Best movie of this year hands down!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

I think when dealing with such a cinematic tableau as Blood Sucking Freaks, with its fiendish goateed midget, s & m and torture, cheekily done decapitation, dismemberment and torture, cannibalism on the verge of an outbreak of the living dead and sexual humiliation, the framing counts. All of this could very easily devolve into a Hershell Gordon Lewis debacle and be tasteless with only the freak show element to it. This is a freak show (as the title posits), but it's also, primarily, a satire on backstage dramas, complete with the melodramatic slave-driving (and in this case that's not too figurative!) director who wants to put something spectacular on stage but has to put up with the drama of putting it together. With, you know, flailing limbs and screaming stark naked women and ravenous pieces of flesh.I don't blame anyone who finds this reprehensible trash, but I think why I enjoyed it much as I did - and though it's obviously not laugh-a-minute stuff, there's a very healthy if completely sick sense of humor and absurdity to it all - is that the filmmaker Joel Reed recognizes Its reprehensible trash. He makes his lead "Master" (And an actor at that who is having the time of his life playing a pretentious psycho) and cohort little man the real freaks, and in a sense this is almost like an inverted version of Tod Browning's 1932 film: a savage comedy on terrors and horrors, especially in the realm of shady show business (I mean, that IS where all those off-off Broadway actresses go to after all!) A good deal of it is cringe worthy and hard to watch - a tooth extraction scene got to me the most - but so much of it is tongue not so much planted in cheek but sticking out the cheekbone that it's hard to take it seriously. This isn't to say there isn't some convincing gore and body parts flying about, and certainly the preponderance of naked ladies in either total buff or dominatrix get ups makes it bonafide 70s exploitation verging on sexploitation, but so much is done knowing it looks goofy and silly. And yet there's even a scene or two, like when the lead ballerina actress under the spell of the master performs and beats up the theater critic, that do have some non-too-shabby camera shots and lighting, making a delirious mood (a second rate clockwork Orange scene as per directed by an actor that is a second rate Peter Cushing why not).Its almost no wonder then this was, I think, the first film acquired for distribution by an at the tome fledgling company called Troma in ny. Though at times perhaps more extreme than what even they put out - Kaufman admits on the DVD intro that if they were to acquire the film today they would have second thoughts - it's a ridiculous, self conscious, sometimes very smart, sometimes (no, practically always) very crude comedy of horrors (or horror of a comedy) that makes its villain a nasty but incredible presence, and some bad acting

"Bloodsucking Freaks", the alternate title for this sick bit of cinematic sleaze, is not that accurate since there's really only one blood sucking freak in this thing. "The Incredible Torture Show", now THAT'S a better summation of what goes on here. Seamus O'Brien plays Master Sardu, a master of the macabre who puts hapless victims through unspeakable acts of brutality, content to have his audience think it's all just special effects and trickery. He's assisted by the demented Ralphus (Luis De Jesus) and assorted other cretins, and abducts ballet dancer Natasha D'Natalie (Viju Krem) so that she can be a part of his theatrical antics; critic Creasy Silo (Alan Dellay) also becomes a part of the act. Meanwhile, Natasha's boyfriend Tom Maverick (Niles McMaster), a football player, tries to track her down with the help of a sleazy detective, John Tucci (Dan Fauci). Even knowing that "The Incredible Torture Show" is clearly made with its tongue in its cheek, it's obviously going to have a somewhat limited audience. Yet these hardcore exploitation devotees are likely to be satisfied with what they see here. There ain't much in the way of story, just a lot of nasty, nasty depravity (and enough female nudity to make some viewers VERY, VERY happy) that ultimately becomes a little numbing. Still, there are some undeniable highlights, as heads, feet & hands get severed, teeth get extracted, a lady is electrocuted, etc. One's gotta love that one "doctor" character (Ernie Pysher) who goes to great pains to torture one victim; this guy is such a nut that even Sardu and Ralphus think, "This guy's too crazy, even for us!" A strong indicator of this movie's tone is when good old Sardu is having a meal that's precariously balanced on the back of a babe who's obliged to play the role of table, yet humour is added when he snarls, "Don't you DARE ruin my dinner!" O'Brien gets into the grim and goofy Grand Guignol spirit of writer / director Joel M. Reed's concoction, hamming it up quite nicely, as does the diminutive De Jesus. Fun gore effects abound, and the cage full of naked wild women is a Hell of a nice touch. In the end, Reeds' sense of bravado has to be admired, as he goes just as far as he can. The result is a truly trashy bit of insanity certain to give its audience some appreciative chuckles. Seven out of 10.

