Just a couple of minutes into Blood Diner, Uncle Anwar breaks down his sister’s front door to pass a mystical amulet down to his infant nephews, before heading back outside where he is gunned down by waiting police officers. Fast forward twenty years, and nephews George and Michael set out to dig up and reanimate the remains of Uncle Anwar so that he can instruct them on how to prepare the Lumerian Feast, an ancient ritual that will summon the goddess Sheetar. We’re not entirely sure why they want to do this, but we’ll go with it. A passing security guard takes a whack on the back of the head from a shovel, and his eyeballs fly out of his head and roll across the ground.
The rest of the movie takes in plenty of killings, mass cannibalism, a foul-mouthed talking brain in a jar, nude aerobics, a wrestling match, questionable acting, even more questionable accents, projectile vomiting, naked karate, and one of the wildest and most riotous final acts of the ‘80s. If you enjoy your horror with a huge helping of goofy tongue in cheek humour, Blood Diner absolutely needs to be on your list.
This Blu-Ray edition cleans up the visual quality of the previous DVD release, although there are still a few grainy scenes (particularly the darker shots) and the audio often seems to go a touch out of sync. Neither of these are ultimately too distracting – although the picture and audio are occasionally as inconsistent as the acting, it’s easily the best version of Blood Diner we’ve seen up to now – but anyone who expects their Blu-Rays to be flawless from beginning to end might be a little disappointed.
The extras on this disc, however, are anything but disappointing, with plenty of interesting material that fans of the film are sure to enjoy. Director Jackie Kong gives a rare on-camera interview as part of an hour-long “making of” feature, which also includes interviews with key members of the cast and crew, interspersed with behind the scenes photos to add an extra layer of interest. Kong also provides a solo commentary track throughout the entire movie, although a lot of information is repeated between this and the “making of” feature. We’d recommend starting with the making of, and saving the audio track for a rainy day. Add in the usual TV adverts, stills gallery, radio spots etc., and we’ve got all the ingredients for a fine main course.
Blood Diner is a hugely entertaining film in its own right, and this package makes a very attractive proposition for both owners of the previous DVD edition as well as newcomers with an interest in the sillier side of horror. Just don’t think too hard about the snacks you’re eating while you watch…
BLOOD DINER / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: JACKIE KONG / SCREENPLAY: MICHAEL SONYE / STARRING: RICK BURKS, CARL CREW, ROGER DAUER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
