Post-Manson Family drive-in flick about hippie vampires who form a groovy commune in southern California. Robert Quarry is their leader and he’s pretty much Chuck Manson with a regal speaking style, flowing robes and an appetite for blood. He approaches some far out longhairs who like to get high, play sad folk songs and talk about existence while a girl who’s naked for no reason works on psychedelic paintings off to the side. They’re down and directionless and they’re ripe for a guru. As soon as Quarry speaks—he subtly sells the vampire lifestyle to them like it’s a philosophy or some good acid—these kids eat it all up. It’s not long before they’re walking around hypnotized, doing interpretive vampire dances and chanting over occult rituals. This is vintage American-International Pictures junk that reeks to high heaven of the early 70s. It’s also very entertaining with almost every goofball piece of hippie lingo you can think of crammed into the script. Watch for Bobby “Boris” Pickett (of “Monster Mash” fame) as one of the gang. You can also look forward to a clever death scene where our hero kills one of the bad guys with a door, as well as some gross moments with leeches.
Truly trivial trivia: This is the directorial debut of veteran character-actor Ray Danton, best known for playing George Raft and Legs Diamond in the early 1960s. Danton would go on to a busy career directing in television.