Blood Feast 2 - All You Can Eat

Rating:
Summary: Butt Steak!
Review: Absolutely hilarious! I was afraid that H.G. Lewis might have lost his touch after all of these years, but he's definitely still got it. The gore is just as over-the-top, excessive, and sleazy looking as in the first Blood Feast, but this one has the added bonus of being very funny (both intentionally and unintentionally). John Waters' cameo as a priest is a perfect bit of casting, and is one of the high points of the film. J.P. Delahoussaye as Fuad is also very good and quite likeable, and you really root for him right from the start.

The extras are nice, too, because they show that Lewis is fully in command of his movie. Although it seems from the on-set documenary that a lot of the people working on the film have no idea whatsoever who he is, one of the female leads professes to be a fan, and the special effects technician dutifully follows Lewis' directions to a tee.

Of all the Lewis films I've seen, I'd say this probably has the most in common with "The Gore Gore Girls", both in the type of humor and the quality/quantity of gore.

One can only hope he makes more films while he still has the time. Either way, this is a great return to filmmaking for a man who hasn't made a movie in FAR too long.

Rating:
Summary: great slasher movie here
Review: alot of good affects and makeup alot of goor and really good all around scray movie

Rating:
Summary: Bore Feast
Review: as a lover of horror, i was appalled by this movie. not by the "gore", but by the drivel that accompanies it. yes, there are some "sticky" scenes, but the gross out factor is outdone by the ludicrous props and horrible effects. even more atrocious is the acting. i believe my 9 year old cousin's class could have pulled off more convincing theatrics. and believe me, i would rather have watched them. forget what you hear, or think you know, this movie is NOT worth your time. a very disappointing effort by all. another hope destroyed.

Rating:
Summary: This bloody feast is a bloody good time
Review: Blood Feast 2 is one of the most unlikely sequels in the history of cinema. Lewis appeared to have retired from filmmaking for good following The Gore-Gore Girls in 1972 leaving behind film to pursue a career in advertising. Lo and behold few people would have expected him to return to the fold 30 years later with a sequel to Blood Feast, his most infamous film ever. Who knows what really possessed Lewis to make this film? It is never explained despite the numerous features on this special edition DVD, but Blood Feast 2 proves that Lewis still has the ability to deliver the goods even in his twilight years. Think this movie might be a little soft considering Lewis is now 75? Think again.

In an unnamed small southern town, an independent caterer opens up shop. The caterer's name is Fued Ramses, whose grandfather was the one that sacrificed people in honour of an Egyptian goddess in the original Blood Feast. Well, Fued seems to have picked up a few tricks from grandpa's trade as he grinds fresh human meat for his delicatessen. A dork by the name of detective Myers is suspicious, being able to put 2 and 2 together and figure out that the murders in his small town have coincided with Ramses' recent arrival. This detective is also soon getting married to a pretty girl named Tiffany. Tiffany's mother has enlisted Ramses' catering services for the wedding, obviously unaware of exactly what kind of "meat" Ramses' catering specializes in. As the wedding approaches, the people invited prepare themselves accordingly, including Ramses who will ensure the meat at the wedding is fresh and bloody.

Fans of Lewis will not be disappointed as this film is packed to the rafters with plenty of nauseating scenes of gore. I still find that the bodies looked too much like mannequins however the internal organs are definitely a vast improvement over Lewis' earlier films. I don't get out to see guts, livers and pancreases very often but to me this stuff looked uncomfortably authentic, as did the color of the blood. There's also no shortage of naked voluptuous women in the movie. Although Lewis has never been able to attract people with semi-decent acting abilities, he certainly knew where to find the babes for this movie. Speaking of the acting it was unbearably bad as can be expected however I couldn't help but wondering throughout the movie if this wasn't intentional. The actors are so bad that one could probably pluck people right off the street that would do a better job than this. But is good acting even allowed in an H.G. Lewis film? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that Lewis probably doesn't even allow decent acting in his movies, as bad acting has become as much a trademark of his films as the infamous gore. So to bad-mouth one of his films simply on the basis of atrocious acting to me feels like a moot point.

