Blu Release – 3/5
Night of the Blood Beast
Director – Bernard L. Kowalski (Knight Rider, Blue Thunder)
Starring – Michael Emmet (Perry Mason, Attack of the Giant Leeches), Angela Greene (The Day of the Locusts, Futureworld), and John Baer (Terry and the Pirates, The Beverly Hillbillies)
Release Date – 1958
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “No girl was safe as long as this HEAD HUNTING THING roamed the land!”
I’ve always looked forward to reviewing older titles. When I saw older, I don’t mean films released in the 80s and 90s. While that may seem old to some, I don’t see those films as “older” releases. When I say I want to review older titles, I’m referring to films from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. These are the movies I would sit up late with my grandmother watching with the lights out and a bowl of popcorn placed between us. She loved sci-fi and would leave her television on the original incarnation of the Sy-Fy Channel before it was rebranded. It was around this time that I first saw Night of the Blood Beast. It’s not the most memorable film but it just happens to be a film that was on television during many memorable moments.
The first viewing was with my grandmother, the second was when I was in college and needed some background noise while I was playing Fallout 3, and the third time was late at night with my daughter when she was a baby and wouldn’t sleep. It may not be my favorite movie but it’s a movie that has a lot of fond memories tied to it. That’s why I jumped at the chance to review the new blu from Film Masters who I would like to thank for sending it over for review!
**Spoiler alert** The film follows an astronaut returning to Earth but something catastrophic happens. He plummets to his death but his body doesn’t show signs of decomposition. As they begin to study it further they soon realize that an alien organism has taken control of the body and is now going on a murderous rampage. **Spoiler Alert**
Night of the Blood Beast is one of the films that Roger Corman and his brother produced early on in their careers that found it’s home in the drive-in circuit of the time. With that being said, it’s a film that most mock or ridicule for being bad. While it is far from perfect, it still has it’s own charm especially for later generations looking back at a bygone era. I’m a millennial and watch these films a little differently than those who were alive during it’s initial release in the same manner a younger generation will watch films from my youth. It’s a trip back in time where we get to see the different styles, slang, and culture of decades long gone before I was born. Night of the Blood Beast is not perfect but I’ve always enjoyed it.
The acting in this one is classic camp. The female cast in this one does that iconic scream that is often shown in vintage throwbacks to this time period. They are overdramatic and ham up the screen. The male cast is the exact opposite. They are masculine to a fault and extremely corny. This was the acting of the time but someone not from that era may find it unintentionally funny.
The story for this one melts horror and sci-fi themes of the time into a pretty solid, yet predictable, story. Space travel and alien invasion films were taking over the drive-in circuit of the time. Mix that with fears of infections an disease of the time and you have a great premise for a horror/sci-fi mash up. While the film does have this great basis for a film in place, it does struggle with creating atmosphere and the lack of tension makes a lot of the more pivotal scenes fall flat. Mix that with the editing, cheap sets, and campy acting and you have a film that may not be one of the most memorable films of it’s time.
Finally, the film doesn’t have the bloody deaths that many modern horror fans are looking for. In fact, this is pretty mild for out standards. We get a few make-up effects here and there but that is the extent of the carnage we get to see with this one. Overall, Night of the Blood Beast is a film no one expected to have last as long as it did. The Cormans were clearly cutting costs and rushing films out for various distributors with no regard to quality. However, here it is. A time machine for younger generations to see what horror and sci-fi films were like for the late 50s. It is unintentionally funny an extremely cheesy but that’s part of the charm. I highly recommend checking out this release from Film Masters.
Attack of the Giant Leeches
Director – Brandon L. Kowalski (Jake and the Fatman, Airwolf)
Starring – Ken Clark (Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Pretender),Yvette Vickers (Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, The Dead Don’t Die), and Jan Shepard (Land of the Giants, The Magical World of Disney)
Release Date – 1959
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “Crawling horror… rising from the depths of hell… to kill and conquer.”
When I was growing up I would often go out of my way to watch any slasher and zombie flick I could find. I absolutely fucking loved them and nothing was more entertaining than a stack of these films a bunch of snacks and soda on a Friday or Saturday night. However, as much as I loved slashers and zombies, I always found myself drawn to genre titles of the 40s, 50, and 60s. I used to love watching films from these decades with my grandmother. I watched a lot of films with her and even more from these decades over the years.
In 1959 Kowalski would follow up Night of the Blood Beast with Attack of the Giant Leeches. The film would be remade in the early 2000s but this remake would completely miss the camp that made the original so much fun. A few weeks back Film Masters sent over a Brandon L. Kowalski double feature with two Roger Corman produced films on blu. I couldn’t wait to dig into them and as soon as I finished Night of the Blood Beast, I hit play on Attack of the Giant Leeches.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a scientist and his girlfriend who are doing research in the swamp near a smalltown when a local starts claiming that a large monster killed the man he caught his wife sleeping with. The town suspects him of killing him for that very reason but as time goes on more people turn up dead and they discover giant leeches are responsible. **Spoiler Alert**
Attack of the Giant Leeches is one I had seen before but never stood out to me. It’s a pretty forgettable movie but it’s not bad. It’s a campy film that will satisfy if you are looking for cheesy monster movie from the golden age of Hollywood. The acting in this one is extremely campy and stereotypical of the time. Everyone is over the top and extremely dramatic. Everyone hams it up but the female cast is my absolutely favorite. Their screams are so loud and powerful while their portrayal of women is frail and weak.
The story for this one is not one that is thought provoking or clever. However, it is a straight forward monster movie that made going to the drive-ins so much fun during this long gone era. It’s a mindless monster attacking a generic group of characters that the viewer has zero connection with.
Finally, this isn’t a bloody flick. It does have a body count but the kills are never shown on screen. We have to use our imagination which is a good way for the film to cut some of the budget. The creature design is a bit of a miss as well but it does have a certain charm about it that made all creature features of the 50s fun. Overall, Attack of the Giant Leeches is not the most unique monster movie from the 50s but it’s still a solid watch especially if you just finished Night of the Blood Beast. I highly recommend checking it out.
Special Features:
Ballyhoo Motion Pictures presents a new documentary on Director, Bernard Kowalski.
8mm silent digest version of Night of the Blood Beast.
MST3K episode ft. Night of the Blood Beast.
MST3K episode ft. Attack of the Giant Leeches.
Re-cut trailers of both films using restored elements.
Publicity Slideshow of both films, curtesy of Mike Barnum.
Before / After film restoration comparison of Night of the Blood Beast.
