In the 1940s, Veronica Lake made a meteoric rise to film stardom, thanks to her sultry beauty and, her highly exploited "peekaboo" hairstyle. She starred opposite big names like Alan Ladd and Fredric March, scoring screen successes in films like "This Gun For Hire" and "I Married A Witch". She held her own with female stars as well, and she surprised even her detractors with her performance as a bitter navy nurse in "So Proudly We Hail". But changing times and her own failings caught up with her, and by the end of the decade, her heyday was over. With two unsuccessful marriages behind her (and two more in her future) Veronica headed for New York City, where she made occasional television and summer stock appearances before dropping completely out of sight. It was briefly big news when she was found working as a barmaid in a second rate hotel in the early sixties. But by now, her longtime alcoholism and years of hard living had robbed her of her looks. Without them, public interest in her soon faded again. She did return to the stage in assorted vehicles, but her success was minimal. Eventually, she relocated to Miami, Florida, where she lived in relative obscurity. In 1966 she went to Canada for a part in an obscure movie called "Footsteps In The Snow" which had no U.S. release. The following year, she was discovered by some industrial filmmakers who had long wanted to produce a commercial feature. They approached her to star in their film "Time Is Terror" and convinced her to invest in the project. As one author put it, "If ever a movie queen suffered a terminal comedown, this was it". Surrounded by amateur performers and pathetic production values, she failed even to rise to a minimal level in this Miami, Florida shot quickie. Looking utterly ordinary in long shots, and luridly aged in close-ups, poor Veronica didn't act so much as walk through her part. As a deranged doctor, who has hit upon a successful youth restoration formula, using flesh-eating maggots!, she looks both bored and confused, her best moment coming when she is forced to ad-lib while she struggles desperately to don a pair of rubber gloves. The supporting cast is no help at all,merely advancing the plot by talking it to death, (when they aren't wandering aimlessly around the set, that is). Director Brad Grinter apparently only required the actors to move while the camera was pointed at them,so the fault isn't entirely theirs. As for the ''twist ending'' involving an attempt to put a supposedly long dead Dictator back in power- forget it. Just like the script does. There is, admittedly, one unintentionally hilarious scene involving a Private Detective/Nurse and a corpse in a wheelchair that predates ''Weekend At Bernie's'' by almost 20 years.)But there's a whole lot of nothing before you get there. According to Veronica herself, the film was shelved for three years because no master shots were filmed. Then, in 1970, the opportunistic production company scraped it together, changed the title to "Flesh Feast", and released it to cash in on Lake's just published biography. Because former leading ladies such as Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Olivia De Havilland had unexpectedly revived their careers in horror movies, this travesty was promoted as Veronica's "comeback film". This was a strange course of action for the filmmakers to pursue, though, because it's unlikely that the audience for a horror movie of THIS quality either knew (or cared) who Veronica Lake was. As expected, it did nothing for her career, and she died in poverty, three years later. A previous reviewer cites a scene in which the female detective working undercover as a nurse in the doctor's laboratory (overseeing the theft of bodies from a nearby morgue) enlists the help of a multi-talented chauffeur to cut up the body parts. "Poor Mrs. Lustig," she sighs, "I hope she doesn't mind leaving her body to science." "Try not to think about it," advises the chauffeur, sawing away. "I guess you are right, Hans." concludes the detective/nurse, "What is done is done." Alas, the unintentional humor is the only remotely entertaining part of this tripe. What a sad end to the career of a still fondly remembered star.
25 Reviews
Restore Your Youth - By Flesh-Eating Maggot-Therapy!
Witchfinder-General-6664 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
***BIG SPOILERS!*** "Flesh Feast" of 1970 is a more than unworthy conclusion to the great Veronica Lake's career. This has the wide reputation of being an awful stinker, and rightly so, I must say. As a huge fan of low-budget Horror/Exploitation, especially from the 70s, I nonetheless chose to watch this, mainly due to the cool camp-looking picture on this site, but after watching it I had to recognize that the picture actually has nothing to do with the film. The picture here on this site is the cover of a DVD collection entitled 'Flesh Feast' containing four films, including Sergio Martino's "Mountain Of The Cannibal God" and Dal Tenney's "I Eat Your Skin". What the collection does not include, however, is this boring turkey. "Flesh Feast" is not only camp and ridiculous, but mostly quite tedious, which is even more pathetic regarding that the film is only 70 minutes long. Also, don't get fooled by the title, the film is not gory at all. Yet it is watchable, if only for its trashiness and, especially, the extremely stupid, but therefore somewhat entertaining ending. The film follows a ridiculous plot about Dr. Elaine Frederick (Veronica Lake), an ingenious female scientist who can somehow rebuild youth with the help of flesh-eating maggots (don't ask how). A bunch of criminals (or terrorists, or whatever), who are paid by a radical political group assign the doctor to restore the youth of a 'mysterious' commander. After an endless hour of nonsensical drivel, it turns out that the mysterious commander is actually Hitler himself. It was quite obvious before, but I still had to burst out laughing because the film's finale was so unbelievably silly and unintentionally hilarious... This is a film that is very inadequate as the last film of a great actress and former beauty queen like Veronika Lake. Except for lake, the performances are ridiculously bad, even for a zero-budget production like this. Bad performances, however, are something I can easily forgive in films like this one. What I can not forgive, though, is extreme boredom. The final five minutes make this watchable for hardcore fans of camp stuff, but I would still recommend to skip it.
Awful
adriangr13 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I bought this for a few dollars in a second-hand store as I had long been curious about Flesh Feast as it is Veronica Lake's last ever movie. That's really the only thing it has going for it. Flesh Feast is an utterly forgettable, amateurish waste of time.
Lake stars as a "doctor" in some kind or nursing home/retreat who does secret experiments using maggots to restore youth. She is called upon by a foreign military group to treat their leader and this eventually leads to the "shock ending".
The film doesn't make a lot of sense. All the acting is poor, and Veronica Lake is no exception, although as all the dialogue is dubbed, it's hard to tell how good she may have been if the sound had been recorded live. If Veronica Lake was a beauty in her Hollywood heyday, she certainly isn't here. She first appears in a black suit and hat which do hint at a glimmer of sophistication, but this is soon discarded and she spends rest of the movie wearing either a white lab coat or what appears to be a hideously frumpy blue bowling shirt. The movie saves the most unflattering view of it's star for the ending, when Lake is seen in close up, laughing, which unfortunately showcases her mouthful of brown rotten teeth.
Inbetween gawking at Lake, most of the film is very boring. For bad movie fans though, there is one spectacularly hilarious scene when a young woman enters the forbidden laboratory and comes across a dissected corpse. It's hilarious because the body parts are hanging from the ceiling in clear view of the woman the entire time, but the actress feigns ignorance of the horrible sight until she has walked all the way across the room, past the legs, arms and head dangling inches from her nose (in bright harsh lighting no less), until she is finally cued to turn around, "spot" them, and then burst into the hammiest screams of horror you have ever seen. Much hilarity, and almost worth buying for that scene alone.
But when I say "almost" worth buying, I really mean that. The current DVD release by Telefilms International/Beverly Wiltshire Filmworks is atrocious. It's a DVD recording of a video tape, and not a very good one at that. The source video itself is fullscreen, blurry and comes complete with dropouts, wobble and flickers, all lovingly preserved in the digital medium. Worse still, the print that the video was made from is crackly and full of scratches, missing frames and blotches on the print. But as there appears to be no official release available, I presume this is currently the only way to see the masterpiece that is "Flesh Feast".
For the very curious only, and while this is the only print available, I advise paying no more than five dollars for a copy. If a new print of "Flesh Feast" is ever found and remastered, it might make it onto a Classic Bad Movie DVD list... but not in this state.
Lake stars as a "doctor" in some kind or nursing home/retreat who does secret experiments using maggots to restore youth. She is called upon by a foreign military group to treat their leader and this eventually leads to the "shock ending".