Really, I thought this film was great. I've already mentioned the babes and the gore but another thing I particularly liked was the retro 50's and 60's style to it. Many of the characters wear clothes from that era and most of the male leads have enough gunk in their hair to keep the marketing executives of hair gel companies very happy. Oh and how could I fail to mention the music, the entire soundtrack is played by Southern Culture on the Skids whose rockabilly twang has rarely sounded as good. Not to mention that the Butthole Surfers have a tune in here too. Throw in a cameo appearance by "Pink Flamingos" director John Waters and an extra disc packed with special features and Blood Feast 2 turns out to be an essential package for Lewis fans. The behind the scenes footage in the extra disc reveals that cast and crew seemed to have a blast of a time while making this movie. Blood feast 2 is also injected with lots of great humour. Much of the dialogue in the film was intentionally laughable of course, especially whatever came out of the detective's partner's mouth, a loudmouth who wears tacky Hawaiian shirts and has a rabid appetite for doughnuts. It's good to see that Lewis doesn't take himself or his films any more seriously than he used to as I've always found self-deprecation to be the funniest type of humour. Best line: "I only use the freshest meat in my sandwiches".

Rating:
Summary: This bloody feast is a bloody good time
Review: Blood Feast 2 is one of the most unlikely sequels in the history of cinema. Lewis appeared to have retired from filmmaking for good following The Gore-Gore Girls in 1972 leaving behind film to pursue a career in advertising. Lo and behold few people would have expected him to return to the fold 30 years later with a sequel to Blood Feast, his most infamous film ever. Who knows what really possessed Lewis to make this film? It is never explained despite the numerous features on this special edition DVD, but Blood Feast 2 proves that Lewis still has the ability to deliver the goods even in his twilight years. Think this movie might be a little soft considering Lewis is now 75? Think again.

In an unnamed small southern town, an independent caterer opens up shop. The caterer's name is Fued Ramses, whose grandfather was the one that sacrificed people in honour of an Egyptian goddess in the original Blood Feast. Well, Fued seems to have picked up a few tricks from grandpa's trade as he grinds fresh human meat for his delicatessen. A dork by the name of detective Myers is suspicious, being able to put 2 and 2 together and figure out that the murders in his small town have coincided with Ramses' recent arrival. This detective is also soon getting married to a pretty girl named Tiffany. Tiffany's mother has enlisted Ramses' catering services for the wedding, obviously unaware of exactly what kind of "meat" Ramses' catering specializes in. As the wedding approaches, the people invited prepare themselves accordingly, including Ramses who will ensure the meat at the wedding is fresh and bloody.

Fans of Lewis will not be disappointed as this film is packed to the rafters with plenty of nauseating scenes of gore. I still find that the bodies looked too much like mannequins however the internal organs are definitely a vast improvement over Lewis' earlier films. I don't get out to see guts, livers and pancreases very often but to me this stuff looked uncomfortably authentic, as did the color of the blood. There's also no shortage of naked voluptuous women in the movie. Although Lewis has never been able to attract people with semi-decent acting abilities, he certainly knew where to find the babes for this movie. Speaking of the acting it was unbearably bad as can be expected however I couldn't help but wondering throughout the movie if this wasn't intentional. The actors are so bad that one could probably pluck people right off the street that would do a better job than this. But is good acting even allowed in an H.G. Lewis film? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that Lewis probably doesn't even allow decent acting in his movies, as bad acting has become as much a trademark of his films as the infamous gore. So to bad-mouth one of his films simply on the basis of atrocious acting to me feels like a moot point.

Really, I thought this film was great. I've already mentioned the babes and the gore but another thing I particularly liked was the retro 50's and 60's style to it. Many of the characters wear clothes from that era and most of the male leads have enough gunk in their hair to keep the marketing executives of hair gel companies very happy. Oh and how could I fail to mention the music, the entire soundtrack is played by Southern Culture on the Skids whose rockabilly twang has rarely sounded as good. Not to mention that the Butthole Surfers have a tune in here too. Throw in a cameo appearance by "Pink Flamingos" director John Waters and an extra disc packed with special features and Blood Feast 2 turns out to be an essential package for Lewis fans. The behind the scenes footage in the extra disc reveals that cast and crew seemed to have a blast of a time while making this movie. Blood feast 2 is also injected with lots of great humour. Much of the dialogue in the film was intentionally laughable of course, especially whatever came out of the detective's partner's mouth, a loudmouth who wears tacky Hawaiian shirts and has a rabid appetite for doughnuts. It's good to see that Lewis doesn't take himself or his films any more seriously than he used to as I've always found self-deprecation to be the funniest type of humour. Best line: "I only use the freshest meat in my sandwiches".

