Death Bed: The Bed That Eats

source: Death Bed: The Bed That Eats

A film about a hungry bed that gobbles unsuspecting victims is always going to be a point of interest for a film fan such as myself; so seeking this one out was inevitability. This film definitely had a lot of potential; it's always going to be difficult to build a plot around a premise as bizarre as a bed that eats people, but it could be great if done correctly. It has to be said that writer-director George Barry has a great imagination, but the plot doesn't have any coherency, and basically what we have is simply a film about a hungry bed, rather than one with any plot. I suppose there's only so much you can do with it really, and Barry masks his lack of storyline with a story surrounding how the bed came about, and a run down of various people that it has eaten. It turns out that the Death Bed is a result of a broken hearted demon that bled tears of blood into a bed, which then (naturally) gave the bed life, and an insurmountable hunger. The scenes in which the bed eats people really vary in quality. There are some rather boring scenes in which we don't really get to see much, and then there are some humorous scenes that include a couple of people becoming victims while playing poker. The pick of these scenes in one in which a woman with an afro is dragged into the bed after almost escaping its grasp. There isn't a great deal of blood in the film, but the way that the bed eats is imaginative and done in the best way possible, as we see various thing slip inside it's innards, which appear to be made up of a strange yellow substance. There is a central plot involving a teenage runaway, which climaxes in a very silly, but fun, sequence in which her brother ends up losing his hands. It's clear that the director realises that this plot line isn't going to be taken seriously, and so gives it the most bizarre handling possible. The film has been banished into obscurity ever since it's release, and the only influence it has had on cinema seems to be the bed idea used in Hellraiser 2. Overall, this film is well worth seeking out for fans of cult cinema...but I recommend keeping your expectations in check.

I first heard of this film when Patton Oswalt talked about it on his "Werewolves and Lollipops" CD. He said it was a lost classic that is completely ridiculous. Being a lover of terrible cinema, I knew I was in for a treat. This film is, hands down, one of the weirdest I've ever seen. Certainly one of the weirdest shlock films. Basically, a demon took human form years ago for a woman, the woman died or something, the demon cried blood, the blood fell on the bed, the bed is now possessed and it now eats. Along with fruit, flowers and chicken, it also has a taste for people. The people can range between horny teens, mayors, gangsters, servants or professional orgy throwers. There's also a sick guy who the bed ate but put his soul behind a picture in the room. Most movies let you figure out the plot through exciting action. Death Bed takes another path: it basically tells you through narration exactly what's happening while slow, dull murder scenes take place. Also, I must say everyone who's eaten by the bed are surprisingly quiet. I would think if a bed is eating you through the ways of a 5th grade science fair experiment, it would sting a little. I guess nerve endings weren't invented until 1981 or so. The story is wacky, the direction is slow and pretty awful, the sets are sparse, the acting it fairly painful and the brother is one of the unintentionally ugliest actors I've ever seen. Probably would make a great party film if alcohol and smart-asses are involved. Certainly one you shouldn't miss.

Never has the words "hidden gem" been so accurate. Bad movie lovers might search all over for the next hidden obscurity, sometimes coming up short with stuff like Weasels rip my flesh, but other times, luck will prevail and you might end up with something like Death Bed, then hopefully realizing it's not a bad movie at all, it just has a bad title, and not even a bad title, but a humorous one that might throw you off, but Somehow Death Bed obviously still fits into the "bad" category, and there just ain't no way around that. With a vibe that's somber and empty, Death Bed is a true masterpiece of low-budget horror, reserved only for those fortunate enough to appreciate such a dark shadow of a vision. Death Bed involves an incoherent, yet intriguing relationship between a demon in the bed and the sympathetic ghost trapped in the portrait, who only wishes he could spare someone from the awful fate of being devoured by the yellow suds. Although not all that scary, considering it's about a killer bed, Death Bed possesses the qualities that make for successful horror. A dark, desolate vibe, confusion, an eerie, subtle score and that dream quality that this masterpiece almost flaunts. Such a quality, or vibe usually seems unintentional. Not only is it intentional, but from what I've read, Death Bed is based on an actual dream, George Barry, the director, successfully transferred dream to film, only a genius could accomplish such a task. Old mansions make for good quality horror, as do portraits. Not sure what to make of the killer bed with its killer yellow liquid. A bizarre dream, indeed. Also, this isn't quite the brand of B-horror I was expecting, considering the cheesy title and all. Before viewing this Gothic gem, I expected something more like Class Reunion Massacre. Now thats a bad movie, if you've seen it, you know what I'm saying. After considering all of the above, I feel like Death Bed deserves eight stars, but the mysterious charm of this one lingers long after the arrival of the internet era, which counts for something. 6/10

