Synopsis:
A mediocre but well-known painter (Don Joseph) finds himself gorily inspired by the use of human blood in his works.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Artists
• Herschell Gordon Lewis Films
• Horror Films
• Serial Killers

Review:
This third entry in Herschell Gordon Lewis’s “blood trilogy” — preceded by Blood Feast (1963) and 2000 Maniacs (1964) — is a vastly inferior homage to Roger Corman’s B-grade classic A Bucket of Blood (1959), and offers nothing of interest to those not smitten with the uniquely tasteless genre of “splatter films”. Given that the directorial and acting skills here are superior (it’s all relative) to those shown in Blood Feast, its camp potential is much lower — though you may chuckle a bit at how truly terrible Joseph’s paintings are:

(For a humorous blow-by-blow analysis by a critic who refers to this as Lewis’s “worst film”, click here.) Be forewarned that whenever a tedious Beatnik duo (Patricia Lee and Jim Jaekel) show up on screen, presumably for comic relief, you’ll need to have your fast-forward button easily on hand.

Note: Of mild interest is the incorporation of Aqua Cycles into several sequences; this sporting activity is something you just don’t see anymore, in real life or the movies, probably for good reason.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• A glimpse at (now antique) Aqua Cycles
  

Must See?
No; definitely feel free to skip this one unless you’re a fan of Lewis’s work. Listed as a Cult Movie and Trash (a.k.a. non-essential viewing) in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review
• Jabutoo Review
• SciFilm Review
• Time Out Capsule Review