David
Durston hardly seems to be the most likely candidate to have directed
one of the most genuinely transgressive films of the 1970’s,
judging by his docile looks and self-deprecating demeanor, but alas –
with his darkly humorous magnum opus I DRINK YOUR BLOOD – this is
exactly the case. Perhaps best known as the first non-pornographic
film to be branded with an X-rating, the film has lived many lives
over the decades following its initial theatrical run, and not all of
them were particularly pretty. 
Then
in 2004, Grindhouse Releasing restored the film for a positively
fan-pleasing Collector’s Edition DVD, and at last those at home
could see what all the fuss was about. Packed with insightful and
often humorous featurettes and looking better than ever, this seemed
– at the time – to be the final word on this distinctively
disturbing romp. Fast-forward to 2016 and Grindhouse is well into
transferring their back catalog to the BLU-RAY format, and hot on the
heels of such titles as PIECES and A CAT IN THE BRAIN was this film.
Has the company, often dubbed the “Criterion of Exploitation”,
outdone themselves once again or should the so-called “final word”
been left as such? Let’s jump into this autopsy and find out.
We
open on a naked fireside ritual being held somewhere in the woods
amongst a group of hippies with a penchant for the dark arts, led by
the exotic Horace Bones (Bhaskar, an Indian performance artist). They
kill a chicken and drain its blood into a goblet before spotting a
local girl (Iris Brooks) sneaking a peek at the action from between
some trees, who is then chased down and raped by a couple of their
men. Devastated, she drags herself back into the sleepy town of Sally
Hills the next morning, where she’s taken into the care of her kid
brother Pete (Riley Mills) and the owner of the town bakery, Mildred
(Elizabeth Marner-Brooks). Her grandfather comes over to check
on the poor girl and decides that these rowdy characters must be
dealt with immediately.
Meanwhile,
the cult shacks up in one of the town’s abandoned hotels, where
they run rampant hunting rats and destroying what’s left of the
furniture. The grandfather grabs his shotgun and heads out the door
in search of the group, but when he finds them, they take him down
and force-feed him LSD. Unable to stand by whilst his grandpa is in
the throes of a bad trip, Pete takes the gun and goes out into the
woods to do some snooping of his own. While exploring the woodland,
Pete spots a rabid dog that charges at him, but he’s quick to shoot
and after killing the animal, he takes some of its blood in a
syringe. And what, do you imagine, he does with it? Why, what any
other reasonable young fellow would – meaning that he injects the
blood into some meat pies back at the bakery, which are then sold to
the cult.
Everyone
but Andy (Tyde Kierney), the suspicious and insecure local kid who
somehow got mixed up in the group’s nasty business, digs in to the
pies and you can probably – emphasis on PROBABLY – imagine where
it’s going from there. What ensues is nothing short of sheer
lunacy. Psychopathic, hydrophobic hippies running rabid around a US
ghost town, foaming at the mouth and spreading their disease far and
wide. Durston goes all the way, trying his damned hardest to offend
as many parties as he possibly can – religious folks, animal
lovers, anyone with the tiniest glimmer of hope in the Good Old
American Way – and he gets the job done with more style and class
than one might expect. What starts as a simple small town revenge
tale quickly degenerates into a sickly body horror gross-out
spectacle, which is precisely as delectable as it sounds.
I
DRINK YOUR BLOOD is a strange one from the start because it embraces
the pleasures of artifice almost unannounced. The performances are
all so incredibly over-the-top, the dialogue is ingeniously insane,
the lighting (especially during night-time shots) feels rather
blatantly stagey, and it doesn’t seem to be taking itself very
seriously at all. These are all qualities that evidently have made
the film a bit difficult to read for some viewers, but to this
reviewer, they are precisely what make up its unique identity. This
is not so-bad-it’s-good, this is intentional dark comedy as well as
intricately trashy horror-theater. Sure, it could hardly be
considered an intellectual experience, but as an exploitation film it
goes above and beyond to conjure honest tension and intrigue through
sheer surreal ambience.
Jacques
Demarecaux’s ethereal photography has always been an unexpectedly
alluring delight, carrying even more weight than ever before on the
film’s high definition debut. The earlier transfer was great –
and not just for the time – but the attention to detail here is
just impeccable. The grime that oozes so lovingly from these frames
has been painstakingly preserved rather than diminished by the
upgrade and Clay Pitts’ groovy synth score sounds spectacular.
Enthusiasts could not possibly ask for a superior presentation.
Grindhouse
is held in high regard around these parts - and rightfully so – and
they haven’t skimped out once in terms of packing each and every
one of their releases with bonus material that’s as entertaining as
it is genuinely informative. Disc One of this stunning set is
dedicated almost solely to the film (and three feature-length
commentaries with cast and crew), as well as deleted scenes and
outtakes, which are entertaining in their own right.
However,
it’s on Disc Two that most of the exciting (and more importantly,
new) stuff can be found. Ported over from the DVD is “The I Drink
Your Blood Show”, comprised of interviews with stars Lynn Lowry,
Jack Damon, and Tyde Kierney, conducted by Durston himself (in his
own backyard!). Another welcome addition to this release is an
hour-long interview with the director, who speaks about his
experience(s) making the film as well as his life-long relationship
with the cinema; as those who have read Stephen Thrower’s great
NIGHTMARE USA will already know, the man is a hoot and a half.
Next
up we have a trio of standard definition featurettes. These include
an I DRINK YOUR BLOOD reunion Q&A from 2004, another Q&A at
Cinema Wasteland, and a brief interview with Durston at his table for
the latter convention. But wait, there’s more! Also included on
this disc are two bonus features, the first being I EAT YOUR SKIN,
the 60’s voodoo cheapie that I DRINK YOUR BLOOD was famously paired
with as a double bill back in the day. The film itself is accompanied
with a lengthy interview with William Grefe, that film’s 2nd
Unit Director. The second feature is BLUE SEXTET, a long-lost
Durston-directed curio that sees the filmmaker trying his hand at a
twisty Rashomon-style narrative. Both films look and sound great, and
regardless of critical merit, their presence here is much
appreciated.
Lastly,
there are a few German Super 8 versions of the main feature,
cast/crew bios, image galleries, a radio spot, and a theatrical
trailer. So as one can see, Grindhouse has once again spoiled us,
with the only minor disappointment being the absence of Clay Pitts’
score making its physical debut. The man may never be found, but
along with everyone else involved he has left behind a film that’s
worth an entire legacy on its own. I DRINK YOUR BLOOD is an
experience unlike any other, alternating gracefully between high and
low brow cinematic alchemy; a crescendo of blood, guts, and shaving
cream that lives up to its infamy. Through a seamless marriage of
exceptional audio, video, and supplemental material Grindhouse has
done it again, surpassing even the highest of prior expectations,
which is no easy feat. Their aim is to make the cult film connoisseur
grin from ear to ear, and they’ve succeeded in spades.
-Ryan Marshall
Lead Actor/Actress:
Genre: Horror
Blu-ray Release Year: 2016
Theatrical Release Year: 1971
Time Length: 83 mins.
Rating: Not Rated
Region Code: Region Free
Release Company: Grindhouse Releasing
Website: www.grindhousereleasing.com