The Ramses family moved to France for a new start and opened an American-style dinner in the Paris vicinity. As business is floundering, Fuad Ramses works a second job as after hour watchman at the Musée de l’homme (Museum of Man) where he encounters visions of the goddess Ishtar. Under her charms, he begins plans for a blood feast in her honor at his diner.
The film is a remake of the 1963 Herschell Gordon Lewis classic of the same name. Here the story is by Philip Lilienschwars and Marcel Walz, written for the screen by Lilienschwars and directed by Walz. They do a good job adapting and modernizing the classic film, creating a family that cares about each other and enough characters to be Ishtar sacrifices. These characters are unfortunately fairly generic and only there to be sacrificed, which is par for the course with many horror films concentrating on a high body count.
The lead cast is composed of horror regulars Robert Rusler as Fuad Ramses, Caroline Williams as his wife Louise, and Sophie Monk as their daughter Penny. Rusler gets the most to work with and does well as a man slowly losing his mind to a goddess. Williams is good, but unfortunately the little bit of French she uses doesn’t sound like a French-born woman would (and her character is one). Monk is her usual self, giving her character some spunk and a touch of sweetness. Also of note, the Herschell Gordon Lewis cameo which will not be spoiled here and which seems to give his blessing to the remake.
Being a remake of a Herschell Gordon Lewis film, the gore is very important here. While there is plenty gore and blood and it looks great, gorehounds may find themselves wishing there was even more. The special effects in this film are done by Megan Nicholson and Ryan Nicholson who clearly had fun making all the organs and body parts that get bloodied. Their effects look great and gross; the blood is a nice shade and looks realistic. The visual effects by Manuel Urbaneck (who also did the end credits roll) here are kept to a few key scenes and look good.
This remake thankfully avoided the faux-gritty look that many go for and went with a more sleek style which works well with the Paris setting and to fully show the gore. Roland Freitag’s cinematography looks very good, showcasing the Paris and some of its landmarks beautifully and framing the murderous mayhem and cannibalism in a way that makes them the star of the film. The film is not afraid to take on and face some of its grossest scenes.
Blood Feast is a decent remake, a bloody film with an opening sequence that catches the attention with its plentiful blood and boobs. It takes its time to get going but once it does, the bodies pile up and the gore is good. The effects make this a film worth seeing. It’s less enthusiastic than the other Herschell Gordon Lewis remake that comes to mind, 2001 Maniacs, but it’s still a fun watch. Accept Ishtar’s invitation and join her for dinner.