David E. Durston's I Drink Your Blood, a film considered to be a staple in the 'Grindhouse' era and originally double billed with an earlier film titled I Eat Your Skin (1964).

A twisted yarn concerning a small township and a group of Satanist hippies reminiscent of that of the Manson Family. Following a botched ritual and leaving a local girl beaten, the hippies travel to a small and largely abandoned township with a nearby mining facility.

We discover that the local girl previously mentioned is the granddaughter of the elderly veterinarian and sister to the young local boy. The grandfather confronts the group about the girl to whom they proceed to violently beat and feed LSD too. The young boy comes to his rescue and decides to enact revenge, injecting rabies infected blood from a dead dog into meat pies which are soon to be served up to the posse. From here on in the film gets wild with rabid hippies running amuck, foaming at the mouth, hacking locals to pieces with machetes and axes all the while remaining hydrophobic.

Unfortunately this film does involve some animal cruelty though on no level of comparison with some of the Italian cannibal cycle.
Gore-geously shot, with an unbelievable story and a stark attention grabbing title. I Drink Your Blood is a distasteful, no budgeted exploitation flick with cheap effects and dire acting. But these are just the reasons I personally love it and if you, like me enjoy your sex graphic and violence shockingly depicted then this film is for you.

Joseph Zito's The Prowler (1981) a.k.a. Rosemary's Killer. Considered to be wheat amongst the chaff that is the the 80's slasher genre, I think for the most part the reputation exceeds the film itself while still being vastly underrated when put up against the likes of Friday The 13th (1980). The story follows the cliched cursed event where murders occur, killer disappears, fast forward x amount of years, it's time for the event again, killer comes out of retirement for no reason.

Opening with stock documentary footage of G.I.s returning home from their stint in World War II, before quickly cutting to a shot of a 'Dear John letter' dated 1944, accompanied by a voice over from a seemingly self centered girl named Rosemary. She explains how she cannot wait any longer for him, her love, to return home and how she has to live her life now while she's young. From this it's easy to understand why he would want revenge. However the kids who're killed in the later part of the film didn't deserve their brutal slayings...not like I'm complaining I love a bloody good body count movie.

I thought I would switch things up a bit and tackle a double bill of Vicente Aranda's The Blood Spattered Bride (1972) and Luigi Batzella's The Beast In Heat (1977).

It would be interesting to hear what Nigel over at Italian Film Review would make of this with his political smarts. I am however somewhat naive when it comes to giving a political commentary of sorts.

A film for completists of Nazisploitation. I'd personally stick to Gialli films over this rubbish, unfortunately I have another 3 S.S. films to sift through...lucky me.

DVD: Exploitation Digital (Shriek Show)
Running Time: 86 Mins
Extras: Photo Gallery, Trailer and Shriek Show Trailers.

Horror to the left of me, Porno to the right, here I am. Stuck in this middle with...this? The bottom line being Joe D'Amato's Porno Holocaust (obviously jivin' on Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust (1980)) is closer to a porno flick than a 'balls out' horror movie. You can tell I'm gonna have a lot of fun with this.

Prior to viewing I had read nothing more than a brief synopsis, the year it was made and an interesting tidbit of trivia. That being that apparently D'Amato shot this back to back with Erotic Nights of the Living Dead (1980), even using a few of the same locations.

The films initial set up revolves around a group of scientists traveling to a mysterious island for investigation and research, you know the usual 'cursed island, go there and die a gruesome death' sort of thing. Locals are unsure of the island's inhabitants, warning the scientists of a monster and myths of black magic/voodoo.

Upon reaching the island they find it to be deserved with apparently no signs of life; no insects, rodents or birds. However what isn't apparent to them, but is to me. Is that I know what's most likely to be living on that island, yes of course it's a large deformed black man who kills women by inseminating them with his radioactive semen. Along side that beautiful factoid I'm treated to some monster P.O.V. shots of the troop as they roam aimlessly around the island.
From the look of it it's the same island as Fulci's Zombi 2 (1979)...and maybe Marino Girolami's Zombie Holocaust (1980).
Sadly so, you don't actually get to see the 'monster' until your just over an hour in. When he decides to off the professor then receive a little somethin' somethin' from the professors wife. Mmm sensible and classy.

