BLOOD SHACK / THE CHOOPER (1971)

[The Burgomaster]

 

Here's another Ray Dennis Steckler DVD from "Shriek Show."

Steckler made a 55 minute movie titled BLOOD SHACK.  His distributor told him the movie needed to be at least 70 minutes long, so he padded it with 15 minutes of time-wasting footage and called the longer version THE CHOOPER (no, this is not a typo . . . it is CHOOPER . . . not CHOPPER!)  Both versions are on the DVD, along with commentary and interviews with Joe Bob Briggs, Steckler, and Carolyn Brandt.

Brandt plays herself . . . a horror movie actress . . . who inherits a ranch with a dilapidated shack on the property.  The shack is supposedly haunted by an Indian spirit (the Chooper).  The "horror" in this movie consists of a guy wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt chasing people around and killing them with a machete.  There are lots of scenes of Steckler's two young daughters (cheap labor, I guess) running around and playing games like musical chairs.  There is also a significant amount of footage of people attending a rodeo.

For the BLOOD SHACK version, Steckler used a lot of fake credits (he calls it a CINE PARIS production and he uses the name WOLFGANG SCHMIDT for his director's credit . . . typical Steckler . . . he uses a French name for the production company and a German name for the director).  For THE CHOOPER, he uses his real name in the credits.

This movie, regardless of which version you watch, is for Steckler addicts only.  All others should stay away!   

[hellbilly]

This one gave me headaches. There's an equal amount of fun cheese and suck, which makes it hard for me to fully enjoy. So basically I'm always torn about that one.

[lester1/2jr]

I watched this last night.  stecklers commentary was really bizarre.  he is like your great uncle narrarating some home movies like "look at that!" .   everything about it seemed like it was from at least 10 or twenty years earlier than 1971.   the music is not the type you'd expect to hear in a 70's horror movie.  the chooper sheesh