Nightmare in Blood (1978)

Overrated and overhyped

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

A group of oddball horror buffs involved in organizing a horror convention discover that eccentric and enigmatic guest Malakai (robustly played with plummy eye-rolling aplomb by Jerry Walter) is a real-life vampire.Director John Stanley displays a winningly sincere affection for classic old fright fare (there are loving references to everything from Bela Lugosi to "The Thing from Another World"), keeps the clever and entertaining story moving along at a steady pace, presents a colorful and interesting depiction of the 1970's California horror scene, and delivers several cool bits of gore. Moreover, the witty script by Stanley and Kenn Davis not only offers a crafty and novel spin on the standard vampire premise (for example, the Van Helsing figure in this movie turns out to be a Jewish Nazi hunter known as the Avenger), but also possesses a knowing self-aware sensibility that prefigures "Scream" by twenty years. Granted, the acting by the bulk of the cast shows more raw enthusiasm than actual ability, but the quirky characters are nonetheless still likable -- flaky comic book aficionado Gary in particular is an absolute hoot throughout! -- and have a fierce camaraderie with each other that one can't help but admire. Kerwin Matthews has a small part as a swashbuckler at the very start of the picture while unsung hambone thespian Hy Pyke attacks his juicy role as creepy lackey Harris with his customary delightfully theatrical panache. An extremely fun fright flick.

Horror genre icon John Stanley of 'Creature Features' fame does a nice job with this very knowing, fairly tongue in cheek homage to the genre. Its central conceit is a solid one, and prefigures "Shadow of the Vampire" by 23 years. It also proved to be very prophetic in its portrayal of a horror convention, long before these things would be very big business worldwide. The people behind this convention, including Professor Seabrook (Dan Caldwell), Cindy (Barrie Youngfellow), Scotty (John Cochran), and comic book expert Gary form a team as they slowly come to the realization that their star attraction, veteran horror film actor Malakai (Jerry Walter), is not just a pretend vampire but the real deal. Moreover, he utilizes the services of B.B. (Ray K. Goman) and Harris (Hy Pyke), who are in reality the legendary graverobbers Burke and Hare whom Malakai has kept alive for centuries using alchemy. Our intrepid team unites behind Nazi hunter turned vampire hunter The Avenger (Mark Anger), who's vowed to destroy this evil. Now, "Nightmare in Blood" is not for all genre fans, as it's low budget enough that it's often more talk than action. Some people may grow impatient with its deliberate pace and its minimal amount of gore. Still, it's impossible to dislike this film. It's ingratiating and irresistible, and it's always nice to see a film meant for genre fans made BY a genre fan. The dialogue is often very amusing, and often quite self-referential, with names such as Lee, Price, Atwill, Lugosi, and Karloff dropped. There is brief footage of a film within the film, as fantasy film star Kerwin Mathews appears alongside Walter. His appearance is fleeting enough that his admirers will likely be sorely disappointed. Still, Stanley does give this little film some atmosphere and gets a delightfully theatrical performance out of Walter, who looks like he's having a hell of a time. Most of the acting is very much of the amateur variety, but the performers are quite engaging nonetheless; the man playing Gary in particular is a hoot what with his deadpan delivery. And Justin Bishop is a riot as anti-horror crusader Dr. Unworth; his acting is atrocious but his facial expressions just priceless. The scenes with Seabrook, Unworth, and Malakai on the TV horror show have to rank as the best in the film. It's likewise great to see our heroes think on their feet when faced with the prospect of killing foes that are seemingly immortal. While admittedly "Nightmare in Blood" is going to strike some people as being merely dull, others will surely find it fascinating, even if one couldn't consider it a "good" film. It's still an entertaining one, though. Seven out of 10.

I watched this movie without any expectations. That made this one a great find because it's cheesy and self-acknowledging without being over the top. Sure, it won't win an Oscar, but it was a fun ride!! The idea behind this movie, that it's been done before, and over again is what makes the movie funny, suspenseful, horrific and sometimes just downright silly. This is more a homage to horror films than a movie itself. If ever a drinking game screamed to be created, this is the movie. The clichés are there, the blood is there, the references to Night of the Living Dead are there. But these ingredients are not overwhelming. Keep the pen and paper handy, as you'll need them to keep track of numerous nods to horror films. Perhaps, many a long night was spent in production, doing so. And it was done well.

This is dull, dull as hell. I can't say there is a single thing to recommend it. Is this supposed to aimed at horror fans? Count me out. Films like this give films a bad name.