Forbidden Zone (1982)

The Hercules family buy a Venice Beach (California) house that contains a door leading to the Sixth Dimension via a large set of intestines. The daughter, Frenchy Hercules (Marie-Pascale Elfman) trips on a rollerskate one day and tumbles through the door (and the intestine) and ends up trapped in the Sixth Dimension.

Midget King Fausto (Hervé Villechaize from Fantasy Island) falls in love with her, which angers Queen Doris (former Warhol ingénue Susan Tyrrell), who has her frog servant (Jan Stuart Schwartz) lock Frenchy up.

Their daughter is a wonky-breasted Princess (Gisele Lindley) who is constantly topless for no apparent reason (pictured at left).

Now the Hercules family and their friend Squeezit Henderson (Oingo Boingo bassist Matthew Bright) must go to the Sixth dimension to rescue her. That plot device is superfluous, though, and merely an excuse for the music and visuals – part animation, part live-action – which defy description but comprise equal parts insanity and awesomeness.

The acting is terrible, the sets are made of cardboard and paper, and the jokes are racist, sexist and childish. And it’s in black & white. But Danny Elfman (Oingo Boingo) provided the soundtrack. He also plays Satan. His brother, Richard, directed.

Pa Hercules (Huckleberry P Jones)
Gene Cunningham
Susan B ‘Frenchy’ Hercules
Marie-Pascale Elfman
Ma Hercules
Virginia Rose
Flash Hercules
Phil Gordon
Gramps Hercules
Hyman Diamond
Bust Rod, the Servant Frog
Jan Stuart Schwartz
King Fausto of the Sixth Dimension
Hervé Villechaize
Queen Doris of the Sixth Dimension/Ruth Henderson
Susan Tyrrell
Princess
Gisele Lindley
Squeezit Henderson/Renee Henderson
Matthew Bright
Kipper Kids
Brian Routh
Martin von Haselberg
Human Chandelier/Miss Feldman
Kedric Wolfe
Gunfighting Student
Sugar Bear
The Pope
Nicholas James
Old Yiddish Man
Herman Bernstein
Satan
Danny Elfman

Director
Richard Elfman