Carnival of Blood

This is a terrible movie in every way. The story is awful, the special effects are laughable... wait, what am I saying? Special effects? There apparently wasn't even a budget for lights and microphones on this one! That's a big handicap when most of the movie was shot at night on the noisy Coney Island boardwalk and Astroland. Let's face it, this flick just has nothing going for it.

But... it was shot in Coney Island in 1969/1970. I gave it two extra stars because I was a kid growing up in Coney Island in the 70's, so there was a big nostalgia factor for me. I rode on many of the rides shown in the film. I ate at that Nathan's and walked on that boardwalk.

If you're not nostalgic for 1970's Coney Island, pass this one by; you won't be missing anything at all. If you are, though, see it with the sound turned off and pay more attention to the backdrop than the movie itself.

Set in Coney Island this is the story of a psycho killing people on the midway. I'll leave the actual plot for you to work out when you see this.

This is one of those so bad its good movies, one where your jaw hangs open in disbelief at whats going on.

Take for example the music. Its folk music. Why? I have no idea. I don't think anyone who had a brain cell couldn't see that the music chosen has nothing to do with whats going on on screen. Its so opposite to what you are seeing it grates on you.

Its occasionally acted and partially written which makes it somewhat watchable.Its a movie to get drunk and watch laugh at.

Its interesting to watch the carnival scenes since its incredibly obvious that they are filming at an operating carnival since people are constantly looking at the actors in a puzzled manner. The crowd scenes after the opening decapitation are fall down funny. As is the response time of the police and medics to the crime scene, never has help arrived that fast in New York.

If you're in the mood for grade Z entertainment I recommend the film for a nights rental.

Three brutal murders of women take place at Coney Island funfair during the carnival.The unknown killer with the penchant for teddy bears decapitates the first victim.Who is behind these gruesome murders?It's up to Dan and Laura to find out."Carnival of Blood" by Leonard Kirtman is one of the earliest examples of slasher sub-genre.The film is cheaply made,the acting is mostly improvised and the gore is strikingly inept.The first victim is decapitated in the ghost-train,the second is eviscerated and the third has her eyeballs pulled out.If you are into Hershell Gordon Lewis or Andy Milligan's ultra low-budget horror trash "Carnival of Blood" is a perfect choice.6 out of 10.Don't forget to bring your teddy bears.

'Carnival of Blood' is a schlocky piece of 70's trash, that I grudgingly admit I enjoyed. Don't get me wrong, this movie is bad in almost every technical aspect, has horrible acting, and a plot that is mind-numbingly dumb. The obviously fake gore in the movie reminds me of a Herschel Gordon Lewis flick. However, there is a certain strange charm to the movie. I'm a big fan of bad horror movies that can make me laugh unintenionally. There's just a ton of little things that made the movie laughably enjoyable for me. First of all, the midget 'Gimpy'. His dialogue is hilarious and the scene where he goes over to Tom's place had me rolling on the floor. Then, there's the very inappropriate choice of using folk music for the movie. There's the hilariously cheesy love scenes between our lead hero and heroine. Our hero proving he's a Mr. Sensitive-type when he wants to take his girlfriend, on their anniversary, to the amusement park where a murder happened the night previously. Then, his confused reaction when she is too scared to go. Then there's the overweight, New Joisey woman and her over-the-top role. She doesn't have much screen-time, but boy does she make the most of it. Watch as she cuts in line in the food stand and badgers the man behind the counter because she wants her shrimp. Oh, and there's so much more....The worst 'drunken' performance ever recorded on film by a man playing a sailor. And then there's the creepy fair ground worker, Tom, who just happens to be friends with our heroine. I think it's implied they live in the same building. I hope so at least, because I see no other reason why she would want to be friends with a creepy carny-type and his midget helper. If you love bad movies like I do, check this one out.

When a patron is decapitated while enjoying the "spook house" ride, we know we've entered the CARNIVAL OF BLOOD. Said riders should have listened to the midway fortune teller (Kaly Mills), who had "bad vibes" about their situation. They won't be the last, since whoever the killer is is just getting started!

For its era, this is a fairly grisly movie. In addition to the aforementioned noggin removal (aka: a dummy head with extra ketchup), there's a rather disgusting disembowelment that could send the easily-sickened racing for the restroom!

In spite of its low-low budget and long stretches of nothingness between murders, CARNIVAL manages to remain semi-entertaining throughout. It gets extra points for its proto-slasher status, especially for the gushy -most likely pig- guts! Some releases don't include them, so, buyer beware!...