United States 1970
Reviewed BY-Kit Gavin Directed by David Durston Starring Bhaskar, Tyde Kiernay, Jadine Wong, Lynn Lowry Released by Grindhouse NTSC Region 0
WOW! What a whacked out freaked out experience I just enjoyed. Watching a film like this sometimes make me wish I was some 20 years older just so as I could have savored in it’s wild glory back in a drive-in theater, somewhere in small town Hicksville, USA. But hey, that’s never gonna be as I wasn’t even a twinkle in my father eye (nor even on the right continent) when I DRINK YOUR BLOOD was being screened in drive-in’s around the US of A. But no matter, for Grindhouse, with it’s usual minutiae for detail, lovingly filled extras package have bestowed upon it’s customers one of the BEST DVD’s for the horror fan there is out there.
The film starts at a bizarre coven of Satanists, lead by Horace Bones, who in the epitome of the sixties generation gone badly wrong. Talking to his naked coven members, who stand around, nude, displaying their butts of all shapes sizes, Bones preaches his message. No time for Anton La Vey blasphemy here, or Golden Dawn-esque rituals, but hip screwed up 60’s preaching. His words "Let it be known, sons and daughters, that Satan was an acidhead! Drink from this cup, cleanse yourselves, and together we’ll all freak out!" are as much directed to his congregation of Satanists as to his audience, sitting in their cars at the time or to us the viewers in the new century. Yeah, we may not have a chance to drink from the copy, but believe you, me – by the end of I DRINK YOUR BLOOD you will be freaking out and enjoying this wild mad cap comic book violence, blood filled spectacle all the more.
Eavesdropping on this nudie fest of satanic freelove initiates is one of the local girls, who of course the Satanists don’t take kindly to. Off screen, they rough up the girl and rape her, before sending her back to her family who live in town near by. This doesn’t go down too well among the girl’s provincial family but none the less the coven rent a farmhouse near the small town as their van breaks down. Members of this coven are suitably bizarre, from Horace Bones to an Oriental lady (kimono and all), a bewigged and pregnant small town girl, and mute (played an uncredited Lynn Lowry, who became quite the cult star, and lounge singer). Being children of Satan as much as being children of the revolution and heir wild parties doesn’t go down too well in the local town and the Grandfather (of the local girl) tried to calm them down. This behavior is no appreciated by clan, who proceed to push the old boy around, feed him acid then send him on his way. This LSD trip causes the old boy to freak out when he returns home, as he trips out, his emotions leaping all over the place and even his behavior becoming erratic.
Suitably pissed at this behavior by the hippies, the conservative pre-teen grandson, Pete, kills a rabid dog and draining the dog of some of its infected blood, fills a batch of pies for the local bakery with the blood, selling them to the hippies in revenge, unaware of the consequences to come. The Satanists, unaware of the toxic nature of pies chow down and then truly start to freak out at each other starting to shout at each other, arguing over who’s leader. Nearby, the shit really is starting to hit the fan in the town; construction workers have a bit of a knee trembler with one of the hippie chicks and end up contracting rabies, foaming at the mouth as a result. The Satanic` hippies and other infected town members start freaking out more and more and performing violent gruesome acts.
Watching this movie really is like an acid trip gone wrong. Grindhouse, best known for the love they bestowed on the DVD release of Fulci’s The Beyond, the groundbreaking release of Cannibal Ferox and the still long awaited Cannibal Holocaust have excelled themselves and beyond with this release of I Drink Your Blood. Fully uncut, brimming with extras, including deleted scenes, interviews, a great commentary, trailers for future releases, and some of the wackiest and beautifully designed menus and some farrr-out Easter Eggs. The film itself, shot under the title of Phobia, was trimmed and remarketed and retitled by schlock master extrordinaire Jerry Gross, who released it on a double bill with an unexceptional Black and White film he named I EAT YOUR SKIN, which added to the lurid appeal and walked well as a marketing ploy.
Without a doubt this film is a horror masterpiece. It’s not excessively gory yet it is suitably splattery for fans of the red stuff. The atmosphere is unsurpassed and unique for its time. The characters of the satanic sec, are just wild, and just so off the wall, it’s just great. This wild roller coaster of a movie was made after Romero’s Night of the Living Dear but this is in no way similar to the film, nor does it deserve to be compared to it – as it is totally in a different sub category of horror. The visuals, scripting atmosphere and wildly erratic score compliment the feel and flavor of the film and will leave the viewer in a sense of "wow. Far out, man" feeling. The characters though not particularly well drawn are just so bizarre as to be credible. Despite the hippie feeling being no more and sadly dead, the film is still entertaining and has not dated at all.
Where the DVD excels outside of the film itself and it’s presentation are in it’s extras, which are so many it’s just amazing that Grindhouse have managed to fit them all onto the one disc. There is a commentary, made by the director and by the star, the late Bhaskar, who sadly passed away shortly after the release of this land mark exploitationer on DVD. R.I.P. Bhaskar. Hearing Duston both on the commentary and in the interviews, in action it is difficult to believe that the slightly effete, slightly prima donna yet full of love for the film, director is 80 years old and remembers so much for what was no doubt a drug soaked (Lowry remember discovering rock and roll and pot whilst making the film) shoot. There are also deleted scenes and most interestingly the films original ending.
As opposed to what is becoming standard practice amongst DVD companies as regards interviews, i.e. the featurette, we the viewer are invited into the directors backyard on a sunny day to see Durston talking to some of those involved with the film and it’s history. First we meet Lynn Lowry, still looking good for her age, even though she is rounder and curvier than the waif like beauty she once was. Lowry seems to show love and passion for the film and remembers it with delight, being candid in her discussion of what happened in front of as much as behind the scenes. One criticism, yes Lowry was lovely and pretty, but she seems to have an obsession with her own cuteness, which is slightly jarring. She reminds us of the fact here, but for anyone who has seen Blue Underground’s superb The Crazies dvd, will see Lowry stress the same point again. Also interviewed are the marketing man at Jerry Gross, and two further stars from the film Jack Damon and Tyde Kierney. There are some amusing anecdotes between stars and director, discussing different aspects of the film. There is a moment when Kierney reminds Durston of an embarrassing moment, which clearly offends Durston, and the interview is curtailed due to the director’s discomfort before swiftly moving on.
There are also selected filmographies (Durston apparently dabbled with porno, yet this is not mentioned) of some of the cast and of course director. There is also a superb photo gallery and no stone seems to be unturned in finding images and such like for the film from around the world where the film played. There are trailers for the film to be found as well as well as radio spots too. All together the extras are superb and do the film the justice it deserves at long last.
Rounding off the extras are a mini booklet which opens up to a replica of the original lurid artwork, with liner notes David Szulkin who wrote the superb making of the Last House on the Left book. Also for those fortunate enough, Grindhouse initially release a special signed edition of the DVD, limiting it to 500 copies with 4 autographs of the director and stars, including a nifty postcard of the cute Lynn Lowry holding up an old woman’s severed hand.
Together with the extras there are some Easter Eggs which are great fun to find. To tell the reader where they are would spoil the delight of discovering them and they are as weird and far out as the movie under review. Also there are a selection of eight trailers which, hopefully if all are to be released by Grindhouse will be very neat and choice pickings indeed by the prospective purchaser. Every self respecting horror or cult movies film fan, should, MUST make that sure that they have this in their collection. It would be madness not to.
Story: 4.5 BITCH SLAPS Extras: 5 BITCH SLAPS Picture/Audio: 4.5 BITCH SLAPS Overall DVD: 4.5 BITCH SLAPS
