Death Takes A Holliday
VCA Pictures
Genre: Compilation
Director: Jim Holliday
Cast: There was an expansive cast of performers so I listed them in the scenes alone, making corrections to the credited names where appropriate (though whoever assembled the compilation did a pretty solid job overall).
Length: 238 minutes
Date of Production: 10/16/2003
Extra's: The only extra in this lengthy compilation were some extras.
Condoms: Some
Audio/Video Quality: Death Takes A Holliday was presented in the same 1.33:1 ratio full frame color the scenes were shot in by director Jim Holliday for VCA Pictures. Keeping in mind that the age of the scenes ranged from the early 1990's to a handful shot near Jim's untimely demise in the early 2000's, the quality of the technical matters varied a lot too. Ten of the scenes even came from movies that have yet to be released on DVD so I wasn't expecting them to look as solid as possible given the low budget nature of this compilation (which can be found dirt cheap online at this writing). Still, most of the scenes used the kind of heavy flood lighting Jim preferred, eliminating the grain and video noise associated with the lower lighting many of his peers used (and even still use in some cases). The composition of the shots also varied more than a little with some of the early ones showing rookie mistakes while older ones shot near his death more indicative of his health problems. In all though, it was a nice little package to enjoy, especially because of the majority of scenes not being released on DVD previously. The audio was presented in a 2.0 Dolby Digital English (with no audio commentary as some of the scenes originally had) but there was little separation and a limited dynamic range to speak of on almost all of the scenes in terms of vocals but a number of the scenes were pretty appealing for the light, breezy musical tracks provided by a few of Jim's regular bands that helped make them even more enjoyable.
Body of Review: Jim Holliday is one of the few directors that I think should have all of his works, good and bad, released on DVD so that was why I included every title available from the VCA Pictures catalog that I could find on DVD as part of my ongoing retrospective of his career. I took a break to go to the recent 2007 AEE Show to get some input from his supporters (who literally adored him from their kind words and detailed memories) and with only a handful of titles left to go (two and a compilation), I was very pleased to find out that Death Takes A Holliday was a compilation full of as yet unreleased scenes from some of Jim's works languishing in the VCA vaults (where are they people?!?). The compilation itself had 19 scenes and more than half of them have not been put on DVD before this, making it an important find for my project. Not all of the scenes were the very best he had to offer but even the previously unreleased stuff was worth the price of this low cost compilation. Fans of Jim should be more than happy to pick it up for that reason alone but here's a quick look at them by movie, cast, and action; noting that a number of them used condoms:
Scene One: Very Naughty Angels: Jill Kelly, perhaps the all time favorite of Jim in many ways, and curvy Coral Sands, were up first in short dresses that did little to cover their assets. They were playful and spent a lot of time licking and fingering each other, using a clear dildo on the counter of the bar as well as a blue metallic dildo in Coral's fine ass.
Scene Two: Witch Coven College: "Honey, the curvy gal seen on the upper right hand corner of the front cover, was up first, as she blew Steve Hatcher in bed. He ate her out too and it turned her on in such a fashion that she asked him to fuck her ass; getting them to move straight to anal. She appeared to like it but she was passive for most of the short scene, at least until she was bouncing on top of him in reverse cowgirl. Like all the anal scenes of the movie, she rode him bareback (no condoms) until he unleashed his load of population pudding into her mouth and the credits rolled (after some nice footage of real life Wiccan Monica Mayhem in black & white)."
Scene Three: Think Pink: "Allysin Chaynes, Calli Cox, Heather Lyn, Skarlet Fever, Chandler, Holly Hollywood, Belladonna, Joelean, and Gauge, were up last in a lesbian orgy that seemed like a light version of one of Holliday's classics. There was a lot of toe and foot sucking, pussy eating and butt licking, with Bella and Holly taking the lead roles. I could have used without the small flies buzzing about the pussies but in general, it was the kind of scene I've always liked about Holliday's movies, even if the dynamic seemed slower and less compelling than usual. The ladies were having fun and the action, while tamer than usual, was still worth a look or five; the gals looking enhanced by the outdoor lighting."
Scene Four: Summer Camp Sun Bunnies: "Felecia, perhaps the best known lesbian in the porn world for years, and busty Lita Chase, were up next in bed. The ladies were having fun with licking each other, moving to toys as Felecia took over. It didn't last long but it was quality lesbian action at its best."
