Read the title, then, read it again - what sort of quality you'd expect from a movie with such title. 'Viking Women' is very low production even for Corman's standards and it ranks as one of his worst films he has ever directed. It is a bizarre adventure film and not without entertainment value, but the film is silly and feels and seems so rushed (even Corman himself regretted taking such a big scale project on such a shoestring budget) that it is not hard to pass that particular film, although the title might sound intriguing (the title itself is worthy of some award like - Longest and Hardest to Memorize Title Ever).A band of viking women are planning to take a voyage to search their men who went missing while on the sea. Willful and strong women (who are built like underwear models, and almost dressed as one) build a ship, but soon they get into trouble themselves when the storm rises and cheap looking rubber sea serpent crashes their ship. They are cast on the shore of a land ruled by vicious savages who take the women in as slaves.Somehow Corman managed to make it all work and build somewhat coherent movie around half naked viking women, who looked like sorority girls at viking themed costume party, and one lousy cheap looking monster. Still, the final film is ridiculous enough to bear more similarities with the works of Ed Wood rather than better efforts from Corman himself.

Director Roger Corman is arguably the most influential filmmaker of the last fifty years. Not because his films are any good, but because his films and those of his production company have jump- started the careers of dozens upon dozens of actors, directors, and cinematographers. A quick look at his "film school" roster include such household names as, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, William Shatner, John Sayles, Jonathan Demme, Nicolas Roeg, and the list goes on and on. Not only did Corman teach new and exciting techniques to a slew of modern filmmakers, he did so with economy of means and a lack of pretension that still holds to this day. My all time favorite Corman film is the original Little Shop of Horrors (1960) which was quite incredibly shot in 24 hours with a budget of only $27,000.Whatever time, money, and effort Corman spent making The Saga of the Viking Women..., it was too much. The plot revolves around a group of viking women who are awaiting the return of their men from a hunting expedition. After weeks of no word, a group of scouts got out into the North Atlantic in search of their beaus. Their adventures on the seas include tempests, barbarian hordes, shipwreck and their own jealousies; not to mention the sea serpent briefly mentioned in the title.Whatever style and substance used to make Corman's Edgar Allan Poe movies (1959-1964) is completely absent in this mess. Despite lead actress Abby Dalton's remarkable beauty her uncomfortable mannerisms betray a person completely out of her depth. Several moments of the film call for strong, brawny viking women hoisting sails and attacking barbarians with broad swords but I'm afraid no movie magic can make someone as slight as her strong and powerful. Having Abby "Joey Bishop Show" Dalton play a viking is like having Powder (1995) play Othello, it just doesn't work. The affable Susan Cabot fairs better playing the vamp; a talent she would later put to good use in The Wasp Woman (1959) two years later. Unfortunately the object of her desire Vedic the Viking (Jackson) is as robotic an Aryan rumba and ultimately sinks her and the film.It is said Corman was inspired to do the picture by the special effects work of Jack Rabin, Irving Block and Louis DeWitt. Opting for the special photographic effects used in Rocketship X-M (1950) and Flight to Mars (1951), Corman found the price tag of his film skyrocketing. As a result the famed sea serpent makes a fleeting appearance at the beginning and climactic end of the movie in a battle that rivals Bela Lugosi's giant octopus demise in Bride of the Monster (1955) in level of camp.Yet to call Saga of the Viking Women campy is a bit of an overreach. As mismatched as the leads are and a cheap as the special effects get, the story itself takes itself seriously. So seriously in-fact that there is no unintended laughter; only absolute and utter boredom. One can't help but think that with a couple more re-writes and a lot, LOT more money, this stinker of a movie might be as exciting as its poster.

Despite a meager $65,000 budget, and thanks to Corman's skill in making a little money go a long way, the film looks far more expensive than its actual cost. True, despite his co-star status in the movie's title, the serpent figures very little in the film's action, most of the heavy's duties being taken over by the fascinatingly treacherous Richard Devon and the equally charming Susan Cabot (the Wasp Woman herself). Lithe Abby Dalton plays the Viking leader with appropriate girlish gusto, while twisted but surprisingly ungrateful Jay Sayer has his menacing moments as a petulant prince. The story is absolute nonsense from first to last, but Corman keeps the action moving at such a commendably fast clip from go to whoa, a total lack of conviction doesn't really amount to a factor that will upset rabid American-International fans.

This has to be one of the dumbest titles ever. Granted it tells you what the plot of the movie is but that seems to be where the cleverness began and ended.This is really low rent Roger Corman. Its far from a good film, but the chuckle factor and the fact that it has different setting makes it worth giving a try for those who like bad films or at least want to see something different than the typical movie setting.The plot has the viking women going off to find their men who have disappeared. They end up finding them after crossing dangerous waters and running into a rubber sock puppet sea serpent. The men are being held captive by an evil tribe of men who soon capture our heroines, making escape seem possible.Running a brief 66 minutes this film is so full of clunky film making that you'll wonder how it ever got released. Costumes look like costumes, the sea monster looks dumb and the special effects aren't. Rarely has rear projection been put to worse use than here.Still, somehow, its manages to avoid being a truly awful movie. Sure its not good but at least its not the same old same old, which here gives it three or four points in its favor.6 out of 10, just for being off beat, though it probably deserves a 3 in a more realistic frame of mind.