The Beast That Killed Women (1965)

How bad is it? It's about as stupid as movies get.

Should you see it? Everyone should see one nudist camp film. It's either this or "Nude on the Moon."

There was a brief time when mainstream films could show nudity if they were filmed in a nudist colony; there was a loophole that declared them as educational. Many directors took advantage of that, from H. G. Lewis to Doris Wishman, but no one made more films faster in the Florida camps than Barry Mahon.

The film's plot: an escaped gorilla kills naked women. That somehow seems to overstate the action; the gorilla (one of the worst costumes ever) doesn't show up much, so one is left with static shots of naked people conversing. This makes for some interesting blocking of shots, as full frontal was still taboo; one sees a lot of backsides, people partially obscured by signs, plants or water, or topless women wearing bottoms. A female police detective is sent to investigate and she, too, disrobes and gets chased by the "beast." Why the gorilla only attacks women isn't well addressed, nor are other plot "subtleties." There are some attractive people in the film, so actors replaced the actual colonists (I think Wishman used some locals), but the acting is more primitive than the gorilla costume.

"Rocket Attack U.S.A." is still the Mahon film to see, but I found this one mildly entertaining.