Roger Corman Classics: Night of the Blood Beast & Attack of the Giant Leeches Restored

Double feature movie bills were once a staple of 50’s cinema. They could be seen at the drive-in movie theaters that once dotted the American landscape.  Godzilla sized movie stars were projected onto a giant rectangle. Film Masters is looking to bring back the excitement of those days with their 2-disc set. This Roger Corman set contains a 4K restoration of Night of the Blood Beast and an HD remaster of Attack of the Giant Leeches on blu-ray.

While these B-movie creature features were originally shown on the big screen, they are probably best remembered by children of the 60’s. These kids caught television broadcasts on local horror host programs. The movies might have been filling time in the local TV station schedules for a Saturday afternoon. This Special Edition Collector’s Set from Film Masters delivers on the nostalgia for both types of viewers. 

For those who aren’t familiar with Roger Corman, he was a prolific film producer. He was also a writer, director and sometimes actor. He, along with his brother Gene Corman, was responsible for many exploitation films. These features were aimed at teenagers throughout the 1950’s. They were mainly released via American International Pictures or AIP. Despite the low budgets and rushed production schedules, Corman films usually had a little something extra that caused them to endure beyond their original theatrical runs.

Revisiting the Golden Age of Double Features: Film Masters’ New Collector’s Set

Both films look amazing presented in the original black and white. The blu-ray actually contains a special feature comparing the scratchy, worn condition of the original prints to the remastered version. The effort shows in the final product. Sharp picture accompanies the beautiful black and white gradients. Viewers can also choose to watch in cinematic widescreen aspect ratio or the more boxy TV dimensions, depending on how they originally experienced the films.

Most younger viewers might only know these “cheesy” films from Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Many movies were mocked by Joel, Mike, Crow and Tom Servo. Film Masters has also included those MST3K episodes. This will let fans can get a laugh from the “riffed” version.

The discs are also packed with special features. The include fascinating full-length commentaries by film historian, Tom Weaver. He also opens up his personal collection. Weaver provides publicity photos and other documents from the era into the mix. These extras truly provide new level of appreciation for these films and their place in the history of 50’s cinema.

Not only that, a full-color booklet containing essays by Weaver is included in the case. It provides interesting details about the production as told through interviews with crew members conducted by Weaver over the years. There is also an all-new documentaries about the director of Attack of the Giant Leeches, Bernard Kowalski.

The Two Roger Corman Movies

I’ll admit that I was expecting a real “schlock-fest” from this double feature blu-ray set. No matter how beautiful the picture. I was pleasantly surprised by the viewing experience. Night of the Blood Beast is certainly the goofier of the two films. However, the throwback appeal of a 50’s sci-fi horror film set during the “Space Race” era was very charming. Weaver’s commentary track also provided some very helpful context for the decisions in storytelling of the era.

The first half of the film is somewhat reminiscent of The Thing From Another World. TFAW was re-made by John Carpenter in the 80s by John Carpenter as The Thing. The second half of Night of the Blood Beast goes into full creature feature mode.

The Unexpectedly Strong Story of Attack of the Giant Leeches

Truly surprising for me was the all-around quality of Attack of the Giant Leeches. This reaction was in spite of the silliness inherent in the title. Sure, the movie deals with massive blood-sucking creatures living in a swamp who attack and suck the life out of hapless victims. But, the story and characters surrounding the terror ended up being very engaging. 

This is story of a beautiful woman. She’s frustrated with how life circumstances forced her to marry the first man that was ever kind to her. She longs to run-off with a secret lover she actually adores. The story is taken to the next level when her jealous hubby forces the pair to march through the swamp at gunpoint to teach them a lesson. Of course the doomed lovers are attacked by the titular leeches. The attack makes it look like the heartbroken hubby was homicidal.

Meanwhile the local game warden investigates mysterious deaths in the area. He refuses to believe they are connected. That’s until the storylines intersect and the harried husband is arrested claiming his cheating wife was eaten by giant monsters. 

Should you these Roger Corman Classics, Night of the Blood Beast & Attack of the Giant Leeches?

Say what you will about Roger Corman and his rushed shooting schedules and famously tight budgets. There was almost always something special that gave the films he produced an extra spark. That is certainly the case with Night of the Blood Beast and Attack of the Giant Leeches.

I will definitely be giving these discs another spin soon to enjoy this beautiful blu-ray set. You can do the same by adding this Night of the Blood Beast/Attack of the Giant Leeches Special Collector’s Set from Film Masters to your personal film library. Discs can be found for order on Amazon and other physical media retailers. 

Next: Discuss the Roger Corman Classics, Night of the Blood Beast & Attack of the Giant Leeches on our Film Forum.