User reviews

INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS deserves a 10 for the title alone. Unfortunately, as great a "bad" movie as it is, the film doesn't live up to its amazing title. There are some brilliant moments here and there that transcend cinematic reality or just plain reality but the film is too casual about everything and the fantastically brilliant "bad" moments are too far in-between to make this another PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. There is some gore for gorehounds. There's a very goofy story and set-up for those who love unintentional comedies. There some really bad acting for those who love watching nobodies make fools of themselves. There's some nudity for those who need that in order to be entertained. The film also has a great "local" atmosphere to it that no movie made in Hollywood can recreate. And the ending has to be seen to be believed. But I wasn't amused by it as much as I expected to be with a film with such a sensational title. It's fun but you need to press the fast forward button from time to time.

Which fan of horror and exploitation could honestly say that they don't enjoy goofy Z-grade horror flicks from the 70s with a budget near zero from time to time. "Invasion Of The Blood Farmers" of 1972 is a god-awful film, of course, and fails entirely as a Horror movie. It is an awesome unintentional comedy, however, though the 'unintentional' is doubtable, since it seems as everyone involved in the film, especially director Ed Adlum, was very aware of the fact that they were not exactly filming a masterpiece, and the folks were just having a heck of a time on the set of the "Blood Farmers".

The story is extremely far-fetched, which contributes a lot to the fun-factor. The film is basically about a bunch of hicks, farmers from New York State who also happen to be members of a bizarre druid cult...

This is, of course a quite promising storyline if you're into the really trashy stuff. The performances are almost incomparably awful, which is no surprise regarding the fact that none of the actors were ever involved in another movie. What "Invasion of The Blood Farmers" provides is pure fun. Unfortunately, the movie also has several periods of pure boredom in-between. The awful performances, as well as the film-making that sometimes seems intentionally amateurish, provide good laughs throughout the film. Once again, if you're interested in any form of suspense whatsoever, this film should be avoided! This is strictly reserved for my fellow lovers of hilarious super-cheap cult-trash. In case you like awful cinema every now and then, I recommend to enjoy this zero-budget film and have a great time.

It has been at least three years since I watched this somewhat piece of crap and to this day I can still not get it out of my head. The title is so intriguing that I find myself putting it into all of the scripts I write. The film it's self pretty much sucks and has no connectedness. It feels as if it has never been edited properly. Here are my thoughts on this film's integrity 1. The lighting is good for a film that is obviosly very cheap 2. The actors all look like hicks and thus gives reality to the piece 3. The most awesome part of this movie is that there is a character by the name of Jim Carry who goes missing and following this throughout the whole film character will repeat where's Jim Carry and it's funnier now since their is a famous actor by that name. This said the movie is pretty crappy aside from that one recurring joke thats not even really a joke. I say avoid unless you like crap like I do!

In rural New York, fiendish farmers are abducting people and harvesting their blood! Have the dastardly druids of old returned to appease their gore-loving gods? Or, have aliens arrived to siphon the populace dry? Or, both?

Local scientists uncover blood that increases in volume, while bloodstains refuse to be cleaned up from the floor of the local saloon! Can science unlock the secrets of the INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS?

Beware! If the sight of pink blood makes you ill, stay away! If fuzzy dogs turning into car wash buffers makes you retch, steer clear! If the thought of a man showering causes you intestinal distress, run away, now! If farmers frighten you, then, well, flee immediately! There are actual farmers in this film! In straw hats and overalls! With a barn!

IN ADDITION, THERE IS: #1- A bellowing scientist with flyaway hair! #2- A jiggling man, jabbering like he's being electrocuted and staked to an anthill, simultaneously! #3- A space hippie / druid, who speaks as though he's rehearsing for the play-within-a-play sequence in HAMLET! #4- A shirtless hillbilly with an ax! #5- A staggering drunk, staggering to his own theme song! #6- A sheriff who sounds an awful lot like Frosty The Snowman in a mob movie!

All this in a town where it's always broad daylight, even at night! And! So! Much! More!

A non-produced, misdirected, miraculous shambles! Hyper-schlock addicts rejoice aloud! Thy deliverance is at hand...

"Invasion of the Blood Farmers" is a B movie to treasure. It's overflowing with the kind of priceless ineptitude that makes movies like this so much damn fun. The acting, for the most part, is terrible, the dialogue is riotous, and the premise absolutely delicious.

It involves farmers who are also druids, harvesting the people of a rural area for their blood. Investigating the corpse of one person who managed to get away, scientist Roy Anderson (Norman Kelley) and his loyal student Don Tucker (Bruce Detrick) find that his blood is able to increase in amount on its own.

