Blood Feast (1963)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1963
Running Times: 58m; 67m (USA); 70m (Australia); 75m (most likely incorrect)
Length:
Format:
Colour Format: colour
Aspect Ratio:
Sound: mono

DIRECTION

Director: Herschell Gordon Lewis

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Friedman-Lewis Productions
Producers: David F. Friedman, Stanford S. Kohlberg, Herschell Gordon Lewis

SCRIPT
Script: Allison Louise Downe
Story: David F. Friedman, Herschell Gordon Lewis

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Herschell Gordon Lewis
Assistant Camera: Andy Romanoff
Chief Electrician: Lorin D. Hall Jr

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editors: Robert Sinise, Frank Romolo

MUSIC
Music: Herschell Gordon Lewis

SOUND
Sound: David F. Friedman

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Herschell Gordon Lewis

OTHER CREW
Crew Chief: Harry Kerby

LOCATIONS
Locations: Miami, Florida, USA

CAST

Thomas Wood (real name: William Kerwin) (Pete Thornton)
Mal Arnold (Fuad Ramses)
Connie Mason (Suzette Fremont)
Scott H. Hall (police captain)
Lyn Bolton (Mrs Fremont)
Toni Calvert (Trudy)
Gene Courtier (Tony)
Ashlyn Martin (Marcy)
Sandra Sinclair (Pat Tracey)
Jerome Eden (high priest)
Al Golden (Dr Flanders)
Craig Maudslay Jr (truck driver)
Astrid Olson (motel victim)
Louise Kamp
Hal Rich

UNCREDITED CAST

David F. Friedman (drunken hotel husband)

A mad Egyptian caterer collects female human body parts in readiness for the resurrection of his goddess, Ishtar. He plans to use an engagement party, for which he's been hired as the caterer, to stage the ritual that will bring the evil Ishtar back from the dead.

Almost legendary in its awfulness, Blood Feast marked the debut of Herschell Gordon Lewis, the man who would bring gore to the masses. Lewis has likened Blood Feast to a Walt Whitman poem ("It's not very good, but it's the first of it's kind") and seems more aware than most of its many failings. Clearly shot on a nothing budget, for many, the sleazy combination of ludicrous amateurism, tacky, low rent gore effects and outrageous facial hair is mesmerising stuff, though its real appeal is dubious and limited. And it wasn't even the first gore film - the Japanese Jigoku (1960) had got there first and, stretching a point, even we can even trace the gore film make as far as Maniac on 1934 or even Le chien Andalou with it's eyeball slicing in 1929. Blood Feast remains a tragic waste of celluloid.

UK
DVD Distributors: Tartan Terror (TVD3312); Odeon Entertainment/Something Weird (ODNF009)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Box Office Spectaculars
Video Distributor: Cornet; Rhino; VCI; Something Weird
Laserdisc Distributor: Hollywood Home Theater

Australia
Rating: R

UK
Rating: 18 (with cuts)
Originally banned in the UK, the film was finally awarded an 18 certificate in 2001 but with a token 23 seconds of cuts. It was submitted again in 2005 and was this time passed uncut.

USA
Rating: unrated

2001
February
20: UK - trailer rated 18 by the BBFC (for video release)

March
16: UK - television broadcast (on FilmFour)

June
14: UK - rated 18 by the BBFC (for video release)

2002
October
28: UK - DVD release (Tartan Terror (TVD3312))

2005
April
5: UK - rated 18 by the BBFC (for video release)

June
13: UK - DVD release (Odeon Entertainment/Something Weird (ODNF009))

While his nubile young girl victims screamed out their life blood, he prepared the most horrendous of all feasts

An admonition: If you are the parent or the guardian of an impressionable adolescent - do not bring him or permit him to see this motion-picture

More grisly than ever in blood colour!

A Weird, Grisly Ancient Rite Horrendously Brought To Life In Blood Color

Nothing so appalling in the annals of horror!

You'll Recoil and Shudder as You Witness the Slaughter and Mutilation of Nubile Young Girls - in a Weird and Horrendous Ancient Rite!

SEQUEL
Blood Feast 2  All U Can Eat (2002)

REMAKE
Blood Diner (1987)

SEE ALSO
Party Monster (1998)
Serial Mom (1994)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family Portrait (1988)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
100 Years of Horror (1996)
Filmgore (1983)
Film House Fever (1986)
Mau Mau Sex Sex (2000)
New Year's Evil (1981)
Terror on Tape (1983)

PERIODICALS

Motion Picture Herald vol.230 no.7 (4 September 1963) p.884 (USA)
credits

BOOKS

Creature Features Strikes Again p.48
credits, review (by John Stanley)

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.48
credits, review

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.40
credits

The Seduction of the Gullible (2nd edition) pp.22-25
credits, synopsis, review (by John Martin)

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

amputation, beaches, books, cannibalism, caterers, ceremonies, deities, egyptology, goddesses, gore, human experiments, human sacrifices, ishtar, police, princesses, resurrection, rituals, teenagers, tongues, students, video nasties

Last Updated: 11 May, 2010