Blood Mania (1970)

Midpoint spoilers.Dr. Craig Cooper (Peter Carpenter) is being blackmailed for $50,000 because he performed abortions to get through med school (1970 film). He ends up sleeping with Victoria (Maria De Aragon) a "young and evil soul" who is willing to give him the money after she struck out with the pool boy (Reid Smith). Her daddy (Eric Allison) has a bad heart and is attended to by Cooper who works at his clinic. Meanwhile Craig's girlfriend Cheryl (Reagan Wilson) is sleeping with the blackmailer Larry Mills (Arell Blanton) to try to pay him off.The film opens up with a scantily clad woman (Vicki Peters) running through the woods being followed and caught by a man walking slowly. The story wasn't put together too well. If not for the evil over-sexed Victoria, it wouldn't be a film.Guide: Sex and nudity (Vicki Peters, Maria De Aragon, Reagan Wilson)

"Dr. Craig Cooper" (Peter Carpenter) is a young doctor who finds himself being blackmailed for performing illegal abortions sometime earlier in his career. After hearing of his predicament his girlfriend by the name of "Cheryl" (Reagan Wilson) does her best to help him out. Likewise a woman named "Victoria Waterman" (Maria de Aragon) also wants to help him out by murdering her own father so that she can give him the money to pay off the blackmailer. But things don't work out as planned. Now rather than reveal any more of the story and risk ruining it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this particular movie had some good moments here and there. Unfortunately, there were several dull moments as well which tended to slow the film down quite a bit. Additionally, with two beauties like Maria de Aragon and Vicki Peters (as "Gail Waterman") on hand to grace the screen this movie could have been much better if the director (Robert Vincent O'Neill) had been a bit less artistic and more focused on passion and suspense. As it is I rate this film as slightly below average.

1970's "Blood Mania" was, like its companion feature "Point of Terror," a showcase for writer-producer-star beefcake Peter Carpenter, who always made sure that he'd score with every beautiful babe within reach (sort of a poor man's Paul Naschy, minus talent). Despite the titles and ad campaigns, neither film remotely qualifies as horror, although those who consider each to be 'horrible' shall receive no argument from me. This film seems to have the more notorious reputation, but features far more nudity than the other feature, particularly from the stunning Maria de Aragon, who effortlessly steals it as Victoria Waterman, dutiful daughter of a wealthy invalid (Eric Allison) whose will leaves all his money to her younger sister Gail (Apr 1972 Playboy Playmate Vicky Peters), despite the fact she'd been away for seven years. A major plot point easily missed is that the reason she left was because she'd had an incestuous affair with Daddy, eerily depicted in the nonsensical dreamlike sequence behind the opening credits. There is of course Daddy's doctor, Craig Cooper (Peter Carpenter), being blackmailed by a scumbag who won't even be put off by the naked advances of the buxom Mrs. Cooper (Oct 1967 Playboy Playmate Reagan Wilson), who is abruptly dropped after being raped. Little is made of Gail's older lesbian companion, played by Jacqueline Dalya, busy 1940s actress and veteran of "Charlie Chan in Rio" (Joel Marston, of the 1949 Charlie Chan finale "The Sky Dragon," appears in "Point of Terror"). Both Maria and Jacqueline had worked with Carpenter before in "Love Me Like I Do," which, unlike the others, was not misleadingly advertised as a horror film. The lighthearted nurse is played by Leslie Simms, who received the bulk of the new footage shot for the TV version of this film, 24 excruciating minutes altogether. In for two brief scenes is Alex Rocco, soon to graduate from low budget affairs like "Blood Mania" and "Stanley" to Coppola's "The Godfather." The nudity is frequent and gratuitous, but frankly that's all this feature has to offer; still, no one can dim the luster of the luscious Maria de Aragon (who again worked for director Robert Vincent O'Neil on 1973's "Wonder Women"). "Blood Mania" debuted on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater on Nov 27 1976, paired with second feature "Gargoyles" (1972), appearing as a solo feature three additional times through 1982 (like the rest of the Crown International TV package, "Point of Terror" followed closely, in Feb 1977).

Craig Cooper (Peter Carpenter, who also wrote the script), a young doctor, is haunted by a questionable past and entrapped in a hopeless present by jealousy, blackmail and murder. Oh, and maybe some incest.The Mill Creek DVD has an image that is squished in, making things seem too too and narrow. The picture, however, is crisp and clean, top notch for a film that probably had a very low production budget.The film is full of exploitative sexuality: a bathtub scene with some female, and almost male, nudity. A tense negotiation and blackmail scene is cut with flashes to the doctor's wife changing. Immediately followed by the wife in bed. Extensive, artistically lit sex scene soon after. Then some blackmail sex. Undressing in front of a mirror. More sex. And more...This film would be ripe for a decent remake.