The film doesn't make a lot of sense. All the acting is poor, and Veronica Lake is no exception, although as all the dialogue is dubbed, it's hard to tell how good she may have been if the sound had been recorded live. If Veronica Lake was a beauty in her Hollywood heyday, she certainly isn't here. She first appears in a black suit and hat which do hint at a glimmer of sophistication, but this is soon discarded and she spends rest of the movie wearing either a white lab coat or what appears to be a hideously frumpy blue bowling shirt. The movie saves the most unflattering view of it's star for the ending, when Lake is seen in close up, laughing, which unfortunately showcases her mouthful of brown rotten teeth.
Inbetween gawking at Lake, most of the film is very boring. For bad movie fans though, there is one spectacularly hilarious scene when a young woman enters the forbidden laboratory and comes across a dissected corpse. It's hilarious because the body parts are hanging from the ceiling in clear view of the woman the entire time, but the actress feigns ignorance of the horrible sight until she has walked all the way across the room, past the legs, arms and head dangling inches from her nose (in bright harsh lighting no less), until she is finally cued to turn around, "spot" them, and then burst into the hammiest screams of horror you have ever seen. Much hilarity, and almost worth buying for that scene alone.
But when I say "almost" worth buying, I really mean that. The current DVD release by Telefilms International/Beverly Wiltshire Filmworks is atrocious. It's a DVD recording of a video tape, and not a very good one at that. The source video itself is fullscreen, blurry and comes complete with dropouts, wobble and flickers, all lovingly preserved in the digital medium. Worse still, the print that the video was made from is crackly and full of scratches, missing frames and blotches on the print. But as there appears to be no official release available, I presume this is currently the only way to see the masterpiece that is "Flesh Feast".
For the very curious only, and while this is the only print available, I advise paying no more than five dollars for a copy. If a new print of "Flesh Feast" is ever found and remastered, it might make it onto a Classic Bad Movie DVD list... but not in this state.
Oh! How the Mighty Have Fallen!
BaronBl00d22 September 2002
Without a doubt one of the most attractive and seductive ladies of the silver screen was Veronica Lake. She had a distinctive look and a distinctive quality that few actresses were ever able to duplicate. With such landmark films as Sullivan's Travels, The Glass Key, The Blue Dahlia, and This Gun for Hire under her belt, Veronica was a a star of epic proportions, and then things fell apart. She made a string of poorly conceived and received films, spiraled into the dark world of alcoholism and faded into obscurity. She died in the early 70's at the age of 53 from hepatitis. The 4'11 blonde bombshell reduced to an obscure reminder of a faded glory. Before her unfortunately uneventful death, Veronica made one last film in 1970 called Flesh Feast. The premise for Flesh Feast is as follows: a female doctor once connected with the Third Reich has developed a way to make men look younger through a treatment of using maggots, that have fed on human flesh, applied to their face. Intrigue abounds as former Nazis(strangely most of them having fake Italian accents)congregate in this home where science is buzzing with new scientific progress. The doctor and her espionage friends are waiting for Mr. Big to come. Well, to tell you any more would ruin the inane ending. It certainly is a very poorly crafted story. The film is poorly made on so many levels. You know you are in trouble when the name of the actor with top billing AFTER Ms. Lake is named Phil Philbin. I laughed for minutes seeing just his name and knew where this film was going: no where. There is almost no blood in this film. There are no scary moments. There is no suspense. The film seems to be nothing more than a few guys getting together in Florida with a personal movie camera and shooting the film. Of course it is the presence of Veronica Lake that is being sold. She had not made a movie at this time in five years and only one in the last ten years. It seems that alcohol had become such a part of her life that she was once found as a barmaid in a hotel. Ms. Lake gives a stilted performance at best, but clearly has more talent than anyone involved in front or behind the camera. The director shows her in those old woman pant suits so fashionable then...and now...and never tries to copy the common sense of Ms. Lake's previous directors. When your leading lady is 4'11, you just don't shoot wide shots that make her look like an aged midget against the backdrop of everything and everyone. Veronica has put some weight on and her face is a bit pudgy, but you can tell it is her. She still has that sparkle in her eyes. Although the movie is God awful in almost every way, it certainly should be seen for its value as a cinematic oddity. It is one of the rare chances of seeing a star that burned out... to soon. Fortunately for me, I shall always remember Ms. Lake for her films with Alan Ladd. They were Veronica Lake at her best. But I will remember Flesh Feast as well. It is not good nor horrifying, but a sad reminder what happened to such a wonderful actress.
A Little Support for Ms. Lake
thomas196x200018 November 2019
Yes, this is an awfully conceived, shot, acted and presented film, truly the bottom of the barrel.
However, a lot of comments here about how bad Lake looked, and how sad and horrible this is.
Yes, she had aged due to alcohol. So did a lot of actors and actresses. And she had health issues that killed her just a few years later. But I would temper that by suggesting a viewing of the Dick Cavett interview with her a year after this film (you can see it on youtube). You might be surprised. She is apparently happy, good humored, talkative, bright and intelligent. She was once asked to accept $100,000 to marry a guy that wanted to be able to say "I was married to Veronica Lake" and she could divorce him in Reno immediately afterwards! She would not agree to that, even in writing, for her kids' sake of hearing her mom did something so foolish. She then remarked "I wish I had the offer now!" making one conclude that she didn't have a ton of money.
She looked much older in the interview than she was, due to drinking and I would also say smoking a lot. But she looked a lot better than in the movie.
One should keep in mind that Lake had the intellect to know that this was a goofy movie, she could use the money, and just went for it. She is laughing in the movie like a crazy witch, mugging the camera, intentionally looking as bad as possible. She knew exactly what she was doing, creating a monstrous character with little to work with production-wise.
Watch the Cavett interview and you will rest easier knowing that, although she had heath issues, she wasn't nearly the sad basket case that commenters here seem to believe.
However, a lot of comments here about how bad Lake looked, and how sad and horrible this is.
Yes, she had aged due to alcohol. So did a lot of actors and actresses. And she had health issues that killed her just a few years later. But I would temper that by suggesting a viewing of the Dick Cavett interview with her a year after this film (you can see it on youtube). You might be surprised. She is apparently happy, good humored, talkative, bright and intelligent. She was once asked to accept $100,000 to marry a guy that wanted to be able to say "I was married to Veronica Lake" and she could divorce him in Reno immediately afterwards! She would not agree to that, even in writing, for her kids' sake of hearing her mom did something so foolish. She then remarked "I wish I had the offer now!" making one conclude that she didn't have a ton of money.
She looked much older in the interview than she was, due to drinking and I would also say smoking a lot. But she looked a lot better than in the movie.
One should keep in mind that Lake had the intellect to know that this was a goofy movie, she could use the money, and just went for it. She is laughing in the movie like a crazy witch, mugging the camera, intentionally looking as bad as possible. She knew exactly what she was doing, creating a monstrous character with little to work with production-wise.
Watch the Cavett interview and you will rest easier knowing that, although she had heath issues, she wasn't nearly the sad basket case that commenters here seem to believe.
Oh Veronica, How are the mighty fallen!
jjnxn-128 June 2015
The very definition of ultra cheap and incredibly bad. The one time mega-star Veronica Lake has the sorriest wrap-up to any cinematic career of any once great performer.
Apparently filmed in someone's house decorated in awful late 60's fashion-orange carpeting, textured wallpaper etc. on a budget of apparently 1.98 this thing is beyond dreadful. To say Veronica is the best thing in the film isn't even damning her with faint praise considering this is full of some of the worst acting imaginable, honestly you could see better in a third grade school play. She really isn't even that good and the hard years and booze have left her a frowzy mess dressed in a very unbecoming sweater and slack suit. On top of the unrelenting cheapness and non existent direction is a repulsive story that is as unbelievable as it is tasteless.
For Lake completest ONLY and even for them a very sad experience. She would be gone within three years of completing this horrid, worthless mess.
