Plot: As a murderer preys on the women of Miami, the police are stumped and can’t seem to catch a break. Whoever is behind the murders doesn’t just kill the girls, but also takes a different body part each time. As the police flounder, caterer Fuad Ramses (Mal Arnold) hunts down women and takes the body parts he needs for a special Egyptian Feast, to be served at a local girl’s birthday party. Of course, no one else knows Ramses is using human ingredients or that he is using the feast in an attempt to rebirth the goddess Ishtar. As the murders continue, Detective Pete Thornton (William Kerwin) is helpless to end the terror, despite the fact that he is dating the girl whose party Ramses is catering. He’s so close to the killer, but has no idea. Can Thornton put the pieces together in time to stop him, or will Ramses bring new life to the violent goddess Ishtar?
Entertainment Value: If you have even a minor interest in horror or exploitation, odds are you’ve seen Blood Feast. Herschell Gordon Lewis kicks off the gore revolution with this low rent, unforgettable picture. If you haven’t seen Blood Feast, it features all the things you’d expect from the title, ample blood and an oh so special feast. Lewis’ movies are infamous for non traditional performances and rushed production values, so Blood Feast has those in spades. Mal Arnold is fantastic as Ramses, with his wild line delivery and crazy eyes. He is a wonderful vision of dysfunction, while William Kerwin is fun as one of the most clueless detectives of all time. Even beyond the gore, Blood Feast is a lot of fun thanks to the cast, most of whom play it totally straight and enable Arnold to seem even more off his rocker. If you’re even a casual genre fan, Blood Feast is a must own movie and more than deserves its reputation as one of the greats.
You get to see some soapy breasts in a bubble bath, but that’s the lone nude scene. But we have a good amount of blood, all shed in that H.G. Lewis trademark over the top style. The gore is of course not convincing at all, but it shocked audiences at the time and remains fun to watch now. The highlight for me is the tongue scene, which features a great visual of the girl after her tongue is removed. I also like the scene where Ramses cooks a human leg, for some reason it always makes me laugh. So a consistent flow of blood from cheap, but fun effects and even the credits are soaked in the red stuff. Ramses has some memorable lines, as does Kerwin with his cringe inducing detective talk. The writing is simple, but hilarious at times and just adds so much entertainment value. Blood Feast comes off as rather tame now, but really stunned audiences back when it was released. Now the craziness stems from the hack performances and cheap blood effects, but Blood Feast still earns a few slots on the insane meter, for sure.
Nudity: 1/10
Blood: 5/10
Dialogue: 5/10
Overall Insanity: 4/10
Marc Fusion 