Blood, Boobs and Beast

Don Dohler has been a true inspiration to low budget filmmakers everywhere, and although his films never went main stream there is no denying the heart, soul and love for the genre in each of his pictures. Dohler directed seven films in his career including The Alien Factor, Fiend, Nightbeast, Galaxy Invader, Blood Massacre, Alien Factor 2 and Dead Hunt. Each one of these films is a lot of fun in their own way and you can tell Dohler had a lot of fun making them. Dohler was born in 1946 and at a very young age began to show interest in sci-fi and horror, he was a huge fan of the classic magazine "Famous Monsters in Filmland" and by the age of twelve he was shooting his own little movies. Dohler began experimenting with stop-motion animation and acquired a do-it-yourself mentality which added a lot to a small budget film. He took his knowledge of special effects and started a great magazine called Cinemagic that ran until 1979. Dohler inspired artists and filmmakers such as Rober Crumb, J.J. Abrams and Art Spiegalman with his films and his comic character Projunior. Don died December 2, 2006 at the age of 60, he was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer. Don was a really talented filmmaker and his love for his craft really came through in his films.making movies was not Don's job but it was his life and his films will forever remain his legacy.

The first disc in Blood, Boobs and Beast is a documentary on the life and films of Don Dohler. It is an in depth look into the mind of Dohler and what drove him to make such films. The movie begins with Dohler talking about when he was robbed and had a shotgun held to his head, from then we learn that after this experience he looked at life a different way. Video clips from his films are shown throughout the documentary including his early works as a young boy. The Filmer's follow him on the set of Dead Hunt and we get a inside look at all of the troubles of making a film. Dohler speaks in depth about each of his films and the experiences he had making them. It is a very comprehensive documentary and gives the viewer tons of information on the legendary filmmaker, by the end you feel like you have know Dohler for years. Don was not only an amazing director, writer and producer, he was a nice person who had a lot of friends and touched many lives and left his fingerprint on the cinematic world forever.

Disc 2 contains Dohler's film Nightbeast, a fan favorite. Filmed in Baltimore in 82', some of it was filmed in Dohlers backyard. The story is pretty simple, an alien spacecraft crashes in a small town and the alien "Nightbeast" escapes the crash to wreak havoc on the citizens. Nightbeast has a laser gun and anyone unlucky enough to get zapped by it is instantly vaporized, these scenes are especially awesome not only for the special effects of the laser but the vaporized humans are just hilarious. The citizens eventually fight back in a epic battle of alien vs. human. The film is considered an updated version of "Alien Factor" with only one alien. The mask Dohler made for the beast is simply awesome and is the star of the show, you just don't see this kind of effort and talent put into a lot of independent features today. This movie is highly recommended for fans of independent horror films and fans of Dohlers work.

Troma released this 2-dvd set and I have to say it may be the best thing they have released yet. The film Nightbeast also contains a feature-length commentary with Don Dohler, behind-the-scenes outtakes and bloopers and more. The documentary also contains a commentary with director John Paul Kinhart.

This is a excellent set and any horror fan or upcoming filmmaker should check it out. The documentary is top notch and contains everything a fan of Dohler's would want to know, extensively informing and touching. The film Nightbeast is a wonderful addition to this set and by far my favorite film in his catalog. Check it out, you don't want to miss this one.

Some excellent tag lines for Nightbeast: The Sci-Fi Thriller Made in Baltimore!, His Hands Tear Through Flesh and Bone!, Nothing Can Save You Now... and If you have guts...HE WANTS THEM!

Review by Jason

Rating: B+