The scientists then discover that their boat has drifted out to sea and it would appear someone or something had cut the ropes at the dock. Leaving them stranded on the island. Meanwhile the monster snatches one of the scientists; Annie and keeps her in his lair. So who comes to this damsel in distress' aid?, I hear you ask. Well, that would be Captain O'Day who she had something of a fling with earlier in the film. In all honesty the only reason he probably rescued her is for a little more of the old 'in out'.
A piss poor chase sequence ensues where the monster meets his eventual demise at the sharp end of a harpoon. Which leads to the couple engaging in copious amounts of the aforementioned 'in out'. Hurray for close ups. Once thats over and done with they climb aboard a small boat and wave to a bigger ship in the distance in hopes to be rescued.

As the credits began to roll I was left with the question of what it was D'Amato set out to accomplish by creating this motion picture. Was it intended to be comical? Was it intended to be arousing?
He had successfully made a film where you don't give a flying fudge about the characters, but in contrast to that, also gave us cheap yet captivating pornographic sequences; one of which involving a duo of black men. Along with the near gore-less deaths, this film is really nothing special but with a title like that, how do you not want to see it?

I am in process of moving and rewriting certain posts from ye olde Bloody Italiana to here so...Boom! Luigi Cozzi's Alien rip-off Contamination.

This film contains elements of a few films, starting along the same line as Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2 (aka Zombie Flesh Eaters) with an 'abandoned' vessel speeding towards New York City. Also having a green egg with something inside it that causes organisms to explode from the inside out. Only it isn't quite abandoned it is carrying its cargo...and the dead crew. The cargo is the main plot device for the rest of the film. The cargo is boxes and boxes of Colombian coffee or what seems to be coffee. Upon further inspection it turns out that the boxes contain large green eggs. Which when touched explode, spewing their contents all over the unlucky person holding it, causing them to violently explode...from the inside out especially the chest area (another nod to Alien).

That said I can now get onto the cast.
This like many 80's Italian films features the great Ian McCulloch as a stubborn Commander Ian Hubbard who with Hamilton (Siegfried Rauch) went on a trip to Mars. They come across a cave where Hamilton 'changed' and Hubbard suffers from acute memory loss of the whole experience, but manages to remember more as the plot continues.

The vessel is brought ashore and investigated by the local authorities. What they find first are the dead crew. As they continue to explore they go down into the 'belly' of the ship finding the boxes of coffee containing the eggs. One of the boxes has fallen and an egg has rolled under one of the hot pipes. It begins to glow and make a odd (vocal?) sound (which you will hear very often). As one of the inspectors picks the egg up in very slow motion it bursts, spreading the contagion all over him and another 2 officers. From which they all explode violently in slow motion. This way we get to see all the chunks blow out of the chest cavity. Lovely. Only one officer survives the mess. He is Lieutenant Tony Aris (Marino Masé) who alerts the Government of the disaster in hope to prevent an outbreak. We are then introduced to a foxy Colonel Stella Holmes (Louise Marleau) who has Tony quarantined much to his dislike. We are then shown how the 'green gunk' from one of the eggs has an effect on a lab-rat. As the little rat is injected with the substance, it runs around the container and then explodes. The latter is a more comical than shocking result.

This leads Colonel Holmes on a search for the couch potato Hubbard. At first Hubbard is reluctant to participate in the investigation. But after conversation he joins them on their travel to Columbia. There they find the coffee refinery run by a seemingly insane Hamilton & his wife. We get treated to some flash back sequences on Mars which inside the cave lay thousands of green eggs (which actually look like peas). In the hotel someone sneaks into Stella's room while she is showering and places an egg in there. Fortunately for her Hubbard breaks the door down and rescues this damsel in distress. Hubbard then takes a small plane over the plantation to see what he can see but crashes the plane. As he is trying to find his way back through the all the plants he finds scattered eggs and people in white suits 'picking them' as if they are simply ripe fruit. He knocks out one of the workers and gets a suit, this is where he becomes the next James Bond. When he returns he finds that Sella and Tony have been kidnapped by Hamilton. They go down into the 'basement' of the complex. Here we find the true horror. In a large open space under the building hides the...wait for it...Cyclops Alien. Yes an alien with one large glowing eye. Turns out that while on the planet Mars Hamilton decided to take a 'seed' back to earth and in theory bring the alien back with him. The special effects on the alien are superb rivaling the effects of Alien.
--Spoiler ALERT--
Unfortunately Tony is fed to the alien and is chomped down on and then sucked into the alien by a tube...makes sense.
The same fate seems destined for Stella luckily for her Hubbard arrives to save the day holding Hamilton's wife hostage. As Hamilton is now under full control by the alien he shoots his wife as Hubbard has her as a human shield. He then pushes Stella aside and proceeds to kick the gun from Hamilton's hand. After a small game of fisticuffs with Hamilton he knocks him out. He then grabs Stella who has now become hypnotised by the eye of the cyclops. Hubbard shoots the alien right in the eye, causing it to die and make noises like someone passing wind. A weary Hamilton pops out pointing a six shooter right at the pair of escapees. As the alien dies and having a 'connection' with it. He also begins to die. It all comes to an end with a bang. Leaving the military to come in and clean the place up. Que the ending dialogue with explanation. We then cut straight to a New York City street as the camera pans across some bin bags we see an egg, as the camera closes in on it. It explodes!

