BLOOD FEAST (1963)
Starring Connie Mason and Thomas Wood
This totally hilarious trash fest is considered by many to the be the original splatter film because it marked the first time anyone ever made a movie whose only attraction was scenes of sick gore.
It does deserve some historical relevance for that. Director Lewis—who got into the business of making these after the bottom fell out of the "nudie cutie" genre—really pours on the gore: a woman in a bathtub has her leg carved off, another woman has her brain ripped out and still another has her tongue ripped out of her mouth. By today's standard the effects are unbelievably fake, but still maintain a gruesomeness not seen in cinema today.
But like all of Lewis'
stuffing, the real appeal of "Blood Feast" is its hilarious acting, incredible
dialogue and laughable storyline. As an added extra special bonus, there's even a
soundtrack featuring organ music (performed by Gordon himself). "Blood
Feast is a masterpiece of bad movie-making and fans of "Plan 9 From
Outerspace" should absolutely check it out, despite its reputation as a
sick gore film.
Mal Arnold is unbelievably dreadful as the murderer—a caterer who kills women in an attempt to resurrect an Egyptian goddess. "Ancient weird religious rites, eh?" comments the square-jawed detective hero (Wood). Mason (identified in posters as "Playboy's favorite playmate") delivers an especially odious performance.
Her best line was delivered after agreeing to lie on a table in front of Arnold, who's catering her party: "Hey, you wouldn't sacrifice me on this altar, would you?" "Of course, not my dear," he answers.
This is a masterpiece of bad film-making, but it doesn't match the awful excellence of Lewis' magnum opus, "2,000 Maniacs."