"Hiding under the covers won’t help you one bit…"

A stone building has attracted people for many years. Inside one can find only a fireplace, a table, a painting and a Victorian bed that looks as comfortable as it is clean.

At first glance, the home appears to be abandoned. However, two entities inhabit the dwelling: the spirit of a painter who has been trapped in his own painting for the past sixty years and the creature that haunts the bed. Throughout the years, the bed has fed upon those who slept in it.

Today, a couple has discovered the location. They take advantage of the calm to spend a little time together. While making love, the bed swallows them, digests them thanks to an amber-coloured foamy liquid.

Ever since the painter was trapped in his masterpiece and became immortal, his sole means of entertainment has been watching the happenings upon the bed. Furthermore, certain objects that are absorbed by the bed return to him. Therefore, he will soon be able to smoke his first cigarette in years because a group of friends have just entered the cursed residence.

This movie’s first scenes were filmed in 1972 and received its final touch-ups in 1977. Back then, what was filmed in 16mm didn’t end up being distributed and is only today that Cult Epics dares release this picture for us to judge it for what it’s worth.

If Death Bed was bad, I would have understood that it would have remained in the shadows all these years. If its micro-budget hindered its viewing, I would have already warned you. I discovered in this film a universe of macabre fantasy. George Barry, the director, makes us quickly understand that a man lives within a painting facing the infernal bed. He is condemned at witnessing the death of all those who admire his painting.

I don’t know how they achieved this but the special effects that gave birth to the digestive substance produced by the bed truly is menacing and it appears to be very painful! Once dissipated underneath the sheets, the martyrs are diluted in what seems to be a pit.

The film’s aesthetics leave lots to the imagination. The reason for which the isolated artist acquires the bed victims’ belongings is unclear. Furthermore, what the bed wants from him isn’t detailed. First and foremost, he serves the role of the narrator: he tells of the past and foresees the future. He is familiar with the bed because he has witnessed it throughout the years. His presence renders the story much more atrocious.

Death Bed also has its flaws. There aren’t any good actors and everyone appears to act as naturally as possible, because of their lack of talent or experience, and it quickly becomes monotonous. I had trouble sympathising with the victims when they were murdered. Mostly, I would have to blame it on the fact that the only thing they do is groan. A groan is obviously the only sound a person being dissolved would try to emit. Also, as one would expect, the cycle of murders becomes redundant after a while. Gladly, from time to time, the bed is infuriated and increases its manifestations.

If you are looking for atmosphere, violence and originality in a horror film, Death Bed will certainly refresh you. Considering its age, its limited budget and the neglect it suffered, the film deserves more than what it initially obtained as it is an underestimated jewel.