The Flesh and Blood Show (1972)

Actors rehearsing a show at a mysterious seaside theater are being killed off by an unknown maniac.

Director:

Pete Walker

Writer:

Alfred Shaughnessy (screenplay)

Stars:

Ray Brooks, Jenny Hanley, Luan Peters

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Brooks	...	Mike
Jenny Hanley	...	Julia Dawson
Luan Peters	...	Carol Edwards
Robin Askwith	...	Simon
Candace Glendenning	...	Sarah
Tristan Rogers	...	Tony Weller
Judy Matheson	...	Jane
David Howey	...	John
Elizabeth Bradley	...	Mrs. Saunders
Rodney Diak	...	Warner
Penny Meredith	...	Angela
Sally Lahee	...	Iris Vokins
Raymond Young	...	Insp. Walsh
Carol Allen	...	Librarian
Alan Curtis	...	Jack Phipps

Storyline

Actors rehearsing a show at a mysterious seaside theater are being killed off by an unknown maniac.

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Plot Keywords:

maniac | actor | theater | cult film | female frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

Come And Join The Show!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Im Rampenlicht des Bösen

Filming Locations:

Brighton, Sussex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Peter Walker (Heritage) Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film originally contained a 3-D flashback sequence.

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Goofs

As Luan Peters investigates the prop room below the stage she makes a big deal of brushing away cobwebs, but there aren't any.

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Connections

Referenced in Pete Walker: A Man of Flesh and Blood (2006)

User Reviews

Early slasher fun from Pete Walker.

In Pete Walker's enjoyably trashy The Flesh and Blood Show, a group of young actors, preparing for a show in a ramshackle theatre at the end of a pier, become the target of a maniac with a hatred of decadent thespian types. With little in the way of gore, but loads of nudity by way of recompense, this kitschy take on the old 'Ten Little Indians' story (by Agatha Christie) is great fun for those who love 70s UK horror.

The film opens with budding actresses Carol (busty Luan Peters) and Jane (sexy Judy Matheson) being awakened in the middle of the night by a knocking at their door. With Carol leaping starkers from her bed (which she shares with her flatmate!) to see who it is, it becomes clear that Walker hasn't completely forgotten his sex/comedy roots—after all, how many girls do you know that would be happy to open their front door in the nude?

Anyway, the caller turns out to be a practical joker named Tony (he staggers through the door pretending that he has been stabbed), with whom Carol has recently worked on a horror film. No acceptable explanation is given for his unusual arrival at the girls' flat, but after some brief chit-chat, it transpires that both he and the two women have been given a job in a new show. They are to travel to the seaside town of Eastcliff where they will meet the rest of the cast (which includes 'Confessions' star Robin Askwith, and Jenny Hanley, presenter of kids' TV show Magpie) and the producer, Mike (Ray Brooks), to begin rehearsals.

Of course, it's not long after their arrival at the spooky old theatre that the troupe's number starts to dwindle, as the mysterious killer sets to work.

The Flesh and Blood Show might not be as shocking as some of Walker's later efforts, and is certainly not as gruesome, but with every pretty female in some state of undress during the film, a truly hilarious finalé featuring a Shakepeare quoting lunatic, and even a sequence shot in 3D, it is still a film worth seeking out.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.