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Take a look at the 15 movies you&#39;ll be hearing about in fall 2024.

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The true story of Ed Martin, former chain gang convict who converted to Christianity in prison in 1944 and formed the HopeAglow Prison Ministries. Ron Ormond's dramatized version of Ed's life in prison follows him swinging on a hammer in a chain gang, remembering his life of squalor and petty crime, finding Jesus through the persistence of his future wife Alfreda, and helping other inmates find salvation through his preaching in the prison chapel. The 39 stripes refer to the Jewish tradition of flogging criminals just short of the fatal 40 lash mark.

Man, in 39 Stripes, Tim Ormond nearly makes a roundtrip, going from the young kid protecting a convict in Girl from Tobacco Road to playing a criminal himself, portraying Ed Martin, former chain gang convict who converted to Christianity in prison in 1944 and formed the HopeAglow Prison Ministries. A life of petty crime led Ed into prison, a place where they whip you 39 times - there&#39;s an old Jewish tradition that if you get hit 40 times, you die - when you screw up. But a letter from Ed&#39;s sister&#39;s friend Alfreda Enders saves Ed&#39;s soul. This is sadly the last film that Ron Ormond would make. He directed the film and co-wrote it with Tim. It isn&#39;t berserk like his early work and is very settled down versus the excesses of movies like The Believer&#39;s Heaven. But man, I love Tim as an actor. He&#39;s like a bad Jerry Mathers, sounding like the Beav while speaking about how heavy Christ&#39;s cross was as the music gets way too loud over him. The poster for this is great, but I think Ron was getting tired. But when you succeeded in making movies that non-stop blow minds, from your time making quasi-mondo movies about hypnotism to films where swamp monsters, the mob and strippers all live in the same swamp, you get a last movie pass. Then again, Tim pretty much makes this movie. The film sets him up to be a major preacher and when he gets the mic, he kind of warbles his way through it. But again, the Ormond family has so much good will in my life that I would make dinner for them and give them a room in my house and they wouldn&#39;t even have to ask.

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39 Stripes

A mostly dreadful piece of Christian propaganda put out by Ron Ormond towards the end of his career. This features all of the slow, dreary, and preachy portions his Christian movies were known for and none of the fun stuff that made his more psychotronic classics (Grim Reaper, The Burning Hell, If Footmen Tire You, The Second Coming) not only tolerable but enjoyable. We get flashes of the Ormond&#39;s more enjoyable output but is never as graphic, silly, or hilariously inept as any of the aforementioned entries. I&#39;m not sure who exactly would like this as none of the characters seem like they&#39;d be compelling for most audiences. Steer clear unless you are on some sort of Ormond completionist journey.

User reviews

39 Stripes

Ron Ormond's last film

Not even prison is this bad

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