Killer B's on DVD: Blood and Sex Nightmare

There's a lot to be said for truth in advertising, and few people could come away from a film called Blood and Sex Nightmare (due for release on August 5 from Bloody Earth Films) with the outraged cry: "I was expecting a carefree romp with Sandra Bullock!" Yes, this one delivers on its promise of blood and sex (often at the same time), but is that enough?

Amy (Julia Morizawa) has just returned to her boyfriend Nick (Andy McGuinness) after traveling to Japan for her father's funeral. Despite having been together for some time, the two have not had sex yet because Amy doesn't feel ready. Nick suggests they spend some time at Pleasure Mountain Adult Retreat, a getaway resort for couples (or any number of people) looking to spice things up. The retreat is a simple affair consisting of small cottages, but the other guests are an entertaining bunch with one couple doing bondage photography and a threesome acting out a bizarre sitcom fantasy complete with canned laughter.

There's also a creepy caretaker on hand who we soon learn is not on staff and is just hanging around to give people the willies. There's also a killer on the loose, a vengeful spirit who uses jarringly terrestrial implements like knives and chainsaws to dispatch his victims. That old chestnut of the sexually active characters being offed is trotted out, though it should be noted that a token virgin is messily done in as well. Amy begins having bloody visions of the killer ghost who speaks to her in Japanese with English subtitles.

While I'm not sure all of the similarities are intentional, there appear to be some obscure but interesting references here. The demon that keeps appearing to Amy is a rotting corpse with an eyeball dangling from its socket, which was a common sight in comics from Eerie Publications, an obscure horror comic publisher from the early 70s. Also the basic plot reminds me of 1964's The Monster of Camp Sunshine, in which a mutated grounds keeper attacks the residents of a nudist colony. There are also some more obvious influences from the likes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and pretty much any slasher movie you could name.

On one level director Joseph R. Kolbek should be commended on his willingness to push the limits of good taste. Push? Hell, he ignores them entirely. The sex and gore work more closely in tandem here than in most exploitation films. Sadly, the rest of the film has nothing new or interesting to offer, and when a movie's only claim to fame is its graphic depiction of mutilated genitalia, I have to say "no thank you." Several women in the cast are here because of their willingness to take off their clothes, and it must be said that they do it well, but most of the actors are wooden and uninspired. The opening scene in which a bound and gagged woman is fondled then gorily murdered -- a segment obviously designed to shock -- moves from point A to point B without even a hint of suspense or style, and the rest of the film stumbles along in a similar fashion. The story is on the thin side, and with the end credits starting to roll before we hit the one hour mark, the plot doesn't have a chance to build any momentum, though I doubt padding out the story by another thirty or so minutes would have been doing anyone a favor.

Among the extras are some 16 millimeter student films from director Kolbek. Chef Boyardemon is an Eraserhead inspired effort with a clever title being its sole asset, though Roaring 20's has a bizarre dreamlike quality and manages to entertain.