First of all, if you can't see at least a little humor in a dismal B-Horror flick which includes home-style brain surgery, unnecessary amounts of torture, and eyeball soup being prepared by an overly-enthusiastic midget named Ralphus, then now would be the time to stop reading, and to go check out something a little tamer like California Axe Massacre. Anyone who is familiar with the Troma catalog knows that Blood Sucking Freaks is by far, the most vile, most disgusting, most evil, and the most flat-out repulsive thing those guys have to offer. A film that shows us exactly how rotten this world we live in can be. Oh, and did I mention how hilarious this movie is?Of course it was filmed New York City, where else could something this hateful, and mean-spirited possibly take place? Our story is about a New Yorker named Sardu. Sardu is the most sadistic, power-hungry individual you will ever come across. This guy runs his "Theater of the Macabre", where he and his eager assistant, Ralphus torture naked women in front of audiences, except the unsuspecting (and extremely gullible) audience thinks the torture isn't real, and that it's all just a show, and that all these women won't be slaughtered or sold. But the unfortunate truth is, yes, these women will most certainly be slaughtered or sold... but more than likely slaughtered, possibly as an example to those who disobey Sardu, or for Ralphus's amusement. These guys ain't no amateurs, Sardu and Ralphus realize women can be used for more than just torture. There's also tables, dart-boards, toilet's, mindless slaves, well, you get the idea. Clever, eh? No!!? Well, maybe not, but Blood Sucking Freaks is what it is. True Horror for the true Horror fan only. Anyone else just wouldn't understand.Some people seem to think that Blood Sucking Freaks is a bit uncalled for. Something about promoting, and possibly even making light of cruelty towards women. I'd love nothing more than to come up with some ironic argument, disproving this theory, but I strongly suspect there isn't one. Sardu and Ralphus ain't nice to the ladies, and that's just the way it is. In a strange way, Blood Sucking Freaks was ahead of it's time. You just didn't see such harsh Horror mixed with humor. Humor or no humor, this film should make just about anybody feel the need to take a shower, to try in vain to rid yourself of some of that filth and grime. The DVD includes commentary by Eli (Hostel) Roth. I suppose good 'ol Eli considers his work in the same league as this pitch-black nightmare. Well, Mr. Roth...No... just no. That's basically it. As I was listening to Mr. Roth's commentary, I couldn't help notice how deeply this guy was reading into every little thing that occurred. I'm going to just go ahead and assume he was pulling our legs. If not, then this guy knows waaaay too much about Blood Sucking Freaks, which I can understand, I mean, this is a really good movie. For more in insane midgets who fancy torture, or similar tomfoolery, The Sinful Dwarf is a must-see. As for torture, if you seriously want something more extreme than this, then you might be barking up the wrong tree, as snuff films might be what you're looking for, because Blood Sucking Freaks is about as extreme as a B-cinema gets. Total cruelty, pure sadism, 100% Horror, and 0% taste. Yay for Blood Sucking Freaks. 10/10

Jesus H. Christ!! What on Earth was that I just watched?!?Sardu is a sado-masochist who just happens to run a stage show called The Theatre of the Macabre. Ralphus is his assistant, a midget with a sadistic streak and a taste for blood. Together they prepare shows which the audience think are make believe, but which are in fact (drum roll please), reality. Women - usually naked - are tortured and dismembered live on stage, and the audience applaud wildly.None stop sleave, gore and violence from start to finish, if you can cope with the extreme levels of misogyny on display, you're in for a treat.Distributed by Troma - truly the masters of the exploitation flick - this is a tour de force of bad taste: Feral women in a cage eating human flesh, thumb screws, dismemberments, whipping, beheadings, this has the lot. The lead characters are a joy, and really seem to be having a good time in their roles. There's a good line in black comedy too, and the matter of fact way they carry on with their sick and sordid business is nothing if not entertaining. Not for the faint hearted, this is an exploitation cult classic.Loved it.