Not For the Faint-Hearted!

One word to describe Troma’s Bloodsucking Freaks: Gratuitous. Gratuitously sleazy, gory, and amoral, even Troma themselves admit that it is "only for the demented (even among Troma fans)." And I must agree, especially after having witnessed the new, restored "gore-o-rama director’s cut."

A bit of history: Bloodsucking Freaks was shot in New York City in 1978 by shock/schlock auteur Joel M. Reed (who lensed another Troma title which I have yet to watch, G.I. Executioner). Shown throughout the world under at least three different titles (The House of the Screaming Virgins and The Incredible Torture Show are probably more aptly descriptive ones), BSF gained notoriety and infamy long before Troma got their hands on it. Essentially 80 some-odd minutes (the running time varies depending on which version you watch) of one gruesome tableau after another, BSF has little to offer in the way of wholesome values and/or slick production. What it does offer in healthy doses, however, is plenty of blood, boobs, and sadomasochistic titillation.

Master Sardu (Seamus O’Brian in his solitary film role) -- a creepy, goatee-d Anton Lavey wannabe -- and his trusty midget sidekick Ralphus move into an abandoned theater in the run-down SoHo section of New York City. This was obviously before the area became overrun with high-priced shoe stores and clothing boutiques. Sardu, a sadist of the highest degree, opens his "Theatre of the Macabre" -- a sort of modern-day Grand Guignol performance art space. Except that the torture presented in this theater doesn’t involve latex and red Karo syrup. Sardu kidnaps the famous Broadway ballerina Natasha D’Natalie and brainwashes her into becoming the main attraction of his depraved sideshow. The ballerina’s boyfriend teams up with one of the most crooked cops in the history of cinema in order to stop the evil plans of Sardu.

The paper-thin plot of Bloodsucking Freaks is secondary to its gratuitous (there’s that word again) filth and carnage. Most of the screen time is dedicated to Sardu and Ralphus torturing and humiliating one hapless victim after another. The viewer is barraged by a draining onslaught of repugnant imagery: Human dart boards, canings, decapitation, foot amputation, naked, caged feral women, violent tooth removal, the titular blood sucking (actually, the victim has her brains sucked out of a hole that’s drilled in her skull -- but you get the idea), and an ending that puts a literal spin on the term "weenie roast."

Although Bloodsucking Freaks is utterly unredeeming by any standard, I would still have to say that it’s worth seeing at least once. Like a nasty car crash on the way to work, you have to take a peek even though your instincts tell you not to . . .

For all of you sickos who would like to own a copy of Bloodsucking Freaks to view over and over again, it can be ordered direct from the Troma website. The "gore-o-rama" director’s cut is now available on VHS and super-deluxe DVD!

-Punky McScrubb