Apparently filmed in someone's house decorated in awful late 60's fashion-orange carpeting, textured wallpaper etc. on a budget of apparently 1.98 this thing is beyond dreadful. To say Veronica is the best thing in the film isn't even damning her with faint praise considering this is full of some of the worst acting imaginable, honestly you could see better in a third grade school play. She really isn't even that good and the hard years and booze have left her a frowzy mess dressed in a very unbecoming sweater and slack suit. On top of the unrelenting cheapness and non existent direction is a repulsive story that is as unbelievable as it is tasteless.
For Lake completest ONLY and even for them a very sad experience. She would be gone within three years of completing this horrid, worthless mess.
"Police speculate that this bizarre crime is the work of a psychopath." Fantastic title for a terrible zero-budget horror film.
poolandrews6 October 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Flesh Feast starts at Miami Airport, ace reporter Dan Carter (Harry Kerwin, he is also credited as production designer) phones his mate Ed Casey (Phil Philbin) to let him know that he has just returned from South America where he has been investigating Carl Schuman (Doug Foster) & that he was onto a big story but while still talking on the phone he is stabbed in the back & killed. Schuman meets Dr. Elaine Frederick (Veronica Lake, she also executive produced) who has recently been released from a mental institution, together they discuss their grisly plans. The news of Cater's death has reached Casey & he decides to take the story up himself & do some investigating, well actually he gets his secretary Viginia Day (Marth Mischon) to do most of the investigating & just report back to him, lazy bugger. Virginia informs Casey that they have someone on the inside named Kristine (Heather Hughes) since Dr. Frederick rents her spare rooms out to nurses, Kristine reports back to Casey about Schuman & Dr. Frederick's grotesque youth restoration experiments involving human flesh & specially cultivated maggots...
Co written, co-produced & directed by Brad F. Grinter Flesh Feast is a pretty poor film on all accounts. First lets start with the script by Grinter & Thomas Casey who was also responsible for the cinematography (you get the feeling that most of the cast & crew had more than one job), basically it's terrible. The character's are one dimensional idiots & have no personality, I didn't like anyone in this film. For what it's worth I quite like some of the ideas here, the flesh-eating maggots, the basement laboratory, stealing bodies from a hospital & that unforgettable 'twist' ending that's almost worth sitting through the rest of the film for on it's own. Unfortunately the dialogue is so badly written, stiff & unnatural sounding it's untrue, I mean there is one scene in which a nurse says that they "won't let us out of the house" which is fine except for the fact that she is speaking OUTSIDE in the garden to someone. No thought has been put into the story as no explanation is ever given for why flesh-eating maggots are able to restore youth, in fact at one point near the end when questioned about this very thing Dr. Frederick claims there is no time to explain at that point which to me sounds like the people who wrote this didn't have a clue either! Even at an extremely short 68 minutes long Flesh Feast is very slow & dull, the poor editing doesn't help with scenes & shots lasting for far too long, for example there is a scene in which an Ambulance pulls up outside a Hospital, drives up to the doors, the guy gets out, he walks to the back doors & opens them etc. etc. did we really need to see every single detail? There is also another sequence in which Dr. Frederick enters room & puts some gloves on, then she takes them off walks into the opposite room & puts another pair on! I personally think that Grinter probably didn't shoot enough material so he stretches every scene out as much as he can to make the run time up. I do like that bizarre ending though, I really do. Technically Flesh feast is complete crap, I'm not sure what the budget was on this but it must have been small, very small. Just about the entire film takes place in one house, Dr. Frederick's laboratory consists of a table, some plastic beakers & test tubes, some ancient looking electronic medical equipment & a strange screen with funny colours on it (don't ask). The cinematography is poor, the music sucks & the entire film looks dubbed, badly dubbed too. The exploitation elements are also disappointing, there are a few maggot shots but they don't actually do anything other than wriggle a bit, there is a brief scene where a dead body has it's leg sawn off & a OK looking dismembered corpse & limbs hanging on hooks. The acting is awful from everyone concerned, & I mean really bad which makes the rubbishy dialogue even worse. Do yourself a favour & avoid Flesh Feast, yes there are one or two unintentionally funny moments & that ending is, well unique to say the least but for the most part this is real amateur film-making that quickly becomes painful to watch. I doubt most people will make it through this is one sitting, I can tolerate just about anything but even I considered switching it off. Definitely one to avoid, you'll be pleased you did & if you really have to see it don't say you weren't warned!
Co written, co-produced & directed by Brad F. Grinter Flesh Feast is a pretty poor film on all accounts. First lets start with the script by Grinter & Thomas Casey who was also responsible for the cinematography (you get the feeling that most of the cast & crew had more than one job), basically it's terrible. The character's are one dimensional idiots & have no personality, I didn't like anyone in this film. For what it's worth I quite like some of the ideas here, the flesh-eating maggots, the basement laboratory, stealing bodies from a hospital & that unforgettable 'twist' ending that's almost worth sitting through the rest of the film for on it's own. Unfortunately the dialogue is so badly written, stiff & unnatural sounding it's untrue, I mean there is one scene in which a nurse says that they "won't let us out of the house" which is fine except for the fact that she is speaking OUTSIDE in the garden to someone. No thought has been put into the story as no explanation is ever given for why flesh-eating maggots are able to restore youth, in fact at one point near the end when questioned about this very thing Dr. Frederick claims there is no time to explain at that point which to me sounds like the people who wrote this didn't have a clue either! Even at an extremely short 68 minutes long Flesh Feast is very slow & dull, the poor editing doesn't help with scenes & shots lasting for far too long, for example there is a scene in which an Ambulance pulls up outside a Hospital, drives up to the doors, the guy gets out, he walks to the back doors & opens them etc. etc. did we really need to see every single detail? There is also another sequence in which Dr. Frederick enters room & puts some gloves on, then she takes them off walks into the opposite room & puts another pair on! I personally think that Grinter probably didn't shoot enough material so he stretches every scene out as much as he can to make the run time up. I do like that bizarre ending though, I really do. Technically Flesh feast is complete crap, I'm not sure what the budget was on this but it must have been small, very small. Just about the entire film takes place in one house, Dr. Frederick's laboratory consists of a table, some plastic beakers & test tubes, some ancient looking electronic medical equipment & a strange screen with funny colours on it (don't ask). The cinematography is poor, the music sucks & the entire film looks dubbed, badly dubbed too. The exploitation elements are also disappointing, there are a few maggot shots but they don't actually do anything other than wriggle a bit, there is a brief scene where a dead body has it's leg sawn off & a OK looking dismembered corpse & limbs hanging on hooks. The acting is awful from everyone concerned, & I mean really bad which makes the rubbishy dialogue even worse. Do yourself a favour & avoid Flesh Feast, yes there are one or two unintentionally funny moments & that ending is, well unique to say the least but for the most part this is real amateur film-making that quickly becomes painful to watch. I doubt most people will make it through this is one sitting, I can tolerate just about anything but even I considered switching it off. Definitely one to avoid, you'll be pleased you did & if you really have to see it don't say you weren't warned!
Flesh-less feast
TheLittleSongbird20 May 2020
Expectations were not high at all for 'Flesh Feast', it has to be admitted. My only real reason for seeing it was, other than my appreciation for the genre, seeing Veronica Lake in her swansong. She was a beautiful woman and excelled in the femme fatale sort of roles, while also faring well cast against type (like she was in 'I Married a Witch'). But the title alone is enough to give one a good idea of what to expect and even the premise sounded like schlock.
'Flesh Feast's' execution was even more schlocky. To me, it does have to be down there as being one of the worst final films for any actor/actress in a list that includes Bette Davis in 'Wicked Stepmother'. It is easily Lake's worst film (and she did a lot of pretty bad films when her career declined) and even she doesn't come over too well. Also consider it one of the worst films seen in a long time by me and the worst since 'Baby's First Christmas' way back in March. Very rarely give out my lowest possible ratings these days when reviewing, but 'Flesh Feast' is a more than worthy recipient.
Its least bad aspect was the final 10 minutes or so which finally showed signs of some energy. Even that portion lacked tension, fun or the scare factor, and was instead every bit as nonsensical as what came before. So sadly it can't be seen as a redeeming quality in my eyes.
