Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Flesh and Blood Show Blu-ray Movie Review

Sneak out at the intermission.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 21, 2014

“The Flesh and Blood Show” opens with a shot of blood pouring down a pier pillar, setting a macabre mood for all the evildoing to come. It’s a fantastic way to kick off the picture. Cruelly, it’s the first and last bit of nasty business to cause a scene in the movie. A 1972 effort from director Pete Walker, “The Flesh and Blood Show” doesn’t even seem particularly interested in scaring its audience, instead offering a mix of titillation and flaccid dramatics to fill the run time, while suspense is nonexistent, featuring extended sequences of horror that aren’t the least bit frightening. Although the collision of egos, nudity, and infighting certainly has promise, it remains unfulfilled in Walker’s feature, which is so glacial and mild, it’s a wonder what the production was actually trying to achieve with its emphasized but underutilized genre elements.

When an unseen producer is looking to put on a musical, “The Flesh and Blood Show,” for the London stage, he recruits director Mike (Ray Brooks) to gather a collection of actors, sending them to a seaside resort town to rehearse inside the abandoned Dome Theater. Arriving with high hopes are Carol (Luan Peters), Simon (Robin Askwith), Sarah (Candace Glendenning), Jane (Judy Matheson), special effects master John (David Howey), and film star Julia (Jenny Hanley). Ready to put on a show, the talent settles into their makeshift living quarters, dreaming of success, but content to fool around with one another, making Carol envious of all the male attention Julia receives. As they begin to hash out the work, eerie occurrences begin to happen in the bowels of the theater, causing Mike tremendous worry as he stumbles across dead bodies, only to realize he’s been pranked. However, when actual blood is spilled, the troupe grows concerned, finding comfort in the locals, including Major Bell (Patrick Barr), a kindly old man with an affinity for the stage who welcomes the actors into the empty town. As bodies begin to pile up, the gang looks into the history of the theater, searching for answers concerning who or what is stalking them.

Perhaps most interesting about “The Flesh and Blood Show” is how much it plays like a giallo thriller, with the villain a gloved, heavy breathing individual scurrying around in the dark trying to lure the actors out into the open. It seems almost accidental, but there’s a slight Argento vibe to the picture that only permits fleeting thrills, never exploited to satisfaction despite every opportunity to raise some hell. Instead, Walker keeps “The Flesh and Blood Show” to a dull roar (punctuated by inappropriate sitcom scoring stings from composer Cyril Ornadel), highlighting the interpersonal relationships between the talent as they come together to put on a hazily defined show -- something involving a caveman celebration and modern dance, perhaps best left unexplored. Terror is put aside to focus on the bed-hopping interests of the performers, who waste little time snuggling up to one another, finding little else to distract them while holed up inside a vacant theater during the town’s off-season.

Walker, ever the gentlemen, turns up the sexploitation aspects of the material, lingering on shots of disrobing actresses and teasing lesbianism to grab attention, indulging salacious appetites in a blunt manner that’s somewhat amusing. Clearly, most of these actresses weren’t hired for their way with dramatics, making Walker’s modus operandi clear as day, showing more success with nudity than terror. The sexuality also introduces a few combative interactions, with poor Carol watching as her man takes to leering at Julia instead of leering at her, adding what passes for tension to the feature as patience is frayed between the couple, making Carol an open target as she storms off into the night in the middle of nowhere for a breath of fresh air. Of course, this is the same woman who, in the opening of the film, answers a strange door knock in the middle of the night completely nude. She’s not exactly Einstein to begin with.

“The Flesh and Blood Show” is a sluggish film, and even attempts at cheekiness and misdirection are tedious. If there’s any mischief to be found, it’s with John, the special effects guru who’s inability to score a sexual partner in the theater leads him to mastermind pranks, keeping the actors on edge in such a spooky location. As with everything in the picture, there’s a slack quality to John’s mean-spirited plans, with Walker missing a chance to wind up the effort with a tense run of sight gags -- false frights that perturb the local cops, who grow disdainful of the visitors, with irritation soon turning into suspicion as actual dead bodies begin to surface. Although he’s armed with access to blood, a heavy use of camera zooms, and a cast that seems perfectly able to cause a ruckus, Walker downplays every suspenseful beat offered to him. “The Flesh and Blood Show” turns into a series of delayed reactions and moronic characters, with the occasional banal death meant to rile up the senses.

The Flesh and Blood Show Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.68:1 aspect ratio) presentation shows considerable wear and tear. Print damage is common throughout the viewing experience, with scratches, blotches, and speckling present, along with some minor judder. It's not a clean image, but it certainly retains some sense of life, with colors nicely pronounced, making costuming appealing, and skintones for the parade of flesh are natural. Blacks are prone to crush issues, and while solidification isn't severe, there are a few sequences that lose depth and texture. Grain is managed well, sustaining a filmic quality. I'd venture to say that this is the best "The Flesh and Blood Show" has looked since its theatrical release. It's on the ragged side, but the basics are preserved to make this HD event satisfactory.

The Flesh and Blood Show Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 LPCM sound mix retains a simplistic design, with a frontal push of disparate elements that are adequately defined without melting into chaos. Highs are sharp but expected for a film of this age and obscurity, but dialogue exchanges are tidy, dealing well with accents and dramatic volatility. Scoring is adequately supportive, maintaining orchestral presence without overwhelming the performances, with comfortable instrumentation. Atmospherics are communicative, with creaky footsteps and echoed theater menace in good shape. A few scenes expose some damage and hiss, but nothing that distracts. It's a solid, complete mix for the movie.

The Flesh and Blood Show Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Flesh, Blood, and Censorship" (12:13, HD) is an interview with Pete Walker, who discusses the inspiration for "The Flesh and Blood Show," which dates backs to his years performing in the waning days of vaudeville. Walker goes on to explore his early days as a filmmaker and how this horror feature acted as a transition picture between the sex comedies he was experimenting with and the scary movies he would go on to create. Affable and honest about the endeavor's shortcomings and unenthusiastic reception, Walker is a treat to listen to.

• 3-D Sequence (10:14, HD) presents the grand finale in both anaglyph (glasses are not included) and stereoscopic formats.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (3:44, HD) is included.

The Flesh and Blood Show Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Flesh and Blood Show" eventually turns investigative in its final act, with the gang researching the history of the theater and its combustible production of "Othello" during WWII. The mystery never commands attention, leaving Walker to try a 3D gimmick for the grand finale, constructing a black and white flashback that teases the audience with outstretched hands, swinging knives, and tossed keys. While ambitious, the conclusion merely prolongs a flatlining chiller, dragging out the inevitable with hammy acting and a ludicrous motivation for murder. Walker doesn't seem inspired by anything "The Flesh and Blood Show" has to offer, more invested in the particulars of struggling thespian life than the precision of the effort's scares.