I Eat Your Skin (1964) Zombies (original title)

Director:

Del Tenney

Writer:

Del Tenney (written by)

Release Date:

29 October 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

A cancer researcher on a remote Caribbean island discovers that by treating the natives with snake venom he can turn them into bug-eyed zombies...

Plot Keywords:

Venom | Caribbean | Snake | Island | Snake Venom

Cast

William Joyce	...	Tom Harris
Heather Hewitt	...	Jeannie Biladeau
Betty Hyatt Linton	...	Coral Fairchild
Dan Stapleton	...	Duncan Fairchild
Walter Coy	...	Charles Bentley
Robert Stanton	...	Dr. Biladeau
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vanoye Aikens
Matt King
Rebecca Oliver
Don Strawn	...	Leader, Calypso Band
George-Ann Williamson

Directed by
Del Tenney

Writing credits
Del Tenney		(written by)

Produced by
Jesse Hartman	....	associate producer
Dan Stapleton	....	associate producer
Del Tenney	....	producer

Original Music by
Lon E. Norman

Cinematography by
François Farkas		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Lawrence C. Keating		(as Larry Keating)

Casting by
Doris Bernhardt

Art Direction by
Robert Verberkmoes

Makeup Department
Guy Del Russo	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Mel Pape	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Grefe	....	second unit director

Sound Department
Ed Wright	....	sound (as Edmund Wright)

Stunts
Del Tenney	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Leonard De Munde	....	assistant camera (as Leonard DeMunde)
Edwin Gibson	....	camera operator (as Ed Gibson)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jane Hagerty	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Monte Schwartz	....	assistant editor (as Monty Swartz)

Music Department
Lon E. Norman	....	conductor

Other crew
Frances Hidden	....	production secretary

Production Companies

• Iselin-Tenney Productions Inc.

Distributors

• Cinemation Industries (1971) (USA) (theatrical) (retitled re-release)
• Prima Film (1971) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Force Video (1982) (USA) (VHS)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• CMV Laservision (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Retromedia Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Rhino Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (????) (USA) (VHS)
• VCI Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Zombies" - USA (original title)
"Voodoo Blood Bath" - USA (promotional title)
"Zombie Bloodbath" - International (English title) (imdb display title)

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:GP | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Coral Gables, Florida, USA

Company:

Iselin-Tenney Productions Inc.

Trivia:

This film sat on the shelf unreleased for six years until is was picked up by distributor Jerry Gross (of Cinemation Industries), who needed a horror film to play on the bottom of a double bill with his in-house production I Drink Your Blood (1970). The title was changed to "I Eat Your Skin" (1970).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mad Ron's Prevues from Hell (1987) (V)

Not quite as horrible as the title would suggest....though it IS horrible!

Some folks fly to a small island in the Caribbean. Once they arrive, they find that there are murderous zombies roaming about as well as locals who are all members of a voodoo cult. In addition, there's a cancer researcher who is doing work with irradiated snake venom who seems a bit oblivious to the fact that the locals are into human sacrifice. Sounds like a nice place, huh?!

This is one of many horribly low budget horror films I have seen in my lifetime and the biggest thing that sets it apart is the title. After all, the release title "I EAT YOUR SKIN" sounds amazingly exploitative and sick. However, despite a promoter changing its title, the film itself is amazingly conventional--and it's just another grade-Z schlock horror film--complete with bad acting, camera work, makeup, and the works! While it's very bad, it isn't quite bad enough to be fun to watch and make fun of the film. No,...it's just bad!