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:

3d sequence | t&a | male full frontal nudity | male frontal nudity | improvisational theater | 

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Taglines:

Gruesomely Stained in Color From EVI

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

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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Alternate Versions

Has had two different releases in the UK, the early eighties 'Vampix video' release presented the flashback scene in 3-d, while the more recent 'Satanica video' release has the flashback sequence in black and white.

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Connections

Referenced in Bloodsucking Freaks (1976)

User Reviews

THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW (Pete Walker, 1972) **1/2

Walker's first horror film is an intriguing and enjoyable mix of sex and chills set in an abandoned theater; interestingly, in the accompanying interview on the DVD, he states that the nudity was deemed obligatory at the time if the picture was to hope for a distribution deal (particularly since Walker was his own financier).

The plot starts off by having eight out-of-work actors being convened to the aforementioned remote location by a mysterious employer; though they occasionally indulge in the kind of silly yet pretentious improvisational exercise also at the core of Jacques Rivette's insanely-long (13 hours!) OUT ONE: NOLI ME TANGERE (1971), they're often just interested in getting laid and the girls in particularly act like sluts most of the time!! At first, I was annoyed by this apparent laziness in scripting (by Alfred Shaughnessy, a respected if little-known director in his own right) – but, then, it's revealed that this was the reason these young and 'morally corrupt' folk were called upon to begin with (as the continuation of a notorious incident from the wartime era which had actually caused the theater's closure).

The male members of the cast are effectively enough led by Ray Brooks (from Richard Lester's Swinging London comedy THE KNACK [1965]) and also include Robin Askwith (soon to rise to dubious prominence with the smutty "Confessions" films) and veteran Patrick Barr (who turns in a bravura performance, particularly once his true identity is exposed). As for the girls, they all look great in and out of clothes – particularly Jenny Hanley (who, interestingly, discovers to have an inextricable link of her own with the gloomy theater) and Luan Peters (who escapes the murderer{s}' clutches the first time but not the second).

The film attempts a reasonable imitation throughout of the Italian Giallo style (that country, then, paid it the compliment by borrowing its single setting for Lamberto Bava's popular but third-rate DEMONS [1985]) – though it culminates with a rather unnecessary 3-D gimmick (which Walker had already utilized in the lackluster "Rashomon"-type sex comedy THE FOUR DIMENSIONS OF GRETA [1972]). For the record, of the director's horror outings, I've yet to get my hands on SCHIZO (1976) and HOME BEFORE MIDNIGHT (1979)

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Im Rampenlicht des Bösen

Filming Locations:

Cromer, Norfolk, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Peter Walker (Heritage) Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (flashback sequence) Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1