Double Feature Time: Dr. No/Blood Feast

Now, this may seem like an unusual double feature, especially today. After all, even those who aren't James Bond fans have probably heard about the first film in that series, Dr. No. Whereas only hard-core horror fans may be familiar with the films of Herschell Gordon Lewis. While Dr. No was released in 1962, it first appeared in American cinemas the following year, just like Blood Feast. At the time, neither film was viewed at with excitement by American distributors. The budgets for both films were also quite small, even for that time (Dr. No cost roughly $1 million & Blood Feast had a budget of just under $25,000). Also, while Blood Feast is certainly gorier than Dr. No, both films came under fire for pushing the envelope in terms of both violence and sexuality. So, I can't but wonder if there was at least one drive-in where these two pics had a double bill, as American distributors had no idea what to do with them. Of the two, Dr. No has obviously become looked at with more fondness in the decades since its release. It both started the long-running Bond film series, and made its star, Sean Connery, a household name. I also must state that Dr. No's title character (played by Joseph Wiseman), proved much scarier than the wacko in Blood Feast, Fuad Ramses (Mal Arnold). Indeed, to call the acting in Blood Feast hammy is an understatement. The actors reportedly read their lines off of cue cards hidden in the furniture. However, it is understandable that Blood Feast would get a following of its own, as it's regarded as the first film to show explicit gore. Lewis did the film after a series of films which were noted for showing nudity. So, he decided to switch gears by resorting to violence. But he also kept made sexuality prominent, which is evident as the female lead is played by Playboy Playmate Connie Mason. So, it's not surprising that Lewis would make more similar films, beginning with 2000 Maniacs (1964).