‘He hunted humans for the sheer sport of killing… and made his island paradise into a Hell on Earth!’
Bloodlust! (also known as Bloodlust and Blood Lust) is a horror/thriller film co-written, co-produced and directed by Ralph Brooke.
Filmed in 1959 and released in 1961, the feature was picked up by Crown International Pictures. Crown later re-released it in 1970 as a double feature with Blood Mania. The film’s cinematography was by Richard E. Cunha (director of Giant from the Unknown, She Demons, Missile to the Moon, and Frankenstein’s Daughter).
Plot teaser:
Two couples (Robert Reed, June Kenney, Joan Lora, and Eugene Persson) are on a boating trip when they come across an uncharted island. The four investigate and find themselves in the clutches of Dr. Albert Balleau (Wilton Graff), whose hobby is hunting both animals and humans.
After learning about the terrible secrets of the island from the doctor’s wife (Lilyan Chauvin) and her boyfriend (Walter Brooke) as well as an investigation, the group tries to escape only to be thwarted by Dr. Balleau and his henchmen.
Balleau’s wife and her lover are slain and stuffed, while the men are forced to participate in a The Most Dangerous Game-style hunt, with their girlfriends soon joining them. The hunt includes Balleau’s sailor henchmen and hidden traps, as well as Balleau’s deadly skill…
Buy Film Chest Restored Version on DVD from Amazon.com
Reviews:
“Bloodlust! is no big deal, really, but it is reasonably well made for a quickie drive-in horror film, and it should reward those who come to it with a forgiving attitude. Wilton Graff does a respectable job as the villain, and in particular makes the most of the speech in which he tells how a stint as a sniper during World War II left him addicted to the thrill of hunting humans. Robert Reed makes for a rather dull hero, but he is counterbalanced to some extent by June Kenney’s Betty, who is atypically strong and resourceful for a B-movie heroine of this vintage. Watch especially for the scene in which she uses her judo skills to toss one of Balleau’s men into a vat of acid— not only is it an unexpected show of force, but it leads to a very hard-hitting gore effect by contemporary standards.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting
” …delivers satisfying late night chiller charm that is surprisingly daring for an overlooked sixties schlocker unjustly derided as a campy disappointment if it is even remembered at all.” Culture Crypt
“Ultimately, Brooke’s ‘Bloodlust’ is a film that fails on two levels – its fails to be good entertainment, and it fails to be good fodder for fans of so-bad-its-good cinema. With the exception of a few hardy souls interested in seeing “Mike Brady” star in a horror film, Brooke’s ‘Bloodlust!’ has no real target audience, no real entertainment value, and ultimately, no real reason to even be seen. Certainly, making a “bad” film is a terrible mistake, but to make a “forgettable” film like Ralph Brooke did, is just plain unforgiveable.” Examiner.com
The movie was released on DVD as a double feature with Atom Age Vampire on March 20, 2001, and later released on DVD as another double feature in 2002 with The Amazing Transparent Man.