All the acting is awful, nobody looks interested and just wade in and out in thinly written plot device parts. Basically it is ineptitude of the highest order, and that is including Lake herself who looks miserable throughout and like she wanted to be elsewhere. Equally inept is the direction, no sense of style, pace or an ability to make the action interesting or cohesive. Have not seen a film this cheap-looking in a long time, the effects when used are shoestring budget-level, it looks rushed, the make-up is worse than bad fancy dress and the disorganised photography shows Lake at her least visually flattering.
The sound is similarly disorganised and can be very discordant with the action. The dialogue is hokey awkwardness and pure ham that exceed maximum limit, that it induced a lot of cringing and unintentional laughter. Then there is the story which, when there is signs of any, is a complete mess from start to finish. No tension. No suspense. Nothing remotely scary (contrary to what the title suggests), and the little horror there is looks cheap and too reliant on gratuitous shock value. Most people with this premise would expect 'Flesh Feast' to be silly, but few would expect it to be this nonsensical and intelligence-insultingly stupid, and even understanding what was going on was difficult often. The pace is all over the place, the film is not that long but feels like an eternity with the amount of dull stretches and irrelevant parts there for padding reasons.
Overall, dreadful all round. Best avoided unless you are trying to see all of Lake's films, and even in that instance you would see pretty much nobody considering this a must see film of hers and instead say that it is a bad representation of her. A deserving and generous 1/10
'Flesh Feast's' execution was even more schlocky. To me, it does have to be down there as being one of the worst final films for any actor/actress in a list that includes Bette Davis in 'Wicked Stepmother'. It is easily Lake's worst film (and she did a lot of pretty bad films when her career declined) and even she doesn't come over too well. Also consider it one of the worst films seen in a long time by me and the worst since 'Baby's First Christmas' way back in March. Very rarely give out my lowest possible ratings these days when reviewing, but 'Flesh Feast' is a more than worthy recipient.
Its least bad aspect was the final 10 minutes or so which finally showed signs of some energy. Even that portion lacked tension, fun or the scare factor, and was instead every bit as nonsensical as what came before. So sadly it can't be seen as a redeeming quality in my eyes.
All the acting is awful, nobody looks interested and just wade in and out in thinly written plot device parts. Basically it is ineptitude of the highest order, and that is including Lake herself who looks miserable throughout and like she wanted to be elsewhere. Equally inept is the direction, no sense of style, pace or an ability to make the action interesting or cohesive. Have not seen a film this cheap-looking in a long time, the effects when used are shoestring budget-level, it looks rushed, the make-up is worse than bad fancy dress and the disorganised photography shows Lake at her least visually flattering.
The sound is similarly disorganised and can be very discordant with the action. The dialogue is hokey awkwardness and pure ham that exceed maximum limit, that it induced a lot of cringing and unintentional laughter. Then there is the story which, when there is signs of any, is a complete mess from start to finish. No tension. No suspense. Nothing remotely scary (contrary to what the title suggests), and the little horror there is looks cheap and too reliant on gratuitous shock value. Most people with this premise would expect 'Flesh Feast' to be silly, but few would expect it to be this nonsensical and intelligence-insultingly stupid, and even understanding what was going on was difficult often. The pace is all over the place, the film is not that long but feels like an eternity with the amount of dull stretches and irrelevant parts there for padding reasons.
Overall, dreadful all round. Best avoided unless you are trying to see all of Lake's films, and even in that instance you would see pretty much nobody considering this a must see film of hers and instead say that it is a bad representation of her. A deserving and generous 1/10
Florida Bore: Save us Blood Freak
Tromafreak10 February 2009
Once upon a time, way back in the 1940's, there lived an actress named Veronica Lake. A beautiful, talented young woman who was once in high demand for many big-budget, Hollywood pictures. Fast Forward to the late 1960's, age, alcoholism, and all-around bad luck has tarnished everyones favorite actress. Now a hasbeen, Miss Lake decides the time has come to follow in the foot steps of her peers(?), Joan Crawford, and Bette Davis, and fall back on good ol' reliable Horror. But Flesh Feast? Really? She couldn't have possibly been that washed up. To put it delicately, Flesh Feast is a lifeless pile garbage, possibly one of the top 5 worst films I've ever seen, and I've seen them all. Lake plays a scientist, who is plotting, with Nazi's, to bring Hitler back to life, with youth restoration experiments involving maggots, that's right, maggots. Unless you're a huge fan of Heather Hughes, run away and never look back!!
I know very little about this Veronica Lake person, as well as 40's flicks, but to think that such a successful career actually became that dismal, is actually pretty sad. Flesh Feast is almost impossible to get through, and by almost, I mean absolutely. Directed by Brad Grinter, director of Nudist Camp pictures, and the man who, coincidentally brought us the greatest B-movie ever made, Blood Freak, just a couple years later. One has to wonder, is this what Blood Freak would have been like if Grinter hadn't co-directed with Steve Hawkes? If so, then God bless Steve Hawkes. You wouldn't think that a Religious, dope-blood craving, Turkey Monster could be THAT much better than experiments involving Maggots and Hitler, but it really, really is. So forget you ever heard of this one and go find Blood Freak, it's just waiting to entertain you. Fast Forward a couple years later, Veronica Lake dies of Hepititas, broke, and forgotten. The End. I hate you, Flesh Feast. 1/10
I know very little about this Veronica Lake person, as well as 40's flicks, but to think that such a successful career actually became that dismal, is actually pretty sad. Flesh Feast is almost impossible to get through, and by almost, I mean absolutely. Directed by Brad Grinter, director of Nudist Camp pictures, and the man who, coincidentally brought us the greatest B-movie ever made, Blood Freak, just a couple years later. One has to wonder, is this what Blood Freak would have been like if Grinter hadn't co-directed with Steve Hawkes? If so, then God bless Steve Hawkes. You wouldn't think that a Religious, dope-blood craving, Turkey Monster could be THAT much better than experiments involving Maggots and Hitler, but it really, really is. So forget you ever heard of this one and go find Blood Freak, it's just waiting to entertain you. Fast Forward a couple years later, Veronica Lake dies of Hepititas, broke, and forgotten. The End. I hate you, Flesh Feast. 1/10
Cool Title, Doofy Movie....
Flixer19575 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Brad Grinter's other claim to fame was BLOOD FREAK, about a bloodthirsty turkey-monster. Chris Martell previously appeared in THE GRUESOME TWOSOME, then co-starred with Phil Philbin in SCREAM BABY SCREAM. Apparently those films weren't bad enough so these guys collaborated on this Grade-Z stinker, co-produced by none other than Veronica Lake. Veronica plays a crazed plastic surgeon who uses hungry maggots for dermabrasion. She's also seeking revenge on a "mystery patient" whose identity is revealed at the end. (HINT: This mystery patient ruled Germany during World War II.) This grungy premise, which should have grossed out drive-in audiences everywhere, is undermined by insane dialog, risible acting and hysterical production gaffes. A lab assistant cuts through a corpse's tendon and a noise like wood being sawed is heard on the soundtrack. Another character blunders into a room festooned with pale body parts hanging from the ceiling; she actually has to bump into a hacked-up torso before noticing anything wrong. I've read about a scene where Lake spouts a patriotic wartime speech directly into the camera; thankfully, it's been cut from every video version I've seen. Veronica was a diner waitress prior to doing this picture. After waiting on the public, she probably considered working with maggots a pleasant chore by comparison.
Bottom of the barrel, and then some
Leofwine_draca4 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Like Joan Crawford and TROG, FLESH FEAST was the swansong for former Hollywood starlet Veronica Lake, here aged beyond recognition and reduced to playing a mad scientist role in the tale of an anti-ageing treatment - administered via maggots, no less - which is hijacked by a group of Neo Nazis. The twist, of course, is that the film's reveal involves the body of Adolf Hitler, brought back to unceremonious life for the big twist climax. Unfortunately, this film is so cheaply made that the only reaction the viewer has to it is to laugh at it. It's inept throughout, badly scripted and acted, with the effects limited to cruddy make-up and rice standing in from the maggots. Even bad movie lovers will be hard-pressed to enjoy this one.
