Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Bloodsucking Freaks 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 26, 2023

With a title such as “Bloodsucking Freaks,” there’s not much left to the imagination. Refusing such a pesky limitation, writer/director Joel M. Reed attempts to give the audience their money’s worth with this twisted splatter effort from 1976, which also stomped through cinemas as “Sardu: Master of the Screaming Virgins” (which is the title on this UHD release). Pick any label you like, as Reed stages a perverse and bloody extravaganza that defies description, hoping to take a style of shock value pioneered by Herschell Gordon Lewis to fresh heights of repulsion. “Bloodsucking Freaks” isn’t much of a movie, but it does retain an eye-popping sense of violence, also brazen in its contempt for women and disregard for human life. It’s best to treat it all as an extended joke, which helps to digest the intentionally sickening display of pain Reed is a little too eager to share with the audience.

In a tiny NYC theater, master of ceremonies Sardu (Seamus O’Brien) welcomes sparse crowds into his realm of misery. With the help of his little person assistant, Ralphus (Louie de Jesus), Sardu tortures and murders frightened women to delight the audience, challenging onlookers to accept the violence as reality. For theater critic Creasy Silo (Allan Dellay), Sardu’s antics are absurd, labeling the monster a fraud. Sardu, refusing to allow such treatment, manages to kidnap Creasy, chaining him up in his dank basement fortress, where he oversees a human trafficking business, caging victims until they accept him as their master. Also making off with ballerina Natasha (Viju Krem), Sardu has special plans for his latest victims. Worried about Natasha, boyfriend Tom (Niles McMaster) and corrupt cop Tucci (Dan Fauci) team up to search for the missing performer, piecing together clues that lead them to the theater, just in time for Sardu’s most personal performance.

For more information and analysis, please read the 2014 Blu-ray review.

Bloodsucking Freaks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray.

"Bloodsucking Freaks" has made the journey to UHD, listed here as "newly restored from its 35mm interpositive." It's a major upgrade from the 2014 Troma Blu-ray release, offering a stronger level of detail throughout the viewing experience. This is a feature all about textures, and gore zone visits are open for study, exploring iffy makeup effects and general bodily harm. Skin particulars are preserved, along with fibrous costuming on period outfits and fetish gear. Theater interiors are dimensional, and rare visits to the outside world are deep. Color is nicely refreshed, with natural skin tones on full body displays. Period style is also appreciable, with rich primaries and varied lighting. Delineation is secure, preserving frame information in this often dark movie. Grain is heavy and film-like. Highlights are tasteful. Source is in good condition, with minor blips of wear.

Bloodsucking Freaks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix is working with the inherently limited soundscape of "Bloodsucking Freaks," which wasn't built to wow. A slightly fresher listening experience is welcome, with dialogue exchanges intelligible and dramatic, capturing the skill level of the performers. Screaming fits and agony does test the limitations of the sound equipment. Scoring is simple but capable, supporting with heavier synth stings at times.

Bloodsucking Freaks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features author John Szpunar.

• Commentary #2 features fan Eli Roth.

• Live Commentary features director Joel M. Reed and fans Art Ettinger and Ken Kish, recorded in 2009.

• "Freaks Come Out at the Drive-In" (14:31, HD) takes viewers to the Mahoning Drive-In for "Troma-Thon '23," where fans gather to celebrate everything Troma. Lot manager Dave is the host, sharing his love of "Bloodsucking Freaks," recalling his introduction to the picture. Fan testimonials are included, along with interview time with Lloyd Kaufman, who takes photos with the public and recalls the controversies surrounding the film. He also updates viewers on the history of director Joel M. Reed, who was arrested in 2015 for "forcibly groping women" at a party, eventually passing away in 2020.

• "Q&A with Joel M. Reed" (55:09, SD) catches up with the filmmaker after a screening of "Bloodsucking Freaks"

• "Random Hotel Interview" (24:39, SD) is a conversation with director Joel M. Reed.

• Interview (3:48, SD) features actors Ernie Pysher and Arlana Blue, editor Victor Kanefksya, and a young and unknown Eli Roth, who discusses "Bloodsucking Freaks" with the production participants. Everyone appears to have a great sense of humor about the film.

• Interview (20:07, HD) with Eli Roth catches up with the horror filmmaker in his home, where he reflects on his initial participation in the 1998 DVD (being a 25-year-old film school graduate at the time), shares his massive appreciation for "Bloodsucking Freaks," and explores how the feature influenced his work.

• Interview (14:32, HD) with Chris Jericho permits the wrestler an opportunity to share his adoration for "Bloodsucking Freaks," which he discovered as part of his "Cheap Ass Movie Club" back in the 1990s. His fandom was so strong that he named his sidekick Ralphus as a tribute to the effort. The chat also touches on Jericho's love of gore zone entertainment.

• Alternate Title Sequence (1:02, HD) for ""Blood Sucking Freaks" is offered.

• A Theatrical Trailer is not included on this release.

Bloodsucking Freaks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Helping to dilute the gratuitous evil of "Bloodsucking Freaks" is its budgetary limitations, with iffy special effects, lack of extras (a whopping ten people attend Sardu's opening performance), and Krem's inability to nail a line-reading triggering a few unintentional laughs. Reed's obsession with nudity is also amusing, keeping exploitative interests alert. Adding a touch of authenticity to the picture is O'Brien, who's legitimately sinister as Sardu, acting circles around the rest of the cast -- perhaps a bit too credible in scenes where the blissed-out villain is being whipped by his topless lackeys. "Bloodsucking Freaks" is nuts, even for 1976, with a Corman-esque atmosphere (sprinkled with a hint of "Manos: The Hands of Fate") that permits some comprehension of its beloved cult movie status, but doesn't excuse its insistence on excess, which tends to wear down the viewer long before the effort ends.