Blood Mania (1970)

My mother came in this weekend for Easter and with her, she not only brought my oldest daughter but she came with a couple movies for me to add to my collection. The first was a VHS copy of Bigfoot (the unforgettable encounter) and the other the Gorehouse Greats Collection. While I have seen that at WalMart,I hadn't yet broke down to grab it (especially as I am struggling through the Undead Collection). Bored last night while preparing for the Easter Bunny to make an appearance, I put on disk one and the 1970 movie Blood Mania to pass the time.

Plot/ A semi-broke, swinging doctor needs money to pay a blackmailer. Fortunately, he is lusted after by the daughter of his boss and trades sex for money. Unfortunately, it back fires as the inheritance left by his boss falls to the other sister and the cycle starts all over again. This time the things spiral even more out of control.

I was caught off guard by this film, There is something about it that is very captivating. Yes, it is definitely more of a soap opera or drama vice horror film. Actually, there is very little terror involved at all. What there is plenty of is a mixture of nudity and sexualy tension, an almost believeble look at greed and what people will go through to serve their needs. Amazingly, this movie is well filmed and at times very colorful especially considering the eerie, claustrophobic mood that skews much of the film. There are some issues with character development and the use of characters of a whole. A perfect example is the girlfriend, who subjects herself to the wrath of the blackmailer, only to disappear totally from the storyline from that point on. This is a mixed bag though, as the film unexpectedly dives into the truth behind the father and younger daughter's relationship (something that I really didn't see coming).

In the end, I definitely enjoyed this movie. Yes, I am a man, and it definitely appealed to me, being with the beautiful women and the almost porn-like soundtrack, but the was a quality in this movie that made it enjoyable even though it lacked gore, terror or much of the elements I enjoy in a horror film. While I wouldn't ever classify it in that manner (as a horror film), I would recommend it.

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