Mere words can't describe how bad this movie is
Stevieboy66616 October 2020
It appears that every review for Flesh Feast, where ever you look, mentions that this was Hollywood star Veronica Lake's final movie. Well I'm not familiar with her work but her career obviously plummeted to a great depth with this appearance. An utterly bonkers plot she stars (for want of a better word) as a Florida based scientist who uses flesh eating maggots to restore bodily youth, her first human patient being none other than Adolf Hitler!!! There is also a subplot about investigative journalism but the script is so poor it is pretty irrelevant. The acting is abysmal, the dialogue equally bad. Poor editing, cheap sets (is that a kitchen doubling for a laboratory?), some incredibly slow dialogue and sadly very little gore (despite some claiming the contrary). Some bad movies are so bad that they entertain me and I can be a little generous with my ratings but I've given this an honest one, there are even worse films out there but this one is truly awful, mercifully fairly short at 72 minutes.
Maggot Plastic Surgery
gavcrimson19 October 2002
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILERS INCLUDED Producer, Director and Film Teacher Brad Grinter was well liked in the Florida Exploitation film community, if only for the fact that as Grinter was a fully fledged nudist, naked women always seemed to be hanging around his office. His films though are a less titillating prospect. Their shoddy editing and out of focus shots pose the question what on earth Grinter was teaching to his film students, who are thought to have unwittingly financed many of Grinter's directing outings by paying hefty tuition fees. According to legend Grinter met Veronica Lake in the late Sixties when he was working as a location scout on Herschell Lewis' Just for the Hell of It'. That film, a story of anti-social youths on a rampage, called for a room to be trashed at one point. After contacting a local landlord, such a room was hired for destruction- the only problem being an elderly woman had secretly moved in and was about to be evicted. Grinter intervened, allowing the woman to remain in the room during filming, and later discovered his tenant' was non other than the former I Married a Witch' and Sullivan's Travels' star who'd evidently fallen on hard times. A sad story, but perhaps not as sad as Flesh Feast, the Sunshine State horror movie that Lake financed as a comeback' vehicle and Grinter co-produced and directed in 1970.
The convoluted plot opens with the murder of a newshound investigating arms dealer Carl Shuman. Upon learning of his friend's death publisher Ed Casey vows I'm going on this case myself', but by the time the credits have rolled he's obviously had a change of heart since he spends the rest of the film sitting behind his desk. The film then switches to the Miami mansion of Shuman's friend Elaine Frederick (Lake) a doctor and former mental patient (not the greatest of combinations) who has been working on creating a modern day fountain of youth'. Grinter's favourite non-actress Heather Hughes plays Frederick's nurse assistant, who is in fact secretly working undercover for Casey. Two other nurses also snoop around the mansion and say things like gosh this should give you the willies'. Hughes gains Frederick's trust to the degree that she's allowed to help out with the doctor's experiments which involve stealing bits of corpses from the spare parts department' of the local hospital and feeding human flesh to cannibalistic maggots. The script by Grinter and Thomas Casey (he of Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things' infamy) isn't at all clear as to why, but Frederick believes the flesh munching maggots can act as a plastic surgery substitute and reverse the aging process. Halfway through the film a bunch of South American heavies show up at the mansion and effectively hold everyone hostage. They've been sent there by Frederick's secret financer, The Commander', an aged dictator who plans to use the doctor's discovery for his own nefarious ends. The Commander's second-in-command the very old and very arrogant' Max Bauer played by a young actor in flour make-up turns up and acts as a guinea pig for Frederick's maggot plastic surgery. The operation done presumably by applying maggots to Bauer's face is a success, but Bauer lets the idea of looking young again go to his head and strangles one of the nurses, only to be then stabbed to death by her boyfriend. After what seems like an eternity The Commander' finally shows up, and as if the moustache and phoney German accent wasn't a dead giveaway turns out to be non other than Adolf Hitler, alive and well and on the look out for a new face. However the Nazi's plan goes belly up when the bodies of Bauer and the nurse are discovered resulting in a shootout between the police and the heavies. In the confusion Frederick straps Hitler down to an operating table, reveals her mother died in a concentration camp and as revenge tortures him to death with cannibalistic maggots.
While Flesh Feast's storyline would suggest it to be, if nothing else, a worthy companion piece to Grinter's Blood Freak (about a biker who due to drug experimentation turns into a turkey monster), sadly all of its plot absurdities are lamely realised, and without the ..dare I say charm of his turkey horror film. There's no discernable action or suspense, and Grinter seems to have been under the delusion that a string of repetitive scenes featuring Florida exploitation perennials like Chris Martell and Harry Kerwin lounging around in motel look rooms and yakking in dodgy foreign accents would somehow pass for an entertaining film. Grinter occasionally waves the odd severed limb in the audience's faces, and there are even several somewhat desperate stabs at black comedy with Frederick's assistants smuggling a body from a hospital simply by putting dark glasses on the corpse and conspicuously' pushing it around in a wheel-chair or when nurse Heather Hughes feels so bad about one of her dead former patients having a leg cut off with a hacksaw that she remarks poor Mrs. Lustig, I hope she doesn't mind leaving her body to science'. Such minor rewards though are hard to recommend when the rest of the film is such tedious, yawn-a-minute stuff. Lake, because this was her final film before her death in 1973 lends the film a certain footnote with an asterisk' status, and is better than the cardboard supporting cast, but it's hard to argue that being surrounded by maggots, a Hitler impersonator and the low end of the Florida entertainment world was a fitting finale to anyone's career.
Brad Grinter passed away a few years back and the rights to his films were inherited by his son Randy who has recently sold them on for VHS/DVD releases. Blood Freak is already out and Grinter's once presumed lost nudist films are rumoured to be coming shortly. The poor quality DVD release this review was based on however bares all the hallmarks of an unauthorized grey area job.
The convoluted plot opens with the murder of a newshound investigating arms dealer Carl Shuman. Upon learning of his friend's death publisher Ed Casey vows I'm going on this case myself', but by the time the credits have rolled he's obviously had a change of heart since he spends the rest of the film sitting behind his desk. The film then switches to the Miami mansion of Shuman's friend Elaine Frederick (Lake) a doctor and former mental patient (not the greatest of combinations) who has been working on creating a modern day fountain of youth'. Grinter's favourite non-actress Heather Hughes plays Frederick's nurse assistant, who is in fact secretly working undercover for Casey. Two other nurses also snoop around the mansion and say things like gosh this should give you the willies'. Hughes gains Frederick's trust to the degree that she's allowed to help out with the doctor's experiments which involve stealing bits of corpses from the spare parts department' of the local hospital and feeding human flesh to cannibalistic maggots. The script by Grinter and Thomas Casey (he of Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things' infamy) isn't at all clear as to why, but Frederick believes the flesh munching maggots can act as a plastic surgery substitute and reverse the aging process. Halfway through the film a bunch of South American heavies show up at the mansion and effectively hold everyone hostage. They've been sent there by Frederick's secret financer, The Commander', an aged dictator who plans to use the doctor's discovery for his own nefarious ends. The Commander's second-in-command the very old and very arrogant' Max Bauer played by a young actor in flour make-up turns up and acts as a guinea pig for Frederick's maggot plastic surgery. The operation done presumably by applying maggots to Bauer's face is a success, but Bauer lets the idea of looking young again go to his head and strangles one of the nurses, only to be then stabbed to death by her boyfriend. After what seems like an eternity The Commander' finally shows up, and as if the moustache and phoney German accent wasn't a dead giveaway turns out to be non other than Adolf Hitler, alive and well and on the look out for a new face. However the Nazi's plan goes belly up when the bodies of Bauer and the nurse are discovered resulting in a shootout between the police and the heavies. In the confusion Frederick straps Hitler down to an operating table, reveals her mother died in a concentration camp and as revenge tortures him to death with cannibalistic maggots.
