Blood Sucking Freaks

Blood Sucking Freaks
Blood Sucking Freaks
	1981 theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joel M. Reed
Written by	Joel M. Reed
Produced by	Alan C. Margolin
Starring	Seamus O'Brien; Luis De Jesus; Viju Krem; Niles McMaster; Dan Fauci; Alan Dellay; Ernie Pysher;
Cinematography	Ron Dorfman
Edited by	Joel R. Herson; Victor Kanefsky
Music by	Michael Sahl
Production; company	Rochelle Films
Distributed by	American Film Distributing Corporation; Troma Entertainment (1981 re-release);
Release date	November 1976;
Running time	91 minutes
Language	English

Blood Sucking Freaks (originally released as The Incredible Torture Show) is a 1976 American exploitation splatter film directed by Joel M. Reed and starring Seamus O'Brien, Luis De Jesus, Viju Krem, Niles McMaster, Dan Fauci, Alan Dellay, and Ernie Pysher. Set in New York City, the film follows a human trafficking ring masquerading as an experimental theater group, which stages Grand Guignol-style performances for audiences, who are unaware that actual murders and torture are being enacted onstage.

Filmed under the working title Sardu: Master of the Screaming Virgins, it was originally released as The Incredible Torture Show in November 1976.^[3] Film distributor Troma Entertainment retitled the film Blood Sucking Freaks^[i] upon their acquisition of it in 1981. Troma initially made cuts in hopes of getting an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, but eventually released the version that had all of the most graphic scenes included and was labeled as an R-rated film despite having no such designation from the MPAA. The ratings group subsequently sued Troma for copyright infringement in applying the R-rating without permission; Troma withdrew the rating label, and to date the MPAA has refused to give Blood Sucking Freaks a review at all.

Blood Sucking Freaks went on to develop a cult following, and has been noted as a dark-comic parody of the New York City theater world. Filmsite.org named it one of the most controversial films of all time.^[4]

^ Stine 2015, p. 149.
^ Brass, Dick (November 8, 1976). "Sunday: No Day of Rest for Mid-Town Sex Shops". New York Daily News. p. ML7 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Firsching, Robert (2007). "Bloodsucking Freaks (1975)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
^ Cite error: The named reference filmsite was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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[FOOTNOTEStine2015149-1] Stine 2015, p. 149.

[2] Brass, Dick (November 8, 1976). "Sunday: No Day of Rest for Mid-Town Sex Shops". New York Daily News. p. ML7 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] Firsching, Robert (2007). "Bloodsucking Freaks (1975)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved 2020-05-04.

[filmsite-5] Cite error: The named reference filmsite was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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