A large bed possessed by a demon eats people, among other things. I'm not making this up. Completed in 1977 and not officially released until it came to DVD in 2003, "Death Bed: The Bed That Eats" is a movie whose plot is impossible to describe. You most likely know of it thanks to Patton Oswalt's excellent bit about it, as well as Stephen Throwers essential book "Nightmare USA." While watching it, you wonder the following -Who is George Berry, and what drugs did he smoke/inject/snort before writing and directing this movie? -Is this a horror comedy? A combination of a horror flick and an art movie? A weird prank being pulled on the audience? -What the hell am I watching? "Death Bed" really defies any explanation. I know, that term is overused, but it couldn't be truer than it is here. This truly beggars description. It is a horror comedy, as well as art film/horror hybrid. But the whole thing is so surreal, it must be seen. The score sounds like the electronic bits from an old Candlemass album, the acting is terrible and disconnected from everything, the direction is surprisingly competent, and the movie at times feels like a Jesus Franco movie-that is, if his movies were intentionally funny. In the end, there really is no proper way to describe this movie. Lord knows I've tried, but really, few movies are as odd, unique, or mind boggling as this is. See it...but you've been warned. This is also the only movie George Berry has ever done. He definitely left his mark on the exploitation genre with this, I'll tell you that much.

I had read online reviews praising this obscure outing as a combination of gory horror, quirky black comedy and borderline art-house; the film has elements of all three, to be sure, but they are at the service of such a supremely silly premise (the title immediately gives the game away) – and amateurish production to boot – that its long-term neglect due to a lack of proper distribution – basically until Cult Epics picked it up for DVD release a full 30 years after its inception! – was no great loss to cinema or even the genre(s). The bed was apparently created for the purpose of accommodating a demon's dalliance with a woman; anyway, a dying man who had made use of the four-poster and even painted it ends up trapped in the wall behind the canvas(!) and provides intermittent commentary to the 'action'. Several people (from teenagers-on-a-fling to gangsters-in-hiding) supply fodder to the perennially-hungry bed; latest on the menu are a trio of girls – one of whom, however, recalls its mistress of long ago and, consequently, the bed seemingly fears her! Seeing various objects – from cigars to pieces of fried chicken – and people getting swallowed up (the belly of the bed is depicted as a vat of honey-colored liquid) makes the film mildly amusing at times (especially when a young man's hands are reduced to their skeletal formation, which he seems to take rather too easily in his stride!), but also awfully repetitious…so that, at even a brief 77 minutes, the whole pointless exercise feels strained and downright desperate.

I do love B- horror films. I however, am generally not a huge fan of "so stupid it's funny" films. I HAD to rate this so highly simply because Death Bed: the bed that eats, is so one of a kind, and so original. there are plenty of question marks, plenty of plot holes, and the WTF factor is cranked up to 11, but i was really not bored for a second. I really couldn't call it creepy at any point, Every minute i was saying to myself "what the hell is this bed/film going to do next!" I watched this with a friend that is in no way a fan of horror or B- movies, and even she was pretty into it. the effects were actually very inventive and the colors, and atmosphere were quite good. it keeps a very consistent and even tone throughout most of the film, (albeit an incredibly ludicrous consistency) and the acting wasn't TERRIBLE. I can see from the point that there are certain inconsistencies in the actions of the bed that make the suspension of belief damn near impossible, but the film itself was such a unique and bizarre concept, that that fact didn't really bother me. seriously, for me, this film hit that realm of one i will not only never forget, but i guarantee i will find myself thinking back on certain scenes in the future. does anyone else know of any other films in the inanimate objects that eat people genre? totally fantastic.

