Japanese poster for David Cronenberg’s 1977 foam-flecked horrorfest Rabid, starring Marilyn Chambers. It's a two-sided B2 style promo, which means it's double-sided. We’ve already posted two Rabid one-sheets here and here, but each one we find is better than the last. We were not anywhere close to an age to have seen this when it was released, but we've seen it on DVD since and it's very effective, in a ’70s low budget way. What's clear watching it is that Cronenberg was headed for bigger things. You might even have thought the same of Chambers if you didn't already know her mainstream film career didn't work out. Along with the poster flipside we also have three rare promo images from the film. Rabid premiered in the U.S. in April 1977, and reached Japan today in 1978.

The other day we realized that nearly all of our femmes fatales released records at some point, so we have a megapost of sleeves today representing a fraction of these multi-talented women’s musical output. We’ve heard most of the music, believe it or not, and while its quality varies, we do suggest you check out both Marilyn Chambers and Reiko Ike—their simulated orgasms are quite pleasing to the, er, ears.

We know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking she has a penis coming out of her armpit. But no, it isn’t a penis—it’s a stinger. However, like a penis, it isn’t much to look at until it gets excited and wants to play. The game it prefers is the one where it gives you a dose of rabies so advanced you turn into a frothing homicidal maniac. We showed you the American promo art for Rabid not long ago, but you didn’t get a cockpit shot in that one, so we figured we’d be completist and post this amazing Thai art. Also, we figured another tribute to the recently departed Marilyn Chambers was appropriate. She’s been eulogized mainly as a porn star, but the best film she ever made was this one, in which she pricks the boys and makes them die.

Six days ago we posted about Marilyn Chambers, and now she's been found dead in her trailer home in Santa Clarita, California. Cause of death is as yet unknown.

Marilyn Chambers doesn’t often get sufficient credit for what she did here—she made the first leap from porno vixen to mainstream lead. Yes, Rabid was low budget, but it was also general release, a modest hit, and pretty damn convincing as well, from both the acting and special effects standpoints. As a bonus, it features possibly the grimmest poster of all time. Plenty of adult actresses have tried to accomplish what Chambers did, including Sasha Grey in Steven Soderberg’s upcoming The Girlfriend Experience, but Chambers was the first and—based upon early word on The Girlfriend Experience—remains the best. Though Canadian director David Cronenberg has gone on to helm high-budget masterpieces like A History of Violence and Eastern Promises, Rabid remains a compulsory component of his catalogue. As for Chambers, she never really got another shot in a mainstream movie. The rest is (porno) history. Rabid premiered in the U.S. and Canada today in 1977.

Above is a Marilyn Chambers promo poster for her x-rated film Inside Marilyn Chambers, and below that is the image used to make the poster. Chambers was a former model for Ivory Snow Soap, whose advertising slogan was “99 & 44/100% Pure”. She appeared at the Mitchell Brothers Four Star Theater in Los Angeles, today in 1975.