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1974 - USA Directed By: Andy Milligan. Starring: Allan Berendt, Hope Stansbury, Patricia Gaul, Michael Fischetti, Pichulina Hempi, Pamela Adams, John Wallowitch, Martin Reymert, Eve Crosby and David Bevans.
Current Availability
Sadly Blood, as with much of Staten Island based exploitation legend Andy Milligan's output, is presently unavailable on DVD and the chances of it ever officially seeing the light of day on disc are rather slim. However, Blood was released uncut on VHS here in Britain back in the pre certification era by Iver Film Services. Predictably the Iver Pre Cert is very rare and hard to come by now and original copies which very occassionally crop up on E-Bay tend to fetch a fairly decent price.
Recommended?
For fans of trashy no budget horror and general cinematic oddities Blood comes highly recommended. Whilst ineptly directed and acted (par for the course with Andy Milligan films) Blood offers a winning, frequently (unintentionally) hilarious combination of comically cheap gore, crazed characterisation and bad make-up effects and at just an hour in length is too brisk to ever outstay its welcome. Easily one of Andy Milligan's most outrageous, entertaining and accessible films.
Review (Contains Spoilers)
Amongst true blue aficionado's of exploitation and trash cinema the infamous Staten Island "auteur" the late Andy Milligan commands a special affection. A closet homosexual and sadistically inclined misanthrope, Milligan would arrive in the murky world of exploitation cinema in unorthodox fashion starting out as a New York City dressmaker then moving into fringe theatre production before eventually finding a niche for himself as one of the most notable makers of no budget sex and horror films.
In 1963 Milligan would announce his arrival to the world of trash cinema with his modestly acclaimed short drama Vapors set inside one of New York City's most infamous gay bathhouse's. Following this Milligan would direct a series of sexually themed exploitation films the majority of which are sadly now considered to be "lost" films. However, it is the salvo of budget deprived horror films Milligan wrote and directed during the late sixties and early seventies for which he is justifiably best known. Indeed, Milligan horror efforts such as The Ghastly Ones (aka - Blood Rites) (1968), Torture Dungeon (1969), The Body Beneath (1970), Bloodthirsty Butchers (1970) and The Man With Two Heads (1972) have been warmly embraced by lovers of trashy horror and exploitation films. Whilst inept in pretty much every respect (Milligan was a self taught filmmaker with no aptitude whatsoever for even the basics of his chosen trade) and unwatchable for anyone with more conventional tastes, Milligan's horror films gain considerable charm due to their surreal, stagy almost homemade vibe, twisted underlying sexual politics, wonky camera work and hilariously inept amateur performances. Milligan's horror efforts would also invariably prove to be modestly successful with most of them enjoying solid, profitable theatrical runs on New York City's famed Times Square Grindhouse circuit. It should also be noted that Milligan's films were the very definition of low budget with Staten Island's answer to Herschel Gordon Lewis turning out his films for no more than a couple of thousand dollars a time
Reportedly budgeted at a cool $20,000, Milligan's 1974 effort Blood would improbably prove to be the highest budgeted film of his career. Bankrolled by infamously crooked, mob associated distributor Bryanston who later handled Tobe Hooper's horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and subsequently diddled Hooper and co out of their fair share of the ensuing profits, ironically most of the budget for Blood was allegedly pocketed by Milligan who turned out his usual endearingly cheap and nasty offbeat mish-mash of sloppily enacted period gothic horror and bizarre characterisation. Unfortunately Blood would mark the end of an era for Milligan who by then had become disillusioned with the corrupt, grubby world of exploitation filmmaking and after directing the feeble Legacy Of Blood (1978) went on an extended hiatus before making a largely lacklustre return to the world of low budget horror in the mid eighties.
The plot of Blood begins with Dr Lawrence Orlovsky (Berendt) and his wife Regina (Stansbury) moving into their new home accompanied by their crippled yet loyal manservant Orlando (Fischetti), his wife Carrie (Gaul) and their mentally retarded maid Carlotta (Hempi). However, the Orlovsky's are no ordinary couple for Lawrence is a werewolf (a curse inherited from his infamous grandfather) and Regina is the vampire granddaughter of the legendary Count Dracula. Unfortunately Regina, due to a mysterious genetic defect, is extremely sickly and her life is only sustained via a number of deadly man-eating plants growing in the cellar, which are in turn sustained with the blood of poor Carlotta.
Unfortunately the Orlovsky's and their servants find themselves in a tricky situation when Lawrence and Regina - whose marriage is a loveless one - begin transforming into their vampire and werewolf alter ego's in order to kill their enemies. Meanwhile a number of outsiders including meddling, effeminate realtor Mr Markham (Reymert), Carrie's concerned brother Johnny (Bevans) and the local, graveyard-dwelling hag Petra (Crosby) get suspicious about the goings on at the Orlovsky house and threaten to blow the cover on the unconventional couple's depraved domestic setup.
Even Andy Milligan's most staunch detractor would have to give him a measure of credit for his pure, unadulterated cheek if nothing else. Watching Blood in retrospect it quickly becomes plain that the rumours about Milligan having pocketed most of the $20,000 budget have to almost certainly be true, it really is hard to imagine that Blood could have cost even a quarter of that amount to make. Shot on creaky, claustrophobic sets and clocking in at barely an hour in length Blood bares most of the hallmarks of your typical, budget deprived Andy Milligan production.
