Bordello of Blood – also known as Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood – is a 1996 comedy/horror film starring Dennis Miller, Erika Eleniak, Angie Everhart, Corey Feldman and Chris Sarandon. It is based on the HBO television series Tales from the Crypt.
Plot teaser:
Vincent (Phil Fondacaro) and his associates explore a forest, until they find a cave containing a coffin with the skeleton of Lilith, mother of all vampires. Vincent takes a box out of his pocket, which contains the four sections of her heart. He puts it in her body, and she rapidly begins reanimating. Revived, she rips the hearts out of the associates and goes after Vincent, who produces the key artifact seen in Demon Knight. Vincent then explains that the artifact from “Demon Knight” and the blood within it allows him to have full control over her. Vincent then turns to Lilith and asks her if he allows her to eat the last associate would she then behave. She replies “Anything for you, lover”.
The Crypt Keeper is having lunch with the Mummy (William Sadler), who is boring him about film industry life. The Mummy challenges the Crypt Keeper to a contest of rock, paper, scissors which the Mummy wins, and he slices off the Keeper’s hand with a meat cleaver. Laughing, the Crypt Keeper addresses the audience, and the story continues.
Catherine Verdoux (Erika Eleniak) lives with her delinquent brother Caleb (Corey Feldman). He goes out one night against her wishes and, while hanging at a bar, is informed of a secret brothel in the guise of a funeral home. Caleb and a friend go to check it out, where they do indeed find the information true (albeit forced by the mortician McCutcheon (Aubrey Morris). Unknown to them however, it’s run by the fully regenerated Lilith (Angie Everhart). All the women there are vampires turned by Lilith, completely evil, lustful and subservient to her…
Reviews:
“The film works because it doesn’t take itself seriously at all. At one point Guttman says that he feels he is in a bad Tales from the Crypt episode. There is a marvellous slaughter of vampires with water pistols and super soakers (obviously filled with holy water) that, despite being very similar to From Dusk Till Dawn which was released in the same year, really works well probably due to the fact that the soundtrack cuts into ‘Ballroom Blitz’.” Taliesin Meets the Vampires
“The latest feature spinoff from the campy HBO horror-comedy series is another cheesy goulash of smart-alecky humor and full-bore gore, spiced with more shots of topless lovelies than you’d find in a ’60s sexploitation flick. Adolescent boys might groove to the mix, but most other ticketbuyers will avoid this tawdry opus like the plague.” Joe Leydon, Variety
“The big themes in this lackluster second feature under the “Tales From the Crypt” banner are sex and religion. Both are presented with painfully sophomoric irreverence. Sex appears in the form of many women with bare breasts and repeated references to sex acts, some downright kinky. The religious angle involves a born- again Christian preacher and his determination to use vampire women to lure sinners to their deaths.” Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
“Bordello of Blood is a joyous comedy and gorefest with a gungho cast, a fun story, and some really great effects gags.” The Girl Who Loves Horror
“Triple the length of its cable television inspiration, Tales from the Crypt Presents Bordello of Blood is triple the gore, triple the naked women, but not, alas, triple the fun. Comic takes on vampires have been done better, less bloodily and with more clothing, but always without the benefit of a wildly popular franchise like this HBO series.” Richard Harrington, Washington Post
“If you’re craving a strong story and drawn out characters, look elsewhere. If you’re in the mood for some good laughs, a couple of creamy tits, lots of zany (and well done) visual effects, some quirky side characters, a midget, some hints of lesbianism (always a good thing), lots of ketchup, a holy water squirt gun vampire massacre, Angie Everheart looking like my last solo fantasy and Corey Feldman making an ass of himself, this is the right whore house to smuggle into.” Arrow, Joblo.com
Cast:
- John Kassir – Voice of The Crypt Keeper
- Dennis Miller – Rafe Guttman
- Erika Eleniak – Catherine Verdoux
- Angie Everhart – Lilith
- Chris Sarandon – Reverend J.C. Current
- Corey Feldman – Caleb Verdoux
- Aubrey Morris – McCutcheon
- Phil Fondacaro – Vincent Prather
- William Sadler – The Mummy
- Kiara Hunter – Tamara
- Leslie Ann Phillips – Patrice
- Juliet Reagh – Tallulah
- Eli Gabay – Miguel
- Matt Hill – Reggie
- Eric Keenleyside – Noonan
- Kim Kondrashoff – Jenkins
- Robert Munic – Zeke
- Gary Starr – Jed
- Robin Douglas – Louise
- Dorian Joe Clark – Jonas
- Ravinder Toor – Bartender
- Robert Rozen – Rabbi Goldman
- Jennifer Jasey – Woman
- Heather Hanson – Babe
- Tobias Mehler – Man in Bordello
- Whoopi Goldberg – Hospital Patient (uncredited)
