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MARCH 8 VHS MOVIE REVIEW : DEATH BED - THE BED THAT EATS (1972/1977)
I've had this DVD in my "To Be Watched" pile for over three years because, frankly, this film couldn't possibly live up to it's hype. Lost for over 25 years (Well, not exactly lost. Just mostly unseen except for a small cult following since it was pirated on VHS in 1983), DEATH BED has slowly built word-of-mouth raves that I have read on various websites and publications. That has always bothered me since MALATESTA'S CARNIVAL OF BLOOD (1973) got the same type of press and I hate d that film (Hate is a harsh word. Let's just say I disliked it immensely.). Well, I'm glad to report that DEATH BED is a laugh riot and not in some unintentional way. This is a deliberate horror comedy that hits all the right notes. The film is broken into chapters, titled "Breakfast", "Lunch" and "Dinner" and each chapter tells a different story about separate victims of the bed, which our imprisoned narrator (who was a victim of the bed) mocks continually, especially for it's "stupidity" for not being able to move. The bed is located in an abandoned castle, it's always-clean white sheets and purple canopy inviting people to come and try it out. Little do they know that the bed is hungry and will devour their flesh (not to mention their bucket of chicken, apples or whatever else they bring to bed with them) with it's acidic juices, sometimes only leaving bone in it's wake. Our narrator sits helplessly behind a painting facing the bed, witnessing the murdering mattress from Hell doing it's business. The film is just a series of funny (and sometimes frightening) imaginative kills, enhanced by the bed's absurd sound effects, some creative (and downright hilarious) visuals and our narrator's continuous verbal attacks addressed to the bed. Director/producer/writer George Barry, who started this film in 1972 but didn't strike an answer print until 1977, never made another film after this, thanks to it never getting a legal distribution deal in the U.S.. It's a shame, too, because Barry had talent. Though not overly bloody (gorehounds will be disappointed), Barry does splash the red stuff around, though much of it (but not all) is used for comical effect. By the end of the film, you will think the bed is a real character because, between the crazy visuals and the narrator's verbal and visual history of the bed, it seems to take a life and personality all it's own. That's one of the hardest things to do as a filmmaker and Barry hits it out of the ballpark on his first try. Since he is still alive, maybe someone will give George Barry the funds to make another film. If the actor who loses his hands at the end of the film looks familiar, that because the credited actor "Rusty Russ" is actually the excellent character actor William Russ, who you have seen in films like THE UNHOLY (1988) and AMERICAN HISTORY X (1998) and has appeared on too many TV shows to mention. This was his first acting role in a film. After watching DEATH BED, one has to wonder how many other undiscovered gems are out there sitting in someone's closet, attic or basement, just rotting away, never getting their chance in the spotlight like this film did. The mind boggles. Also starring Demene Hall, Julie Ritter, Linda Bond, Patrick Spence-Thomas and Dave Marsh. A Cult Epics DVD Release. Not Rated. Contains female nudity, Russ with skeleton hands and a lengthy scene of a Black girl trying to escape from the bed after it has dissolved her legs. The payoff is suspenseful as well as funny. Grab this while you still have the chance! { text from critcononline.com }
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