Andrew
08-10-2003, 07:33 PM
Okay, so after waiting forever to see this, I finally got my SE in the mail. Was it worth the wait (or price)? Read on...
Fuad Ramses III rolls into town to set up an exotic catering place, and it just so happens to be the same town that his grandfather committed his crimes in 35 years ago. From the moment he arrives, a Detective Michael Myers (yeah, I wasn't laughing either) is on his case from day one, but his partner Dr. Loomis (yep) tries to rationalize the situation. Fuad seems innocent enough though. However, he soons finds a statue in the back room of his shop, and at once it begins to take hold over him. Yes, it's Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess we all know and love, and now it's got Fuad just like his grandfather. Now Fuad has been hired to cater for a young girl's wedding to Detective Myers, and her bitchy mother constantly comes in to make sure she approves of his exotic flavors. Soon the bridesmaids start to get knocked off one by one as Fuad prepares his blood feast.
Okay, I'm a huge fan of the original BLOOD FEAST, and while I in no way attempt to be an H.G. Lewis expert (I've only seen BF, TWO THOUSAND MANIACS, and now this) I felt a need to share my opinions on this film. First off, the honest truth is, this movie is bad. The acting is horrendous, dialogue unimaginable, and situations a little far fetched. The character names are awful as well; let's see we have Misti Morning, Bambi Deere, Trixi Treeter, Laci Hundees (my favorite), and Candi Graham; and don't forget the aforementioned cops. McLachlan (Myers) is really really bad, and reminds me of cockier version of Tom Cruise (which takes a lot). John Waters' cameo is actually the best part of acting in the whole film, and he delivers a few of the only funny jokes. However, what I know many are looking for is gore, and this film truly does not disappoint in that regard. I actually really enjoyed the gore effects here, with heads sawed up, hands put through meat grinders, and intestines pulled out, all shown through great detail. Herschell really does know how to keep the blood flowing, but sadly the movie doesn't feel at all like one of his pictures. I was hoping for a film much like his older pictures, but now I realize that was way too much to ask. There are some decent gags here and there, but sadly it really comes off as nothing more than mediocre. The gore is nice though, so if that's what you're looking for, the film won't disappoint. I also forgot to mention that there's a fair amount of T&A, and the girls aren't too bad looking either, which is a step in the right direction. Overall though, I was quite disappointed.
Shriek Show presents BLOOD FEAST 2 in 1.85 Widescreen (I don't know if it's anamorphic or not - it does not say nor do I have a 16x9 television) and it looks pretty good. There are some specks and obvious budgetary limitations present, but it's nothing worth complaining about. Colors look good and it's pretty free of grain. Could've been better though. Audio is presented in DD Stereo or Mono, I can't really tell, but it sounds fine. Nothing special. The music is by Southern Culture on the Skids who I've never heard of, but I'm guessing they have some kind of fanbase as there's a little circle on the cover stating they did the music. It's not my favorite kind, but at times the "BUM bom" bango theme from the original shows up. Extras wise I was also very disappointed. On the first disc there's a batch of trailers for KILLING BIRDS, BLOOD FEAST 2, ZOMBI 2, DEMONS 3: THE OGRE, FLESH FOR THE BEAST, and LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN; also present is a photo gallery that is nothing special. The second disc contains four rather short features. The first is "On Set with Herschell Gordon Lewis" where we get to see him direct an actress and just talk a little on set for a tad under 4 minutes. If it was longer it could've been interesting, he could've discussed returning to the genre, his feelings on the film, etc. However we get no insight, so it's prety worthless. The second feature is "Behind the Scenes" which runs a little longer at 12 minutes, it's just someone walking around with a video camera asking people what they do on this picture. 50% said "nothing", and that should give you a good idea of how the movie turned out. Again, watching John Waters was the best part of this. Then there's "Behind the Gore", around 4 and a half minutes, just showing the gore effects as they're happening from two angles. No preparation shots or descriptions on how they did it, just showing us the same thing as the movie from a video camera's standpoint. It's also interesting to see how H.G. tells the effects guy what to do. I wanted to hear some "back in the drive-in days..." rant but alas it was not to be. Lastly there's some deleted scenes which are just extended parts, completely unnessecary.
Man, what a disappointment. I can't say it was terrible, but a definite letdown, especially coming from such a legend. The disc is a real bust as well, with only 25 minutes of special features for a $35 retail. Now if anyone knows me I rarely trade away discs, even if I don't like them, but don't be surprised if this gets offered up in the near future. To be fair, I haven't decided yet, but still. The gore is the only thing this movie has going for it, although some may like it more than me, maybe I should've just lowered my expectations beforehand. If anything, I would highly suggest just getting the single disc Director's Cut, as the extras are totally not worth it, especially for the price.