As they do their sleuthing, the Druid in Charge, Creton (Paul Craig Jennings) explains the whole motivation and plot just to make sure we get it.

This movie will stink up your joint something fierce; as co-written and directed by Ed Adlum, it provides laughs consistently enough to make it palatable for 77 minutes. The sound effects are appropriately disgusting, and the bargain basement gore is wonderful in its tackiness. Kelley is a gas in the lead, with fumbling support from Detrick, Tanna Hunter as his daughter Jenny, Richard Erickson as Sontag / Kinski, and Frank Iovieno as Police Chief Frank Spano. They're all "good", but Jennings, the one person in this whose acting borders on competent, is an utterly campy delight. The best exchange happens when Iovieno is interrogating Erickson; Erickson gives him a long winded, b.s. answer to a question, and Iovieno responds with a deadpan "Oh, okay, I think I understand". Sexy young Hunter and other ladies provide a little bit of eye candy.

Highly recommended to those cult movie fanatics who should have a great time enjoying it with beers and buddies.

Five out of 10.

Invasion of the Blood Farmers sure is a great title; shame that this trashy slice of '70s schlock doesn't live up to it. Written by Ed Adlum and Ed Kelleher, who also scripted the equally impressive sounding Shriek of the Mutilated (1974), IOTBF is nowhere near as much fun as it sounds, the wooden performances, clumsy direction (also by Adlum), dreadful editing, and dire script adding up to a rather painful 84 minutes of amateurish drivel.

The premise for the film is that a group of druids (known as the Sangroids) are abducting and killing people in their search for the blood-type that can revive their queen (Cynthia Fleming). Over the course of the movie, several victims are drained of their blood before the druids finally target pretty blonde Jenny Anderson (Tanna Hunter), daughter of scientist Roy Anderson (Norman Kelley); her blood turns out to be just the ticket, and it is up to fiancé Don Tucker (Bruce Detrick) to rescue his love from the druids before they can complete their ritual.

There is, admittedly, a little fun to be had from the film's sheer ineptitude: laughable scenes include Jim Carrey's tongue waggling death scene (no, not THAT Jim Carrey), the death of Jenny's dog Buster (the animal turns into a flokati rug as druid Agon kills it), and a rocky start for soon-to-be-dead newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Greenman, hubby Milton opting to take a long shower rather than see to his young wife (Lucy Grant), who waits eagerly on the bed in sexy underwear. But as unintentionally funny as these moments are, they cannot adequately compensate for the lifelessness and shoddiness of everything else.

As with another poster, I have a soft spot for this truly awful film because I knew a member of the cast.

Bruce Detrick, who plays Don Tucker in this film went on to become a brilliant composer, poet, teacher, actor and philanthropist. Bruce starred in a Clio Award winning commercial for Mennen "Trouble" cologne, appeared in a recurring role as Clint Buckley on "One Life To Live," played a Doctor on "The Doctors," and had a small part in Martin Ritt's "The Front." You may also recall him in national commercials for Signal Mouthwash ("Onions") and UltraBrite Toothpaste ("Sex Appeal"). Bruce won rave reviews for his starring stage performance on the tour of "Butterflies Are Free."

In the early 1980s Bruce retired from acting and wrote the book, music and lyrics for a musical play entitled "Crosstown Bus" which was optioned for Broadway and produced in workshop by producer Stuart Ostrow ("1776," "M Butterfly") with Tony-winner Donald Saddler doing choreography. Bruce also wrote the music and lyrics for three other musicals ("Babe, The Blue Ox," Walden Pond," and "Gifts"). His crowning achievement as a composer is "The World Mass" (1999) which brings together a dozen different spiritual traditions through music. "The World Mass" premiered at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

From 1987 to 2001 Bruce was Executive Vice President and Creative Director of The Tamarand Foundation which built playgrounds and roof gardens on NYC hospitals and brought music, nature and arts programs to children and adults living with HIV and AIDS in the greater New York area. The work of The Tamarand Foundation has been honored by Apple Computer (Change The World award 1993), The Municipal Art Society of New York, The Citizens Committee of New York, The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and The National Pathfinders Association.

When Bruce saw that "Blood Farmers" was available on VHS, he wanted to buy them all up and burn them, but I told him they'd only make more! In the mid-90s a "fan" from California tracked him down and Bruce spoke with him over the phone for half an hour about the film.