Writer / director George Barry's "Death Bed: The Bed That Eats" is one of the strangest films you'll ever encounter. At first, it would seem that it could only generate laughter due to its outrageous premise, but it's quite possible to take it seriously, as a surreal work of art with touches of exploitation (namely, gore and nudity) thrown in. The title pretty much lays it out for you: the title item of furniture has been possessed by a demon for many years, and claimed many victims, pulling them down into its yellow, frothy, hungry innards. One of the victims is an artist (Dave Marsh, voice-over by Patrick Spence- Thomas) whose spirit is now trapped behind one of his paintings and can't do a thing to warn anybody who stops by. This film has got a real unearthly vibe and a European sensibility going for it. It creates its own universe, and occupies it to great effect. The viewer may keep watching out of a sense of sheer fascination. Granted, its acting is all on the amateurish side, but the low low budget does work in its favour, as such an element often does for such B pictures. None of the human characters are terribly interesting, certainly not as interesting as the bed itself, which does have a presence. There are some very memorable moments, such as the extended sequence where Diane (Demene Hall) starts to get sucked into the bed, manages to emerge (albeit with legs now bloodied up and useless), and starts to crawl to freedom, only for...Well, I know it's best to let you discover it for yourself. When a young man (William Russ) loses both hands to the ravenous bed, he's oddly not too distraught but more amazed at the damage done. "Death Bed: The Bed That Eats" is definitely the kind of thing you have to see for yourself. It HAS developed a following, if not a particularly large one, and that's not hard to understand. It's a true original. Eight out of 10.

Hmmmm. I'm kinda at a loss here. I mean, I know I liked Death Bed, I know I'll be spreading the gospel of Death Bed to all my friends and acquaintances, and if you're reading this, I urge you to see Death Bed, but I can't really say why. Perhaps that's the secret of its charm. Plot? Well, sort of. There's this bed that eats people (and fried chicken, apples, flowers, suitcases, and any other darn thing that gets near it) by sucking them inside its digestive-fluid filled mattress. Amongst its near-limitless powers, Bed has the ability to keep the spirit of Aubrey Beardsley trapped behind a picture to observe and narrate the events of the film. Various people then wind up at Bed's abandoned mansion (Bed's habit of eating anything that moves gave the place an unsavory reputation), and lay down to have sex, or take a nap, or because they don't feel well, and get eaten, sometimes having trippy dreams first. And in the end we have the explosive final confrontation between Beardsley, Bed's mom (you had to be there), and Bed. Seems rather straightforward, when I put it like that, doesn't it - well, except for the Aubrey Beardsley part. But something feels constantly off-kilter, and the story seems to glide sleepily from one scene to the next, even when indulging in cheap laughs or strange gore effects. Imagine Bunel crossed with Bergman, then left to soak in a big vat of Herschell Gordon Lewis. The tone of the story shifts from horror, to fairy tale, to comedy, to existential meditation, without breaking stride - an incredible achievement for a no-budget student film shot in the Detroit area. All in all, an astounding little film that, quite probably, no review can ever completely do justice. See it for yourself.

WARNING: SPOILERS CONTAINED HEREIN. The concept behind the "plot" of this movie is essentially a Monty Python skit, except taken too seriously. A man wearing black nail polish (huh?) is trapped behind a painting (I guess the millimeter thickness of the canvas is too strong for him to bust out of) while a bed eats people, apparently possessed by a demon for no good reason. One girl who gets eaten has her skull magically appear in the garden with flowers growing out of it. How'd it get there? Never explained. This movie looks like a 7th grade class project a bunch of friends made. It hurts. While I usually like bad movies, this one is too pretentious for my tastes to be considered good bad. And the concept is so stupid that it could never be considered good good. Believe it or not, with the mentally retarded premise of a bed eating people, the laughs are not as sidesplitting as they could be. The whole movie just falls flat for me. It's neither here nor there. One of my favorite scenes is with the Pepto Bismal, which I'm guessing is an attempt at humor, and yes, it is funny. The acting is surprisingly decent, hence cutting down on the laugh factor- except for the skeleton hand scene. (I'm shaking my head in disbelief) Let me explain: a guy reaches down into the bed to try to find someone. He gets his hands and forearms eaten down to just two skeleton hands sticking out of his jacket sleeves. Does he scream in pain and agony? Nope. He just sits there and talks. This is probably the worst case of underacting in history, and it is therefore the best scene in the movie. In my book, this is not a bad movie classic as there are too many dull stretches, and there isn't enough badness to make set it apart from mainstream garbage- save for a couple choice scenes. It's worth a watch, but that's about it. Maybe you'll like it, I did not.