Blood Mania

The Plot.

A sex-crazed nympho helps speed along her father's death so she can use the inheritance to help out her depraved boyfriend.

Firstly the movie sucks. It's one of the weirdest films you'll ever see, and not in a good way.

It's really horribly tedious to watch.

On the plus side the technicolor rendering is great.

But to be perfectly frank, all three stars I am giving this movie are because of the female lead who had the hottest body I have ever seen.

Coupled with this is her complete willingness to strip down every 5 seconds. It's an amazing body to observe. Not an ounce of fat and the longest, flattest torso you will ever see.

Get out the Vaseline.

There are people who are keen to point out Peter Carpenter's back- to-back 1970/1971 films Blood Mania and Point of Terror aren't horror movies at all. Which is in a sense fair, because the promotional material would lead one to believe that they were, but so what? Still others want us to know they think Carpenter was a Tom Jones wannabee and the music in Point of terror is bad. So what? Blood Mania and Point of Terror are perfectly trashy and entertaining pieces of early 70's schlock that are unique, wonderfully shot, and chock full of pretty people to look at.

Tonight I'm watching Blood Mania for the first time, and I have to say it's a lot of fun. Not in the traditional sense of the word "fun," but the sense someone who enjoys seeing movies that are unusual and enjoys finding something new and unique. Sure, peter Carpenter probably didn't have the chops to be a leading man in A movies, but he was every bit up to carrying these B movies on his shoulders, surrounding himself with beautiful scenery and beautiful women, and telling an outrageous story that challenges ones ability to believe.

It's sort of shame as a movie fan that we don't get these kinds of movies anymore. I mean we get bad movies, but not these kinds of bad movies. Blood Mania is an entertaining movie for those who aren't looking to waste their own time picking it apart.

The greatest moment in "Blood Mania" is the point when you come to realize that the writer and lead actor of this terribly inept movie is actually one and the same person! So, in other words, this dude – Peter Carpenter – probably couldn't care less that the overall film is dull & derivative, because he arranged for himself that he could smooch and fondle the perky breasts of no less than three extremely cute and luscious women! Nice going, Peter! Hey, I certainly don't blame the guy because a) apparently he died quite young about one year after the release of this film, and b) at least "Blood Mania" is a lot more watchable than the other movie he wrote; "Point of Terror" starring Dyanne Thorne. Carpenter depicts Craig Cooper, a hunky and successful private physician with a stunning redhead girlfriend, but he's being blackmailed by a sleazy thug who knows that he performed illegal abortions in the past. One of Craig's patients is a wealthy private clinic owner with a nymphomaniac daughter named Victoria. Her insatiable sex-hunger is marvelously illustrated near the beginning of the film, when she jumps the pool boy who literally screams for his mother! Victoria wants to kill her father with drug aphrodisiacs and share the inheritance with Craig, but only if he promises to remain her personal sex toy forever. Complications arise when the inheritance unexpectedly goes to deceased's other daughter Gail. Luckily for Craig, Gail is another very beautiful chick that also easily falls for his charms, but obviously the mad raving Victoria will not allow this romance to happen! Okay, so… Where's the blood? Where's the mania? I'm actually convinced that this could have been much better, if only they focused more on the atmosphere and plot instead of the on the bare chests of the female cast members. The opening sequences hint at psychedelic situations, but the rest of the film is slow-paced and full of redundant dialogs. There's a bit of nasty bloodshed near the ending, but the actual finale is dumb and unsatisfying. The constant "music" is irritating and the best characters (like the witty nurse) get neglected. Worth seeing only for the continuously exposed boobs of Maria De Aragon, Reagan Wilson and Vicky Peters.

Whenever I think of legendary grade z studio Crown International, the first movie that pops in my head is BLOOD MANIA. I love Crown International's movies. There something about movies from that "studio" that I just can't help but love or appreciate. And BLOOD MANIA is probably its crowning (pun intended) achievement. Sleazy, cheap, obscure, with dream-like pacing and direction, BLOOD MANIA is almost one of kind in its wonky way of telling a story about sex, greed and murder. BLOOD MANIA is a soap opera but with a sleazy and lurid twist. BM is low key from beginning to end and never goes overboard with the sex, gore or violence, which is why maybe some don't like it. It's lurid enough to turn off the casual viewers but it's not lurid enough for fans of exploitation or gory enough for gorehounds. But I like this approach. The way I see it, the makers of this movie were probably inspired by the soap operas made in those days (EDGE OF NIGHT, for example) but wanted the film to be a notch higher on the sex and violent factors (but it's not high enough to what we've become accustomed to these days on TV or films).

The film spends a bit too much time on the plain looking nurse, mainly because her character doesn't go anywhere, but I like the mostly good looking cast. The scene where the blackmailer talks endlessly to the nurse is one weird moment captured on film. The way he talks and the dialogue he says, and they way the scene is shot, is oddly fascinating. And the ending is effective, even if it might be a little too late for most viewers.

I like BLOOD MANIA. I'll always look at it as one of Crown International's "best" films.

PS, make sure to check out POINT OF TERROR, another trash classic from Crown International Pictures and Peter Carpenter.

Why did I rent this? Because I kept seeing it on the video store shelf and finally gave in to see what it was like. I don't know why I do these things.

Victoria is a pretty bad girl, as the box says. And I guess she is. She seduces every guy she comes across, and then kills her father for his inheritance. Then her sister and some other woman come to their house, and Victoria learns her sister is getting the inheritance instead. A little more, some weak horror, a sudden ending, and there's your movie. Nothing scary, nothing interesting, just a lot of cheesy make-out scenes put together with one scene of bloody murder, and there's your film. It's quite dull, and lifeless. Leave it be.