Bruce Detrick died in 2001 of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

This has to be THE worst movie I've ever seen. Yes, this movie makes Ed Wood's flicks seem like Oscar contenders. Well, okay, so that's not really a judge of what's good and what's not, but you get what I mean.

Frankly, I think the movie is best described by the young blonde, walking through the forest commenting, "Hmm, it looks like it's getting dark. I guess I should turn in." Of course, you can see the sun shining high noon in the background.

Shameful. Just shameful.

Still, if you're in the mood for bad B-Movie horror, this is definitely worth renting on a Tuesday. It's about as terrible as they come, but will stick in your mind the same way the word "bunghole" will stay after watching "Beavis & Butt-Head Do America".

Some evil cult are killing people and harvesting their blood to try and awake some stupid broad, I think. Invasion Of The Blood Farmers reminds me of two movies: I Drink Your Blood and The Crazies. Why I say this is based on how the movie was directed and the conception which involves blood cults and raving lunatics. Unfortunately, it's not as compelling as the movie tries desperately to be spontaneous and insane but ends up boring. Plus the acting was annoying as hell. It does have some bloody crap (PG my fat a··) and a few "so bad it's good" moments but it's not enough to salvage this film. Maybe worth watching once, I don't know.

Invasion of the Blood Farmers holds a very special place in my heart since my father played Chief Spano. At various times in my life, I've been asked, "what is something we don't know about you?" I respond with, "I'm a movie star's daughter!" I know that's stretching it a bit but my father did star in a movie :) I realize that Invasion of the Blood Farmers is not an award-winning movie but you get what you pay for in life. The Adlums (producer) were our next-door neighbors and my father and other people from the block were recruited to star in the movie. My father worked for the telephone company so he was not hired for his acting talent! They even tried to get my Aunt to record her scream for the movie - but she refused. There was not much money spent on making the film - Jenny's house in the movie was the Adlum's home and "going on location" meant a five-minute ride into town (I frequently drive-by the motel where my father made a phone call in the movie (the phone booth was taken down a few years ago)).

Given the meager support it received, the movie exceeds my expectations. I know my father's performance was not Oscar-caliber, and I bet you won't find it hard to believe that this was his only film (although he was on Bowling-for-Dollars!). But I enjoy watching it every now and then, not because it has the best special effects or award-winning acting. But because it's simple - kind of like a child's artwork. It may not be a Picasso, but it is a pure reflection of them. Only a few of the actors were "professional" - most were just playing --> no visions of "getting discovered". How many films can we say that about these days?

Just a few more notes about my dad that you might find interesting -->

when the movie came out in the theater, my dad took my brothers and a few neighbor kids to see it. They all got in free because the clerk recognized my dad's deep voice from the movie!

we always complained to him about the glasses he wore in the movie (they're not his real ones).He told Eddie he didn't want to wear them but for whatever reason,Eddie wouldn't let him take them off.

In the late 80s, my dad found out that he had a "fan club" in California. Two friends who liked the movie called out of the blue and told him how much they liked the movie and that they scheduled viewings of it at their college. My dad sent them a signed picture for their Invasion of the Blood Farmers viewings and they sent my dad an annual birthday card for over 10 years.

Our favorite line of my dad's is "Oh, I think understand." (he's in Jenny's house talking to her father).

Finally, give my dad some credit on his last scene - I think he gave an Oscar-caliber performance of dying!

If you're looking for a low budget horror to laugh at, this is a great choice. You really have to take it for what it is. For starters, don't expect to be scared. If you love bad acting, filmmaking, and editing....you need not look further. The chief alone justifies the rental!

I was compelled for quite a long time to watch Invasion of the Blood Farmers, which has been described as the "companion" to Shriek of the Mutilated (one of my favorite schlocky films). The same folks behind that masterpiece created this one. I finally caved in and bought the DVD. From the opening scene, where the victim is stumbling down the road looking like he's doing some strange dance while people in the bar (called the Huddle 2, no less!) make comments about him being loaded, I wasn't disappointed. Very similar to Shriek in many ways, unfortunately, down the to background music, which is by a composer named Bohuslav Martinu, I've learned. Great soundtrack, but this similarity kind of detracted a bit for me. But there are some great moments....and some familiar faces, for those who have seen Shriek! You'll see a lovable, kooky old professor and his protege that discover a blood sample that grows and looks like fizzy cherry soda! A freaky druid later sucks the blood from a dog...which suddenly becomes a white shaggy bathroom rug! Weirdo druids and their queen who rests in a plexiglass coffin! The bottom line, though, for me was that it wasn't quite as compelling as Shriek...the end, for example, was kind of lame and predictable. HOWEVER...if you are one of those who are into this kind of cheese-a-rama horror (which, for me, differs from those who are into slasher movies) you will enjoy.

