The Sinister Urge (film)

The Sinister Urge
aka	Hellborn The Young and the Immoral
Year	1960
Directed by	Edward D. Wood Jr.
Produced by	Roy Reid
Written by	Edward D. Wood Jr.
Music by	Michael Terr
Studio	Headliner Productions
Cast	Kenne Duncan Duke Moore Jean Fontaine Carl Anthony Harvey B. Dunn
Run time	71 minutes
Riffed in	MST3K 613 - The Sinister Urge

For the MST3K episode, see MST3K 613 - The Sinister Urge.

“	Who needs good film in this business, anyway? Now, give those suckers hot advertising...? And they'll spring with their money every time!	”
	- Gloria Henderson

The Sinister Urge is a 1960 crime drama written and directed by Edward D. Wood Jr.

Plot

Jaffe (played by Harry Keaton) in The Sinister Urge

Police Lieutenant Matt Carson investigates the latest of several murder cases in which young women have been killed. He and his associate Sergeant Randy Stone suspect a connection to the "smut picture racket". The police proceed to raid the photo studio of a pornographer named Jaffee, who had just received orders from his superiors in the pornography ring to re-locate their stock. The pornography is seized by the police, and the ringleaders - Johnny Ryde and Gloria Henderson - are not pleased.

Back at the police station, Carson and Stone are berated by their superior, who demands quicker action in exposing the racket. Afterwards, the two officers are visited by local businessman who demands to know why taxpayers' money is "wasted" in prosecuting harmless deviancy such as pornography. Carson claims that the dirty picture racket is connected to major crimes.

The Sinister Urge

Gloria is visited at home by Johnny Ryde, who informs her of the recent police raid, the murderous activities of their associate Dirk, and their clients' dissatisfaction with the lack of new material. At a nearby pizza restaurant, Dirk observes a fight between low-level smut peddlers who were fighting over turf. The police arrive, further disrupting the pornography distribution network.

At Gloria's house, she points out to Johnny that the increasingly unstable Dirk is both aroused and triggered to kill by viewing pornography. Johnny claims that he can still keep Dirk under control. Meanwhile, Dirk has returned to the park. He is flirting with a woman and the two kiss. But then his lust turns to murderous rage. He strips off her clothes and stabs her to death.

The Sinister Urge

In the police station, Carson and Stone start discussing the fates of the women victimized by pornography and they relate the story of one specific woman whose association with Johnny Ryde led her into drug abuse, prostitution, and death.

After several more crimes, Dirk's identity and guilt are established by the police. Gloria and Johnny argue over the best way to dispose of Dirk. Johnny suggests an indirect way of killing Dirk, by arranging a fatal "accident" for him. Dirk survives his "accident", then comes to Gloria's house seeking vengeance. He finds it empty but soon ambushes the arriving Johnny. Johnny temporarily manages to convince his assailant that they could work together to replace Gloria. Dirk then murders Johnny, before being shot in the dark by Gloria, who assumed that she was shooting Johnny. The film ends with Gloria's disbelief that she shot the wrong man as the police arrest her.

Cast

• Kenne Duncan - Lt. Matt Carson
• Duke Moore - Sgt. Randy Stone
• Jean Fontaine - Gloria
• Carl Anthony - Johnny Ryde
• Harry Keaton - Jaffee
• Dino Fantini - Dirk Williams
• Harvey B. Dunn - Mr. Romaine
• Conrad Brooks - Connie

Notes

• There are posters for three other films by director Edward D. Wood Jr. in Johnny Ryde's office: Jail Bait (1954), Bride of the Monster (1955), and The Violent Years (1956). Mary asks Johnny, "Are gangster and horror films all you produce?", making him an obvious avatar for Wood himself. His later moan that he used to make good movies seems prophetic about Wood's later slide into adult films, as discussed below.
• Ed Wood and Conrad Brooks are the brawling "teenagers" fighting over porn in front of the restaurant. The footage used is from an unfinished Wood film Rock and Roll Hell (Servo notes this, saying "I think these scenes are from a completely different movie."). The scene is used once again in the Wood film Night of the Ghouls when the film goes from a supernatural horror movie to showing the fight scene as a warning from narrator Criswell about the dangers of juvenile delinquency.
• Kenne Duncan was also a star in Night of the Ghouls.
• This is the only American film credit of actor Jean Fontaine (Gloria). All of her other performances were for French films (including dubbing into English) or television.
• This film was profitable upon its release, but Ed Wood had sold the rights to the film for about $500 and did not receive any residuals.
• It may seem strange that a person who had such a non-traditional life (and such an eclectic circle of friends) as Ed Wood did could hold the narrow opinion of pornography demonstrated in this movie. It is possible that the movie was meant to be a sardonic comment on the Puritanical views held about sexuality in the 1950's, or that Wood genuinely wanted to make a picture about the porn industry but the script had to be drastically rewritten in order to get the picture made.
• This was the final "legit" film that Ed Wood had any role in. Following The Sinister Urge, he made several soft-core and hard-core pornographic movies, including Orgy of the Dead, Necromania and The Young Marrieds.
• Johnny Ryde's line "You can't keep selling the same old stuff to the same old crowd forever" was used as an intro to performances of "Numb" during U2's ZooTV tour (it can be heard at the beginning of the track on the Dublin concert bootleg).
• Hard rock musician Rob Zombie used the film's title for his second solo album.

MST3K Connections

• Writer, director, and actor Edward D. Wood Jr. (man in fight) was also writer and director for Bride of the Monster and writer for The Violent Years.
• Kenne Duncan also portrayed Michael's henchman in Radar Secret Service.
• Harvey B. Dunn also portrayed Gramps Morgan in Teenagers from Outer Space and Captain Robbins in Bride of the Monster.
• Harry Keaton also portrayed the doctor in The Violent Years.
• Conrad Brooks also portrayed the suspect outside the office in Bride of the Monster and a man at the airfield in The Beast of Yucca Flats.
• Nick Raymond (Syndicate Man #2) also portrayed Pepper in The Hellcats and 1st Highway Patrolman in Red Zone Cuba.
• Composer Michael Terr was also musical director for King Dinosaur, music supervisor for The Unearthly and The Violent Years, and composer for Bloodlust!.
• Cinematographer William C. Thompson was also cinematographer for Project Moon Base, Bride of the Monster, The Violent Years, and Racket Girls.
• Sound mixer Sam Kopetzky was also recording engineer for Eegah and sound recordist for Girl in Gold Boots.
• Special effects technician Ray Mercer also did visual effects for Lost Continent and The Beast of Yucca Flats, as well as special effects for I Accuse My Parents, Radar Secret Service, and Last of the Wild Horses.
• Still photographer Larry Smith was also still photographer for Bride of the Monster.
• Stock music composer Trevor Duncan also composed stock music used in Fire Maidens of Outer Space, 12 to the Moon, The Giant Spider Invasion, and Blood Waters of Dr. Z.