Indie
[FrightFest Review] ‘Blood Feast’ Has the Makings of a Cult Favourite
Even if you’ve never actually seen it, you’ve likely heard plenty about Blood Feast. Dating all the way back to 1963, Herschell Gordon Lewis’ film about a caterer who kidnaps and sacrifices young women in order to summon an Egyptian goddess is often singled out as the original splatter film.
I appreciate its influence, but I don’t like it all that much. It’s cheesy, very thinly plotted and just pretty shoddily put together. This remake, from German director Marcel Walz, is well aware of this and aims for a similar level of schlock. The budget is workable this time round, and Walz and his co-writer, Philip Lilienschwarz, pad out the plot a bit, but at its core this is definitely a blood-relative of its father.
This time out, Fuad Ramses (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2’s Robert Rusler) owns a diner in the Parisian suburbs, alongside his wife, Louise (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2’s Caroline Williams), and daughter, Penny (The Hills Run Red’s Sophie Monk). But business is hardly booming, and Ramses works a second job doing the night shift at a museum of ancient Egyptian culture. One night in the museum, after he’s skipped one of his pills, an apparition of Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, love, war and sex, appears before Ramses. Once again, she promises him a lifetime as her lover, if he can gather the requisite sacrificial subjects.
The plot updates are pretty hilarious, and are directed with aplomb by Walz: though the joke may be lost on those not acquainted with Lewis’ film. But, what of the gore? That’s what we’re all here for, after all. Well, in a post-torture porn world, there’s nothing here that feels all that extreme, but Walz and co. certainly aren’t playing. There’s a castration scene that’ll make even the ladies cross their legs, and other instances of inventive splatter. But, don’t take the opening narrated warning too seriously.
In keeping with the original, the acting varies from stilted to downright silly. Not that it would’ve been possible to avoid with the laughable (read: hilarious) dialogue. Characters do and say the stupidest stuff, but I didn’t care one jot. If anything, the cheesiness of this remake is more entertaining than the eccentricities of the original.
In the end, the thought that I was left with was that maybe we should be taking more remakes away from Hollywood and the studio system, and instead giving these properties over to international filmmakers: at least they might give us something different. The Paris setting alone is welcome alteration, and differentiates this nicely.
Suffice to say, Blood Feast is parked firmly in the so-bad-its-good camp. It’s definitely worth watching if you’re a fan of the original because, in a strange way, it kind of feels like the perfect remake…
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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