This features a funky score by legendary band Goblin. On the whole this is a very good flick with some chunky gore and some great locations. I also found it strange seeing the Twin Towers in the New York skyline.I recommend this to any gorehound or sci fi geek. Lovers of Italian cinema will also get a kick out of this. So if you haven't seen it. I suggest you do!

DVD: Blue Underground
Running Time: 95 mins
Extras: Alien Arrives on Earth: Interview with Co-Writer/Director Luigi Cozzi, Luigi Cozzi on the Creation of Contamination: Behind the Scenes Documentary, Theatrical Trailer, Poster & Stills Gallery and Graphic Novel (DVD-ROM) Stills Gallery and Graphic Novel (DVD-ROM)

Umberto Lenzi's Cannibal Ferox. The ex-Video Nasty, which was apparently banned in 39 Countries.

Our ensemble cast consists of John Morghen; all you Italiano aficionados will know him as the great Giovanni Lombardo Radice. Who plays a complete badass criminal named Mike Logan. He's also a bit of a sadist. Logan who appears in the jungle with his partner Joe at the same time as our 3 intrepid explorers; Gloria Davis who is a New York grad student and anthropologist, her brother Rudy and their friend Pat Johnson who basically just wants to get high and have her photo taken. Radice's acting in this is surprisingly better than his other outings..."...and then they...ate his genitals". As for the other actors the dubbing really let's the film down on their parts.

As the story progresses so does Joe's ill condition. He eventually dies and the cannibals get a pretty tasty meal. Turns out the story that Mike told them was bullshit and that he actually went mad and killed a few innocent natives. The group then get captured by the cannibals and thrown in a pit, to be kept for a little while. When Logan escapes the girls hope he will help them escape, but as usual he has other things in mind. But unlucky for him, he gets captured again and tied to a post, as the women are then taken out of the pit. This is when things start to get nasty. I won't say anymore as you won't really have a film to watch. As the police choppers go looking for them, they have no luck in finding to troop. Until one of the cannibals helps Gloria free so she can escape she manages to get out into the river and just in the nick of time a boat is going up, she climbs aboard and makes her way back to New York.



This was shot on location in the savage Amazon, this features some really lush locations. From the deep jungle to grassy plains. Ferox like Cannibal Holocaust share iconic shots of a female, I am of course talking about the woman who is unfortunately hung from her breasts by hooks in CF and the wooden stake impaled Amazonian from CH.

The music score in this is better than average and you'll be no doubt humming along with the prominent tune every time you hear it and believe me, you will hear it a lot.



Like many of the cannibal/jungle adventure films this features some animal cruelty, which ranges from animals being pitted against each other, a pig being gutted (this is very quick, not that graphic), a crocodile gets gutted and a turtle scene which isn't anything like the one Cannibal Holocaust. Those are the worst ones in there.

As for extras this release is bubbling over with them.
If you are a fan of cannibal movies or jungle flicks. This is the version for you with an impressive amount of extras and a beautiful transfer.

DVD: Grindhouse Releasing
Running Time: 93 Mins
Extras: Audio commentary from director Umberto Lenzi and star John Morghen, The original Italian, German and U.S. theatrical trailers. Dozens of rare production stills, posters and publicity materials from around the world, Liner notes from legendary Times Square historian Bill Landis. On-camera interview with director Umberto Lenzi

Okay so, it's not a sleazefest but this needed to get a mention on here. A little known 80's gem, that I cannot begin to explain my admiration for. I apologize in advance for any fanboy gushing.