Jackie Kong, director of the 1983 cult-classic THE BEING, presents BLOOD DINER, an unofficial sequel to H.G. Lewis' splatter picture BLOOD FEAST in which two brothers belonging to an ancient Lumerian cult open up a chic new diner downtown, where they serve up the locals in a variety of tasty dishes in order to prepare for a carnal blood buffet that they will use to resurrect their goddess Shitar! This zany, off-the-wall Horror Comedy has seemingly been forgotten in the two decades since its release, but its hilarious mixture of slapstick humor and comic gore makes it one of the most entertaining and under-appreciated films of its kind. Following the example set by THE TOXIC AVENGER years earlier, BLOOD DINER contains a number of outrageous deaths, including one where a bouncer has his head crushed in by a passing low-rider, and another where a woman has her head deep-fried before it is knocked off with a broom, while several other characters are impaled by stalactites, run over repeatedly, lopped in half with meat cleavers, or slaughtered in the ravenous bloodbath in the end! It manages to walk the fine line between camp and typical 80's cheese, coming out on top thanks to Kong's smart handling of the material and spirited directing, as well as the animated performances given by each of the cast members (including the tasteless humor of Uncle Anwar's disembodied brain). BLOOD DINER is an ultimate guilty pleasure, and a real treat for fans of 80's trash!
Rating: 7/10.
Entertainment: 10/10.
Gore: 7/10.
If you liked BLOOD DINER, check out:
THE TOXIC AVENGER, MOTHER'S DAY, BLOOD FEAST.
This movie has needed a legit DVD release for some time and I hereby demand one, pronto.
ReplyDeleteI second and third that proposition, its criminal that more people aren't able to watch this friggin awesome film! Someone is really dropping the ball.
ReplyDeleteThere was a German DVD a few years ago. I meant to pick it up and never did before it went OOP. I remember reading about this in Fangoria and being excited when it hit VHS. Isn't there a scene where the two brothers go into an aerobics class wearing Nixon masks and mow everyone down with guns? Haven't seen it in years. I think it was announced for DVD here recently, but I may be wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe version I own is (taken from) the German release, it was a very good quality release, so hopefully the R1 offers the same quality with some extra bonuses! Love this damn film!
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine got his from xploited cinema. I never did get to see his copy of it.
ReplyDeleteI...LOVE...BLOOD DINER! I too am anxiously awaiting a DVD release. I could go on and on about how much I love it, but my comment would be longer than your review.
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