soulexpress In this lurid slab of grindhouse fare, a ruthless, unhinged nympho named Victoria (Maria De Aragon) speeds up the death of her ailing father Ridgeley (Eric Allison) so her boyfriend, Dr. Craig Cooper (Peter Carpenter), can pay off a blackmailer (Arell Blanton). Complications ensue when the lion's share of the inheritance goes to Victoria's sister, Gail (Vicki Peters).Though marketed as a horror film, this is really an R-rated soap opera with two murders and far too many soft-core sex scenes. Yes, De Aragon and Peters (along with Reagan Wilson) look nice with their breasts bared, but unless the film is X-rated, I want a halfway decent story to accompany the boot-knocking. In that regard, BLOOD MANIA does not deliver. I also did not understand the ending, even though I watched it twice.The studly, 6'3" Carpenter was a passable actor, though hardly A- list material. Had a cerebral hemorrhage not killed him in 1971, he likely would have continued to produce and star in B movies for many years. Maria De Aragon is all over the place as the increasingly deranged Victoria. Her over-the-top hysterics after the reading of her father's will are something to behold. Also, there is good support from Leslie Simms as a kindly nurse and former sexpot Jacqueline Dayla as Gail's, ahem, "traveling companion." Eric Allison was too boyishly handsome to convincingly play the curmudgeonly father. And Vicki Peters must have been cast for her looks, because she couldn't act worth a damn. Her performance as the guileless Gail runs the gamut of emotion from A to B. And the cinematography showed a lot of imagination, though I could have done quite nicely with one less montage. In all, BLOOD MANIA is a reasonably entertaining bit of sleaze.Some dialogue samples:RIDGELEY: I could choke to death on my coffee and you wouldn't shed a tear.BLACKMAILER (to Carpenter): You're no longer that middle-class punk trying to brain your way out of the lower middle class.CARPENTER: I need fifty thousand. VICTORIA: Dollars? CARPENTER: Dollars.

arfdawg-1 The Plot.A sex-crazed nympho helps speed along her father's death so she can use the inheritance to help out her depraved boyfriend.Firstly the movie sucks. It's one of the weirdest films you'll ever see, and not in a good way.It's really horribly tedious to watch.On the plus side the technicolor rendering is great.But to be perfectly frank, all three stars I am giving this movie are because of the female lead who had the hottest body I have ever seen.Coupled with this is her complete willingness to strip down every 5 seconds. It's an amazing body to observe. Not an ounce of fat and the longest, flattest torso you will ever see.Get out the Vaseline.

vaultonburg There are people who are keen to point out Peter Carpenter's back- to-back 1970/1971 films Blood Mania and Point of Terror aren't horror movies at all. Which is in a sense fair, because the promotional material would lead one to believe that they were, but so what? Still others want us to know they think Carpenter was a Tom Jones wannabee and the music in Point of terror is bad. So what? Blood Mania and Point of Terror are perfectly trashy and entertaining pieces of early 70's schlock that are unique, wonderfully shot, and chock full of pretty people to look at.Tonight I'm watching Blood Mania for the first time, and I have to say it's a lot of fun. Not in the traditional sense of the word "fun," but the sense someone who enjoys seeing movies that are unusual and enjoys finding something new and unique. Sure, peter Carpenter probably didn't have the chops to be a leading man in A movies, but he was every bit up to carrying these B movies on his shoulders, surrounding himself with beautiful scenery and beautiful women, and telling an outrageous story that challenges ones ability to believe. It's sort of shame as a movie fan that we don't get these kinds of movies anymore. I mean we get bad movies, but not these kinds of bad movies. Blood Mania is an entertaining movie for those who aren't looking to waste their own time picking it apart.

Bezenby I had no idea what kind of film I was about to watch, and still didn't have much of a clue by the end of it. This semi-psychedelic groove fest involves a doctor being blackmailed for fifty grand by a guy with a mullet (seems he used to do back room abortions) and having to team up with the daughter of one of his patients, but she's not too sane as she's always putting the moves on him (and the pool cleaner, who runs off once she disrobes and chases him around the pool).Her dad is dying of some heart condition and although she superficially acts like the loving daughter, she's actually a loony high on amyl nitrate (she also gives the doctor some, leading to a trippy sex scene). Meanwhile, the doctor's girlfriend (who also gets naked quite frequently) is trying to figure out a way to get the mullet guy off her boyfriend's back (also involves sex, doesn't work). When the crazy daughter says that she could be due some cash from her inheritance, things take off down murderous road, with a few twists and surprises thrown in for good measure (including a brutal murder).They sure don't make them like this any more. Probably for good reason. Alternatively slow and then engaging, then slow again, then trippy, then violent, Blood Mania still manages to keep your attention due to the frequent nudity during the first half, then all the violence in the second half. I did have a laugh when the doctor managed to whoo and then bed the other daughter over the course of one day. Oh, and wait till you get a load of that picture the crazy daughter's painting! The murder at the end was a bit of a shock, but please remember I am very easy to please when it comes to films like this, and I'm a lot more patient than most people. It was a good looking film, and a bit hard to categorise.