| Blood Feast | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Herschell Gordon Lewis |
| Screenplay by | Allison Louise Downe |
| Story by | David F. Friedman Herschell Gordon Lewis |
| Produced by | David F. Friedman |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Herschell Gordon Lewis |
| Edited by | Robert Sinise Frank Romolo |
| Music by | Herschell Gordon Lewis |
| Distributed by | Box Office Spectaculars[citation needed] |
Release date |
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Running time | 67 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $24,500 |
| Box office | $4 million |
Blood Feast is a 1963 American splatter film. It was composed, shot, and directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, written by Allison Louise Downe from an idea by Lewis and David F. Freidman, and stars Mal Arnold, William Kerwin, Connie Mason, and Lyn Bolton. The plot focuses on a psychopathic food caterer named Fuad Ramses (Arnold) who kills women so that he can include their body parts in his meals and perform sacrifices to his "Egyptian goddess" Ishtar.
Blood Feast is considered the first splatter film, a sub-genre of horror noted for its graphic depictions of on-screen gore. It was highly successful, grossing $4 million against its minuscule $24,500 budget, while receiving poor reviews from critics, who criticized it as amateurish and vulgar. The film was followed by a belated sequel, Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat, in 2002.