Blood Mania (1970)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Horror film? NO. Thriller film? NO. Good story? No. Soft-porn? Sorta - mainly yes, and a terrible one to boot. Cheap wannabe soft-porn trash.The film's summary reads: "A sex-crazed nympho helps speed along her father's death so she can use the inheritance to help out her depraved boyfriend." - and that's exactly what the film is. The problem with the film is there is way to much focus on the sex-craze and not enough focus on a halfway decent story and plot. About every other scene is a soft-porn scene. Really boring. If I want to watch soft porn I'd find a soft-porn film to watch - I was wanting a horror film. This is supposed to be a horror film not a terrible soft-porn film that it turn out to be.Worse than cheesy horror -- the real horror is the film itself and not the story as we are lead to believe. This is a real trash fest.1/10

Blood Mania: A scumbag doctor is blackmailed by a former associate to fork over $50,000 in hush-money for performing illegal abortions. To make matters worse, one of his despicable bed-ridden patients has a slutty daughter that won't take "no" for an answer-- she just wants some scumbag doctor sex! It doesn't take long for the daughter to realize the doctor needs a lot of cash--stat. Finally, she has the opportunity to make the doc her personal sex-slave boy-toy: murder dad! This movie seizes every opportunity to take the low road: it has a great deal of nudity, perhaps to distract the audience from the fact that the characters are all generally nasty and repulsive. It's more of a sleazy, soft-core porn/soap opera than it is the horror film it bills itself as. Pay no attention to the opening credit sequence, as it has nothing to do with the rest of the film. For cartoon fans, there is a wickedly cool animated title card at the film's opening.

During their multi-decade reign at the drive-in, B movie studio Crown International Pictures handed a few really strange movies, "Blood Mania" being one of them. While the title might make you think that you are in store for a horror movie, the movie really isn't. In fact, there is no blood or anything remotely horrifying until the last ten minutes of the movie! It's more of a straight drama instead. It starts off a little intriguing, but soon it gets really talky, dull, and incredibly slow in unfolding. Yes, as other user commenters here have brought up, there is a great deal of nudity and sexual situations, but none of it is the least bit erotic. The one positive thing I can say about it is that for a real cheapie, it is well photographed and well lit. By the way, fans of B movie actor Alex Rocco who may be thinking of watching the movie to see him, be warned that he only has two brief scenes.

Written by and staring Peter Carpenter, this is likable enough but doesn't really deliver. Apart from many rather good, unusual and colourful camera angles, this has more the look and feel of a TV movie than a 'Drive-In Classic' and we certainly have to wait a long time for any blood or mania. The story is well enough told and just about holds the interest, helped enormously by the above average psychedelic soundtrack, but it can be slow at times. indeed we get slow motion scenes and occasionally it appears the film may actually stop. There is a fair amount of flesh on display but it is not blatant and the scenes often rather dark. So, if the title suggests, sex and violence, be more prepared for an updated Peyton Place.