Director: Herschell Gordon Lewis
MPAA Rating: Unrated
"Blood Feast"(1963)
A psychotic Egyptian caterer kills women and uses their body parts to conjure up the Egyptian goddess Ishtar. After he is hired to cater a birthday party, he then has the task of the ritualistic "Blood Feast," which he takes much more literally than the hostess would've ever imagined.
"Blood Feast" is in no respects a high quality film. It has terrible acting, mediocre writing, and cheesy direction. But even with these flaws, I could honestly call this movie one of the best in the B-movie genre. The plot is so outrageous and interesting, and the imperfections just add to the charm and occasional hilarity. Along with this, the film was groundbreaking with being the first real gore movie. There was certainly an excess of blood and guts, and this makes the film inaccessible for those with a weak stomach.
Overall, anyone that loves low budget horror will fall in love with this movie immediately. It is such a fun and interesting treasure from the golden age of B-Movies, and is now one of my favorites. This installment is also the best in "The Blood Trilogy," although the others are extremely close in quality.
Grade on a B-Movie scale: 10/10
"Two Thousand Maniacs"(1964)
A group of young 'yankees' are tricked to come to a Southern town called "Pleasant Valley" for a Centennial celebration, and they are then tortured and killed in outrageous ways as revenge for the town's fall during the Civil War.
"Two Thousand Maniacs" was a really neat movie, because the plot was such an evil and clever one that no one other than Lewis would've thought of. The film shared the same crappy acting and production values as its predecessor, but it also comes up with many different ways to make the audience still love the movie. First off, the kills and gore are out of this world. Without giving any spoilers, I can honestly say that situations I have never even imagined came up in the movie, and they added to the overall shock value. Another aspect of the film that was neat was the Southern score. The theme song "Rebel Yell" by Herschell himself gave a dark but hilarious atmosphere, and it really captured the Southern feeling well.
While "Two Thousand Maniacs" didn't surpass "Blood Feast" in my eyes, it still has a lot to offer as a fun B-Movie, and I would also include it in my favorites of the genre.
Grade on a B-Movie scale- 9.5/10
"Color Me Blood Red"(1965)
A painter with serious anger issues begins to kill people to use their blood for his art after discovering how nice it looks on a canvas.
"Color Me Blood Red" was such a fantastic movie, because the plot was once again out of this world. It was very simple in words, but it worked so well to just blow the viewer's mind. The acting was very hit and miss throughout, because some of the performances were actually good, while others were unspeakably terrible. The bad acting doesn't hurt this film though, in conjunction with the previous two installments, because it makes a lighthearted charm that the viewer can chuckle at. The gore and kills were actually pretty awesome, and they were definitely on par with the other movies. I think what stuck out to me most with this installment was the teen storyline that was parallel to the main plot. This added a whole different vibe to the film, as they did crazy stuff on the beach and drove around town.
Overall, "Color Me Blood Red" was a solid sequel in the "Blood Trilogy" series. I would call equal with "Two Thousand Maniacs," because while the previous installment was more epic, this one possessed more charm. This movie cannot be missed though, because it is so much fun, and another one of the best B-Movies ever.
Grade on a B-Movie scale: 9.5/10
Conclusion:
"The Blood Trilogy" is such an awesome horror series, because every movie was consistent and highly enjoyable. The viewer really got to see Lewis at his filmmaking peak, because his stories were more creative and interesting than ever. I can't recommend this trilogy enough to B-Movie fans, because it definitely will not disappoint.
Side Note:
The entire "Blood Trilogy" can be purchased in a three-in-one Blu Ray pack on Amazon for about $11. There is only one disc in the case, but the picture and sound quality are absolutely beautiful. There is also a multitude of special feature including trailers, short films, commentaries, and outtakes. This is a very affordable and quality set that will be worth every cent.
Series Grade: 9.75/10
Blu Ray Grade: 9/10
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