The Film Masters latest double-feature is showing what producer Roger Corman loves about horrors from space and undersea. In Night of the Blood Beast (1958), humanity has to face off against some alien parasite that’s reanimated a dead astronaut. This pilot was aware something hit his craft, but when he aborted the flight, little did he know he had a rider back to earth!
I like to think of this film as a precursor to the way the 94 Spider-Man animated series introduced Venom. The tales are wildly different, but I couldn’t get that image off my mind! As for what’s special about this release is that it’s the most ‘complete’ of the releases. This includes the Mystery Science Theatre 3K episode where this film gets riffed upon. It’s a nice add-on for fans of this series.
With the other title, Attack of the Giant Leeches, which stars Yvette Vickers (Attack of the 50-Foot Woman), that was enough of a selling point because it recognises her contributions to B-cinema. The booklet offers a bit more information, but for a full on essay, I suspect I’ll have to write that myself! All I can say is that at the height of her career, she even made the pages of Playboy, and afterwards, she became quite the recluse when the Hollywood limelight moved away.
But for Bernard Kowalski, who directed both works, to add these films to his resume probably helped him continue working around Los Angeles. Even though he had plenty of credits behind the scenes with many television shows of the 50s, I suspect he wanted to branch out. These films do more to showcase who were the movers and shakers as the decade came to a close. Corman continued to pump out films as fast as he can, and I have to wonder what he has not done? Both films are serviceable. I can only imagine what it was like seeing them at the drive-in theatres rather than home. Part of the attraction is to give the teenagers back then something to catch on a late Friday or Saturday night.
Like my other reviews, the booklets are why I’m continuing to request review copies to look at. I love to know more about what motivated the creators to continue making those works of yesteryears. And with the main film, I was not too far off my mark to recognize how influential they are to the later sci-fi monster flicks of the 70s. For example, I suspect the B-side film may have influenced David J. Fernandes to pen the episode, Hors d’Oeuvre. I don’t think naming the heroine Vicky in that Creepy Bits episode is a coincidence! While the modern take is far more effective at providing a darker tone, both films seem to share a similar trope.
I’ll gladly continue to watch and collect these releases. When considering Corman’s filmography is vast, to see everything will take time, and I’m glad I have this restoration house deciding on what’s the ‘best of’ so I can continue to study.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Full commentary tracks by Tom Weaver and ‘The Weaver Players’ for both films
- Full colour inserted booklet with original essay by Tom Weaver
- Recut trailers using archival film elements
- Comparison videos showing the impact of restoration
- 8 mm version of Night of the Blood Beast
- All new documentary by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures
Night of the Blood Beast and Attack of the Giant Leeches Trailer
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