As there has been a UK Blu-Ray release of this film (set at Region A and B) I thought I’d revisit it. However, don’t go looking for the film under the title "Blood Bath" on the blog. I reviewed it under the title
Track of the Vampire.
Now, Track of the Vampire is a stinker of a movie – I scored it 0.5 out of 10 – so why on earth would you want the Blu-Ray? Well that goes a little way down to the title change and mostly because the Blu-Ray makes an honestly fascinating set for any student of cinema.
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| the vampire |
Blood Bath was a Roger Corman production – he had invested in the Yugoslavian film called Operation Titan and it was eventually released under four names with different cuts. It was cut for drive-ins under the name Portrait in Terror, reshoots led to it becoming the vampire film Blood Bath and then a TV edit was created by cutting and adding scenes and creating Track of the Vampire. The double Blu-Ray set contains all four cuts (or as near as can be got to the original four cuts).
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| camptured |
Blood Bath itself is shorter than Track of the Vampire and is missing some of the odder and more ponderous moments – this leads to a smoother, more coherent watch (and gets rid of the 8 minutes of interpretive dance on the beach, thankfully). This makes it a more satisfying film (perhaps worth 1.5 or even 2 out of 10, rather than the score I previously gave Track of the Vampire). The Blu-Ray comes in a slip case that also contains a booklet and a double-sided poster. All in all a great set for the collector (though not for the casual viewer) and an interesting insight into the exploitative practices surrounding schlock horror film production.