"Invasion of the Blood Farmers" is a run-of-the-mill '70s horror film, not quite as awful as some reviewers would have you believe and not nearly as gory as its title suggests. Disguised as dirt farmers, a group of conspicuously effeminate modern-day Druids is on the rampage in Westchester County, New York (eerily foreshadowing the real-life satanic cult activity in Westchester later that decade), draining the blood of numerous victims in an attempt to revive their centuries-old queen. Not an inherently bad premise for a scare flick, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. I, for one, find it very difficult to believe that "Blood Farmers" had a $40,000 budget; judging by the looks of the movie, only a fraction of that amount was actually spent. (Consider what Herschell Gordon Lewis was able to do with just $28,000 in "Two Thousand Maniacs!", and then look at this film.) Bruce Detrick isn't half bad as the male lead, however. Those expecting an entrail-strewn gorefest will be disappointed, but "Invasion of the Blood Farmers" is an okay specimen of the independent horror filmmaking boom of its day. Some atmosphere, some unintentional laughs...nothing especially good or bad.

It really shows how crappy most movies are these days when you look at how lame and obnoxious pretty much every character is in today's movies and how repetitive stories have become with the continuous self censorship that goes on these days. You just don't get movies this good any more.

Although this film was never released to theaters in Japan, but I saw it a couple of times during the midnight movie hour on TV (thanks to the no ratings and no censorship system). You can easily tell yourself this was one of those "wanna-be" young filmmakers' try-outs during the horror films were just about to crack open, after the Universal Studio's monster era was fading out, and witnesses of George A. Romero's breakthrough "Night Of The Living Dead". Surely it was released in the early 70's, so you can tell this was a Herschell Gordon Lewis clone. Unfortunately, Ed Adlum could not win the Lewis's hard-core fans over with this project, notably his lack of originality and authenticity. However I would like to give a little credit to Adlum for making this film as "being a part of horror history", that reflects like any other unknown artists' vision, turning confusion and anger at the time of Vietnam war into a work of "piece" just as Romero did it for the "Night Of".

Oh boy, whose idea was this turkey? "Invasion Of The Blood Farmers" is an ultra-low budget film that can't make up its mind if it wants to be science fiction, a zombie resurrection, a crime thriller, or a mystical tale with a touch of the vampire to it. To that one should add comedy, much of it inadvertent.

There are two overlapping plots, conveniently overlapping, one might say, but the scripting leaves much to be desired, the acting could be better, and so could much else, especially the abrupt and anti-climatic finale. Seriously, this one is too bad even to be a B movie. Give it a miss.

If you rent "Blood Farmers" with the hopes of being scared, You'll be surprised. For starters, there is nothing scary about the flick. Regardless, this should not discourage you from giving it a view. If you like B-horror, you have a 10! This movie is a low-budget classic. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard.

Invasion of the Blood Farmers (1972) has to be one of the worst horror films I have ever seen (and I have seen too many to count). I could have found nothing remotely interesting with this movie. It is so bad that I had a hard time even trying to make fun of it. Nothing is good or entertaining about this movie. I even watched this in a movie theater and nobody could heckle at the screen. Why were films like this ever made? Who actually thought of investing in this film? How did this market this movie? Some questions are best left unanswered. This one will always be a mystery to me why it has a cult following.

Not recommended at all.

Man, this movie had me in stitches right from the beginning. The drunks in the tavern, the blood being pumped out of the girl, the wacky scientists, the silver haired blood farmers!!! There is TOO much funny stuff in this movie. I just watched it last night, over some bourbon, and I ain't hungover today, so I plan on watching it again! This movie is DAMN funny. And to think I found the DVD in the bargain bin for 5 bucks? Well worth it. If you have a weird sense of humor and your idea of a perfect movie involves wacky scientists and everything else mentioned above, check this one out! The guy who does the intro on the DVD is a tool, however. I like this movie alot. (Man I'm not into this "Your Review must have 10 lines" thing. I'm hurting for content here.)

Actually, this isn't a total waste of a reincarnation of 50s B-horror movies as one won't believe. Listen to this: these farmers are a bunch of cowardly druids who want the perfect blood type in bringing their evil queen back to life. Weird as you'd expect for any movie to "B"! You will giggle your funny bones over scenes of girls shaking and squirming around when the farmers rid them of their blood! Touches of gore provide a perfectly chilling bad movie night! Remember, you must LIKE movies such as this to get the most out of your fun!