that order). It's that last thing we wanted to talk with Nathaniel about, specifically around his work as part of Image in the period of the early aughts, which also coincided with the LA-based distribution company's partnership with Seattle's Something Weird Video.

What was the process like putting those still incredible double and triple feature DVD releases together? Was there any internal pushback to some of the sexploitation content within? What did they have against The Big Snatch? And what was it like moderating a commentary track with Harry Novak? Those are just a few of the questions we cover in this episode, which also kicks off with a brief chat with Punk Vacation's Eli Olsberg about a special sexploitation screening he attended at the New Beverly Cinema earlier this month. So, cuddle up with your favorite snapper case and best memories of Borders Books, it's about to get Extra Weird.

Episode Specific:
Purchase The Acid Eaters + Space Thing from AGFA
Bookmark Mondo-Digital.com
Follow Mondo Digital
Follow Punk Vacation

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: [email protected]

I know it's labeled a Short End, but it's actually not that short. But the spirit of the Short End is still with us. For this entry in our bonus episode series, we are joined by Austin Miller, film archivist and technical coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Moving Image Archive (MARMIA), to discuss a short film he provided to the Vinegar Syndrome Archive for use on the recent, very sold out, Reviver 3 home video release (we will be saying the word "short" and "archive" a lot). That film, titled The Psychedelics, has been long-sought after by fans of buxom Sunset Strip dancer turned "actress" (in the heaviest quotes), Pat Barrington.

Patty B and an unknown blonde are the stars of the short, which was produced by the same company (Dyle IV) that made another film featuring trippy light effects, Ed De Priest's "mondo Hollywood underground," Hedonistic Pleasures. What's the connection between the two, if any? Who is Bob Beck, the man behind the visual effects? And what can we say about Paul Hunt, the man often cited as the director of this acid dreamy short?

Listen to find out all that and more, including a new segment of Weirdo on the Street from our Gap Grindhouse correspondent, Jeffery "The Sponsor" Petrone, plus a story about how Casey almost got beat up by Tura Satana. So drop a tab, take a puff from your wackiest cigarette, and get psyched with us as we peer through the kaledoscopic lens at the end of hippiedom and the new era of film preservation. Bring your own sitar.

Episode Specific:
Wait for Reviver 3 to restock at Vinegar Syndrome
Purchase The Ultimate Degenerate / A Thousand Pleasures
Stream Hedonistic Pleasures on Cultpix.com
Visit and follow MARMIA
Follow Austin Miller

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: [email protected]

The name Donn Davison might not be as well-known as Dan Sonney, Kroger Babb, Dwain Esper, or David F. Friedman, but he was a mighty Southern monarch in his own right, a multi-talented road showman, yo-yo man and official member of the Forty Thieves of classical film exploitation and distribution. Like many of the thieves, he started out in a carny circuit, the spook show, before deciding to try his hand at producing one of his own pictures to tour the mom and pop theaters and drive-ins of the Bible Belt.

One of those films was Shantytown Honeymoon, later retitled Honey Britches for release by Something Weird and Demented Death Farm Massacre when re-edited for Troma Video. In this episode we'll discuss all the ins and outs of this regional little hick flick, with special love given to its genetically blessed star, the "torrid tide in the sea of wanton splendor, the siren’s song that leads men to damnation, the Amazonian adversary to patriarchal perdition," Ms. Pepper Thurston.

Thurston might tower over her co-stars, but there is still plenty to love about George Ellis giving 110% as the leering, greedy moonshiner Horlon P. Craven (does "Bestoink Dooley" ring a bell?), not to mention Davison favorite Ashley Brooks as bought-wife Reba Sue, as well as Trudy Moore as dumb-as-rocks Karen. There's also Michael Battlesmith as Kirk (he's just a Kirk), and Valarie Lipsey as a super-sassy no-nonsense Madame named Jessabelle (not a Jezebel).

Our favorite third wheel and #1 Pepper Thurston stan Alex DiSanto joins us to pull the rope on this well bucket as we gather water on everything you've never wanted to know about this sweet and sleazy number which had a surprisingly long life both on the screen, and on the video shelf. It may be true that the film's message is that the Lord both giveth and taketh away, but he did giveth us Pepper Thurston. To that we say: she's in our hearts now, you can't have her back.

Episode Specific:
View our Southern Sexploitation List
Watch Honey Britches on Cultpix.com
Watch Demented Death Farm on Tubi or TromaNow
Order The Ultimate Degenerate + A Thousand Pleasures
Special thanks: Alex DiSanto

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: [email protected]

The Sin Syndicate is taking a stroll down to the San Francisco massage parlor to visit future adult film superstar Serena during her brief softcore period. At the time, the striking blonde was still using her "Jen Gillian" pseudonym and just getting her foot in the door the film industry. Released in 1975 through Harry Novak (yes, again) and his Box Office International production company, Massage Parlor Wife is unique in that its director really had no business making sex movies, his background was in documentaries and experimental films. Nevertheless, the resulting work is a fiery, funny, and above all, still unquestionably erotic work that not only shows competence behind the camera (and in the editing room), but shows the immediate and umistakable charisma of the new starlet soon to become Serena. 

