The Thirsty Dead

The Thirsty Dead (also released on VHS as Blood Hunt) is a 1974 US/Filipino horror film co-produced (uncredited) and directed by TV actor Terry Becker from a story he concocted with Lou Whitehill (Wonder Women). It stars Jennifer Billingsley,  John Considine, Judith McConnell (The Brotherhood of Satan), Tani Guthrie (Daughters of Satan), Fredricka Meyers and ubiquitous Filipino horror actor Vic Diaz (Beast of the Yellow Night). In the US, the film was PG-rated and double-billed with The House of Seven Corpses. It is available as part of many public domain DVD packages.

In the space of a month, seven young women are kidnapped in Manila by members of a  death cult that needs their blood to remain immortal. The women are being transported to a remote idyll, in order to be sacrificed for their blood so that the cult members can maintain their eternal youth. Once there, they bicker amongst themselves, debate their fate and try to escape…

IMDb

‘The lack of gore and nudity doesn’t really matter, as all the women are likeable and interesting and the film, even when nothing is happening, is quite fun and enjoyable to watch, reminiscent of a kitschy color version of an old Republic serial. The makeup job on the aging Baru is very good, I loved the insane old women running amuck, and somehow the film kept me interested during the entire running time, which is hard for such tame horror outings of the 70s to do. But the film keeps its toes firmly planted in the bizarre enough to make it a captivating watch. A firm thumbs up!’ Casey Scott, DVD Drive-In

‘And that’s the whole problem with the movie: there’s no tension or danger. Our four kidnapped heroines never really seem upset with their predicament (one almost seems to welcome it), and the cult doesn’t “make an example” and kill one of them early on in order to raise the stakes.’ Horror Movie a Day

‘The people are all garbed in simple, pastel-coloured dresses and smocks – though Baru also has a pale blue cloak with a huge stand-up collar – and with the extensive use of hopelessly unrealistic cave sets, the whole film consequently looks alarmingly like a 1960s Star Trek episode.’ M. J. Simpson