Movie Review: Blood Bath (1966)
Synopsis: Antonio Sordi is a talented artist whose morbid paintings of deceased women are in demand. Sordi has a secret, however. He believes he is the reincarnated form of a 15th-century ancestor who was burned at the stake for being a vampire and stealing souls. This results in him stalking female victims to kill and then boil after using them as models for his paintings.
The movie is also known under the title Track of a Vampire.
Who's in it? The movie stars William Campbell, Marissa Mathes, Lori Saunders, Sandra Knight and Karl Schanzer.
Review: I overslept by a few minutes this morning and, with my routine thrown off a bit as a result, picked the first movie that popped up in my library, Blood Bath. It was short enough for me to finish watching it before starting my day but other than that, I was left a bit undecided about whether it was a good choice or not.
This is a very strange horror movie, to the point I was beginning to wonder if the writers were on some sort of powerful drug when they wrote it. There were times when I wondered if it was supposed to be a horror film/monster movie or if it was supposed to be a dark comedy, especially with the multiple scenes involving a group of art-obsessed beatniks.
It was also unclear if Sordi (Campbell) really was a reincarnated vampire or just insane. The latter would seem to make the most sense, especially since he showed no other vampire traits (he was able to walk around in the sunlight, for example). However, the ending to the movie throws it in doubt, especially since there isn't much context given.
On the flip side, the horror movie elements in this film were solid. I did find it a bit unbelievable it took so long for people to connect the dots and realize he was painting the same women that had recently disappeared, especially since they were painted as corpses. However, I liked the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde personality Sordi displayed, allowing him to be charming one moment and a horrible killer the next.
In addition, the love story between Sordi and his girlfriend, Dorean (Saunders) is also intriguing. He clearly cared for her and went out of his way to keep her safe but at the same time, I knew his vampiric form would likely challenge that love at some point. In fact, I wish the movie would have focused more on that and a bit less on the comic relief attempts.
Final Opinion: This was a tough call because there is quite a bit about this movie I didn't like. However, I do think the horror movie elements make it just good enough for me to recommend taking the time to watch it. Who knows, it might be even better if you watched it while stoned.
My Grade: B-
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Here are some reviews of other classic vampire movies:
Movie Review: The Vampire Bat (1933)
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