I've been a big H.G. Lewis fan since I first started watching his drive-in splatter films about ten years ago. Films like THE GORE GORE GIRLS, THE WIZARD OF GORE, and of course, the original BLOOD FEAST were some of my earliest forays into more "underground" horror, and I've been hooked ever since. So after a 30 year hiatus from film-making, ol' H.G. comes back with this film - BLOOD FEAST 2: ALL U CAN EAT. Does it hold up against his previous "classicks"? Here's my take:
The storyline is relatively simple - Fuad Ramses' (the "bad-guy" from the original BLOOD FEAST) grandson inherits his grandfather's "exotic catering" business and sets up shop. Early on in the film, Fuad III is "possessed" by the Egyptian...er...Babylonian - statue of the goddess Ishtar that resides in a back room of the building. When Ramses is hired to cater a local wedding reception - the preparation for the blood-feast begins when Ramses begins knocking off the bridesmaids in gruesome fashion in order to obtain the necessary ingredients. Hot on his trail are the bumbling duo of weak-stomached and loud-mouthed Detective Myers, and his insatiably hungry partner, Detective Loomis. Will Ramses succeed in fulfilling Ishtar's wishes and preparing a mighty blood-feast, or will the detectives be able to stop his reign of terror in time???
I first caught BLOOD FEAST 2 about 4 years ago at a party, and honestly didn't pay much attention to it because I was drunk and a lot was going on that distracted from watching the film - but I threw this one in last nite to revisit it, and I gotta say - I'm glad I did. BLOOD FEAST 2 definitely has the feel of Lewis' older films, but with a little bit of an "upgrade" for the digital age. Most of the early films in Lewis' catalog are a bit more unintentionally funny, whereas BLOOD FEAST 2 has a very self-conscious comedy angle - which actually works well for this one. There are some truly funny and/or silly "gags" that really work without feeling too forced or out of place. The entire cast does a good job with the material - especially the duo of Myers and Loomis, and they have a strong comedic chemistry that really works. The gore is over the top and suitably "gooey" - as should be expected of any Lewis' production. You can tell that "The Godfather" still revels in the red stuff - to almost masturbatory levels similarly found in THE GORE GORE GIRLS - as brains and eyeballs and guts are squished and fondled in close-up and drawn-out detail. A few gratuitous tits-n-ass shots don't hurt the film any either. A fun soundtrack from SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS and a cameo from B-more legend, John Waters, helped round things out nicely. A truly "fun" film that never really has a dull moment - I fully recommend this one to "splat-stick" style film-fans, or anyone that enjoyed Lewis' earlier catalogue...8.5/10
The storyline is relatively simple - Fuad Ramses' (the "bad-guy" from the original BLOOD FEAST) grandson inherits his grandfather's "exotic catering" business and sets up shop. Early on in the film, Fuad III is "possessed" by the Egyptian...er...Babylonian - statue of the goddess Ishtar that resides in a back room of the building. When Ramses is hired to cater a local wedding reception - the preparation for the blood-feast begins when Ramses begins knocking off the bridesmaids in gruesome fashion in order to obtain the necessary ingredients. Hot on his trail are the bumbling duo of weak-stomached and loud-mouthed Detective Myers, and his insatiably hungry partner, Detective Loomis. Will Ramses succeed in fulfilling Ishtar's wishes and preparing a mighty blood-feast, or will the detectives be able to stop his reign of terror in time???
I first caught BLOOD FEAST 2 about 4 years ago at a party, and honestly didn't pay much attention to it because I was drunk and a lot was going on that distracted from watching the film - but I threw this one in last nite to revisit it, and I gotta say - I'm glad I did. BLOOD FEAST 2 definitely has the feel of Lewis' older films, but with a little bit of an "upgrade" for the digital age. Most of the early films in Lewis' catalog are a bit more unintentionally funny, whereas BLOOD FEAST 2 has a very self-conscious comedy angle - which actually works well for this one. There are some truly funny and/or silly "gags" that really work without feeling too forced or out of place. The entire cast does a good job with the material - especially the duo of Myers and Loomis, and they have a strong comedic chemistry that really works. The gore is over the top and suitably "gooey" - as should be expected of any Lewis' production. You can tell that "The Godfather" still revels in the red stuff - to almost masturbatory levels similarly found in THE GORE GORE GIRLS - as brains and eyeballs and guts are squished and fondled in close-up and drawn-out detail. A few gratuitous tits-n-ass shots don't hurt the film any either. A fun soundtrack from SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS and a cameo from B-more legend, John Waters, helped round things out nicely. A truly "fun" film that never really has a dull moment - I fully recommend this one to "splat-stick" style film-fans, or anyone that enjoyed Lewis' earlier catalogue...8.5/10