God knows that I like 'em weird, but still - I was in for the surprise of a lifetime after popping in this DVD of Malatesta's Carnival of Blood the other night. Far beyond weird (by any traditional standards) and easily farther out there than a lot of the other 70's oddities of the time, Malatesta's Carnival of Blood is a peach hanging from the tree of forgotten 70's sicko cinema. This new DVD, struck from a recently found film print is currently being self-distributed by the films director Christopher Speeth.

Definitely beyond bizarre, I don't want to give too much away (I find myself saying this more and more these days) as it would be really easy for me to spoil all of the fun. You see, there's this decrepit old carnival run by a Mr. Blood, for yet another, the reclusive Mr. Malatesta. Within the confines of the carnival, you'll find what appears to be independently operated rides and attractions. In any event, young (or not so young, you be the judge) Vena and her parents stroll into town with a carnival owners dream, a shooting game. Moving along, while Vena is waiting for her beau to arrive in town, she meets up with the young hunk who happens to run the Tunnel Of Love attraction (the creepiest Tunnel Of Love I've ever seen mind you). What Vena (and just about everyone else at the carnival) doesn't know, is that there are these zombies/cannibals living in their midst, spending most of their time deep within the bowels of the Tunnel Of Love. Turns out that Dr. Blood is a vampire of sorts, and he along with Mr. Malastata have some very gruesome and evil intentions. Pretty soon folks are going in the tunnel of love and if they are lucky, only their glasses make it out!

As nutty as the base story seems, it only stands to get even nuttier. Vena's father is quick to pull out his pistol and revenge is quite often spoken of. Yet it's never really made clear as to whether or not they are there to exact revenge for something that already has happened or something that is about to happen. The carnival grounds are also home to a cross dressing psychic, and a creepy dwarf called Bobo (played by the late Herve Villechaize "ze plane boss, ze plane"). The underground dwellers if you will, feed on unsuspecting victims some of the time while they spend much of their down time watching silent films like Phantom of the Opera projected on huge screens or singing hymns together (I am NOT making this up).

While there's no nudity, there is some blood - including a gent with part of his torso torn out and a late night roller coaster ride that ends with a most predictable beheading. I was also surprised to discover that Malatesta's Carnival of Blood was a local (to me that is) production, shot just on the outskirts of Philadelphia. There is a special thank you in the credits to Willow Grove Park, which is only a stone's throw from where I'm living right now. While I was just popping out of my mother's womb in '73, I remember the park quite well. Willow Grove Park is no longer an amusement park it's now a huge shopping mall, so even those interested in the history of the old days of Willow Grove Park will probably get a kick out of the vintage park footage here.

I'm not going to lie to you...no Malatesta's Carnival of Blood is not a great or groundbreaking film. Nevermind the fact that this film is full of horror clichés or that we never see patrons at the carnival, only the films major players. The film is about as unfocused as they come, throwing out just about every horror convention of the time. Sure, it can't hold a candle to some of the classics of the era, however there is a definite level of charm (if you will) found here. Malatesta's Carnival of Blood is an extremely entertaining piece of drive-in trash, and even though some may consider drive-in films to be the lowest of the low, bear in mind that Carnival of Blood still retains an odd sense of style, and some moments are still genuinely beyond creepy.

Presented in a non-anamorphic transfer at approximately 1.85:1, Carnival of Blood looks better here than anyone could have expected. Colors are nearly consistently sharp, if only ever so slightly faded, and black levels remain solid. There is some print damage along with a bit of wear and tear, which is fairly minimal. A couple of stretches of film contain some scratches (mostly towards the start of the film) and there are some minor specs etc. but overall, this is a real quality transfer for a film recently thought lost. There is no evidence of artifacting etc. essentially video quality is quite nice all around. Audio is presented in a serviceable mono track, with really no hiss or distortion to speak of and dialogue remains quite clear throughout.

Extras include a breif B&W still gallery set to tunes from the flick, running just about a few minutes. Also included is a brief reel of outtakes (a few minutes as well) including a few extended gore shots.

A truly bizarre film hits DVD in a more than respectable edition. Easily comparable to the likes of Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things in quality and entertainment value, Malatesta's Carnival of Blood will easily find its niche market on home video. This is about as good as bad films get folks, so of course it comes highly recommended.

While this DVD release does not have an official distributor as of yet, you can purchase Malatesta's Carnival of Blood at Amazon or visit the film's official site http://www.malatestascarnival.com for more info.