Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

I Drink Your Blood Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 7, 2016

Any drive-in spectacular needs a gruesome reputation, and 1970’s “I Drink Your Blood” carries the ominous distinction of being the first movie to be rated X for violence alone. In this day and age, the lowlights of the picture aren’t all that shocking, but it’s interesting to remember a time when the ratings board was actually careful about violence. “I Drink Your Blood” has its fair share of aggression, soaking in the juices of the Manson Family/Vietnam War era to inspire its own take on disease and Satanic rage, with writer/director David E. Durston coming up with a nifty low-budget shocker that treats exploitation with care. The feature isn’t particularly sharp, but it’s engaging and enthusiastically performed, coming up with a beguiling take on the zombie subgenre without actually using the undead. It’s a weird one, but very entertaining.

Invading the small town of Valley Hills, members of the Sados cult have arrived to claim an abandoned hotel and restart their plans to evoke the spirit of Satan. Led by Horace (Bhaskar), the gang makes themselves at home, commencing a series of rituals and sacrifices to please their dark god. At the General Store in town, Mildred (Elizabeth Marner-Brooks) offers goods and services, aided by little brother Pete (Riley Mills). When the cultists make their presence felt in the neighborhood, roughing up Pete’s grandfather, vet Doc Banner (Richard Bowler), the boy decides to take responsibility for revenge, tainting Mildred’s meat pies with rabies-infected blood. Expecting them to die quickly, Pete watches in horror as the infected slowly go insane, driven to kill by madness and unquenchable thirst, with the disease spreading to a nearby construction site overseen by Mildred’s boyfriend.

“Satan was an acidhead” is one of the opening lines in “I Drink Your Blood,” and sums up the viewing experience rather succinctly. Durston doesn’t necessarily go for the big freak-out with the movie, but he eventually finds his way there, with help from the cultists, who maintain their faith through animal sacrifices and daydream about the fantasy realm of Sados, with Horace allowing other members like Rollo (George Patterson) to have a shot at leadership, keeping things interesting for the Benetton Ad-style gang as they travel across the country, making an extended stop in Valley Hills for prime troublemaking. With Doc Banner all riled up about the new residents of a rat-infested hotel, “I Drink Your Blood” promises to become an era-specific straights vs. hippies war of mutual contempt, but Durston avoids the obvious route. Instead, he uses the impact of the Satanists to inspire an unusual revenge story highlighting an empowered Pete and his rather crafty use of rabies to kill off the threatening invaders.

“I Drink Your Blood” has its silly moments, but Durston is committed to mood, using sudden synth stings and prolonged electro agitation to encourage suspense as the gang begins to feel the symptoms of rabies, including insanity, foaming at the mouth, and thirst. Frights are pursued, along with unnerving acts of Satanic loyalty, watching the group turn on one of their own, slashing his feet and hanging him high to be wet down by his dripping blood. Production limitations are easy to spot, including blood that looks like tomato soup, but Durston keeps the story on the move, working in bits of characterization and power plays with Horace and Rollo, while Mildred experiences her own domestic drama with her dam-building boyfriend. And Doc Banner gets to fly high with the residents of Sados, force fed LSD after a shotgun-brandishing confrontation goes south. Performances are engaged, editing has a few creative moments, and the general vibe of “I Drink Your Blood” teeters on camp. Durston shakes up the norm to generate his own screen nightmare, and when it stops to concentrate on more than just shock value, it’s quite appealing.

“I Drink Your Blood” is presented in two versions: the Theatrical X-Rated Cut (83:30) and the Director’s Cut (88:19), which expands on characterization, offers a sample of Doc’s LSD trip, and provides an extended ending.

