Thanks to Vinegar Syndrome I was able to unironically purchase an HD copy of Hobgoblins, and now they have seen fit to release Rick Sloane’s first two features, Blood Theatre and The Visitants. Both titles come on a single disc Blu-ray set, and for fans of this cult director who often gets compared to Ed Wood, it’s a great way to check out the directors first two features. Released on VHS in 1984 under the title Movie House Massacre, Blood Theatre was shot while Rick was attending Los Angeles City College, and the film definitely looks and feels like a film made by a 21-year-old college student and his friends in the ‘80s. Riffing on his love of film, Blood Theatre is a celebration of cinema and the theatrical experience, albeit with a body count.
Blood Theatre follows a group of teens employed by the Spotlite Theater chain who are tasked by their sleazy boss to re-open a dilapidated movie theater in order to claim a $1,000 bonus. What they don’t know is the theater, which used to host plays before being converted to a single screen cinema, is haunted and has a history of murder and mayhem within its walls. Big hair, T&A, and plenty of movie theater-themed humor is what makes this slasher a fun jaunt for fans of the director, who also somehow managed to cast Mary Woronov (Terrorvision!), fresh off of Eating Raoul, in the film. To pad that runtime the director’s short films even make an appearance as trailers for films screening at Spotlite multiplex, and with titles such as Clown Whores of Hollywood, Chainsaw Chicks, Amputee Hookers and Nightmare Of The Lost Whores you kind of wish he actually made some of those into feature films as well.
The set comes with newly struck HD transfers of both Blood Theatre and The Visitants, each paired with a director’s commentary. Rick Sloane is humble and intelligent as you probably would expect and gives a masterclass on zero budget filmmaking. He is also surprisingly frank about working with unpaid actors and the myriad issues he had trying to cobble his first feature together. Watching the film with the commentary gives you a much different perspective on the film and why it’s a miracle it was even finished. The set also comes with an intro and Q&A shot at the New Beverly Cinema after a 35mm screening of both films. While those don’t add too much to the viewing experience, it was nice to hear from the actors about what it was like working with the director, since most of the interviews and commentaries come from Sloane’s perspective.
Blood Theatre, while entertaining at times, can prove to be a tough watch even for those that made it through Hobgoblins unscathed. Badly dubbed dialog, poorly acted scenes that just seem to go on forever, and some very odd use of sound design highlight the more amateurish aspects of the production. That being the case, the film does have its share of positives, thanks to its hefty serving of camp, oddball humor, and Mary Woronov, who appears to be giving the film her all every time she is on screen. While not for those who enjoy more traditional cinema, Blood Theatre is for those that enjoy overacting, bizarre nudity, and watching a narrative slowly come to a grinding halt and collapse onscreen. Personally, it;s these kinds of films that give the viewer a totally different experience as you’re forced to confront a film on its own ground, and Blood Theatre stands that ground prouder than most.