Blood Freak

**_Attack of the turkey monster in Florida_** An Elvis-looking drifter (Steve Hawkes) lands a job at a poultry farm in the Miami area where he finds himself caught between two attractive sisters, one angelic (Heather Hughes) and the other seductive (Dana Cullivan). Worse, the researchers at the facility use him as a guinea pig in their experiments. Havoc ensues. “Blood Freak” (1972) is an indie creature feature on a miniscule budget with bad acting and a ridiculous monster. On the positive side, manly Steve Hawkes is charismatic as the Presley-inspired protagonist; it’s the peripheral actors who are lousy, like the scientists at the farm. The flick scores well on the female front, but I would’ve preferred that Heather Hughes (Angel) had a bigger roll. Dana Cullivan is a’right as the raven-haired seductress though. (There’s also an alluring blonde with a small part). Interestingly, director Brad Grinter appears periodically to offer philosophical commentary while smoking. His final scene reveals a droll angle. The theme is anti-drug and, surprisingly, pro-biblical with well-written insights from the Scriptures amidst the madness. The music’s quite good as well. Unfortunately, the story is relatively tedious and none of the commendable points overcome that flaw, which is augmented by the amateurish filmmaking. It’s still worth checking out, though, for bad movie connoisseurs and those interested in micro-budget oddities. The flick runs 1 hour, 20 minutes, and was shot in Miami, Florida. GRADE: C-/D+