EDIT: Forgot to mention, the second disc comes in a paper CD case, which is very lame indeed. It's all part of a white keepcase though, which is...cool?
Fuad Ramses III rolls into town to set up an exotic catering place, and it just so happens to be the same town that his grandfather committed his crimes in 35 years ago. From the moment he arrives, a Detective Michael Myers (yeah, I wasn't laughing either) is on his case from day one, but his partner Dr. Loomis (yep) tries to rationalize the situation. Fuad seems innocent enough though. However, he soons finds a statue in the back room of his shop, and at once it begins to take hold over him. Yes, it's Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess we all know and love, and now it's got Fuad just like his grandfather. Now Fuad has been hired to cater for a young girl's wedding to Detective Myers, and her bitchy mother constantly comes in to make sure she approves of his exotic flavors. Soon the bridesmaids start to get knocked off one by one as Fuad prepares his blood feast.
Okay, I'm a huge fan of the original BLOOD FEAST, and while I in no way attempt to be an H.G. Lewis expert (I've only seen BF, TWO THOUSAND MANIACS, and now this) I felt a need to share my opinions on this film. First off, the honest truth is, this movie is bad. The acting is horrendous, dialogue unimaginable, and situations a little far fetched. The character names are awful as well; let's see we have Misti Morning, Bambi Deere, Trixi Treeter, Laci Hundees (my favorite), and Candi Graham; and don't forget the aforementioned cops. McLachlan (Myers) is really really bad, and reminds me of cockier version of Tom Cruise (which takes a lot). John Waters' cameo is actually the best part of acting in the whole film, and he delivers a few of the only funny jokes. However, what I know many are looking for is gore, and this film truly does not disappoint in that regard. I actually really enjoyed the gore effects here, with heads sawed up, hands put through meat grinders, and intestines pulled out, all shown through great detail. Herschell really does know how to keep the blood flowing, but sadly the movie doesn't feel at all like one of his pictures. I was hoping for a film much like his older pictures, but now I realize that was way too much to ask. There are some decent gags here and there, but sadly it really comes off as nothing more than mediocre. The gore is nice though, so if that's what you're looking for, the film won't disappoint. I also forgot to mention that there's a fair amount of T&A, and the girls aren't too bad looking either, which is a step in the right direction. Overall though, I was quite disappointed.
Shriek Show presents BLOOD FEAST 2 in 1.85 Widescreen (I don't know if it's anamorphic or not - it does not say nor do I have a 16x9 television) and it looks pretty good. There are some specks and obvious budgetary limitations present, but it's nothing worth complaining about. Colors look good and it's pretty free of grain. Could've been better though. Audio is presented in DD Stereo or Mono, I can't really tell, but it sounds fine. Nothing special. The music is by Southern Culture on the Skids who I've never heard of, but I'm guessing they have some kind of fanbase as there's a little circle on the cover stating they did the music. It's not my favorite kind, but at times the "BUM bom" bango theme from the original shows up. Extras wise I was also very disappointed. On the first disc there's a batch of trailers for KILLING BIRDS, BLOOD FEAST 2, ZOMBI 2, DEMONS 3: THE OGRE, FLESH FOR THE BEAST, and LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN; also present is a photo gallery that is nothing special. The second disc contains four rather short features. The first is "On Set with Herschell Gordon Lewis" where we get to see him direct an actress and just talk a little on set for a tad under 4 minutes. If it was longer it could've been interesting, he could've discussed returning to the genre, his feelings on the film, etc. However we get no insight, so it's prety worthless. The second feature is "Behind the Scenes" which runs a little longer at 12 minutes, it's just someone walking around with a video camera asking people what they do on this picture. 50% said "nothing", and that should give you a good idea of how the movie turned out. Again, watching John Waters was the best part of this. Then there's "Behind the Gore", around 4 and a half minutes, just showing the gore effects as they're happening from two angles. No preparation shots or descriptions on how they did it, just showing us the same thing as the movie from a video camera's standpoint. It's also interesting to see how H.G. tells the effects guy what to do. I wanted to hear some "back in the drive-in days..." rant but alas it was not to be. Lastly there's some deleted scenes which are just extended parts, completely unnessecary.
Man, what a disappointment. I can't say it was terrible, but a definite letdown, especially coming from such a legend. The disc is a real bust as well, with only 25 minutes of special features for a $35 retail. Now if anyone knows me I rarely trade away discs, even if I don't like them, but don't be surprised if this gets offered up in the near future. To be fair, I haven't decided yet, but still. The gore is the only thing this movie has going for it, although some may like it more than me, maybe I should've just lowered my expectations beforehand. If anything, I would highly suggest just getting the single disc Director's Cut, as the extras are totally not worth it, especially for the price.
EDIT: Forgot to mention, the second disc comes in a paper CD case, which is very lame indeed. It's all part of a white keepcase though, which is...cool?