Blood Cult

I can honestly report that this is the worst movie ever. My dad is in it, and that offers no consolation. In fact, it makes it even worse because I have to watch him make out with that very large, unattractive woman. I was only a year old when he made this movie, so I am NOT to be held responsible! The saddest part of all is that my dad, a rather well-received writer, made revisions on the script for it to make even as little sense as it does. It was beyond help, he said. Remember, when you watch this movie, James Vance did NOT want to be in it! He was forced to by an employer!! It's a disgusting piece of garbage with no redeeming qualities except that the audio is so bad you can hardly understand it anyway. If you are thinking about renting or buying this film, please don't. Oh, and just as a side note: it was only banned from Oklahoma campuses because it was filmed at them. The schools were so embarrassed by the final copy that they wouldn't show it. There you have it: if I, the daughter of one of the actor's, admits that it's bad, run screaming in the other direction!

My review was written in August 1985 after watching the show on United Home Video cassette.

Made in Tulsa, "Blood Cult" is a regional horror feature for home video fans that demonstrates the viability of shooting scare pics directly on videotape rather than the usual 16mm or 35mm film modes. Pic was preceded in this format by another regional, taped horror opus, last year's "Copperhead".

Familiar storyline concerns a series of murders of coeds one winter at Central State College in the Midwest. Sheriff Ron Wilbois (Charles Ellis), who is planning to run for the senate, is investigating, hampered by lack of cooperation from the college dean (Fred Graves) and local coroner (Josef Hardt).

Key breakthrough in the case comes when Wilbois' daughter Tina (Julie Andelman), who works in the school library, finds a book recounting an American cult of the 1700s that aimed at avenging the victims of the earlier Salem witch hunt era. Cultists would kill victims and create a mannequin (for later sacrifice by fire) out of body parts taken from the victims. The mutilations and a clue of a gold amulet (and a dog symbol displayed) left with each corpse link the historical cult with the pattern and evidence of the current murders.

Tina's boyfriend Joel (James Vance) aids the sheriff in his campus stakeouts, but the film ends inconclusively after the sheriff witnesses modern cultists meeting in the forest and later uncovers the killer's surprise identity.

Screenplay by Stuart Rosenthal (with additional dialog by co-star James Vance) is too derivative of previous stalk & slash horror pics to let "Blood Cult" soar, but director Christopher Lewis, son of actress Loretta Young, develops some effective atmosphere, especially in night scenes. Credit must go to director of photography Paul MacFarlane, whose wide-angle shots and moody lighting prove that horror via video can compare with the filmed variety. Gore is emphasized here, and convincing special effects makeup for the mutilations (executed by David Powell and Robert Brewer) merits the "graphic violence" warning on the package.

Production outfit plans further videotaped horror features, but would do well to come up with more interesting scripts.

Blood Cult (1985)

* (out of 4)

This film is best remembered for being the first film produced in order to go straight to VHS, which we all know became a very profitable venue for producers. In the film, sorority girls are being chopped up all over a small town so the sheriff must try and figure out what's going on. After some research he finally realizes that a Satanic cult is behind the murders. Outside the historic claims to the film there's really not too much here, although I must say that the movie, while pretty bad, never got too boring. The low budget (apparently 27-thousand) adds a certain charm to the film but the screenplay is still rather weak and we get some incredibly bad performances that don't help matters. There are several childish death scenes with all sorts of blood and guts but even the special effects aren't that special. After reading a few interviews with the director and producer it's clear that they were interested in making money and I think that's easy to see here. This really comes off as the type of film where people are wanting to make cash and there's no real effort to make anything really good. I will admit that the movie is certainly a lot better than a lot of direct to VHS titles but that's still not saying much.

Let me see...I've seen every film Lou Ferrigno has made. I've seen Batman & Robin...twice. I've memorized the dances in Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo...I've watched unfinished Blade Runner rip-off student films...yet this film is the most painful thing I've ever seen.

This was the first movie for the "straight to video market." So you can thank Blood Cult for all of those mysterious Michael Dudikoff films at your local Blockbuster. You should know that this isn't even high quality video. This is consumer grade. This is you father's video camera he never uses. This is what you have to look at for 90 minutes.

I won't bore you with plot details since I'm getting sleepy just thinking about it, but I will tell you that watching this movie is a form of torture. I only watch this movie when I am angry at myself. So I recommend this film if you are suicidal, or if you are up for a mighty challenge.

If you happen to rent this film (God have mercy) you will know what you are in for from the first 10 minutes. This is when you are hit by the usual horror film intro. You know the drill. There's a lot of suspense and build up before some girl dies. Yes, you've seen it before, but not like this. This is the most boring intro I've ever seen. I honestly believe that you could get a camera off ebay for ten dollars, grab the bum that most smells like gin and candy, and tell him to film your mom cooking dinner and it would be more interesting than this intro. It bored me to tears. I cried like a baby.

Another one of the things that makes this film so unbelievably painful is its actors. Yes, I've seen bad acting. TRUST ME. I've seen 4th grade productions of Oliver Twist with more realistic dialog. The lead actor makes me ill. The "supporting" actress is a train-wreck of a human.

I will not even comment on the boyfriend. True horror.

So, rent this movie if you can find it. You'll never be more depressed that you spent 3 dollars on anything else.

"Blood Cult" opens pretty promising with two pretty gruesome murders within the first 15 minutes. Then it goes into normal slasher fare with none of the later killings being as near as interesting as the first two, all set around what appears to be a 70 something year old Sheriffs investigation (he even narrates some of the film). The later half pretty much turns into a cult conspiracy movie, with the reveal of the killer being handled pretty well since the film doesn't really give you any red herrings. There's a lot of dull dialogue, padding, and bad acting particularly from our sheriff hero, but, it's far from the worst SOV I've ever seen.