Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat

Forty years after the original BLOOD FEAST had kids at drive-in theatres leaving their cars to spew, the much anticipated sequel makes it's way onto DVD.

The story couldn't be simpler. Fuad Ramses - the grandson of the original FEAST's killer - moves into his grandfather's catering shop (Fuad Ramses Exotic Catering) and swiftly becomes possessed by the statue of Ancient Egyptian Goddess Ishtar, compelling him to murder and mutilate a bevy of beautiful young women.

There's a suspicious cop - Detective Myers - lurking around Ramses, convinced that he is the killer. Myers is getting married shortly to the demure Tiffany and his snooty mother-in-law has hired Ramses to cater for the wedding reception.

Hmm - it's almost as if the original BLOOD FEAST never existed?!

Not that a lack of originality matters. What BLOOD FEAST 2 may lack in brains, it more than makes up for with blood and guts galore.

The opening pre-credits sequence sets the scene as two drunken transients rake around the bins in an alley, looking for food. They find a dead cat and enthuse over how they're going to cook it, before both become mesmerised by the red glow emanating from Ishtar, through the gap beneath the door of the shop's back entrance. Both men become possessed, cackling insanely as one pulls his friend's intestines out; the other smashes a bottle and rams the broken glass into his buddy's neck.

Played as much for laughs as it is for gross-out thrills, this opening salvo is pretty much indicative of what's to follow. Only, the gore gets considerably more gruesome as Ramses rips apart nubile young women with convincing relish …

The script by W Boyd Ford has it's moments of genuine wit, and is ably assisted by a cast full of knowingly OTT performers. It also whizzes along at an agreeable pace, with plenty of timeous forays into gore territory. All of which helps keep the tone and feel of this film in line with it's classic predecessor.

But were BLOOD FEAST 2 just a carbon copy of the original, it would be a pointless exercise. Instead, director Herschell Gordon Lewis has fun with the joys that making a B-movie in 2002 can provide:

For one, the budget has certainly improved and the technical sheen of the film is very polished indeed. Then there's the gore FX, which range from the deliciously depraved (corkscrew in the ear) to the lame (very fake eye-gouging) - while thankfully free from CGI interference, it's nice to report that Joe Gastro has afforded Herschell fans with the best FX yet to grace one of the Godfather Of Gore's films.

The quotient of nudity is not to be sniffed at either - or the calibre of young, toned beauties lining up to be slaughtered in lingering, sick style. Very nice!

Special mention must also go to Southern Culture On The Skids, whose garage/surf/punk complements these wacky proceedings perfectly. It lends a contemporary edge to the film, and succeeds in adding a fun atmosphere - unlike all these misguided Hollywood horror films of present that seem to think featuring Marilyn Manson or Korn on their soundtrack will make them more scary (nope, just dated).

My one reservation with BLOOD FEAST 2 is the heavy-handed use of comedy in the occasional scene. Black humour is fine - and works well in many of Lewis' films. But there are a couple of painfully broad comedic scenes in BLOOD FEAST 2 that are so cringe-inducing you'd be mistaken for thinking you were watching a Troma film: the impromptu weather report that breaks the film's pace midway through, for example, or the corpse that keeps turning up in various scenes, ignored by all the actors …

For the large part though, Lewis finds a healthy balance between the humour and gore. Just when you think the comedy is going to bog down the film, Lewis pulls a straight-faced gore scene out of the bag - every time!

But don't let me make you think this is all childish giggles. BLOOD FEAST 2 is a fun, fast-paced film with a huge amount of respect for genre fans. The little asides to the original FEAST work well (Ramses accidentally stabbing himself in the leg, thus inheriting the family limp; the fact that Myers is the son of the cop from the original).

The film certainly has potential to become a cult item - it's mix of sexually precocious females, obscene gore, 60'sesque music and memorably oddball characters ensures it will never cross over and find mass mainstream appeal!

Shriek Show have released this Region 1 NTSC encoded disc in 3 variants. Firstly, there's a single disc R Rated version that features abridged versions of the major gore scenes. Let's see how many copies they shift of this one!!

Then there's the Unrated, Uncut version - available in either single or double disc versions.

I viewed the single disc, Unrated version.

Picture-wise, the film is presented in non-anamorphic 1.85:1 letterbox format. It's sharp and clear, but the colours are a little too strong. No grain or artefacting, and so there shouldn't be, on a 2002 production?! All in all, I can live with the picture quality - but it doesn't do the film's 35mm origins justice at all (Herschell himself has been very vocal about his disapproval of Shriek Show's transfer). Strangely, the film actually looks better when the ZOOM feature is utilised on my widescreen TV …

Audio is 2.0 stereo, and copes well with it's duties. It's particularly complimentary to the Skids' score - nice and loud.

The special features are nothing special. There's a photo gallery that offers a few behind-the-scenes pics, but nothing of great worth or interest.

Then there's 6 trailers for Shriek Show attractions - including the original trailer for BLOOD FEAST 2. The others include ZOMBI 2 (quite soft and grainy), A LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN (very psychedelic) and FLESH FOR THE BEAST. Keep watching the latter, as when the trailer ends there's a Behind The Scenes featurette that effectively qualifies as an Easter Egg. The film itself looks non-too-exciting (and shot on DV) but at almost 30 minutes long, the featurette is the most substantial extra herein.

BLOOD FEAST 2 comes highly recommended. In it's uncut format, it's a fun way to spend 98 minutes - if you can stomach the scenes of decapitation, limb-blending, disembowelment, tongue-ripping and bad dialogue.

Lewis has whined about the way the film has been edited and complained that this is not, as Shreik Show would tell us, the 'Director's Cut'. But it's the longest version available and seems to flow well enough. If you're concerned that the director had more gore to add, then don't be - this is as excessive as anything he's done previously!

*Whilst it is indeed unrated and very gory this is not a true directors cut - the version screened at 'Dead by Dawn Festival' (with Herschell in attendance) did indeed contain extended gore - intrusive SGM editor Alan*

The single disc disappointed me a little, but that's only because I compared it to the wonders Shriek Show have produced for much older films. If interviews/featurettes can be mustered for films such as HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK and BEYOND THE DARKNESS - then why not here?

Oh, that's right, because they were saving them for the Limited 2 disc 'Special Edition'! Bastards.

Having said that, I understand that the extras on disc 2 of the double-disc set amount to 30 minutes of behind the scenes/featurette footage. Worth the extra cash??

Not to worry. BLOOD FEAST 2 - shamefully inept attempts at comedy notwithstanding - is a great addition to any gore enthusiast's collection. A rollicking good film too! Just make sure you pick up the unrated version …!

Review by Stu Willis