Scene Five: She Devils In Pink: "Tanya James, a very appealing blonde, was up next in the locker room with even hotter Avy Scott, as the two engaged in lesbian sex. The foot fetish fans will be ecstatic at how they began the action and it got better with time when they went to the showers. I love shower scenes and Avy's perfect ass was enhanced thanks to the flat and strong lighting. On the commentary, Katie helped steer Jim away from his comments about 8th grade boys winning in an all star basketball game against professional female athletes, a questionable proposition at best (I've seen some of those women playing, and they play to win!). The scene was a fine bit of work that showed the ladies satisfying each other nicely." (note: the credits listed Tanya as Kylie Wylde)
Scene Six: Shades of Blonde: Victoria Basque, a lean blonde at the ice cream parlor, was up next in this unreleased (on DVD) scene with Nick East. The drum rolls were loud and they serviced each other handily, resulting in an active ride by the gal on his cock. It was a standard scene and really not even close to one I'd place in the top list of Jim's work but generally okay.
Scene Seven: Real Tickets 2: Debi Jointed and Diane O'Daine, both dressed in some kind of leotards, were up next to take out their sexual frustration on a youthful Nick East after losing an important match. I had not seen this scene before since it hasn't been released on DVD until this compilation, the gals working him over orally and each other nearly as well in the combination locker room/press room. The gals were not the prettiest I've seen in one of Jim's flicks but they had a lot of sexual stamina and desire, performing with a degree of passion as they actively sat on his cock and face. It was bareback and had anal as a mainstay, the trio getting all hot and sweaty before the load of population pudding was launched on the crotch for licking up.
Scene Eight: Pajama Party 3: Rebecca Wild and Krista, were up next in another scene from an unreleased on DVD movie. They were primping at the make up mirror with the help of another gal (who looked familiar) with Jon Dough; soon taking him on as the third gal took off. They really worked him over orally, inhaling his cock in a fashion that showed equal parts dedication, energy, and skill before taking turns screwing him silly. I'd like to see the rest of this one released given the quality of action here with these three, even if the ladies weren't nearly up to Jim's later standards for cuteness. It had active riding and facial popshot action thanks to the gals jerking him off.
Scene Nine: Nymphomercial: Tiffany Mynx, a hotty that I've found awesome for years, hotty Wendy "Maya" Divine, Eric Masterson, and zipperhead Van Damage, were up next in a scene from a movie I have not seen on DVD. Eric took care of his gal pal Wendy (who was looking great by the way) as he oiled her up and zippy worked on Tiffany orally with a bit less enthusiasm than I would have liked to see. There was foot fetish action here but the gals made the scene work with their talented oral and extremely aggressive riding skills. The condoms were quite noticeable but they didn't weaken the anal action any, the end result being the pop shots to the breasts.
Scene Ten: Real Tickets 1: Debi Diamond, looking lean and muscular with her bleached hair, sat on the trampoline and stretched to show her hot body ready for cock when Cody Adams joined her. He seemed to do more oral on her than she reciprocated with but she enjoyed his pounding penetration a lot from the look on her face. He did seem to have issues getting a full erection when the anal sex took place, eventually getting it in as he tapped that ass pretty well to the generic music. It ended with a distance pop on her body and face.
Scene Eleven: Very Naughty Angels: Gemini, a sweet redhead in red latex fetish attire, was up next at the empty strip club with talented Jill Kelly. The clothing did not last long as they worked each other over orally; Jim making it a point to introduce the scene on the stage with them by saying he did not give them any instructions at all. There were toys and tongues in the ass with the pair showing a lot of affection and chemistry to make it a winner of a scene.
Scene Twelve: Summer Camp Sun Bunnies: "Casey "fourth name change" Pink, a gal that under any name was never the hottest gal in porn, showed that facial beauty isn't everything as her body seemed ripe for the plucking (and fucking) by Alex Sanders on the sandy dunes. He went down on her as though she was the best tasting hotty in the world and she reciprocated with a very capable hummer before they went to boning vaginally. The vaginal was the best but she seemed to be pretty good with the anal too, however short it was before the facial pop."
