User:Paleface Jack/Blood Freak

Blood Freak (also known as Blood Freaks) is a 1973 American horror film directed by Brad F. Grinter and starring Steve Hawkes, Dana Cullivan, Heather Hughes, and Bob Currier.

Plot
While riding down the highway on his motorbike, Vietnam veteran Herschell comes across a young Christian girl named Angel, whose car has broken down. After helping fix her vehicle, Herschell rides back to her home, where her sister, Anne, and many local friends of hers are smoking marijuana. Taking an instant liking to Herschell, Anne attempts to entice him to join them, but he refuses, warned by Angel about them. Not to be dissuaded, Anne continues her efforts to seduce him much to Herschell's discomfort. Currently, without a job, Herschell is delighted when he is offered an opportunity to work at a local turkey farm, with Angel letting  Herschell stay with them until he gets back on his feet. Whilst cleaning the girls' pool, Anne encourages Herschell to smoke a joint; he does, with Anne having sex while high. Herschell later discovers that he has become addicted to marijuana after experiencing withdrawal.

Arriving at the farm, Herschell meets two scientists who are experimenting by testing certain chemicals on turkey meat. Herschell agrees to participate in a test by eating some of the turkey meat; to convince him to agree, the scientists bribe him with more marijuana. After eating the whole turkey, he passes out on the farm. He suffers a seizure, and the two scientists later find him, and, worried about being investigated about the possible death of Herschell, they dump his body in the woodlands. But Herschell is not dead—he wakes up to find he has a giant turkey's head in place of his own head. He is also still addicted to drugs, but instead of smoking marijuana, he now craves the blood of other addicts.

He comes to Anne for help, and at first, she agrees. However, after Herschell kills three people to appease his habit, Anne finally appeals to two friends to stop Herschell by beheading him with a machete. Just as the turkey-headed Herschell is killed, the action jumps back to Herschell again, waking up in the woods—the entire sequence in which Herschell has a turkey head was only a hallucination. He is discovered by the owner of the turkey farm, who contacts Angel at the rehab center where she volunteers. Angel comes to collect Herschell and, after urging him to pray to God for assistance, takes him to the center to recover from his addiction. At the film's end, Herschell is reunited with a joyous Anne.

Cast

 * Steve Hawkes as Herschell
 * Dana Cullivan as Ann
 * Heather Hughes as Angel
 * Bob Currier
 * Anne Shearin
 * Linda Past
 * Debbie Smith
 * Sandy Kneelen
 * Domink Grutta
 * Randy Grinter

Production
Blood Freak was written, produced, and directed by Brad F. Grinter in his third directorial effort. A former actor-turned-director, Grinter had originally started out as an actor in minor roles in B movies such as Scream, Baby, Scream (1969), before making his directorial debut in 1970 with the splatter film Flesh Feast, which starred Veronica Lake in her final film role.


 * https://www.tarzanmovieguide.com/hawkes.htm

Release

 * http://bleedingskull.com/bleeding-skull-50-the-best-something-weird-horror-films2/
 * https://screenanarchy.com/2012/08/frances-etrange-festival-rolls-out-2012-titles.html

Home media
Sampson Motion Picture Production Company (United States, 1972)(theatrical)

Clamil Productions (United States, 1975)(R-rated version, theatrical)

Vídeo Dimas (Spain, 1987)(video)

Colombus (France, 1988)(VHS)

Midnite Movies (Netherlands, 1998)(VHS)

Something Weird Video (SWV) (United States, 2002)(special edition, DVD)

Something Weird Video (SWV) (United States, 2002)(VHS)

Something Weird Video (SWV) (United States, 2004)(DVD)

A.V.L. Production (France)(VHS)

Regal Video (United States)(VHS)

Simitar Entertainment (United States)(VHS)

Video Treasures (United States)(VHS)

Reception

 * https://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/1999-09-10/blood-freak/
 * https://www.fangoria.com/original/image-entertainment-horrors-dve-review/
 * https://morbidlybeautiful.com/daily-dig-blood-freak-1972/
 * https://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/saturday-night-at-the-movies-25/

Legacy

 * https://people.com/movies/the-13-worst-horror-movie-monsters-of-all-time/
 * https://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/747824-turkey-terror-blood-freak-greatest-thanksgiving-film-ever
 * https://www.grunge.com/49377/hilarious-low-budget-films-ever/

Periodicals

 * https://books.google.com/books?id=SoyGAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Blood+Freak%22+(1971)&dq=%22Blood+Freak%22+(1971)&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjhvPm1qPuAAxWyODQIHa13AKQ4KBDoAXoECAkQAg