"A blot on
the American Film Industry" Los
Angelas Times
The Godfather
of Gore - Herschell Gordon Lewis - and Producer David Friedman
teamed up to create not only one of the most indefensible films
ever made, but also a new genre of cinema- the Gore film.
Thrown
together for a mere 30 grand, Blood Feast (1964) is indeed one of the
grizzliest films ever made. It is also horribly shot, scored, scripted
and (I'm being generous) acted. Of course this all adds up to one of
the most entertaining fucking movies in the history of film!
The
brief plot concerns the exploits of a Faud Ramses (Mal Arnold, such
a bad actor that he is mesmerizing). Fuad wants to make a "Blood
Feast" to serve up to the Egyptian Goddess Ishtar. To complete
the ceremony he goes after young and pretty Suzette (Connie Mason, former
Playboy Bunny. Lewis referring to Connie, "I've often felt if one
took the key out of Connie's back she'd simply stay in place.")
but is interrupted and chased by police. He is finally crushed to death
while hiding in a garbage truck!
Lewis
brags that it was shot in four days - and it shows. There are innumerable
mistakes including booms in frame, actors seen reading off cue cards
and shadows from obvious strong side lights. The acting across the board
is so awful it's jaw dropping. After Marcy's mother finds out about
her daughters scooped out brains, she puts on perhaps the worst performance
in the history of mankind. Her hysterical forced sobs come to a complete
halt so that she may read a line. Once her line is complete the maniacal
sobbing begins again.
It
is the extremely nasty gore effects that made Blood Feast a hit in the
South and a cult favorite today. In what is the Gore film equivalent
to the bone to rocket ship cut in Kubrick's 2001 is the death of Astrid
Olson. Fuad rips at her tongue as she struggles for breath, finally
he manages to rip it out and hold it still for a deep red, blood-splattered
shock. Ms. Olson was chosen for the role due her extremely large mouth
and when that sheep's tongue was yanked from her gullet, indeed history
was made.
"A blot on
the American Film Industry" Los
Angelas Times
