Plot: What’s it about?
A horror movie convention has come to town, which means all kinds of odd fellows have stepped out of the shadows to attend. The people behind the convention are Professor Seabrook (Dan Caldwell), his girlfriend Cindy (Barrie Youngfellow), and their friend Scotty (John Cochran), all of whom love horror movies to death. This convention offers a chance for them to not only mingle with numerous other horror buffs, but to meet some of the stars behind their favorite pictures. And at the time, no star is hotter than Malakai (Jerry Walter), who has been in all the recent top horror pictures and is loved by audiences. As it turns out, Malakai has shown up at the convention and of course, this delights all those in attendance. The star is always joined by his two public relations agents, who seem to be up for whatever their boss demands. Malakai’s presence is good news for convention, as more people attend as a result, but the star also brings bad news of his own. You see, he not only plays a vampire on screen, but he happens to also be a vampire himself. With the help of his two henchman, Malakai begins to prey on his own fans, leaving them cold and devoid of blood. His actions go by unnoticed at first, but soon enough, his hosts are wise to the murders. But can they manage to stop this famous vampire?
When you see the title Nightmare in Blood, you might imagine scenes of horrific violence, blood flowing like wine, and visceral carnage, but you’d be wrong. Nightmare in Blood is a horror movie by definition, but it focused more than laughs than blood & gore. I wasn’t bowled over by this movie, but it has some moments and is worth a look. The cast is a highlight, as most of seem to know the kind of camp they’re involved in here. Kerwin Matthews (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The Pirates of Blood River) is a lot of fun to watch here, though it would prove to be his final role and isn’t much of a swan song. Even so, he is game for the material and his presence adds a lot to the movie. The cast also includes a couple of beautiful women, but don’t expect to see much skin. Nightmare in Blood has some great inside jokes that genre fans will pick up on, but in the end, these kind of cool touches were too infrequent. As a result, the movie often stalls and has lengthy dull stretches. I know some folks dislike senseless blood and sex, but perhaps if Nightmare in Blood piled on those elements, it would be more fun to watch. Image’s DVD is terrific, with a nice visual presentation and a couple of substantial supplements. Even so, I am only able to recommend Nightmare in Blood to brave genre fans, as it is rather hit & miss.
Video: How does it look?
Nightmare in Blood is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a dark movie, with endless shadows and other dark spots, so I was concerned about this presentation. As it turns out, Image has tracked down some great source elements, which means grain and debris don’t soften the all important contrast. That is vital in this case, since overly light black levels would harm the dark visuals more than a little. The print does have some nicks and debris, but not enough to impact the visuals, nor distract from the feature presentation. You’ll see some softness and worn moments, but given the film involved, that is expected. I found colors to be a tad washed out, but the hues remain within an acceptable scope. So while not perfect, this is still a more than reasonable transfer and the movie has never looked this good on home video.
Audio: How does it sound?
A mono option is found here, one which has a decent overall sound, but time has taken somewhat of a toll on the materials. You’ll hear some hiss throughout, but it never proves to be much of a distraction, since it isn’t a dominant defect. The overall presence here is better than you’d expect, but don’t expect a dynamic, immersive experience, as the source material simply wasn’t produced with a booming soundtrack in mind. The music and dialogue are sharp and well presented however, so in the end, this is a solid treatment from Image.
Supplements: What are the extras?
An audio commentary track with director John Stanley and cowriter Kenn Davis is first, which is a decent overall session. The track has some silence, but also contains some worthwhile nuggets of low budget insight. Not as much information as I would like, but all in all, a session that is worth a listen. You can also browse some still photos, as well as half an hour of assorted interviews, behind the scenes, and promotional material.
