25 May 2008

Long before Hollywood started parodying the classics of the horror genre with the Scary Movie series of films, British filmmakers set the standard with a little film called Bloodbath at the House of Death. Generally considered 'lost' for over 20 years, this cult spoof horror work stars a whole host of familiar faces from British film and television including influential radio DJ and comedian Kenny Everett, Pamela Stephenson (Superman III, Not The Nine O'Clock News), Gareth Hunt (The New Avengers), Don Warrington (Grange Hill, Rising Damp), John Fortune (Bremner, Bird and Fortune), Sheila Steafel (The Ghosts Of Motley Hall), Cleo Rocos (The Kenny Everett Television Show), Graham Stark (the Pink Panther movies) and horror legend, Vincent Price.

It's August 1975 and despicable evil is afoot at Headstone Manor, the remote country pile playing host to the 'Businessman's Weekend Retreat and Girls Summer Camp'. Mysterious robed figures are roaming the grounds and it's not long before they unleash an orgy of bloody violence upon a dozen of the manor's unfortunate residents.

Eight years later, a group of scientists, headed by boffin Dr. Lukas Mandeville (Kenny Everett) and his assistant Dr. Barbara Coyle (Pamela Stephenson), are summoned to the house to investigate several occurrences of bizarre paranormal activity. Unknown to the scientists, their presence is about to incur the wrath of a local coven of bumbling but determined Satanists led by a 700-year-old disciple of the Devil known only as the Sinister Man (Vincent Price), all of whom are prepared to stop at nothing in purging the house of the unwelcome intruders.

Scripted by Barry Cryer (The Two Ronnies, The Kenny Everett Television Show), Bloodbath at the House of Death is a blend of gross-out horror, shameless Carry On-style comedy and more than a little bit of kitsch zaniness. Revelling in its parodies of a lengthy checklist of horror and genre movies such as Alien, The Entity, Carrie, An American Werewolf In London, Jaws and The Shining, the film's many standout moments include the Jaws-referencing 'cello in the toilet' sequence and Pamela Stephenson's brief but, at the time, surprisingly controversial topless scene.

Bloodbath at the House of Death is to receive its DVD premiere when it is released in the UK on 28th July by Nucleus Films at the RRP of £14.99. The anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer and original mono and newly created 5.1 soundtracks will be joined by the following extra features:

• 'Running the Bloodbath' featurette with producers Laurence Myers and Stuart Donaldson featuring archive footage of Kenny Everett;
• Original shooting script in PDF format;
• UK and USA theatrical trailers.