Much like Ted V. Mikel's earlier schlock masterpiece, ASTRO ZOMBIES (1969), this 1974 opus employs a predominantly electronic score. Composer Carl Zittrer does the honors here and actually does a credible job using what sounds like an early modular synth being being pushed to its limits. Atonal splashes, rhythmic pulses, cosmic bleeps, and shifting walls of white noise all make appearances here, sometimes at the same time. Acoustic drums are joined by oscillator squiggles as Witch Queen Mara's black magic rituals are acted out. While much of this may seem cliched when compared to today's software-generated apocalypses, I assure you that this unassuming, yet genuinely expressive "electronic music" nearly elevates this cheesy classic to something akin to art with a miniscule "a". You can almost hear the knobs turning. While I've never heard of Carl Zittrer before watching BLOOD ORGY OF THE SHE-DEVILS, it appears that he's well know within the film music community (see the films of Bob Clark), with many movie credits under his belt. 1974 also saw him doing the music for the slasher flick BLACK CHRISTMAS, a score that included prepared (with forks, knives, and combs) piano and tape manipulation (manually slowing down the tape recorder to distort the sound). It seems we've found a low-budget explorer here, and a student of John Cage, both of which make him an individual worthy of further investigation.