Joining us in Episode 43, "Rubbing the Right Way," to discuss all things Massage Parlor Wife, both direct and indirect, is Mark Murray: author, archivist, restoration artist, bobble head creator, friend of Serena, and propieter of Ultra Flesh Archives. There's no better person to join us for this episode than Mark, who just recently released Vol. 1 in a collection of Serena's hardcore loops through his home video imprint, UFA, where the official motto is "Take pride in your porn," and the unofficial, "Long live loops!" We full-heartedly endorse both, just as much as we full-heartedly love and celebrate Serena, one of the most magnetic personalities to ever grace the silver sex film screen, soft or hard.

Episode Specific:
Search "Ultra Flesh Archives"
Subscribe to Barry Spinello's Youtube
Order Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes
Pre-Order The Ultimate Degenerate + A Thousand Pleasures
Special thanks: Mark Murray

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: [email protected]

The credo of Ryan Verrill and Will Dodson's podcast network is "every movie is someone's favorite." To celebrate one-year of being a part of the Someone's Favorite Productions network, The Sin Syndicate are joined by 1/2 of SFP and the larger Antenna Releasing company, the Disc-Connected man himself, bossman Ryan Verrill, to recap the past year and play a game of pick five. What five are we picking? Five films we want to see get a high-definition, English-friendly home video release in the not-so-distant future. 

The rules were to keep it somewhat (s)exploitation adjacent, but we weren't going to hold Ryan's feet to the fire for picking a John Waters film. Elsewhere, in the world famous sexploitation news hour, we discuss our recent guest appearance on a sister pod, tackle a commentary listener's email, and chat 75% off Summer Sales. Join us and learn about proper disc placement, boutique label spreadsheets, and the importance of taking a moral stance when it comes to film distribution. Stay 'til the very end for a special song, so long as it doesn't get struck down by the Missing Persons estate.

Episode Specific:
View the Top 5 Letterboxd List
Check out Someone's Favorite Productions
Watch Gentry's Absurd video essay
Purchase The Lustful Turk/The Joys of Jezebel
Special thanks: Ryan Verrill

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: [email protected]

It seemed like a good idea at the time. It all started with our discussion with fetish historian and author Jane Garrett about 1967's Venus in Furs (Trodden Underfoot). As a follow-up, we chatted with Nathan Schiff, Long Island filmmaker and longtime friend of Furs director, Joseph Marzano (Back to Marzanoland). I guess we're masochists, we didn't get enough Lou Campa, or I just wanted to close the loop, but here we are, definitely slamming the book shut for good on this mini-saga.

For those who have not been following along, Campa was the shady producer behind Furs, along with several other sickie films orbiting around this scene. We've touched on several of them before: Venus in Furs, of course, but also, Cool It, Baby and Mini-Skirt Love. But we never really discussed two of Campa's most outrageous offerings distributed through Cinex Industries: Sock it to Me, Baby and Come on Baby, Light My Fire. An additional impetus to continue pulling this thread? The passion of Toronto's very own smutmeister, Alex DiSanto, who joins us for a volatile, heated discussion about the thespian talents of Larry Hunter (would you die on that hill?), watersports in sexploitation, and the musical talents of Darlene Cotton.

But before all that, in the news and updates we cover AGFA's latest horrotic release, Pink crossovers, Pride Month failures, and the disgusting trend of using AI to make dead people fuck. In other words: another day, another man, another episode to keep out of the hands of your neighbor, Tina.

Episode Specific:
Purchase Voices of Desire + Fly Now, Pay Later
Purchase Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes
Watch Sock it to Me & Light My Fire on Cultpix
Follow the paperbackgrindhouse
Special thanks: Alex DiSanto

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: [email protected]

It's a Love Explosion! In an attempt to maintain our sanity amidst deadlines and life generally, we bring you another episode of our Short Ends series, which we've used in the past to feature additional discussions that have either gone long, didn't fit, or generally felt like they were worthy of standing on their own. We've slightly expanded this design to hopefully include more low-key and informal chats with friends, fans and listeners, without the pressure of one of our regular, deeply researched Sin Syndicate episodes (that you've come to know and love).

All that build up to say, we've got unofficial Gap Theatre correspondent and New Jersey native Jeffery Petrone on the show to talk about a secret screening of "Wilbur and the Baby Factory" that he recently attended. Jeffery is a passionate fan of all genres of film and has recently caught the sexploitation bug. We were excited to talk with him about his impressions of this Harry Novak distributed sort of sex film, sort of Master Race satire. Of course, we've also got plenty of news, updates and chatter from the World of Sexploitation, literally, from America to Argentina to England to Japan. Will I ever be able to rescue Casey from Roman Porno land? 

Episode Specific:
Listen to "Baby Factory"
Visit The Gap Theatre
View Jeffery's Top 10 of 1960s Sexploitation

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: [email protected]