While Flesh Feast's storyline would suggest it to be, if nothing else, a worthy companion piece to Grinter's Blood Freak (about a biker who due to drug experimentation turns into a turkey monster), sadly all of its plot absurdities are lamely realised, and without the ..dare I say charm of his turkey horror film. There's no discernable action or suspense, and Grinter seems to have been under the delusion that a string of repetitive scenes featuring Florida exploitation perennials like Chris Martell and Harry Kerwin lounging around in motel look rooms and yakking in dodgy foreign accents would somehow pass for an entertaining film. Grinter occasionally waves the odd severed limb in the audience's faces, and there are even several somewhat desperate stabs at black comedy with Frederick's assistants smuggling a body from a hospital simply by putting dark glasses on the corpse and conspicuously' pushing it around in a wheel-chair or when nurse Heather Hughes feels so bad about one of her dead former patients having a leg cut off with a hacksaw that she remarks poor Mrs. Lustig, I hope she doesn't mind leaving her body to science'. Such minor rewards though are hard to recommend when the rest of the film is such tedious, yawn-a-minute stuff. Lake, because this was her final film before her death in 1973 lends the film a certain footnote with an asterisk' status, and is better than the cardboard supporting cast, but it's hard to argue that being surrounded by maggots, a Hitler impersonator and the low end of the Florida entertainment world was a fitting finale to anyone's career.
Brad Grinter passed away a few years back and the rights to his films were inherited by his son Randy who has recently sold them on for VHS/DVD releases. Blood Freak is already out and Grinter's once presumed lost nudist films are rumoured to be coming shortly. The poor quality DVD release this review was based on however bares all the hallmarks of an unauthorized grey area job.
Not the worst thing Grintner ever made...though that's not exactly a ringing endorsement!!
planktonrules11 October 2020
The only reason I watched "Flesh Feast" was because it's Veronica Lake's final film. She had many ups and mostly downs in the later part of her life, and it's a shame she was in a film as dubious as this one. This is because filmmaker Brad Grintner was a hack, responsible for such awful films as "Death Curse of Tartu" and "Flesh Freak"....not exactly a sterling reputation. Obviously Lake must have really needed the money!
The film finds a mad scientist (Lake) working on creating some super maggots...maggots which supposedly can make a person look and feel young again. But to culture these miracle maggots (patent pending), she needs to feed them fresh corpses! As for her 'friends', they want her to use this miracle to revive a very elderly man....Adolf Hitler!!!!!
It is amazing when you read through my summary that the film is as dull as this one turned out to be. Yes, Grintner took a schlocky plot and managed to make it dull...something that really surprised me. It really SHOULD have been more cheesy and over-the-top....at least it would have been funnier and more entertaining. Stilll, watching this and "They Saved Hitler's Brain" would make an interesting double-feature.
The film finds a mad scientist (Lake) working on creating some super maggots...maggots which supposedly can make a person look and feel young again. But to culture these miracle maggots (patent pending), she needs to feed them fresh corpses! As for her 'friends', they want her to use this miracle to revive a very elderly man....Adolf Hitler!!!!!
It is amazing when you read through my summary that the film is as dull as this one turned out to be. Yes, Grintner took a schlocky plot and managed to make it dull...something that really surprised me. It really SHOULD have been more cheesy and over-the-top....at least it would have been funnier and more entertaining. Stilll, watching this and "They Saved Hitler's Brain" would make an interesting double-feature.
Oh, I So Much Wanted This Flick To Be Better. 1-2-Miss.
P3n-E-W1s32 August 2022
Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Flesh Feast; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.00 Direction: 0.50 Pace: 0.50 Acting: 0.75 Enjoyment: 0.75
TOTAL: 3.50 out of 10.00
After reading some of the reviews for Flesh Feast, many people believe this to be the worst horror movie ever filmed. True, it is terrible, but it's not the worst - check out Son Of Blob, residing in the lowest spot on my Absolute Horror list. Plus, I don't see Flesh Feast as a horror flick. It's more of a science fiction thriller.
The one redeeming factor the film possesses is the story concept. A scientist uses the corpses of recently deceased residents from a care home she owns to progress her experiments to revert humans to their youthful years. Throw into the mix a band of Nazis who have a mysterious elder in need of rejuvenating - bet you can guess who. If I had been Veronica Lake and read a favourable synopsis like this one, which also holds a delightful twist at the climax, I would've thrown my money into the picture too. However, what she should have checked out before committing herself was who the writer and director were because they are the downfall of the movie. Thomas Casey and Brad Grinter (who also directed) are not too talented when writing a fully-fledged screenplay. Flesh Feast is yet another intriguing concept spoiled by lack of skill. None of the characters is more than two-dimensional. And there's an awful amount of waffle and nothingness in both the narrative and the film.
Grinter is as talented behind the camera as he is behind a typewriter. Though, I do have to admit to liking the telephone booth assassination of the reporter. It's a clever scenario, and Grinter captures it pretty well. There's also a lovely scene where a male and female nurse is deconstructing a cadaver. It's enjoyable for its minor realism of the carers having trouble sawing through the old gal's bones. Sadly, the scenes are only on screen for a few seconds, and the rest of the movie is your standard point-and-shoot. When you add the poorly written and uninteresting script, it becomes obvious why the film received rotten reviews. Notwithstanding the two above-par scenes, Grinter also includes some awfully constructed segments. There's a section where another nurse stumbles upon the fully decapitated, and swaying on meathooks, desiccated corpse of another resident. We watch as she enters the room, not noticing the body parts in front of her face, to walk past them to the end of the room. She then has an eerie feeling and slowly, very slowly, too slowly, turns to face the ruined and withered remains. Then she stands there screaming for what appears to be an eternity.
The cast is fine, though, not outstanding. This matter, however, could be down to Grinter's lack of directional skill and not the performers' lack of talent. Though, I'd call it to attention as Veronica Lake's over-the-top performance lets down the climactic twist. This change in her acting style is confusing as, up to this moment, she gives a good performance. Sadly, it makes little difference, the movie's lost by this point.
I would recommend staying away from this Sci-Fi thriller. Though, if any aspiring screenwriters and directors out there are looking for a project...you could do worse than resurrecting this story - just do it right, that's all I ask.
Once you've finished goose-stepping, come and check out my The Final Frontier and Killer Thriller Chillers lists to see where I ranked Flesh Feast - But, better yet: You can find a more enjoyable movie to watch.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Story: 1.00 Direction: 0.50 Pace: 0.50 Acting: 0.75 Enjoyment: 0.75
TOTAL: 3.50 out of 10.00
After reading some of the reviews for Flesh Feast, many people believe this to be the worst horror movie ever filmed. True, it is terrible, but it's not the worst - check out Son Of Blob, residing in the lowest spot on my Absolute Horror list. Plus, I don't see Flesh Feast as a horror flick. It's more of a science fiction thriller.
The one redeeming factor the film possesses is the story concept. A scientist uses the corpses of recently deceased residents from a care home she owns to progress her experiments to revert humans to their youthful years. Throw into the mix a band of Nazis who have a mysterious elder in need of rejuvenating - bet you can guess who. If I had been Veronica Lake and read a favourable synopsis like this one, which also holds a delightful twist at the climax, I would've thrown my money into the picture too. However, what she should have checked out before committing herself was who the writer and director were because they are the downfall of the movie. Thomas Casey and Brad Grinter (who also directed) are not too talented when writing a fully-fledged screenplay. Flesh Feast is yet another intriguing concept spoiled by lack of skill. None of the characters is more than two-dimensional. And there's an awful amount of waffle and nothingness in both the narrative and the film.