Rating:
Summary: One Star Off for SE DVD With No Commentary
Review: Forty years after inventing the gore film, Herschell Gordon Lewis returns with a sequel to his classic schlockfest "Blood Feast." Entitled "Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat," the Godfather of Gore once again grosses out viewers with a cornucopia of sickening scenes, hammy acting, stilted dialogue, and corny gags. Over the past few months, I have learned to admire this pioneer's original efforts and when I saw a new release from the master, I just had to run out and pick up the DVD. The biggest surprise about "Blood Feast 2" is the gore, which attains new depths of soul shattering nausea. Gone forever are the obviously fake store mannequins of the original films, replaced with special effects on a level never before seen in one of his movies. "Blood Feast 2" revels in gruesome scenes of carnage, and does so in a way that would make Peter Jackson sit up and take note. This film will delight rabid grue fans.

The viewer of "Blood Feast 2" quickly arrives at the conclusion that something ominous looms on the horizon. The opening sequences of the film show two vagrants stumbling around behind a strip mall where they see an eerie red light seeping out from underneath a door. The light causes the two men to immediately attack each other in a gore scene that ranks as one of the most startling opening scenes in B movie history. A minute later, we see Fuad Ramses III returning to his grandfather's decrepit catering business. In the original "Blood Feast," Fuad Ramses went a little off his head and began abusing the local contingent of lasses in order to pay bloody homage to a statue of the Goddess Ishtar. Fuad's grandson seems like a nice sort of fellow, hardly the type of chap to fall for such bunk as ancient statues and cannibalism, but a local cop, Detective Myers, has a different idea about Fuad, and he quickly pays a visit to the young man in order to straighten him out. It seems that some of the townspeople are chary that the shenanigans of forty years ago may once again claim a few victims. Fuad Ramses III assures the officer that his grandfather's business will assume a sterling reputation under his tenure, and all seems right with the world.

Wrong, of course. Fuad Ramses III discovers the old Ishtar sculpture in the backroom and quickly falls under its spell. Soon the carnage starts anew, as several young ladies disappear under mysterious circumstances. It turns out that the cop who visited Fuad is a complete dunce, and his suspicions that the recent disappearances might have something to do with the reopening of the catering shop fall on the deaf ears of his portly partner, Detective Loomis, a guy who spends most of his time eating at his desk while ogling the pretty, smart mouthed redhead who works at the police station. As for the young Fuad, business promises to pick up when he discovers that Detective Myers will soon wed the beautiful daughter of Mrs. Lampley. Ramses despises this coiffed, wicked woman, but he realizes he needs the business if his enterprise will succeed. The wedding reception is a real hoot, especially with the surprising appearance of John Waters as the officiating priest. The conclusion delivers oceans of gore.

H.G. Lewis really outdid himself with this highly entertaining sequel. First, the gore is simply mind blasting. In his earlier opuses, Lewis always allowed the camera to linger on the unfolding carnage, a technique he uses to sickening effect here as well, but the special effects are SO much better in "Blood Feast 2." The last movie I saw that reveled in this type of grue was Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive." Don't get me wrong; Lewis's film does not approach the frantic pace of Jackson's film, but the gore here truly turns the stomach and made me ask on more than one occasion: "Did I really just see that"? Imagine seeing a corkscrew used to grim effect, more than one evisceration shown in loving detail, a peeling (best left unexplained), and numerous limbs in places other than where they should be. I'll watch "Blood Feast 2" again just to study the nasty special effects work.

