Verdict
Summary
It’s a regional horror flick made with love, but not skill, and while I want to declare that it’s horrendous, I also want to say that it’s special in its own painful, but endearing way. It tries to have a sense of humor, but it moves at a snail’s pace, which is the death knell of no-budget horror films. I admired its ambition, but I just wish it had been more fun.
Plot:
The legend of the Chupacabra comes to life in small town America.
Review:
Life can throw you some surprises. Some folks win the lotto. Some get to meet their heroes. Some people get cancer. And some encounter legendary cryptids like Bigfoot or a Chupacabra, but even fewer still live to tell about it! A local legend has been going around about vampire-like hybrid people (aliens, perhaps) that live deep in the wilderness who feed on goats, and it just so happens that there’s a cavern somewhere nearby called “The Goat Mine” where an old crone in town warns people against visiting because who knows? A prospector looking for gold once wandered near there and saw something he maybe shouldn’t have seen, and folks at the town bar get into scuffles over disagreements about the local legends. Eventually a whole posse forms and they go a-hunting for the so-called Chupacabras, and guess what? They find them! It’s not like the Chubacabras haven’t been seen in town before because they have. They’ve broken into homes, sucked the blood of homeowners late at night, and it doesn’t matter how tough you are because the Chupacabras are always tougher. The climax in the old goat mine involves blessed ammunition, a cavern pit full of lava, and the return of a character you saw die already.
Shot for what looks like the cost of a stack of Little Ceasar’s pizzas, Blood of the Chupacabras has a cast of at least several dozen characters who do a lot of talking, and a pretty waitress named Linda who somehow ends up stalking the dark caves of the old goat mine for no good reason, and it was shot on a very outdated digital camera with poor lighting, junky sound, and in the 1:33:1 ratio at a time when movies like this miraculously got wide distribution on DVD and filled space at Blockbuster and Hollywood Videos all over the country. There was a need for cheap, easy-to-market product during the DVD boom, and I bet tens of thousands of people rented this thing because it had good, but misleading video box cover artwork, and it promised a creature feature, which it most certainly is, but it’s obviously not up to the standards you’re hoping for. It’s a regional horror flick made with love, but not skill, and while I want to declare that it’s horrendous, I also want to say that it’s special in its own painful, but endearing way. It tries to have a sense of humor, but it moves at a snail’s pace, which is the death knell of no-budget horror films. I admired its ambition, but I just wish it had been more fun. Jonathan Mumm directed it.
Visual Vengeance, a cool label from Wild Eye Releasing, has been knocking their releases out of the park with cheap regional horror films from around the world. Their release of Blood of the Chupacabras has a ton of bonus features, including a bonus feature, Revenge of the Chupacabras, which is the feature-length sequel.
Bonus Materials
- Region Free Blu-ray
- Archival 2003/ 2005 SD masters from original tapes
- Blood of the Chupacabras:New Commentary with director Jonathan Mumm
- Blood of the Chupacabras: Blooper Reel
- Blood of the Chupacabras: The New York International Film and Video Festival (2002)
- Blood of the Chupacabras: Breaking down the special effects
- Blood of the Chupacabras: West Coast Premiere: The Crest Theater (2002)
- BONUS Feature Film: Revenge of the Chupacabras (2005)
- Revenge of the Chupacabras: New director commentary
- Revenge of the Chupacabras: Archival behind the scenes documentary
- Revenge of the Chupacabras: Fleshing Out The Monster effects featurette
- Revenge of the Chupacabras: Blooper Reel
- Revenge of the Chupacabras: Theatrical Premiere and cast/ crew Q&A
- Super 8 short film: Professor Bloodgood
- Visual Vengeance trailers
- Two sided insert
- English 2.0 Dolby digital
- Optional English subtitles
- Folded mini-poster
- ‘Stick your own’ video store sticker sheet
- Reversible Sleeve
- Limited Edition Slipcase — FIRST PRESSING ONLY