Scene Thirteen: Real Tickets 1: Tiffany Mynx, in a black bra and towel, took on hippy Cody Adams in the locker room as part of the sport theme from the movie. He admired her ass and I could understand that alright as she did have a perfect pucker. He licked and sucked her ass before turning her over to attack her pussy. She blew him and they were soon screwing very aggressively vaginally (but no anal) with the ending facial closing things out. She looked good here but I like some of her later work better.
Scene Fourteen: Shades of Blonde: Montana Gunn, Winona Winter, Victoria Basque, and Shelbee Myne, were appetizers for Tom Byron according to the way he spoke of them. This meant he spent a lot of time licking and sucking feet along with one of the gals (almost as if competing against one another). All the ladies looked good here, lining up for Tom to get some anal licking in as well; a classic Jim Holliday position even if usually used with other gals like Felecia. They screwed, blew him, and otherwise played with toys and each other, marking the scene as a fine one to finally see the light of day in this compilation. It ended with a crotch pop, but faded away far too soon for me.
Scene Fifteen: She Devils In Pink: "Avy Scott, in her blue plaid skirt and tiny black top, jumped into bed with studly Mr. Marcus, a world class guy in the industry by any standard. She blew him well enough but I especially liked the titty fuck she gave him; each aspect of the scene earning my applause for how well she enjoyed working with him. It was obvious they appreciated one another in the 69 as well, leading to a pulsating pounding that she really got into. Both were aggressively into the other, making it another fine scene to like repeatedly as they were covered with sweat by the end. It ended with a mouth pop and her smile said it all in terms of her being into the work."
Scene Sixteen: Summer Camp Sun Bunnies: "Tanya Danielle, Katie Morgan, Petra, and Ryan Conner, were up next by and in the pool as they went down on one another in a lipstick lesbian scene. I would have preferred a huge, Jim Holliday styled lesbian orgy with all the ladies from the body painting scene to participate but the gals seemed to enjoy the tender side of the lesbian acts that Jim focused on so much. I liked that the bikinis were left on for much of the action and the camera work emphasized plenty of tease footage with tongues." (note: Tanya was again mislabeled, this time as Monica Mayhem)
Scene Seventeen: Think Pink: "Gauge, the tiny gal seen immediately beneath Joelean on the cover (second from the top, left hand side), was up next with Dillion Day, outside in the sun. He continued to wear his hat, perhaps warding off a sunburn on his bald head, as he went down on her as they lay on a blanket. He wasn't as skilled orally as Evan but he tried hard and she didn't seem to mind much. He also rimmed her before she took over to provide a sloppy blowjob used to ready his erection for the ride of his life. Say what you will about the gal but when she was into a scene, she really shined. The active vaginal gave way to a passive anal; Dillion coating her neck of all places."
Scene Eighteen: Very Naughty Angels: Cheynne Sexton, a busty blonde with leather-like skin due to tanning, and significant other Tex Sexton, with hair longer than most women in the world, were up next in an elevator as they did each other to the polka type music Jim liked. He wasn't overly endowed so she deepthroated him handily, slowly taking off her black top and blue jeans before he spent some time licking her to a delightful look on her face (he rimmed and ate her very pleasingly). The condom clad ride wasn't the best of the compilation, not even worthy of addition here, but it wasn't a terrible scene for the most part and the anal seemed to push her limits a fair bit before the pop shot landed on her toes.
Scene Nineteen: Witch Coven College: "Monica Mayhem, Amber Rain, and Steve Hatcher, were up last after the majority of gals in the cast went from a little trial run with their brooms (and anal plugs firmly in place). The scene took place on a hilltop overlooking a large fruit tree orchard during yet another windy day. The dynamic was similar to the rest of the show with him rimming them, them blowing him as well as orally working over each other, and then the screwing. The sex was definitely active and ended with Amber taking the pop to her ass cheeks, the movie closing with room for a sequel."
Summary: Death Takes A Holliday by director Jim Holliday for VCA Pictures was still a compilation of material found in one form or another on a variety of media but the strength of the scenes, the low cost, and the sheer amount of fuck for the buck make it a great choice to pick up for fans of the director. I rated it as Recommended since there wasn't anything new, some of the scenes worked better than others, and some of them seemed truncated a bit from how I remember them but in all, Death Takes A Holliday was a decent tribute to the director that would have been better only if someone had the foresight to collect some of his angels and friends to introduce some of the scenes. Still, you really can't go wrong this time so give it a look as your own tribute to the man.
