If you've read any of my other reviews so far (mainly Microwave Massacre or The Children) you might have gathered that I have somewhat of an affinity for the occasional evening of hysterical laughter at the expense of a horror film that tries very hard to be taken seriously yet somehow still manages to be atrociously bad to the point of campiness. As I'm sure you can imagine, the search for those great unintentional comedies more than often leads to some of us having to endure some truly torturous examples of Z-grade bargain basement horror without the presence of that inadvertent humor to even redeem them and regretfully wasting hours upon precious hours of our lives that we will never get back. Unfortunately, it's just one of those things that come with the territory. It also proves that you really should be careful what you wish for; if it's trash you're asking for, then its trash you will no doubt get. But on that oh so joyous occasion when you do find a winner, a movie so dreadfully stupid that you can't wait to show it to your friends so you can begin quoting the mind numbingly dumb lines and bond over your laughter at the horrible monster makeup, it makes all those 90 minute sessions of pain and suffering worthwhile.

After checking out the artwork and reading the description on the back of this Blood Bath disc I received for review, I was really hoping that this would be one of those fantastic diamonds in the rough, a forgotten gem of low budget hilarity. When the credits started and I was greeted with the image of a shadowy skull eerily lit in red and green, accompanied by spooky organ music, I started to think it could be even better then my original expectations. It might even be genuinely creepy!

Well, you can't win 'em all, as they say.

Peter Brown is an actor, writer, and producer of horror films. When he hosts a dinner party for his fellow actors and associates at his "New York horror film studio", it becomes the backdrop for a conversation concerning the belief in the superstitious and occult. Each guest offers up their take on whether or not they believe in the mysterious and then relays a tale to convince us that there are other forces at work in this world, including an arranged marriage to the devil's daughter, a hired killer receiving his ironic fate, an unhappy husband escaping his marriage with a magic coin, a stingy millionaire paying his dues at the hands of a ghost, and a clan of martial arts masters exacting revenge on a student who breaks their ancient rules.

The back cover suggests that Blood Bath is a film "in the tradition of the Hammer Films and Amicus horror anthologies", but make no mistake, it is a far cry from any of those true classics. In fact, the only similarities are the anthology format itself and the EC comics inspired morality plays in which the jerky main character of each story learns a long overdue lesson in karma when their selfish ways lead them straight to their predestined doom. Those other films launched the careers of some of the most famous names in horror and with their high production values featured lavish costume work and sets so grand and colorful that you could swear they were real places. Blood Bath on the other hand has some of the most atrocious acting ever captured on film and sets that look like they were hastily thrown together in the corner of a warehouse or someone's basement. While the Amicus anthologies often featured stories based on the aforementioned EC comics titles like Tales From The Crypt or the work of the legendary horror writer Robert Bloch (Psycho), the segments in Blood Bath are really grasping at straws to even be considered "horror" at all. In truth, they're boring, pointless stories featuring characters you could care less about that are not terrifying at all and are really stretching it with their lame ties to the supernatural. Yet somehow, even with the cardboard acting, corny premises, and cheeseball production, it's not goofy enough to even be really funny, with the possible exception of a few chuckles provided by the jive talking ghost and the ridiculously bad, out of place martial arts segment, obviously only included in this horror anthology because kung fu flicks were big at the time. Actually, if rest of the film was as over the top and outrageous as the karate revenge tale, with its horribly choreographed fights, limbless fire breathing Shaolin master, and twist ending so stupid it has to be seen to be believed, you probably wouldn't be able to shut up my endless raving about how much I loved it. Unfortunately, that portion comes too little too late after the earlier drab material and provides a very uneven feel to the whole thing.

If it seems like I'm being a little hard on this movie, it's because I really wanted to like it. I wanted it to be one of those forgotten little B-movies that thankfully resurfaces on DVD and surprises you with how entertaining it is one way or another, whether you're screaming or have tears in your eyes from laughing. But what I sadly found instead was a flat, wishy-washy movie that could never really decide what direction to go in and a prime example of a film that may have been overlooked for all these years with good reason.

Those of you whose interest might have been peaked by the highly advertised fact that this was written and directed by Joel M. Reed, the same man behind the grindhouse masterpiece Bloodsucking Freaks, should also beware. If you're looking for anywhere near the same levels of gore, nudity, violence, or sadistic torture, you will no doubt be sorely disappointed by this earlier and much tamer endeavor.

Now that I've effectively trashed the movie, I will say that if you still want to see it that Subversive Cinema's release is a pretty solid one. The film looks and sounds good for a mid-70's made cheapie, featuring the option to play it with the original mono mix or a newly produced stereo version. Extras include some trailers for other Subversive releases, talent bios for a good portion of the cast and crew, feature length audio commentary by writer/director Joel M. Reed (in which he actually expresses some of the same concerns about the film that I have), and a 40 minute interview/making of titled Taking A Blood Bath: Making 70's Indies In New York, which I found to be much more interesting than the film itself with its tell all revelations of the low budget film making world of yesteryear. Included in the package with the disc are several lobby card reproductions and a nice little poster made up by the folks at Subversive showcasing some classic artwork for the film, which in my opinion would have made for a eye catching DVD cover.