Grinter is as talented behind the camera as he is behind a typewriter. Though, I do have to admit to liking the telephone booth assassination of the reporter. It's a clever scenario, and Grinter captures it pretty well. There's also a lovely scene where a male and female nurse is deconstructing a cadaver. It's enjoyable for its minor realism of the carers having trouble sawing through the old gal's bones. Sadly, the scenes are only on screen for a few seconds, and the rest of the movie is your standard point-and-shoot. When you add the poorly written and uninteresting script, it becomes obvious why the film received rotten reviews. Notwithstanding the two above-par scenes, Grinter also includes some awfully constructed segments. There's a section where another nurse stumbles upon the fully decapitated, and swaying on meathooks, desiccated corpse of another resident. We watch as she enters the room, not noticing the body parts in front of her face, to walk past them to the end of the room. She then has an eerie feeling and slowly, very slowly, too slowly, turns to face the ruined and withered remains. Then she stands there screaming for what appears to be an eternity.
The cast is fine, though, not outstanding. This matter, however, could be down to Grinter's lack of directional skill and not the performers' lack of talent. Though, I'd call it to attention as Veronica Lake's over-the-top performance lets down the climactic twist. This change in her acting style is confusing as, up to this moment, she gives a good performance. Sadly, it makes little difference, the movie's lost by this point.
I would recommend staying away from this Sci-Fi thriller. Though, if any aspiring screenwriters and directors out there are looking for a project...you could do worse than resurrecting this story - just do it right, that's all I ask.
Once you've finished goose-stepping, come and check out my The Final Frontier and Killer Thriller Chillers lists to see where I ranked Flesh Feast - But, better yet: You can find a more enjoyable movie to watch.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Veronica Lake is no longer a fisherman's dream.
mark.waltz6 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
When Veronica Lake tells her cohort that she's "been working on these maggots for yeats", it's a shame she's not referring to her producers at Paramount from years ago. "They feed on human flesh", she says dryly, and getting a glimpse of the little buggers, you know she's right. I'm not going to waste space by referring to any of the other actors in his film by name, simply because they are not actors. In fact, many of the performances seem like they were done for amateur commercials at some small town TV station, and only Lake, a 40's star known mainly for her looks, seems to be even in character, even though it is obvious that she is embarrassed.
All the attempts at horror and gore are extremely silly, and scenes of dead bodies (painted robin egg blue) being cut up and hung out to dry fall flat. Lake is a renowned scientist involved in a secret project with two nurses she is up to, and when one of them walks into the lab from the ceiling, it is hysterical. The camera tries to shoot the former Miss Peak-a-boo from underneath her face, and her attempt at wearing a youthful hairstyle only accentuates her age. Her attempts at playing impish just look foolish.
So how can you judge a cheapie film that looks like it was shot on the cheapest video tape possible? Probably as an unintentional comedy, even when it crosses the line of good taste. The plot beneath what I've already mentioned is scattered and sketchy, and long silences between dialogue makes it slow moving as well. Plot twists near the end are truly eye-rolling, making this probably the worst attempt at hag horror ever made. If it wasn't for the presence of Lake, I certainly would have given this a bomb.
All the attempts at horror and gore are extremely silly, and scenes of dead bodies (painted robin egg blue) being cut up and hung out to dry fall flat. Lake is a renowned scientist involved in a secret project with two nurses she is up to, and when one of them walks into the lab from the ceiling, it is hysterical. The camera tries to shoot the former Miss Peak-a-boo from underneath her face, and her attempt at wearing a youthful hairstyle only accentuates her age. Her attempts at playing impish just look foolish.
So how can you judge a cheapie film that looks like it was shot on the cheapest video tape possible? Probably as an unintentional comedy, even when it crosses the line of good taste. The plot beneath what I've already mentioned is scattered and sketchy, and long silences between dialogue makes it slow moving as well. Plot twists near the end are truly eye-rolling, making this probably the worst attempt at hag horror ever made. If it wasn't for the presence of Lake, I certainly would have given this a bomb.
The title is the best thing about it.
BA_Harrison3 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Co-produced by and starring Veronica Lake, the 40s platinum blonde famous for her peek-a-boo hair style, Flesh Feast revolves around an experiment that uses flesh-eating maggots to eat away old flesh and rejuvenate new, the first patient being the second in command of the Third Reich, and the next in line none other than Hitler himself.
With such a schlocky premise and a suitably lurid title (displayed in a dripping blood-red font), things look set for a gloriously trashy movie, hopefully loaded with gruesome H.G. Lewis style splatter.
Unfortunately, although there are one or two grisly moments (the sawing off of a leg from a cadaver, and pieces of a putrefying corpse hanging in the laboratory), Flesh Feast fails to live up to its potential as an outrageously camp gorefest, the majority of the running time devoted to dialogue heavy scenes with stilted performances from all involved.
The finale, in which Dr. Elaine Frederick (Lake) reveals herself to be the daughter of a concentration camp prisoner and places loads of flesh eating maggots onto a screaming Hitler's face, would have been the ideal opportunity for some icky effects, but director Brad F. Grinter prefers to leave his film on a freeze frame of Der Fuhrer's face before things get too messy.
Overall, a disappointing effort, and a sad swansong for Lake.
With such a schlocky premise and a suitably lurid title (displayed in a dripping blood-red font), things look set for a gloriously trashy movie, hopefully loaded with gruesome H.G. Lewis style splatter.
Unfortunately, although there are one or two grisly moments (the sawing off of a leg from a cadaver, and pieces of a putrefying corpse hanging in the laboratory), Flesh Feast fails to live up to its potential as an outrageously camp gorefest, the majority of the running time devoted to dialogue heavy scenes with stilted performances from all involved.
The finale, in which Dr. Elaine Frederick (Lake) reveals herself to be the daughter of a concentration camp prisoner and places loads of flesh eating maggots onto a screaming Hitler's face, would have been the ideal opportunity for some icky effects, but director Brad F. Grinter prefers to leave his film on a freeze frame of Der Fuhrer's face before things get too messy.
Overall, a disappointing effort, and a sad swansong for Lake.
Argh! My eyes and ears are bleeding!
Coventry25 August 2021
It's quite hilarious how the plot synopsis, as very briefly and nonchalantly described here on IMDb, bluntly reveals the one and only surprise plot twist this film so desperately and secretively builds up towards to! The viewer is not at all supposed to know who the mysterious person is who will undergo a revolutionary new rejuvenating method in a secret laboratory, located somewhere in a mansion in Miami Beach, but the two-line summary carelessly spoils the film's entire raison d'être; - ha!
Regarding the rest of "Flesh Feast" I can be really short. It's one of the worst and most boring horror movies ever made, by one of the worst directors who ever lived (the dude also made the equally horrendous "Blood Freak"). Despite having all the necessary ingredients to cook a tasty horror stew (mad scientists, hot nurses, South American mercenaries, maggots, ...) the film manages to only feature characters who are endlessly talking and sitting around at kitchen tables doing nothing. The acting performances are disastrous, but still much better than the editing and the photography. "Flesh Feast" only has a running time of barely 68 minutes, but it felt longer than watching the entire "Lord of the Rings" franchise; - including the hobbit spin-offs.
Regarding the rest of "Flesh Feast" I can be really short. It's one of the worst and most boring horror movies ever made, by one of the worst directors who ever lived (the dude also made the equally horrendous "Blood Freak"). Despite having all the necessary ingredients to cook a tasty horror stew (mad scientists, hot nurses, South American mercenaries, maggots, ...) the film manages to only feature characters who are endlessly talking and sitting around at kitchen tables doing nothing. The acting performances are disastrous, but still much better than the editing and the photography. "Flesh Feast" only has a running time of barely 68 minutes, but it felt longer than watching the entire "Lord of the Rings" franchise; - including the hobbit spin-offs.
Sad swan song
paisleyjubilee-3322216 January 2021
How very, very pitiful
Bucs19608 October 2004
I'm always game for low budget films of any genre because every now and again you run across a gem. "Detour" has popped up as a noir masterpiece and "Night of the Living Dead" has become a cult classic. So maybe "Flesh Feast" would be worth a look. That was my first mistake.
