Posts
Source-Shriek Show DVD
Yep the final film the late HG Lewis made.Sadly in 2016 HG Lewis died.
I have been slowly over the past 20 years been trying to see all of HG Lewis's films. Even the pre-gore stuff. Somehow for years Blood Feast II eluded me. Every time I would think to order it it was out of stock. I never saw it in any store. And back in 2002 when this hit DVD I was in Best Buy and Circuit City at least once a week.
Then back right about the time it was going from spring to summer I found a copy. In an odd place. There is a bodega near a good friend's apartment. The kind of store that if they know you will sell you beer on Sundays,a major no no in MS. Well I had stopped there to grab a drink for my drive home. The line was long. While waiting in the line I started digging thru their cardboard bin of DVDs. I am guessing the DVDs come from a place that deals in overstock media. Cause you never know what you will find. And sometimes there is even Wii games mixed into the DVDs. So while waiting in this long line I found for cheap Blood Feast II and another DVD that is OOP.
Blood Feast II was made 40 years after the original Blood Feast. And it was HG Lewis's first movie since 1972's The Gore Gore Girls. Even though Lewis had done interviews and appeared at conventions I just assumed he was done making movies. Then in 2000 I started hearing rumors online that Lewis was gonna make another movie. And word was it was a sequel to one of the infamous Gore Trilogy.
I was hoping for a sequel to 2000 Maniacs,which we kinda got years later in the 2001 Maniacs remake/sequel. But instead we got a sequel to Blood Feast. Lewis's first and most famous film. And this isn't even the first time a sequel to that film was attempted. Back in the 80s the movie Blood Diner,a great cult classic horror/comedy,started off as a sequel to Blood Feast. And when you watch it you can tell it is suppose to be a sequel to Blood Feast.
The grandson of Fuad Ramses ,Fuad Ramses the third, returns to Miami.And reopens his grandfather's catering business.He is quickly hired to cater a sheriff's wedding. A Sheriff that knows what Fuad's grandfather did years ago. And is suspicious.
While cleaning up the store to reopen it,Fuad finds the statue of Ishtar that his grandfather had. Ishtar's spirit possesses Fuad. And sets him on the task to complete the blood feast ritual that his grandfather couldn't.
The acting isn't that great.But then the acting in the original Blood Feast wasn't good. The gore is actually pretty well done. And damn gory. About 8 minutes was cut from the film to get an R rated cut. Thankfully the DVD I found is the uncut version. What is odd is that even though it is modern day,lots of the people in the film dress like the cast in the original film from 40 years ago.
I was surprised that there is almost no extras on this DVD. I figured Lewis would do a commentary,since he has done them on most of his films that Something Weird Video has released. It would have been neat to hear his thoughts on making a film after so many years in retirement.
The film is enjoyable. But only if you like low budget gore films. The acting is a set above porn levels. The gore is better than I expected.
Blood Feast II gets a C.
