Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Nick Duguay This is really quite a pleasure if you happen to be a fan of giallo and slashers- though really more the former than the latter. The Flesh and Blood Show is an excellent film that far preceded the American slasher craze, and even just barely the giallo films of Italy. This film was made in England in 1972, and while it seems quite a rudimentary slasher in this day and age, at that time it was really quite innovative. Along with A Bay of Blood, this may have jumpstarted the slasher craze that began with Halloween and Friday the 13th (not to mention The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), but really had it's roots with early exploitation films like this. The Flesh and Blood Show has tons of atmosphere and a fairly engaging story, but rather skimps on the blood. Most of the murders take place off scene and the ending really begs for more but overall I really enjoyed this.

Spikeopath Pete Walker brings us a proto-slasher that's now as cornball as can be. Is it worthy of respect in the pantheon of horror? Yes, maybe.This is a coastal town that they forgot to close down.A group of actors and actresses have mysteriously been lured to an end of pier theatre to star in a play. Pretty soon they start being bumped off one by one.So it be! There's plenty of nudity, actors siting around musing on the "biz" and its perils, while the matter of fact attitude to the disappearances is almost as ludicrous as someone opening the door in the middle of the night stark naked...It's good fun in truth, especially for British film fans like me to see the likes of Robin Askwith and Jenny Hanley in this. The run down theatre setting is a good one, while the play they are rehearsing makes no sense and is quite surreal! 5/10

Woodyanders Pete Walker's first foray into the fright film genre prefigures the slasher cycle by a good five years and manages to wring a good deal of tension and spooky atmosphere from its novel and inspired setting of a decrepit abandoned old stage theater located on a remote pier on the British coast. The story is rather familiar stuff, but still tight and involving: A bunch of eager and good-looking young thespians join a mysterious repertory company and get together to rehearse a play at the old theater. Naturally, there's also a creepy and vicious heavy-breathing maniac loose in the place. Walker and writer Alfred Shoughnessy relate the engrossing story at a steady pace, present a gaggle of well-drawn and likable main characters, and do an able job of creating and maintaining an eerie and enigmatic mood. The attractive and appealing cast rates as another substantial asset, with especially stand-out work by Ray Brooks as fair and easygoing stage director Mike, Jenny Hanley as lovely and ambitious rising starlet Julia Dawson, Luan Peters as the sultry Carol, Robin Askwith as the affable Simon, Tristan Rogers as dashing hunk Tony Weller, and David Howey as impish practical joker John. Veteran actor Patrick Barr has a field day with his juicy supporting part as dotty and charming local eccentric Major Bell. The killer's motive for committing the murders turns out to be unexpectedly poignant and tragic. While this picture skimps on the gore and has a minimal body count, this is more than compensated for by a pleasing plenitude of tasty bare female skin and the clever and surprising conclusion that comes complete with a cool protracted flashback sequence shot in stark black and white. Peter Jessop's bleak cinematography and Cyril Ornadel's ominous score add greatly to the overall macabre entertainment value of this enjoyable little shocker.

Coventry Pete Walker was one of the most remarkable directors in the British horror industry and most of his efforts (especially those of the mid-70's period) ought to be considered as quintessential viewing for genre admirers. Even this forgotten and sadly obscure gem, which obviously suffers from terribly poor production values, is actually a very important horror film for two specific reasons. First of all, "The Flesh and Blood Show" represents Pete Walker's transition from banal sex comedies into mature and rudimentary horror. "Die Screaming Marianne", released one year before, already contained some admirable horror aspects, but Walker only managed to truly capture the horrific themes of murder and insanity in this film. The second and even more important reason to establish the essence of this film is that it's actually a pioneer of slasher-movies! Alongside Mario Bava's "Bay of Blood" and perhaps a few notable other titles, "The Flesh and Blood Show" was one of the first film to introduce a maniacal killer amidst a group of defenseless victims. The film is, in fact, pretty similar to "Bay of Blood" and it easily could have been named "Pier of Blood". A group of ambitious young actors and their director gather in an abandoned theater, located in an even more abandoned seaside village, to rehearse a play that'll hopefully launch them at prominent theaters in London. Shortly after their arrival, it becomes clear that the old theater and its dark catacombs also homes a sardonic killer and the players begin to vanish one by one. To reveal the killer's identity, the remaining survivors will have to dig up the theaters' dubious history... The search for the killer is very compelling and, thanks to the dark & ominous setting, the film simply oozes with suspense. The script features some very effective red herrings and the denouement is satisfying and even plausible! The murders are regretfully tame and unclear but, as said before, this is merely due to the inferior production values. No worries, as Walker will largely make up for the lack of carnage in his later films. His past career as a sleaze filmmaker, however, is more than obviously detectable here! There's tons of nudity in "The Flesh and Blood Show" and, albeit completely irrelevant to the plot, all the ladies have impressively ravishing curves! Decent movie, well worth adding to your horror collection.