A Thirst for Full Cream Blood
This is an above average horror film, made on a tiny budget at the beginning of the renaissance of the Australian film music industry in the seventies, which started with "The Cars That Ate Paris", "Caddie" and "Picnic at Hanging Rock". Brian May wrote a spine-tingling score for this 1979 film that has hardly been heard of outside of Horror Film Festivals and film school clubs, and yet has not only some good horror moments, but some rather edgy, suspenseful scenes as well and very good performances by David Hemmings and Chantal Contouri. What elevates this film is Brian May's score, including a choir which moves from eerie and ethereal to chanting whispers, like worshippers of the devil, which is particularly cleverly devised.
A small orchestra, of a few dozen players, builds palpable suspense and tension. Thankfully for musical fans of the composer Brian May, this is a definite 'must' to add to the collection; and for those who like film music in the fantasy genre, it will no doubt be enjoyed as well, in the style of scores like Pino Donaggio for films like "Piranha" and "The Howling", and the numerous eerie horror scores Ennio Morricone has written. The film and the score stands in its own right, when compared with others in the genre. The film itself was directed by Rod Hardy who in recent years has become better known for directing some of the more unusual and stylised episodes of "The X-Files".
A minority of critics called the film laughable, but many others were impressed by the performances, and the ambience of the film which suggested an evil that has been so effectively done in "The Omen" and "The Exorcist". It isn't at that level of filmmaking, either in budget or talent, but it is definitely above average in the stakes of low-budget horror movies.
Leonard Maltin may not have realised the effectiveness of the score to the film's success, but it is in large part to Brian May's music that he was able to write, "Strange, stylish, thoroughly chilling tale of secret society trying to brainwash Contouri and transform her into a baroness-vampire. Minimum of plot and characterization but maximum suspense in this well-directed shocker."
For those who are interested, this composer, Brian May, has this score available on CD, and others like "Race for the Yankee Zephyr", "The Survivor", "Sky Pirates", "Roadgames", "Patrick", "The Day After Halloween" (aka "Snapshot", aka "Snap Shot"), "Harlequin" and "Bloodmoon".
Submitted by pp (Northmead, NSW, AUSTRALIA)
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