There is something to be said about cheese and not the edible kind either because sometimes it can be really good and sometimes it is the worst thing one has ever laid eyes on. Thankfully, The Brides Wore Blood falls into the former category, the film is pure and unadulterated schlock if ever there were any viewers would not have it any other way. At least some of them.

The movie, as one might guess, is about vampires and more specifically, a family of them who have been cursed with the disease for hundreds of years. It seems that every so often they need a girl to impregnate with the hopes that maybe they can stop being vampires or some such, depending on the baby or whatever it is that is going on. The story as it were, is a little muddled unless one is paying real close attention and it is doubtful that anyone watching this picture is doing just that. There is a fortune teller who plays a role in all of this, a hunchback who works for the vampire family and lures young women into the ancestral home on the ruse of a guided tour, not to mention a bit of nudity, a little violence and some really bad makeup.

Shot in Florida on a budget of almost nothing it would seem, the film does indeed look poor but that ends up being one of the positives out of all of this as it embellishes any horror that might be found within. It looks as if one is watching a horror movie and that is what one wants to see even if nothing else is going for it though surprisingly, as bad as this picture is, it falls into that category of being so bad that it just so happens to be good. That being said, there is a lot that could have been improved, from the cast of unknowns that populated every role in this picture to the special effects that consisted of some very bargain-priced dimestore fangs in one of the worst shots of the film. It is too bad that director Bob Favorite could not have scrounged up a little more money as the overall story, despite being a little muddled, was not all that bad.

There are some that will despise this film due to what are perceived as negatives and usually, they would be but for some reason, whatever that might be, most of it ends up being charming. Yes, it is pretty awful, corny and cheesy to no end. It looks cheap, feels cheap and was definitely made on the cheap. Be that as it may, there is a bit of earnestness present during certain moments and there is enough there to keep one’s interest, at least a little bit and that is more than what can be said of many other pictures made on a similar budget. Wrapping it all up in a nice neat bow, The Brides Wore Blood makes for an odd entry in the history of horror and one that might be worth seeking out for some.

2 out of 5