The Bloody Brood (1959)

Two beatniks get their kicks by dealing drugs and violence.

Director:

Julian Roffman

Writers:

Anne Howard Bailey (screenplay), Ben Kerner (screenplay),

Stars:

Barbara Lord, Jack Betts, Peter Falk

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbara Lord	...	Ellie
Jack Betts	...	Cliff
Peter Falk	...	Nico
Ron Hartmann	...	Francis (as Ronald Hartman)
Ron Taylor	...	Dave (as Ronald Taylor)
Robert Christie	...	Detective McLeod
Bill Brydon	...	Studs (as William Brydon)
Michael Zenon	...	Weasel
Anne Collins	...	A Model (as Ann Collinges)
George Sperdakos	...	Ricky
Sammy Sales	...	Louis
Carol Starkman	...	Blonde Neighbor
Kenneth Wickes	...	Paul the Poet
Lloyd Jones
William R. Kowalchuk	...	Roy (as William Kowalchuk)

Storyline

Two beatniks get their kicks by dealing drugs and violence.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | beatnik | violence | party | bar | 

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Taglines:

Your shocked eyes will see it... your stunned mind won't believe it... Never before... has vice and violence struck with such frightening force!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Det blodiga nästet

Filming Locations:

Meridian Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Julian Roffman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min 88 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Connections

Edited into Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-o-Rama Show Vol. 9 (2002)

User Reviews

Thrill Kill Beatniks

The Bloody Brood would be a much forgotten film except for the presence of Peter Falk in his first big screen role. In his second big screen part that Abe Reles in Murder, Inc., Falk got an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. I have no doubt that his casting in The Bloody Brood led to the latter breakthrough part.

In this film Falk plays part hoodlum, part beatnik who when he sees an old man who delivered newspapers to the club he frequents die of a heart attack, he decides just for kicks to kill somebody. As has been pointed out before, echoes of Alfred Hitchcock's Rope and I also might add Compulsion which came out the same year as The Bloody Brood.

To satisfy his sick humor Falk feeds a telegraph messenger boy a hamburger with ground glass in it. The police are stymied in their investigation, but the kid's brother Jack Betts doesn't stop until he has the culprits identified and pulls a trick from the beatnik lifestyle to expose the culprits. I should also say that Falk's own greed has a lot to do with his eventual problems.

The Bloody Brood was an independent production shot in Canada and at that time Canadian production facilities weren't the greatest. Some of the noir stuff earlier in the decade had better values. Still Falk's performance is mesmerizing and gave a big clue as to what a great talent he developed into.