The Flesh and Blood Show (1972)
Blu-ray (2D and 3D) · Kino Cult (#43)
Stream First
In Brief
Pete Walker's first proper horror picture makes a boarded-up seaside theater a very bad place to rehearse. Kino Cult finally folds its black-and-white 3-D finale back into the movie. Saucy and sly, it's catnip for Walker fans and a Stream First for newcomers.
The Facts
Synopsis: A troupe of out-of-work actors moves into a boarded-up seaside theater to rehearse a new revue, only to learn that someone in Eastcliffe-on-Sea would rather the show closed early. Permanently.
Starring: Ray Brooks, Jenny Hanley, Luan Peters, Robin Askwith
Directed by: Pete Walker
Rated: R
Running Length: 96 minutes
The Package
Label: Kino Cult (#43)
Format: Blu-ray (2D and 3D)
Release Date: February 17, 2026
Video: 1080p. The black-and-white flashback plays in stereoscopic 3D or anaglyph 3D, newly aligned by the 3-D Film Archive
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono
Subtitles: English SDH
Discs: 1 Blu-ray (BD-50), Region A. Numbered Kino Cult slipcover, reversible art and anaglyph 3D glasses
The Film
The poster promised “An Appalling Amalgam of Carnage and Carnality,” and Pete Walker delivered about half of that bargain. Fair warning belongs near the top of any discussion of The Flesh and Blood Show: the carnality wins by a pretty comfortable margin. This 1972 shocker marked the British director’s first full plunge into horror after years of sex romps and crime pictures, taking inspiration from the Grand Guignol tradition of selling gore and skin as part of the same night out. House of Whipcord and Frightmare would sharpen that formula in 1974, but you can already see Walker figuring out what he wants to do here.
A troupe of out-of-work actors moves into the Dome Theatre, a shuttered venue on the pier at Eastcliffe-on-Sea, where director Mike Rogers (Ray Brooks, The Knack… and How to Get It) plans to build an improvised revue. Newcomer Julia Dawson (Jenny Hanley, Scars of Dracula) can’t shake the feeling she’s been there before. Then a body turns up and promptly disappears. The police don’t seem terribly bothered, rehearsals continue, and before long the production starts looking less like a show and more like a casting call in reverse.
Alfred Shaughnessy, script editor on Upstairs, Downstairs, wrote the screenplay, while Walker cited Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” as an inspiration. You can see the blueprint immediately: gather the suspects, cut the lights and start counting heads. Cromer’s end-of-pier theater and the Brighton interiors do plenty of the atmospheric work, and anyone who has spent time around theater people may get an extra kick out of the backstage egos, flirtations and increasingly shaky rehearsals. The murders themselves are fairly restrained by modern standards. Walker is much more interested in getting his cast out of their clothes than coating the walls in blood.
Carol (Luan Peters, Twins of Evil) brings some welcome spark, while Major Bell (Patrick Barr, House of Whipcord) gives the increasingly ridiculous proceedings a bit of dignity. Simon (Robin Askwith, Confessions of a Window Cleaner) and Sarah (Candace Glendenning, Tower of Evil) get less to chew on, but the ensemble has enough personality to keep the mystery moving. Released a year before The Wicker Man and six years before Halloween, it plays like an early British stab at the slasher before the rules of the genre had really been written. It’s a whodunit in a feather boa, and it knows it.
The Transfer
Video
Kino doesn’t credit a new scan for this release, and the HD master appears to be the same restoration used for the 2023 UK edition from 88 Films. The presentation retains its film grain and period color palette, with some scratches, specks and other source wear still visible. The bigger attraction is the black-and-white flashback near the finale, which has been newly aligned for 3-D by the 3-D Film Archive and is now incorporated directly into the feature rather than separated as an extra.
Audio
Kino doesn’t specify the codec, though the original mono track is presented in lossless 2.0 dual mono. The soundtrack preserves Cyril Ornadel’s eerie score along with the dialogue and production audio, with some crackle and occasional pops remaining from the source. It’s a straightforward presentation that keeps the film’s original mono sound intact rather than dressing it up with a remix.
Transfer Notes
From what I gather, the biggest change from Kino and Redemption’s 2014 disc is the placement of the 3-D material. That earlier release included the black-and-white flashback among the extras, while this edition restores it to its proper place within the movie.
Two viewing options are included. The stereoscopic version requires a 3-D-compatible Blu-ray player and television, while the anaglyph version can be viewed on standard equipment using the included red-and-blue glasses. The rest of the feature remains in conventional 2-D.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary by Film Historians Kat Ellinger and Martyn Conterio (NEW): Walker, giallo and early-’70s British horror, plus a warm case for Walker.
- Flesh, Blood, and Censorship (12:13): Walker’s 2014 sit-down with Elijah Drenner, ported from the Kino/Redemption disc.
- The No Show (8:40): Jenny Hanley looks back, including one scene that still disappoints her.
- The Flesh Show (4:00): Stewart Bevan on shooting his brief role on and inside the pier.
- The Blood Show (9:59): Third assistant director Terry Madden on the location shoot and the people on it.
- Theatrical Trailer (3:44) and U.S. Radio Spot (0:57): Period ballyhoo, laid on thick.
- Glasses and packaging: Red/blue glasses, reversible cover art and a #43 slipcover on first pressings.
Nothing runs long, but Walker, two actors and a crew veteran cover the shoot from four seats. Two of those interviews come from 88 Films, but its Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons commentary stayed home, so UK-disc owners should keep theirs.
Shelf Worthy?
Stream First
Stream First. Walker’s films are an acquired taste, and this one runs more on cheek than shocks, though it’s devious fun if you’re on its wavelength. 3-D gear owners have more reason to consider the disc, since the finale was designed for the format and gives the release an extra novelty. Even then, it’s a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have. Anyone new to Walker should catch a matinee before buying the season pass. The Dome Theatre doesn’t do refunds.
Shelf Worthy: Buy it. This one earns a spot on the shelf.
Stream First: Watch it before you buy.
Completionists Only: For collectors who need every edition.
Kino Lorber provided a copy for review. My opinions are my own.
Reviewed by Joe Botten
Joe Botten is The MN Movie Man, a Twin Cities film critic writing spoiler-free reviews since 2012. He also writes for Loud and Clear Reviews, a Rotten Tomatoes approved site. Find him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
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