When it comes to the horror genre, there's hardly a more famous and successful author than Stephen King. The master of the macabre also knows a thing or two about horror films.
More than forty of the writer's stories and novels have been adapted for film, with King himself writing the screenplays for many of them. «"Carrie", "Misery"» и «"Fog"» — just three fantastic, terrifying films based on King's works.
It's only logical that when this writer picks a horror film he considers the worst ever made, it's one best avoided. That's precisely the dubious praise King gave the 1963 feature film "« Bloody Feast"» .
Story Bloody Feast
«Bloody Feast» — the sixth film by director Herschell Gordon Lewis, the man who became known as the "Godfather of Horror" during his career. Horror wasn't the only genre Lewis worked in. He also made a number of exploitation films—films designed to shock, titillate, evoke outrage, or play on negative stereotypes.
Many of Lewis's works fall into the subcategories of "juvenile delinquents" and so-called "nude beauties." The latter group, in general, speaks for itself, and among Lewis's works, one can note such original titles as «Goldilocks and the Three Naked Girls » (1963) and «Girls on the Takeoff» (1967).
Lewis is sometimes considered something of a pioneer in the horror genre for his experiments with gore and disturbing visuals on screen. «Bloody Feast» definitely falls into that category and is considered one of the first films in the "splatter" genre - films that focus on blood, blood, and more blood.
Plot of the film «Bloody Feast» revolves around a series of grisly murders in Miami. In each case, a body part is removed from the victim. Detective Pete Thornton must track down the killer.
The film follows serial killer Fuad Ramses, who works as a caterer by day and is a maniacal follower of the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian cult of Ishtar in his spare time. His devious plan is to throw a special feast for unsuspecting guests, including a stew made from human remains, which he believes will bring about the resurrection of Ishtar.
It all sounds as silly and salacious as it is. Actor William Kerwin (playing Detective Thornton), a regular in Lewis's films, does the best he can with the limited resources, as does Mal Arnold (as Fuad Ramses). Playboy model Connie Mason, playing Suzette Fremont, Thornton's girlfriend, adds a touch of glamour to the film. «"Bloody Feast"» There's nothing memorable about it other than the gore (which is actually pretty harmless by today's standards) and a few lingering close-ups during Ramses' bizarre attacks.
However, despite the devastating criticism, «Bloody Feast» grossed $4 million on a meager $24,500 budget. Lewis even made a sequel in 2002, «Blood Feast 2: All You Can Eat» . A remake of this film was also released in 2018.
Why does Stephen King hate «"Bloody Feast"?
Stephen King at a book signing | Buddy Mays/GettyImages
Unfortunately, King didn't elaborate on why he disliked the film so much. He shared his opinion in a terse post on X (then called Twitter). "What's the worst horror movie you've ever seen? For me, it's Blood Feast," the writer wrote on the platform. The film also has a 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, King was a little more forthcoming about film adaptations of his own works, admitting that he loves «Stay with me» , but doesn't like the film version «"The Shining".
Read more:
-
5 Stephen King Books to Read in a Weekend.
-
Quiz: Can you guess the title of a Stephen King book from its synonym?
-
Stephen King's list of his top 10 favorite movies of all time includes only one horror film.
-
Quiz: If you can name all 10 film adaptations of Stephen King's works, you're a true horror fan.
-
Quiz: Can you score the highest score on this Stephen King quiz?
This article was originally published on www.mentalfloss.com under the title "It's the worst horror movie ever, at least according to Stephen King.".