''Mantis in Lace'' is a 1968

sexploitation film A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit se ...

directed by

William Rotsler Charles William Rotsler () was an American artist, cartoonist, Pornography, pornographer and science fiction author. Rotsler was a four-time Hugo Award winner and one-time Nebula Award nominee. Rotsler's papers including dozens of matted color ...

and starring Susan Stewart, Vic Lance, Steven Vincent, Pat Barrington, and Stuart Lancaster. It was produced by

Harry Novak Harry may refer to: Television * ''Harry'' (American TV series), 1987 comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (New Zealand TV series), 2013 crime drama starring Oscar K ...

. At least two differently edited versions have been released, one of which has more emphasis on sex and one of which emphasizes violence.Eccentric Cinema: Mantis In Lace
/ref> The movie was released under the title, ''Lila'', which coincides with the movie's opening scene also crediting the film's title as ''Lila''. The cinematographer was Laszlo Kovacs (credited as Leslie Kovaks), who the following year would get his big break shooting ''

Easy Rider ''Easy Rider'' is a 1969 American road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern. It was produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and the S ...

''.

Plot

"Lila" ‒ played by Susan Stewart ‒ is a seemingly good-natured

go-go dancer Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at nightclubs or other venues where music is played. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s at the French bar Whisky a Gogo, located in the town of Juan-les-Pins. The bar's ...

who strips at a seedy topless bar on the

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California, United States. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western bord ...

. After taking

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

, Lila becomes a psychopathic

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

. She continues to pick up men at the bar where she is employed, but after her sanity is lost she routinely is interrupted mid-coitus by

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

bad trips in which she visualizes a balding, half-naked old man clutching wads of cash in one hand and a bunch of bananas in the other. These psychotic episodes cause her to murder her partners by stabbing them with a screwdriver and dismembering them with a rusty meat cleaver (or in one case, a garden hoe) while imagining that she is cutting up cantaloupes and watermelons.Monster Hunter: Mantis in Lace
/ref> As pieces of the victims' bodies are discovered in cardboard boxes, she is pursued by a pair of

Los Angeles Police Department The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

detectives played by Steven Vincent and M.K. Evans. The narrative is interrupted by long sequences of topless dancing,

softcore pornography Softcore pornography or softcore porn is commercial still photography, film, imagery, or even audio that has a pornographic or erotic component but is less sexually graphic or intrusive than hardcore pornography, defined by a lack of sexual p ...

, and recreational drug use.

Cast

Other credited cast members include Vic Lance (as "Tiger" and composer of the film's theme song, "Lila", sung by Lynn Harper), Pat Barrington, Stuart Lancaster, Janu Wine, John Caroll, John LaSalle, Hinton Pope, Bethel Buckalew, Lyn Armondo, Norton Halper, Judith Crane (dancer), and Cheryl Trepton (dancer).

Reviews

''Mantis in Lace'' has been described as "a truly bizarre movie" and "a very strange trip ...(with) lots of tits and little sense"; the review further warns:

The acting is either terrible or nonexistent. The same can be said for the direction and editing. The music score, relying chiefly on an electric guitarist who seems to be making up stuff as he goes along — none of it worthy of the term "improvisation", mind you — lurches from quirky
kitsch ''Kitsch'' ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as Naivety, naïve imitation, overly eccentric, gratuitous or of banal Taste (sociology), taste. The modern avant-garde traditionally opposed kitsch ...
to agonizing irritant very quickly. The drippy "Lila" theme song, used a gazillion times, should require a warning label on the DVD to prevent mental injury.

Another reviewer warns that after watching this "less than riveting tale" the viewer's "biggest question will be whether you should categorize what you've just seen as a bad trip or merely a bummer".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mantis In Lace 1968 films American sexploitation films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films