I Drink Your Blood Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.67:1 aspect ratio) presentation has been lovingly restored by Grindhouse Releasing, who truly freshen up the drive-in distraction for its HD debut. Sharpness is most impressive, providing a clear view of ghoulish events, delivering encouraging detail with gore zone visits, panicked close-ups, and small town life. Costumes are also textured, along with uncomfortable period hairstyles. Colors are pleasantly refreshed, clarifying the spilling of blood and the rage of the infected, while bold greenery sets the isolated town mood. Skintones are spot on. Delineation is true, preserving potentially difficult evening encounters and distances. Source is in satisfactory condition, without overt damage.

I Drink Your Blood Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix supports the strange sonic presence of "I Drink Your Blood," which often favors loud synth stings to encourage scares. Music sounds strong, and while it's intended to overwhelm at times, it never sounds distorted. Dialogue exchanges are agreeable, delivering tight performances from a variety of skill levels, while crowd encounters are easy to follow. Sound effects are sharp, retaining their severity. Atmospherics are decent.

I Drink Your Blood Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (six pages) contains essays by David Szulkin, Tyde Kierney, and John Damon.

Disc 1

• Commentary #1 (Theatrical X-Rated Cut) features David E. Durston and Bhaskar.

• Commentary #2 (Theatrical X-Rated Cut) features Jack Damon and Tyde Kierney.

• Commentary #3 (Director's Cut) features Durston and Bhaskar.

• Deleted Scenes (6:04, HD) offer the additional material prepared for the Director's Cut, with optional commentary by Durston and Bhaskar.

• Out-Takes (3:11, HD) provide a peek at the "I Drink Your Blood" production process, showing the cast and crew putting scenes together for the movie.

Disc 2

• "The I Drink Your Blood Show" (28:53, SD) travels to Durston's back porch, where he interviews actors Lynn Lowry, Damon, and Kierney, along with ad man Barney Cohen, who was responsible for the "I Drink Your Blood" and "I Eat Your Skin" double feature.

• Interview (59:52, SD) with Durston is an extensive conversation about his early years and rise through the industry, discussing his filmography and moviemaking education. Talk eventually turns to "I Drink Your Blood," and it's interesting to see how, after all these years, the picture's treatment during its initial theatrical release still upsets Durston, who shares fascinating anecdotes about the production.

• "'I Drink Your Blood' Reunion" (34:59, SD) captures a 2004 screening of the movie at the New Beverly Theater, with Durston, Lowry, Kierney, and Arlene Farber sharing stories and taking questions after the film.

• "Cinema Wasteland" (17:11, SD) is a 2004 Q&A with Durston and Lowry at a horror convention.

• "Cinema Wasteland" (3:49, SD) is a short interview with Durston at his autograph table.

• Bonus Feature: "I Eat Your Skin" (81:21, HD)

• Interview (18:14, HD) with "I Eat Your Skin" 2nd Unit Director William Grefe covers career highlights and on-set memories.

• Bonus Feature: "Blue Sextet" (89:26, HD)

• Commentary features Jack Damon.

• German Super 8 Versions: "Haus Des Blutigen Schreckens" (15:59, SD) and "Die Satansbande" (23:45, SD).

• Bios & Filmographies are supplied for Durston, Bhaskar, and producer Larry Gross.

• Galleries include: "Production Stills" (35 images), "Cast & Crew" (41 images), "Theatrical – U.S." (43 images), "Theatrical – Foreign" (31 images), "Video Releases" (32 images), and "Blood-Horrors" (49 images).

• Radio Spot (:59) is presented.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:49, HD) is included.

I Drink Your Blood Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"I Drink Your Blood" manages to raise hell for the grand finale, pitting the healthy against the rabid in a fight to the death. Durston cranks up the violence and encourages group participation, and there's some provocative material as well, including a scene of self-immolation from the lone Asian character that feels pulled from the headlines of the day. The picture offers chaos, diseased construction workers, and a mano a mano confrontation between Rollo and Horace that pits ax vs. sword. "I Drink Your Blood" is unexpectedly lively once Durston works up to a resolution, working well with locations and gore, living up to the X-rating the playful movie didn't deserve.