(1981)
Director: Jesus Franco
Writer: Erich Tomek
Bloody Moon is a pretty typical slasher film, however it is a cut above most. It's not necessarily good, but what it lacks in quality it more than makes up for in interesting kills and good old-fashioned enjoyability. It plays out as your average 'college girls being stalked by an unseen killer' film, but retains a certain weirdness and subtle humor throughout that I'm sure was all Franco's doing. It's that vibe that makes this movie so much fun. It's no surprise that this film made the video nasties list. From a knife protruding through a nipple, to a gruesome circular saw decapitation complete with squirting blood, this movie has everything the BBFC would find offensive.
The supplement on the DVD of this film was especially interesting. In it, Franco discusses the troubled production of the film and how he was lured in with the promise of a Pink Floyd musical score and one of the best FX guys in the business, though he concedes that the FX guy they ended up with was actually quite good. I believe this is the only Jess Franco film on the video nasties list, and that kind of disappoints me. While I'm told that this film is not typical of his other works, the good stuff in it is enough to make me want to see more. Although I thought I had seen others, apparently the only other Franco film I've seen is Oasis Of The Zombies, a.k.a. Bloodsucking Nazi Zombies (great title, not so great movie). This is an oversight that I plan to rectify. Especially since Franco has directed movies with such amazing titles as Night Of The Open Vaginas and Lulu's Talking Butthole.
Enjoyability: 8 1/2 out of 12 beers
Quality: 6 1/2 out of 10 skulls
