Blood Harvest — Blood Harvest(Blu Ray & DVD)
Having been a fan of the distinctive outsider singing talent/showman that was Tinny Tim- I had of course been aware of Blood Harvest, but always got the impression it was somewhat of a low-grade & predictable latter-day slasher. And after finally seeing the film it really is something much more quirky, odd & unhinged- than just a simple slasher- even aside from the addition of Mr Tim
The film centres on Jill Robinson- who after been away for some time is returning to her family home in rural Wisconsin. The farm-house she grew up in has been defaced, her parents are missing, and the whole town hates her father- a bank supervisor who has foreclosed on many of the local farms. Fairly soon the shiftily sinister Gray & Mervo(Tiny Tim)- his clown make-up wearing & brightly suited older brother appear. Then one by one Jill’s friends & acquaintances are been taken to the properties barn, to be hung upside, stripped- then have their throats slit by a stocking-masked killer.
Blood Harvest moves between mawkish soundtrack & stilted acting romantic interactions between Jill & the men in her life. Weird & at times unease spoutings & vibrato singsongs from Mervo- who seemingly keeps pop up at random. Creepy black gloved stalker drugging-then-undressing & photographing women. Very realistic looking throat slashings, arrow impalements, and other fairly prolonged gore; with rather unsettling psychosexual & kinky ritual tendencies. Adding into all this we get occasional interactions from low-grade slightly comedic local sheriff. The blending together of the campiness & psychosexual unease ‘n’ sleaze is most effective.
On this recent VS release of the film we get a classy new 4k print of Blood Harvest- which features nice blood spurting reds, balanced flesh shades for the more sleazed moments, and a good vibrate/ refreshed colour pallet for the rest of the film. Next we a new commentary track from producer and co-writer Leszek Burzynski- this is conducted by VS Joe Rubin and it covers from Mr Burzynski start in British TV, his moving to the US & meeting the film's director Bill Rebane. Moving on the writing of the film's script, the location, it’s cost, and the film's actors- it really is an extremely thorough & informative track. Next we get a just over hours worth of footage from 1987- when Mr Tim performed at a circus in Niagara Falls- this takes in the around ten or so minutes of his performance, Mr Tim with the circus folk, and some very candid, off-the-cuff, and down-to-earth chats between Mr Tim & his fans. The other extra is a three or so minute interview with Mr Tim, which sees him discussing the film. Lastly, we get a six-page inlay booklet that features an essay by Tiny Tim biographer Justin A. Martell.
It’s great to see this 80’s oddity getting the usual VS love & care with this new reissue - and Blood Harvest perfectly fits in with the labels focus on tonally wonky horror films. Certainly one for VS out-put fans, but if you're looking for a straight late 80’s slasher, then look elsewhere.