Review - Night of Bloody Horror

I think my biggest question after having viewed Night of Bloody Horror is . . .

. . . why was it called Night of Bloody Horror? I mean it’s not as if we are just talking about one night here. There were in fact, many nights and/or days that might have been considered full of aforementioned bloody horror. I just don’t get it . . .

Okay, that rant aside, there were a lot of other things I didn’t quite get in this film. One of them being what is the deal with Wesley Stuart’s (Gerald McRaney - a.k.a. Major Dad or one of the Simons from Simon & Simon) freakish looking nipples? Also, if the women in Wesley’s life were systematically picked off (supposedly by Wesley himself), why would women keep gravitating towards him like he was some kind of Don Juan? And then there is the good doctor - Dr. Bennett Moss (Herbert Nelson) who seems to show up out of nowhere at the drop of a hat. If Wesley had so many problems and had “lost” two fiances in a row, shouldn’t mother Agatha (Evelyn Hendricks) have contacted the doctor just a little bit sooner?

Alright, I promise, I’m done ranting now. So the story goes that Wesley Stuart gets these horrible, mind numbing, blackout type headaches - all accompanied by the swirly black and white vertigo style image so reminiscent of The Who video from the eighties. These killer headaches are swiftly followed by the unfortunate and untimely demise of someone close to Wesley. Someone who it seems gives him a great deal of pleasure, usually of the carnal fashion.

Then there is Agatha - Wesley’s mother. An annoyingly overbearing shrew if ever I did see one. She does not seem to help matters much until she invites Wesley’s old psychiatrist, Dr. Moss to come and help her boy. The doctor seems an odd type who doesn’t add much to the story other than to explain to detectives that Wesley suffered from a traumatic episode whence he was a young boy after he fatally shot his little brother with his father’s shotgun. Daddy then didn’t handle things so well and chose to take rash action but Moss explains to the detectives that just because Wesley was in an asylum for 12 or so years, this does not make him a murderer. He’s just been a bit unlucky in love is all . . .

This was an odd, odd movie folks. I probably wouldn’t recommend it except for the fact that I think everyone needs to see and agree with me that Gerald McRaney does indeed have freakish looking nipples. Maybe this is why we haven’t really seen too much of his naked upper torso later in his career. Another thing to notice when viewing McRaney in this film is just how super skinny he is. I don’t know what my fascination is with this other than to say that there was just something in his overall look in this film that just disturbed me to no end. Honestly - he was more frightening than Night of Bloody Horror itself in my opinion.

Directed by
Joy N. Houck Jr.

Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Joy N. Houck Jr.
Robert A. Weaver

Cast (in credits order)
Gerald McRaney ... Wesley Stuart
Gaye Yellen ... Angelle Miliot

rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Anthony ... Mario Spanelli
Gerald C. Arnato
John Barber
The Bored ... Rock group in bar scene
Lisa Dameron ... Susan Collins
Dalton Dedward
Jay Defelloe Sr.
Farley Dennis ... Wesley as a Boy
Mark Fleming ... Altar Boy
Phillip Fleming ... Altar Boy
Steve Friedman
Louis Grapes ... Hood
Evelyn Hendricks ... Agatha Stuart
Anthony Herrera ... Man In Club
Denis Jeantreau
Rayford Johnson
Nicholous Krieger ... Lt. James Cole
Burt Love ... Hood
Herbert Nelson ... Dr. Bennett Moss
Gordon Ogden ... Tucker Fredricks
Scott Radosta
Susan Radosta
Bert Roberts ... Mark Lewis
Herman Salzer
Denis Saucier
Russell Schonekas Jr.
Sheri Sherwood
Murray Solow ... Bartender
George Spelvin ... Prist
Nigel Strangeways ... Hood
Russell Therleau
Emile Weaver III ... Jonathan
Charlotte White ... Kay Jensen