Blood Sucking Freaks

1976 Directed by Joel M. Reed

Horror Marathon Day 5 Film 9

Watching films beyond midnight often needs a jolt of what the fuckery. This film has it blood splattered and stupidly outlandish. The setup has Sardu having dreams of grandeur for his Theatre of the Macabre. Sardu is some 70’s Satanic styled director that elicits his art through sadomasochistic public displays. He's helped by his dwarf assistant Ralphus in increasingly grotesque ways. With the 70s styled blood paint it helps to keep the levity of the production.

Sardu's art relies on commentary from critics- and the artworld as a whole. Modern abstract art is explicity called out too- and for his project Sardu requires a ballerina to fully distill his vision. The exploitation style embraces full nudity and gratuitious acts of violence- intermixed with piano jollys with Sardu and Ralphus delivering pain with glee. Because the level of violence is so absurd it becomes comedic and surreal- milkshake bubbles of brains, dartboard asses, hobby dentistry, and cut off digits to bet at backgammon just seems like it fits for this world.

It's all good fun in bad taste after all. The camp excesses that the main villains have in this film give just enough breath to keep it from becoming only a torture film for the audience- each of the actors giving unhinged cartoony performances. It all comes crumbling down to an inevitable end, but I did find myself laughing at how tremendously odious the proceedings were. Recommended only for those days where nothing else seems exploitative enough.

Where else would we find the absolute arse of society- the critic - get his teeth knocked out by a brainwashed ballerina? Now that's ART!