Having acquired this on Blu-ray, I was most surprised to discover that I had never seen it. I certainly saw plenty of its ilk back in the video collecting days. It has to be said, however, that like the old sex film posters, there was a considerable gap between what was offered and what was provided. Imagine my surprise then to find not only had I never seen it but that it was as described complete with a cage of 'bloodsucking freaks', well naked ladies who eat chunks of human flesh. At the start we cut from an on stage atrocity to an audience shot where some 'complain' that it is all a sham, 'just acting'and the impresario informs us not so. As a film audience, of course, when we see the body parts cut off and eyeballs removed know well that this is acting and effects but it becomes clear that within the film these activities are real Its all very silly and over the top but the effects aren't bad, the humour is amusing and the low budget not as obvious in some. Trouble has been taken with the set design too and most scenes actually look good as opposed to ill lit basement sequences badly put together. Hardly something to recommend to just anyone but if the title appeals, give it a go.

Listen up. If you dig far enough into the 70's trash bin of foul and disgusting movies that are equally forgettable, you're going to find Bloodsucking Freaks, a toast to all who love to see women get tortured and murdered for no apparent reason. Sound like your cup of tea? Maybe you should have your mental health examined, whatever is left. Cult followers of this mound of gorilla dung will dig the senseless humor and offensive view of gores that are delivered, however, the vast majority of the population can safely bypass this one up. 97 percent of the film is torture porn, the other 3 percent is the story line. ( If you think I'm joking, then I suppose it must be seen to be believed, or you can just take my word for it, which I strongly suggest. This is damn near impossible to watch!) I don't like torture movies in general, but I did watch Bloodsucking Freaks years ago...somebody rented it back in the day when we had these little things called video stores ( you know, before the internet came along and screwed that all up!) Bloodsucking Freaks is far from anything intelligent. Just like the title may suggest, it's as dumb it sounds. Women are literally flown in shipment cargo boxes and tortured in front of live audiences just for shoots and giggles. Somebody wouldn't give Sardu a good review, which pisses him off, and in retaliation, he wants to force one of his victims to dance with him...uh, do you think I'm making this up? Even I couldn't make up something as messed up as this! His assistant is Ralphus, who stands about two feet tall...what kind of a threat as he, anyways? Together, they run the Theater Of Macabre. And this actually makes money for some odd reason. An odd investigation follows, which renders totally useless, especially since the investigator is more crooked then a New York politician...probably cranked out from the same assembly line. The violence executed is poor quality, obviously fake as hell, but nevertheless still offensive. So proceed with caution, and hopefully, I have talked you out of watching or renting this abomination of a movie. Thank you, and good night!

Bloodsucking Freaks (1976) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Joel M. Reed's notorious exploitation flick about an off, off Broadway show being hosted by Sardu (Seamus O'Brien), which advertises "torture" but it is in fact real torture. Sardu and his dwarf assistant Ralphus (Luis De Jesus) keeps a group of women chained up with the sole purpose of killing them on stage. Sardu eventually decides to kidnap a ballerina (Natasha Di Natalie) so that he can impress (and kill) a critic who sees him as trash. Soon her football star boyfriend (Niles McMaster) and a crooked detective (Dan Fauci) are trying to find out what's really going on. Also known as THE INCREDIBLE TORTURE SHOW, this film became best known under the BLOODSUCKING FREAKS title and there's no question that it's quite vile, disgusting, sexist, revolting and just about every other negative word you can think of. With that said, there's something so beautifully bizarre and weird with this picture that, if you can stomach it, you can't help but have some dirty fun with it. Yes, technically speaking there's really nothing impressive here and you could bash some of the bad acting and poor effects but why hate? Yes, this is an extremely low-budget movie and we could nitpick it to death but you can't get over the fact that this thing picks up new fans each and every year.I think what makes this film work so well is the simple fact that it's downright bizarre. It almost seems like a group of friends just got together to make a movie and decided to come up with the craziest situations they could think of. There are numerous torture sequences here, which are so over-the-top that you can't help but laugh at them. Unlike many exploitation films, this one here is shockingly not mean- spirited and this here is another reason it works. This actually plays quite well as a black comedy and there's no doubt that you'll be laughing at how silly some of the stuff is. Just take a look at the cannibal women living in the basement. Watch the "doctor" scene and the brain drilling. Just the way this scene plays out is meant to make your stomach sick and you to laugh at how crazy it actually is.The film will always be remembered for how crazy it is and there's no doubt that the violence and gore is so over-the-top that you often can't believe what you're watching. The non-stop nudity is another thing the film is notorious for and when you combine all of this stuff it's easy to see why it earned (and deserved) the X-rating. It should also be noted at how fun the cast is. Seamus O'Brien, who was murdered shortly after the film was released, is simply charming in the lead role and De Jesus is also a blast as the assistant. Fauci is also entertaining in the role of the crooked detective and especially the wonderful way he delivers the lines.BLOODSUCKING FREAKS certainly isn't going to be a movie for everyone. In fact, the overwhelming majority are going to be highly offended and disgusted by it, which is a good thing if you're a fan of exploitation. Any movie that continues to shock nearly forty-years after it was made means that it was done correctly.

Bloodsucking Freaks is one infamous mother of 70's horror / exploitation . Our heroes Sardu and his right hand man, a midget with an afro named Ralphus run The Theater Of The Macabre.(a murder sex bondage magic show) The Theater is really a front for white slavery and a whole lot of bizarre fetishes Sardu and Ralphus indulge in .As far as delivery of sex and violence , Bloodsucking Freaks is an exploitation fan's dream. Expect truckloads of sleaze and depravity. There is nudity and 70's bush galore, as well as cannibalism, necrophillia, S&M, torture , dismemberment, as well as a boatload of bizarre fetishes to make the majority of the audience fill their barf bags. As outrageous as this film is, it is real well acted and a good film.Bloodsucking Freaks is real sick and hilarious piece of camp that holds up well and makes me laugh every time I watch it . Cult classic.