It appears that there is not much story line and what there is makes no sense...maggots that chomp on your face and reverse the aging process....huh?? And then Adolph Hitler pops up. But besides this weak premise, there is absolutely nothing to recommend about this film. It appears to be shot in somebody's basement with an old Bell and Howell home movie camera. The acting of all involved is atrocious which leads me to Veronica Lake.
I realize that Miss Lake was down on her luck and had alcohol and mental problems but was it so bad that she had to end her career with this horror? I don't have to review her career from the 1940s and her wonderful films with Alan Ladd. She was the pin-up girl with the hair to die for. Her descent into oblivion really started when she cut her peekaboo hair and it was suddenly revealed that she really wasn't quite as beautiful as she appeared. Since her stardom depended upon her looks rather than her talent, it was all down hill. Luckily, many of her fans don't even know that this film exists and it is just as well. To see her fall to these depths is so very sad. She was such a treasure of her time.
Avoid this film at all costs. It has no redeeming qualities and will only depress you to see Miss Lake hitting bottom.
It appears that there is not much story line and what there is makes no sense...maggots that chomp on your face and reverse the aging process....huh?? And then Adolph Hitler pops up. But besides this weak premise, there is absolutely nothing to recommend about this film. It appears to be shot in somebody's basement with an old Bell and Howell home movie camera. The acting of all involved is atrocious which leads me to Veronica Lake.
I realize that Miss Lake was down on her luck and had alcohol and mental problems but was it so bad that she had to end her career with this horror? I don't have to review her career from the 1940s and her wonderful films with Alan Ladd. She was the pin-up girl with the hair to die for. Her descent into oblivion really started when she cut her peekaboo hair and it was suddenly revealed that she really wasn't quite as beautiful as she appeared. Since her stardom depended upon her looks rather than her talent, it was all down hill. Luckily, many of her fans don't even know that this film exists and it is just as well. To see her fall to these depths is so very sad. She was such a treasure of her time.
Avoid this film at all costs. It has no redeeming qualities and will only depress you to see Miss Lake hitting bottom.
Veronica Lake's Last Film
whpratt112 March 2003
Flesh Feast is a film not worth viewing or seeing, it was sad to see Veronica Lake make this her last film. She was a pin-up girl for our G.I.'s during World War II and had great sex appeal with her sexy hair style covering her eye. Veronica was not appreciated by the film industry who placed her in B movies throughout her career. This film was her last effort to get back into the business after a long struggle with drinking problems. Flesh Feast and its maggots are all for the garbage can.
Worst horror movie I've ever seen? I think so
magicmanst27 July 2002
Don't judge a movie by it's title. This movie is terrible. The effects are non existent...There is no(I repeat NO) gore in this movie! No flesh, no feasting, just a boring and horribly edited waste of time. The only thing close to the flesh feast promised are occasional shots of maggots. Scary indeed. Avoid this film AT ALL COSTS
Festive Hungry Maggots
pgofford19 February 2002
This is a legendary, seedy and satisfying horror movie. The camera work and special effects are outstanding considering the production date of this scary masterpiece. The story line could have been ironed out allot more before production, but who would have ever dreamt up a movie about flesh eating maggots? I recommend you watch this film before making any purchase, but I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
"Remember, We're Making The Dead Serve The Living!"...
azathothpwiggins6 August 2020
FLESH FEAST stars Veronica Lake as Dr. Elaine Frederick, who is working on reversing the aging process through maggots (!). It's obvious that more is going on. Dr. Frederick's experiments have attracted attention from various people, including agents from South America who represent someone known only as "The Commander".
After much absurdity and meandering, fake bodies are dumped into the maggot vat. If all goes well, this will help "The Commander" to bring about his plan for world domination. It becomes clear who "The Commander" is, though it doesn't become any more interesting, as the story plods along.
In spite of its promising title, this movie is mostly driven by idiotic, mind-searing dialogue, having little to do with whatever the "plot" is supposed to be. The tedium is only broken up sporadically by some giggle-inducing scene, like the discovery of a "mutilated body" that resembles a life-size sculpture made of Play-Doh!
A cinematic abomination that requires a soul of steel and several special beverages per viewing.
P. S.- Henceforth, I want to be known as "The Commander"...
After much absurdity and meandering, fake bodies are dumped into the maggot vat. If all goes well, this will help "The Commander" to bring about his plan for world domination. It becomes clear who "The Commander" is, though it doesn't become any more interesting, as the story plods along.
In spite of its promising title, this movie is mostly driven by idiotic, mind-searing dialogue, having little to do with whatever the "plot" is supposed to be. The tedium is only broken up sporadically by some giggle-inducing scene, like the discovery of a "mutilated body" that resembles a life-size sculpture made of Play-Doh!
A cinematic abomination that requires a soul of steel and several special beverages per viewing.
P. S.- Henceforth, I want to be known as "The Commander"...
The Warts of the Genre
Michael_Elliott27 June 2012
Flesh Feast (1970)
BOMB (out of 4)
Yes, sadly Veronica Lake's final film is as bad as you've heard. In the film a newspaper editor starts to do some investigating after his star reporter phones him up on a hot story only to soon after be murdered. The story then turns to Dr. Elaine Frederick (Lake), a mad scientist who is doing work on dead tissue for a secret experiment. FLESH FEAST is without question one of the worst horror films out there and the only question it really leaves the viewer with is if it's actually worse than director Brad F. Grinter's next movie BLOOD FREAK. No matter how you slice it this is a really bad movie that has very little going for it. I read a lot of posts with people asking why Lake would appear in something like this but the biggest question is why she'd put her own money up for a project like this. However, if you really think about it it's rather clear that her career wasn't going anywhere and I'm sure many told her that appearing in a film like this would get her name back out there and that the genre was easy to make money in. I'm really not sure where to start on the badness of this film but lets just say that there's really nothing good to mention. The performances are all extremely bad, although Lake doesn't come off as bad as she could have. Just check out the one lady who witnesses some "meat" in a basement around the forty-eight minute mark. The woman goes into a hysterical scream but before she runs out of the basement she turns to check out what made her scream again. The direction really can't be found but I'm going to guess that the main job was to bring it in on budget. The story itself is all over the place as it seems to jump around whenever it wants and without any explanation. The only half-way decent thing going on is the big twist in the final minutes, which has sadly been ruined by most reviews (even Leonard Maltin) that give it away. It's certainly campy to the extreme and it's a shame the rest of the movie wasn't as campy so that it would have been more entertaining. The 72-minutes really drag along and there's really nothing more that can be said.
BOMB (out of 4)
Yes, sadly Veronica Lake's final film is as bad as you've heard. In the film a newspaper editor starts to do some investigating after his star reporter phones him up on a hot story only to soon after be murdered. The story then turns to Dr. Elaine Frederick (Lake), a mad scientist who is doing work on dead tissue for a secret experiment. FLESH FEAST is without question one of the worst horror films out there and the only question it really leaves the viewer with is if it's actually worse than director Brad F. Grinter's next movie BLOOD FREAK. No matter how you slice it this is a really bad movie that has very little going for it. I read a lot of posts with people asking why Lake would appear in something like this but the biggest question is why she'd put her own money up for a project like this. However, if you really think about it it's rather clear that her career wasn't going anywhere and I'm sure many told her that appearing in a film like this would get her name back out there and that the genre was easy to make money in. I'm really not sure where to start on the badness of this film but lets just say that there's really nothing good to mention. The performances are all extremely bad, although Lake doesn't come off as bad as she could have. Just check out the one lady who witnesses some "meat" in a basement around the forty-eight minute mark. The woman goes into a hysterical scream but before she runs out of the basement she turns to check out what made her scream again. The direction really can't be found but I'm going to guess that the main job was to bring it in on budget. The story itself is all over the place as it seems to jump around whenever it wants and without any explanation. The only half-way decent thing going on is the big twist in the final minutes, which has sadly been ruined by most reviews (even Leonard Maltin) that give it away. It's certainly campy to the extreme and it's a shame the rest of the movie wasn't as campy so that it would have been more entertaining. The 72-minutes really drag along and there's really nothing more that can be said.
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