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Shock has landed your first look, via a trailer and photo gallery, at a new vampire thriller called Bloodlust from filmmaker Richard Johnstone.
In the film, currently in post-production, a bus drives 5 young couples to an old castle in an unknown location. They have responded to an advert looking for people to take part in a 30-day medical trial. The company running the experiment, led by the coordinator, explains there will be no contact with the outside world. The group are free to leave at any time, but if they do, they will forfeit their fee: £20,000 per couple.
Mysterious, unexplained events occur around the castle and strange noises are heard in the middle of the night. At first the group are skeptical – they think the company is creating the illusion of a “haunting” to test their reactions, until it is revealed there is something more sinister involved.
"Bloodlust!", the 5th adaptation of Richard Connell's classic short story "The Most Dangerous Game", is a weird and obscure but somewhat quite entertaining little b-flick, written and directed by Ralph Brooke, second unit director and/or production manager of 50s schlock like "Man Beast", "Frankenstein's Daughter"or "Missile To The Moon", and husband to Brianne Murphy, the first female director of photography on a major studio film ("Fatso", 1980).
It's not a great film, but it's a funny one. It's a mystery to me why it was spoofed on MST3K because it's faaaar from being as bad as their usual spoof fodder.
I've already seen and reviewed a low-quality version of "Bloodlust!" as part of Mill Creek's 'Cult Terror Cinema 12 Movies Pack' (see here!).
Now, it finally gets a proper HD-quality DVD re-release, thanks to FILM CHESTwho restored it from the original 35mm film elements.
I've already seen and reviewed a low-quality version of "Bloodlust!" as part of Mill Creek's 'Cult Terror Cinema 12 Movies Pack' (see here!).
Now, it finally gets a proper HD-quality DVD re-release, thanks to FILM CHESTwho restored it from the original 35mm film elements.
The story is old and well-known: a couple of young adults dock their boat on an uncharted island, inhabitated by a wealthy and sadistic hunter who loves to hunt, slain and stuff humans. Script and direction are all over the place,
most of the acting is rather silly and the overall production looks and feels quite cheap at times.
most of the acting is rather silly and the overall production looks and feels quite cheap at times.
Still, there's lots of stuff that makes it pretty enjoyable: Wilton Graff ("Valley of the Zombies") is cool as crazed but somewhat super-cool hunter ("What had been an unpleasant duty became a pleasure... then it developed into a passion... and then into a lust! A lust for blood!"),
Robert Reed is decent in one of his first roles before he became world-famous as Mike Brady in "The Brady Bunch", and I just love the unintentionally hilarious performance of Walter Brooke ("I can't go on forever pretending to be
a useless drunk.").
Robert Reed is decent in one of his first roles before he became world-famous as Mike Brady in "The Brady Bunch", and I just love the unintentionally hilarious performance of Walter Brooke ("I can't go on forever pretending to be
a useless drunk.").
The violence is neat: one guy gets thrown into a tub of acid and we get to see his face decomposing (great scene), one gets shot in his stomach with a crossbow, one guy 'gets' attacked by leeches after he stumbled into a puddle of quicksand, and one gets impaled on metal rods.
The music is solid (Michael Terr, "The Sinister Urge") and the cinematography is nice (Richard E. Cunha, "Giant From The Unknown").
In addition, the HD quality makes the movie look much more gorgeous. I compared several shots of the Mill Creek version (which is also in public domain)and the restored Film Chest version. Beautiful, huh?
Final verdict: a fun little romp, highly recommended to connoisseurs
of 50s Drive-in b-cinema :)
of 50s Drive-in b-cinema :)
Full Movie on Xmovie8
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