By Geno McGahee
Oh, how did I miss this movie? The 1970s was my favorite time for horror movies and I thought that I had seen them all, but Arrow Video has uncovered a hidden gem by the name of “MALATESTA’S CARNIVAL OF BLOOD.” The film is released in a set called “AMERICAN HORROR PROJECT” along with THE WITCH WHO CAME FROM THE SEA and THE PREMONITION. The Blu-Ray release of this film is very sharp with great audio. This film just looks beautiful and, as a horror fan, there is no better setting than an amusement park for this genre. Written by Werner Liepolt and directed by Christopher Speeth, MALATESTA’S CARNIVAL OF BLOOD is about as good as it gets and says a lot with incredible visuals and an aura of mystery that surrounds the story throughout.
The Norris family is in search for a missing family member, and believes that the carnival, ran by Mr. Blood (Jerome Dempsey), has something to do with hit. They get jobs and soon begin to realize that there is much more going on than just an amusement park. Stories of cannibals surface and the workers at the park are soon exposed to be flesh-eating ghouls. They remind me so much of the zombies in CHILDREN SHOULDN’T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS, one of my favorite horror films of all time.
It becomes a battle for survival as the ghouls attack and kill in some creative ways, including decapitation on a roller coaster. There isn’t a great deal of dialogue with the emphasis being on telling the story through visuals. The visuals were amazing and the pacing increased with every minute the film rolled.
This is one of those classic unapologetic 70’s horror films. There is no happy ending. The writer and director just gave us a window into the lives of these ghouls and their wicked nature. They don’t give us much information on them, but the unknown elements made it that much better and interesting. The ghouls and the people that were controlling them provided compelling viewing and as a fan of this time in film, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience.
I give Arrow Video a lot of credit for bringing this and the other horror entries back from the VHS graveyard, remastering them, and presenting them the right way. MALATESTA’S CARNIVAL OF BLOOD is an amazing film that should be seen by all horror fans, especially those that dig the 70’s brand. I highly recommend AMERICAN HORROR PROJECT. The trio of films are great and this one alone is worth the price.
Rating: 8.5/10
