The Story:
The initial plot of Bloody Movie sets up its most unique twist on the slasher genre. The mansion of a Hollywood legend known as Lance Hayward (John Ireland), once a huge silent film star, is about to be demolished, because Lance seems to have disappeared from the face of the planet. So, having said that, this movie focuses on old time cinema—the killer doesn't wear just one mask, but a variety of costumes once donned by the MIA Lance in his many films. And every time the killer strikes in a new costume, the movie cuts to real vintage footage of movies from the early 1900s. For instance, when the killer is disguised as a knight in armor, we are presented with a clip of a knight in a movie swinging his weapon in an old movie. I guess deciding if this concept enhances or hinders the murder sequences depends on your perspective. Personally, I found it as annoying as pop-up videos on VH-1.

Anyway, a group of very 80s looking kids sneaks into Lance's old mansion to explore, party, and…you know…have sex. And they all split up to find some privacy. And they all begin getting hacked up. And there's nudity when a couple of rockers in leather get wild on a canopy bed. There's also Aldo Ray playing the crazy old drunk man who runs around warning the foolish kids that they're all going to die tonight. And there's a fun little cast of has-been cameos, including Alan Hale (Gilligan's buddy the skipper), Dan Haggerty (bear buddy Grizzly Adams), and Cameron Mitchell. There's a good amount of gore, but the murders are not all that creative, and those vintage film clips really get in the way, so it's not exactly the most suspenseful horror movie you're going to see. So the only question is, who's doing all the killing? Is it indeed Lance Hayward? Is he a ghost, or an 80-year-old man wielding axes and other big weapons? The answer is not very clear in the end of this film—which pretty much peaks in the middle with a bunch of silly murdering antics, and then goes downhill as it concludes.

The DVD

Video:
This is a full frame presentation, 1:33:1 aspect ratio. As for the quality, on the bright side, the flesh tones are quite natural, and the print itself is pretty clean, with only few specks (except for the vintage footage used, of course). The image itself is too bright for a horror movie, and the blacks are extremely gray. The picture is very soft due to edge enhancement, and there's also noticeable pixilation.

Sound:
The 2.0 Mono audio track offers very clear sound, but at the same time, suffers from shrill highs and little presence of bass.

Extras:
Not much here. As a standard practice, Retromedia includes their URL in the menu. Other than that, the only other extra is the "original 35mm trailer" as promised on the back of the DVD case. The sound quality of the trailer is very muffled.

Final Thoughts:
Bloody Movie is a 1987 slasher that has been renamed from its original title, Terror Night. The change was a good idea, because the film definitely offers some blood, but no terror. With a storyline revolving around vintage movies and appearances by some recognizable has-beens, the film has more of a camp quality than horror. It's not the worst of the genre, but it's not the best. It's a bit simple and unexciting. As is the DVD release, which offers nothing extra other than a trailer for the film. Perhaps more cheesy extras would have made this obscure film seem more cultish.