Bloodlust

 



Director - Marijan Vajda (Jugo, Neva)
Starring - Werner Pochath (A Man Called Rage, Laser Mission), Ellen Umlauf (Dolphins, Silence Like Glass), and Birgit Zamulo (Spleen, All Around Service)
Release Date - 1977
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "...will haunt the darkest corners of your mind!"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

     I'm working my way through the films that Mondo Macabro has sent me to review and I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.  I started this with the Lucio Fulci murder mystery Perversion Story.  I followed that up with the Spanish horror film Who Can Kill A Child? before moving on to the remarkable The Inheritors.  All these films were fantastic and a must have for horror and cult collectors.  Next on the list was the one I was the most excited to see which is 1977's Bloodlust.  The artwork for this release made my mind wonder and my imagination take hold.  Thank you Mondo Macabro for sending me this Swiss horror film to review!

     The film follows a deaf and mute accountant who suffers from an abusive childhood.  He collects dolls in his spare time but at night he ventures into the local cemetery where he uncovers recently deceased females where he removes their heads and eyes.  There is a young redhead that lives near him that he has grown attracted to but her abusive father drives her to suicide.  He witnesses her death and this drives him over the edge.  Instead of mutilating corpses he moves on to the living.

     I went into Bloodlust very eager to check out a fun horror flick but was greeted with a slow moving dark drama that could not hold my attention.  The movie has phenomenal cinematography but the movie itself was boring as much as I hate to say that.  The acting was decent but nothing memorable.  The characters are not that lively or entertaining. Even the films main protagonist is a bland and boring characters.  The cast does not try to bring the characters to life.  Instead, they allow them to be 2D renditions of themselves while just spitting out the dialogue.  The story for this one is very slow with no real action.  We follow a lonely man who mutilates corpses at night before working his way up to his first murder.  Many will see comparison to Ed Gein but the film is not as interesting.  Several of the scenes, including the ones with the gruesome mutilations, are sleep inducing.  The lack of dialogue and atmosphere makes the film difficult to finish.  The lack of action on adds to the slow pace making this a film that I struggled to finish in one sitting.  Finally, as slow and boring as the film is to watch we do get some awesome practical effects.  The bright red blood does take away from the gag but the practical effects were solid.  I was actually impressed with the mutilation scenes.  Overall, Bloodlust is not the film I was expecting.  The movie moves painfully slow and the characters are not entertaining but the viewer will be treated to some great practical effects.