The focus of Bloodsucking Pharaohs are the aforementioned two homicide detectives, one of whom (Sharkey) happens to throw up at the sight of blood! They are joined by Deedee (Susan Fletcher), an unassuming female metre maid turned detective who collects all the clues - eventually leading her two fumbling male colleagues to the lair of the killer, and putting her own life on the line to do so. Add to this mix Beverly Penberthy as Erna, the chain smoking wife from hell (who, in an especially witty sequence, is mistaken for a God of the underworld) and you have a very impressive main cast...
However, the genius of this movie is to supply us with a whole host of supporting characters that are nothing short of ingenious. These include a mad police chief, a cheery old coroner and his three elderly helpers, a trio of bra wearing ninja girls and a sleazy café owner called Jackie Cairo as well as his fat assistant Lobar (a homage to Lobo from Plan 9 From Outer Space perhaps?). Ultimately, it seems surprising that many of these characters are on screen for such a short time when they contribute to some of the funniest scenes in the entire film (the coronary scene, in particular, is an absolute riot). On the other hand, what you may find most shocking about this film is the fact that the director manages to keep up the laughs for the entire ninety minute running time! Now that is how you decide a successful spoof.

Indeed, the emphasis in this movie is more on sick comedy than any sort of nastiness or horror. Yet, this is no bad thing because I can't see many fans of twisted cinema arguing with such sequences as the one in which poor Beverly Penberthy attends a nicotine addiction clinic, only to be subjected to all sorts of brutality in a vain attempt to cure her vice. Consequently, the scene in which she lights up, only to be punched in the face by a huge, muscular hulk is bad taste humour at its very best (or possibly worst) and I laughed out very loudly indeed. Bad taste really is the name of the game with this movie, and if you ever wanted to see a cute puppy dog sucked into what looks like a high speed vacuum cleaner and turned into mincemeat then this the film for you!
So if you haven't got the message yet, then take it from me - this is a fantastic blood soaked comedy, and a film that really has to be seen to be believed. I recommend this to anyone who has a taste for the bizarre and who can really appreciate a film with an insane, and very sinister, sense of humour. So take my advice, and view this movie just as soon as you can. I honestly found it to be very, very funny indeed and exactly what I look for in a movie when seeking out the more alternative aspects of the genre. And wouldn't you know it, some chap from Pittsburgh called Tom Savini is responsible for the special effects.

So we move onto the extras...first we have an audio commentary with the director, Dean Tschetter (previously 'Alan Smithee' - for reasons that he discusses here) and the producer and star Beverly Penberthy. Now this is what I call an audio commentary! The director is still pretty pissed that Penberthy changed the title of the film and had it drastically re-edited, and boy does he let her know. Right from the get go, Tschetter lets the viewers know that he isn't too pleased with the 'butchery' of his movie, and whenever a scene has been shortened or has met the cutting room floor he lets us know. The two of them also 'out' the actress who plays Grace ('Jane Esther Hamilton') as an adult movie star.
If you just can't get enough of these two then they both also donate their time to lengthy on screen interviews about the making of Bloodsucking Pharaohs and also the troubled distribution of the movie. Penberthy calls the movie a 'bloody comedy', speaks a little about the proposed project she was due to work with George Romero on before the great director broke down after the failure of Monkey Shines (should she really be telling us this?) and chats a little about the Japanese market. However, her twenty minute 'making of' talk is not quite as much fun as the director's half hour lecture about the fact that (sigh) he's still not come to terms with the film he made being taken from him, re-titled, re-edited etc. It's a hell of a good laugh to watch the director rant (and boy does he rant!) and it makes for compulsive viewing.

These extras are really great, and it is brilliant to find out about the making of a low budget film. Program Power don't stop there though (and they'd have every right too - the chat with the director is worth purchasing this disc for alone) - because you also get eight deleted scenes! Some of these deleted scenes feature more shots of spurting crimson, but I'd have to say that the gore is played for laughs and never offends. The ending, especially, showcases a nastier demise for its villain - but I doubt anyone would be offended by anything here. All in all, on the strength of this extra gore footage, I'm pretty shocked that this movie originally got slapped with an NC-17 rating by the MPAA.

This disc also includes 38 behind-the-scenes pictures, some press kit stills (from when the movie was still called Picking up the Pieces), some publicity stills and even a storyboarded sequence. If you have a DVD-ROM then there are even more extras - including production crew and cast biographies, the film's original screenplay (which the producer advises you read), call sheets, shooting schedules, theatrical art, press kits, reviews, newspaper and trade ad clippings and other advertising campaigns. Really - do you need me to tell you just how extensive this is? What a package, and there is enough here to keep you occupied for a long, long time.
Of course, I made my way through the actual DVD extras in one night - but that is simply because I never expected the movie to hook me quite so much! Believe me, that is a huge recommendation right there, and this is one of the best 'cult' movies that I ever missed out on. So kudos to Program Power for tracking down and releasing this seriously underrated, horror/ comedy - this is a brilliant disc.