The financier of Blood Freak backed out, leaving Hawkes and Grinter with an unfinished film. The two scraped up some money and shot the rest of the film in 8mm.

The film was originally rated X for violence.

Hawkes now claims his efforts on Blood Freak were "a sad chapter in my life".

Blood Freak grossed about $170,000 in its initial release.

On the Blood Freak DVD released by Something Weird Video are a few bonus films including a noir-sleaze nudie-cutie starring Hawkes titled The Walls Have Eyes (1964) and the startling "Brad Grinter: Nudist", an excerpt from a 1970's nudie-cutie/sexploitation film. Not only is Grinter completely in the buck during most of the film, so is William Kerwin, star of the Herschell Gordon Lewis classic, Blood Feast [1963].

When Herschell and Anne are seen smoking pot, the director can be heard saying, "Action!"

During Herschell's fight with the drug dealer, the director can be heard saying "Get up slowly" as the dealer is lying on the ground.

The drug dealer whose leg gets sawed off by the turkey monster version of Herschell was an actual amputee.

Compiled by Millie De Chirico

SOURCES:
www.imdb.com
www.allmovie.com
www.fright.com
www.thedailyshow.com
www.badmovieplanet.com/3btheater/
www.bleedingskull.com
www.thehotspotonline.com
www.dvdverdict.com
www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=73833
Interview with Steve Hawkes, http://www.tarzanmovieguide.com/hawkes.htm
www.grindhousedatabase.com