BLOOD, BOOBS & BEAST Review

This week I was lucky enough to see John Paul Kinhart's documentary "BLOOD, BOOBS & BEAST". What lured me into seeing it was the subject: a few eccentric individuals who produce horror and science fiction movies, independently and on a shoestring budget, often literally from their backyards.
So I expected a barrel of comical anecdotes and some interesting hints, tips and how-to's about cheap special effects make-up. And some blood, boobs and beasts of course! But those expectations were totally wrong.

Because despite the title it's actually a quiet and gentle movie about a quiet and gentle man, who just happens to be the creator of several brutal horror- and science fiction movies.

The subject here is writer/director/producer Don Dohler, and the documentary divides its time between a description of the man himself and the birth of his newest picture "Dead Hunt". Now I pride myself on having some knowledge of horror- and science fiction movies but have to admit to never having heard of him prior to this documentary. Seems I may have dodged a bullet as he is responsible for films as "The Alien Factor" (IMDB-rating: 4.2), "Fiend" (IMDB-rating 2.6), "Nightbeast" (IMDB-rating 1.9), "Vampire Sisters" (IMDB-rating 2.5) and "Blood Massacre" (IMDB-rating 2.9).
Ouch!!
He must have done something right though, because he has a small but enthusiastic fanbase including people like Tom Savini and J.J. Abrams.

"Blood, Boobs & Beast" basically details two years in the life of Mr. Dohler, during which John Paul Kinhart was allowed access to his film sets, his home movies and family members. That's always a risk for a documentarymaker (the period taken could be boring) but in this case he struck gold: in those two years life had some very big changes and surprises in store for Don, none of which in any way related to his films. This allows us as viewers to witness Don's way of handling these things which gives a far better representation of this man than his movies do. He almost redefines the term "quiet dignity" and impressed me a lot. Seeing him take care of his mentally handicapped sister commands respect, and then they show him using her room as a creepy background in one of his films! Definitely a weird and wonderful moment.

He did a lot of other things before becoming a filmmaker, and strangely enough most of what is shown should grant him more respect than his movies: he started several magazines, some of which I've actually heard of, and drew cartoons. One of his creations was even adopted by Robert Crumb!
It doesn't mean the films aren't mentioned though. A lot of the running time has been dedicated to Don and his comrade-in-arms (sometimes literally) Joe Ripple. The titular Blood, Boobs & Beast are mentioned a lot because they are the requirements from the distributors for buying Don Dohler's pictures. Don has grown fed-up with up with the exploitation part of his moviemaking, but as Joe clarifies: if they cut the only scene with nudity out of their new movie they'll lose 70% of distribution.

The making of that particular film, "Dead Hunt" is shown from start (in 2004) to finish, which allows the viewer to meet a lot of Don's regular crew, first and foremost the same Joe Ripple. It shows the dedication and innovativeness of the crew, shooting their slasher film in the weekends, borrowing a storage facility for use as the main set. Problems abound of course as some actors can't make it or worse: someone sets of the burglary alarm again (threatening the whole crew with expulsion).

The funny thing is, watching these people put their hearts and souls in this picture makes you want to see it and the little tidbits you get to see actually look good. But when it finally gets shown to audiences in 2006 you see the whole trailer and the ugly truth is: once again it seems to be an astonishingly bad film. The sole redeeming fact is that it's not made by a studio but by a couple of enthusiasts in their backyards, and it gives you the feeling that you, YES YOU, could make one of these yourself!

Summarizing: I'd never heard about Don Dohler but this documentary set that straight. I enjoyed watching it and it even moved me, which I hadn't expected to say the least. Definitly recommended whether or not you are a fan of the man's work.

And do yourselves a favor: if you don't know Don Dohler much but are planning to watch this movie, please do not look him up on the internet to see what happened to him in the last couple of years. I didn't know anything and it made this film a lot more surprising.

"Blood, Boobs & Beast" will have its cinema world premiere during the 2007 Maryland film festival in the first week of May, schedule to be released soon.

Todd's earlier heads-up:
Visit the blood, boobs & beast website:
Watch the very amusing trailer:
Find out about the 2007 Maryland Film Festival to find the date of the bb&b world premiere: