Story: As the residents of a small town try to keep up with an ever faster paced world, the harsh realities have begun to take a serious toll. A good portion of the citizens have financial problems and those aren’t helped by the presence of treacherous landlords, so as everyone tries to keep a roof over their heads, some look to less conventional avenues of income. In more stable times, exploring a dangerous mine in hopes of finding treasure might seem far fetched, but these days, when a treasure hunter arrives and is looking for help, the locals answer. But is there enough treasure in the mine to save the town or does an even darker evil lurk in the shadows?

Entertainment Value: Often confusing and always entertaining, Blood of the Chupacabras is a video store staple that might overpromise with its artwork, but it delivers on wild, b movie wackiness. I think most folks who have seen this movie will likely remember the abysmal visual effects, which gave us a monster that defies all description. As if the rest of this ride wasn’t outlandish enough, our beast is hilarious and while that might disappoint some, I think it is right in line with the rest of the elements here, which are also over the top and outrageous. In other words, Blood of the Chupacabras doesn’t have scares, but it has a lot of laughs and if you appreciate DIY, regional indie cinema, this has so much of that energy to soak in. I love these kind of movies when there is clear passion and fun on screen, which is what we have here, everyone seems to run with the b movie vibes. Not much blood or sleaze to speak of, but to me, this is about the wackiness and on that front, it comes through and then some. The real fun comes from the cast and the general insanity, however.

While Blood of the Chupacabras had minimal budgetary resources, one area they did not cut corners was sheer volume of characters and storylines. I was astounded by the consistent flow of new characters and the threads they weave into the main narrative, even if it doesn’t always make sense, in fact I think I had more fun when it didn’t make sense. The small town is home to a host of colorful, over the top folks and that includes a vampire hunter and witch. So if you like overcrowded, convoluted b movies, buckle up and bask in this one, as Blood of the Chupacabras puts entertainment over plot logic and narrative focus, and we wouldn’t want it any other way in this case. I see a lot of people complain that this is too complicated or overly complex, but I think they’re digging to deep instead of just appreciating the chaos and off the rails moments. The cast seems in tune with the vibe of the material, with some dialed up efforts that really get some laughs, as well as some more wooden performances, though for me, those were almost just as much fun to watch. I had a great time revisiting Blood of the Chupacabras and it easily deserves a look from any b movie devotee.

The Disc: Visual Vengeance has once again rolled out the red carpet for a cult favorite, starting with a visual presentation taken from the original tapes. As this was shot on video, the image doesn’t shine and sparkle like some might, but this treatment looks good. The visuals are clean and about as detailed as possible, given the source material involved. You can listen to director Jonathan Mumm and star Hugh McCord discuss the production and the film’s legacy, enjoy a blooper reel, or watch several other video extras like a look at the special effects, the film’s West Coast premiere footage, and a look at the 2002 New York International Film and Video Festival. But that’s not all, as we also have the sequel film Revenge of the Chupacabra and some extras to support that movie, as well as physical goodies like stickers and a mini poster.

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