Simultaneously, Lewis plays for high camp in this outing. Bad acting and atrocious dialogue are as commonplace in a Herschell Gordon Lewis film as trees in a forest, but this movie is one of the first ones I have seen from this director where he really lets the actors look like they are having a blast. Melissa Morgan, the actress who plays the ultra snarky Mrs. Lampley, takes her performance so over the top that it simply defies description. I cannot comprehend how a woman could manage to stand upright with that much makeup on. Another winner of the Udo Kier award for overacting is Mark McLachlan as the supremely dense Detective Myers (look for Myers's nausea gag; it's a hoot that just gets funnier and funnier as the movie progresses). In fact, everyone does a great job of doing a bad job acting.

I was a bit disappointed with this Special Edition DVD. There is no Lewis/Friedman commentary included, although you do get a bonus disc with behind the scenes looks at the gore effects, a couple of deleted scenes, and short (very short) interviews with Lewis and the cast and crew. The movie disc comes with a mess of trailers for several gory horror films from the likes of Joe D'Amato. Overall, "Blood Feast 2" is an unabashed gore classic, and I hope Lewis and company make another film in the near future. How about a sequel to "The Wizard of Gore"?

Rating:
Summary: HGL is back!!!!
Review: Herschell Gordon Lewis is back, and better than ever! In 1963, Lewis directed the first "gore" movie--"Blood Feast." After directing a host of other gore classics, HGL called it quits in 1972 and became one of the leading experts in marketing--he's written over twenty books on the subject. Of course, eventually someone HAD to make "Blood Feast 2," and here it is. Herschell Gordon Lewis hasn't lost a single ounce of what made him so memorable. It's all here. Everything you would expect from the "Godfather of Gore" rears its ugly head onto the screen. And I do mean ugly. Bad, over-the-top acting, cheesy effects, minimal camera angles, dancing strippers that do nothing to enhance the plot, and more gore lingering than ever before, make up the bulk of this movie. However, if you're looking for a standard HGL script, you may be surprised--this one is really well done with more black humor then any previous Lewis film. At one moment, you're disgusted by the largest liver ever seen inside a human body, and the next minute, you're laughing your head off at the ridiculous dialogue and one-dimensional characters that also linger in the film. For fans of cult films and B-Movies, this one is not to be missed! It comes from the man who brought us the gore film, and he's back after being away from the camera for thirty years--much too long! It's a shame this film didn't get a bit more push from its producers and unlike previous HGL movies, it took quite a while before it was even released. Perhaps they should have asked their director for some marketing advise. In the world of HGL, you write the movie (sometimes), shoot the movie, edit the movie, and release the movie. There are no audience surveys, no focus groups, and certainly no good taste. If you know HGL, make sure to see his latest. If the world of B-Movie Madness is new to you, see the original first, but don't miss this classic sequel--it will leave you aghast! Let's hope he makes another.

Rating:
Summary: The "Godfather of Gore" returns!!!!
Review: How could you go wrong with a Friedman/Lewis gore film?...
Here it is ,folks the one you've been waiting for is here! You won't be let down by "blood Feast 2". It's all I thought it would be and alot more. Lots of blood ,guts, and skin...oh, yea,and, it's funny as hell to. Don't miss John Waters as a priest!! Need i say more?
A must see. 5/5

P.S.: A comment track of Friedman and Lewis would have been nice, but there is't one on any of the dvd's...Oh well,you can't have it all.
P.P.S.: Where's Sheldon Seymour? lol ;)

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful return to old glory
Review: I really didn't expect this to be anything more than a rehash of times past, to be honest.

Hm, I was very surprised, to say the least. It's more of a remake than an actual sequel, although it's constructed to work as the latter as well.

Let me just say it has the same feeling of story, flow, wonderful acting and very reasonable character reactions in it...

All drenched into a great sleazy soundtrack and - this is the biggest change - really great and (more of less) realistic FX!

If you are into Herschell's works, don't pass this one up. It's absolutely brilliant!

Rating:
Summary: Don't believe the hype
Review: I wish i could give this no stars. Yes, the godfather of gore returns, but for what purpose? None, apparently. This movie is horrible. I've never seen worse acting, tongue in cheek or not. The effects are below sub-par. OOhh, a real cow liver in an OBVIOUS mannequin. Shudder. NOT. I've seen people make better movies in their back yard. As a horror junkie, I was completely let down by this flick. Don't waste your time. This is such a piece of junk.