Baby Blood (DVD)

Reviewed by Uncle Creepy

Starring Emmanuelle Escourrou, François Frappier, Rémy Roubakha, Christian Sinniger, Jean-François Gallotte

Directed by Alain Robak

Distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment

Welcome to the jungle; we've got fun and games. We've got everything you want including parasites who dwell within wild animals that will eventually burrow into the waiting womb of a pregnant woman as a means to take over the fetus of her unborn baby in order to be reborn. Sound a bit out there? Confusing even? Hey! It's a French film! If you thought the Sumatran Rat Monkey caused problems in Peter Jackson's zombie masterpiece, Braindead (a.k.a. Dead Alive), then wait until you see what this earlier predator did when brought back to the mainland.

Baby Blood opens with the capture of a crazed leopard in Africa. Upon being trapped, our furry friend is then shipped off to a circus in France that is being run by a wife-beating scumbag. Once there, the animal goes through a metamorphosis of sorts as a parasitic organism slithers out of its four-legged host only to take up residence inside the circus owner's wife. As luck would have it, she has already been knocked up, so our invader seizes the moment and starts gestating within the fetus, patiently waiting for the day of its rebirth. Kind of brings new meaning to the term squatter's rights, no?

Even at such a young age, the kid's got moxie. Soon after making himself at home, he starts imparting telepathic demands on his new mother-to-be. What's he want? Here's a hint: It's not a shiny new Invade Me Elmo™ doll. Nope, what this tiny antagonist seeks is blood ... and plenty of it. And you thought staying stocked up on diapers and formula could be an arduous task!

Released here in the States in 1990 as The Evil Within, this movie has long remained one of those hard-to-find splatter gems. At the very least it was difficult to find in its uncut glory. Sadly, the American version was missing most of the film's gore, and even the tamer scenes were presented in a vastly different head-scratching order. In some ways the old cut is unrecognizable in comparison. Thankfully there's a company out there that gives a shit about what we as fans want to see and how we want to see it.

Throw away those blurry bootlegs! Anchor Bay has delivered the goods once again. Baby Blood is presented here for the first time completely remastered and uncut. In fact, some of the restored scenes are subtitled in English because there was never a dubbed audio track recorded for what was originally excised. People who don't like watching foreign films may be a little put off by these suddenly French scenes, but in my opinion English dubs suck (except for Godzilla flicks, in which they add to the experience's charm).

If you've never seen this nasty little film before, then you, my black-hearted friend, are in for a real treat. Baby Blood is one of those movies that will make you constantly shake your head is disbelief. Every time a gore scene comes along that you think cannot be topped, out sprays another geyser of crimson. Bodies are blown up, heads are severed, throats are slashed, etc. You name it, it's here in one form or another. The red stuff flows free, fast, and furious. Truly good times.

Seeing this cut of Baby Blood could be considered a special feature in and of itself, and thank god for that because sadly that's all we're getting. Other than a trailer gallery, there's not a single extra to be found anywhere on this DVD. I know, I know. Talk about a bummer.

Release shortcomings aside, this is another fine addition to your horror loving library on the strength of the feature alone. Don't let the lack of supplemental materials dissuade you too much. Baby Blood is still worth a bare bones buy.

"Her placenta falls ... to the floor."

Special Features
Trailer gallery

3 1/2 out of 5