Review of Blood and Lace (1971) by Allan C — 04 Dec 2016

Bad, but enjoyable bad horror film about teenage orphans and runaways who end up in a crooked orphanage run by Gloria Grahame (who's one of my favorite actresses of the 40s and 50s) and her evil handyman, Len "Uncle Leo" Lesser.

The two sadistic caretakers kill many of their charges and then keep them frozen, so they can pose them later in beds when the state comes to do head-counts. The film also centers on the latest teenage orphan to join the crooked orphanage, Melody Patterson, who's parents were brutally murdered in their sleep by a hammer wielding psycho, and who now may be stalked by the killer herself.

None of the filmmakers behind the camera ever made anything else of note, unless you count the the screenwriter's other credits "The Gay Deceivers," The Night God Screamed" and "Mama's Dirty Girls.

" Overall, this is a pretty silly film, but you can definitely see this film as a porto-slasher film and as being influential on later (better) slather films to come (i.e.. "Halloween, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," etc.

). The opening murder scene is shot from the POV of the killer would be copied (and done better) by John Carpenter in 1978's "Halloween" which really did launch the slasher film genre. Vic Tayback also appears as a detective and Dennis Christopher appears as one of the orphans.