In fairness the shaky, incompetent, sea sickness inducing camera work usually seen in Milligan productions is mercifully absent, the camera instead remaining surprisingly steady and static throughout. However, as with most Milligan films Blood is edited in choppy, brutal fashion and in many ways resembles some sort of debauched home video rather than a legitimate feature film. For example the period costumes on display are actually very impressive for a production shot on such an obviously minuscule budget. However, their effect is completely nullified due to the fact that Milligan could not afford or - more likely - simply couldn't be bothered to bring a similar sense of authenticity to the films limited sets and locations. As a result the viewers are left with the surreal and unintentionally amusing impression that Blood is set in the present day and its protagonists are skulking about the decrepit property in which 90% of the film takes place clad in full on period garb just for the hell of it. For the record a throwaway piece of dialogue reveals that Blood is indeed supposed to be set in the late 19th century.
However, despite its technical ineptitude, Blood whether by accident or by design possesses a unique, stagy quality which leaves it resembling some sort of campy, offbeat, macabre and extremely warped play more than it does your conventional seventies horror cheapie. This quality actually works in the films favour lending it a unique sense of no budget charm and in addition Milligan, in his uniquely inept yet endearing way, holds the viewers attention throughout by cramming the films brief running length with all manner of twisted madness and unintentional hilarity. The films most memorable moments stem (quite literally) from the presence of a number of blood-sucking, carnivorous plants which the Orlovsky's have growing in their cellar. When the nosey realtor Mr Markham pays the Orlovsky household an unwelcome visit the titular leafy flesh-eaters are finally given a chance to strut their stuff when he is clobbered over the head with a spade then fed to the plants. A brief and gory yet comically unconvincing shot later reveals Markham's partially devoured remains. Additional gore is delivered courtesy of the clearly barmy Regina who proves handy with a meat cleaver, brutally embedding it in the head of a meddling visitor then later using it to hack in half a live mouse which she then proceeds to eat in a genuine gross out moment. If this were not enough Milligan also serves up a ludicrous scene in which one protagonists hands are lopped off after being slammed in the lid of a wooden chest. Later in the film the enraged Lawrence's transformation into a werewolf leads to some brief yet hilariously phony werewolf make-up effects similar to those seen in Milligan's similarly crazed earlier effort The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here!. Meanwhile Regina's transformation into the vampire granddaughter of Count Dracula is achieved via the addition of a pair of joke shop plastic fangs. Finally in another typically Milligan touch which for some reason this reviewer found incredibly funny the opening of doors at key "dramatic" points in the film results in clouds of billowing dry ice for absolutely no discernable reason.
However, it is the deliberately offbeat and deliciously twisted and bitchy characterisation of the central players which really makes Blood tick. It has been well documented over the years following his AIDS related death in 1991 that Milligan was a closet homosexual who found himself stranded for many years in a loveless and often acrimonious marriage. As a result Milligan's pent up sexual mania's and embittered, derogatory views on the institution on "conventional" heterosexual relationships were often manifested in the personalities of the protagonists whom populated his horror and exploitation films. Blood is no exception, indeed it soon becomes readily apparent that Lawrence and Regina are locked in a loveless marriage characterised by a mutual loathing for one another which simmers away beneath the surface. Regina's awkward, desperate attempts to initiate sex meet with exasperation from Lawrence who is more interested in seducing his housemaid Carrie and attractive young solicitors assistant Prudence Towers. The hatred between the couple comes to a head in the films fiery and surprisingly effective finale.
Milligan's negative view of heterosexuality also extends to the marriage between the Orlovsky's servants, limp-afflicted Carrie and her dour yet fiercely loyal legless, amputee husband Orlando. Whilst the couple remain civil Carrie is clearly possessed by an unrequited passion for her master Lawrence and in addition there are also very heavy incestuous overtones to her relationship with her visiting brother Johnny with whom she shares a lingering kiss. Elsewhere Milligan fills out the supporting cast with some typically weird and outlandish characters including most notably the prying, aloof, limp-wristed realtor Mr Markham and the conniving, thickly accented hag Petra. Meanwhile in an extremely un-PC comic touch which actually works the Orlovsky's, Carrie and Orlando repeatedly blame everything which goes wrong on the clearly retarded female servant Carlotta.
Predictably for a Milligan film the performances from the majority of his amateur cast - most of whom understandably never appeared in anything else - are extremely stilted. The worst offender is undoubtedly top-billed Allan Berendt who enters a completely wooden turn as Dr Lawrence Orlovsky. The exceptions prove to be regular Milligan female lead Hope Stansbury who whilst a little stilted possesses an enigmatic quality which makes her quite compelling to watch as Regina and also Patricia Gaul who enters a reasonable, slightly sympathetic performance in the role of Carrie. In the years since Blood Gaul has remained active in the film industry, scoring a constant stream of bit parts in numerous American film and television productions. To their credit the two female leads easily manage to stand out amongst the otherwise leaden and talentless cast.
Although it routinely lurches from the outlandishly bizarre to the unintentionally hilarious, Blood is a film than certainly can never be accused of being dull. Indeed, in the opinion of this reviewer - who has more time for Milligan than most - this easily qualifies as one of the most consistently entertaining and accessible examples of its makers attempts at something vaguely resembling filmmaking. With its bizarre combination of unconvincing werewolves and vampires, man-eating fauna, acerbic characterisation and hilariously crap production values, Blood has everything to keep lovers of defiantly offbeat "so bad its good" cinema amused. Meanwhile Milligan's small but dedicated throng of admirers are liable to weep tears of joy as the self styled exploitation legends inept yet wildly enjoyable horror cum melodrama plays out.
Also Try... The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! / The Ghastly Ones / The Body Beneath / Torture Dungeon / Bloodthirsty Butchers / Carnage (1983, Andy Milligan) / Legacy Of Blood (1978, Andy Milligan) / The Man With Two Heads.
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