Mystery Science Theater 3000: BLOOD WATERS OF DR. Z

March 14, 2018 11:00 PM - Season 10, Episode 5

a.k.a. Zaat. "Is The Monster Man...Fish...Or Devil?" "It Would Take An Atom Bomb To Wipe Out The Walking Catfish!" "WARNING! Positively no one admitted during last 15 minutes!" Sargassum! After a short, nonsensical narration of an aquarium, a scientist charts on his gigantic circular day-planner his revenge on the scientific establishment, and the world that shunned his ideas, by turning himself into a monster that he calls (but isn't) a fish, then sets about making himself a fishy mate, while very southern authorities try to stop him. We've been through some adventures, haven't we? Well here's one more, the last of what I'd call the extreme pain category of episodes. Great host segments in this one! This episode is available to watch on YouTube. Premiered June 27, 1998. Eight episodes left.

Episode 1005 BLOOD WATERS OF DR. Z

Satellite News - Mighty Jack's Episode Review - War of the Colossal Fan Guide - TVTropes

It's Bill Corbett's turn in the ACEG reflections chair:

I had a slight fondness for this movie, not as a movie per se, of course, but as fodder for that particular little thing we had going, many years ago. (Well, a month and a half ago, as I write this...) It seemed to have lots of the things that make for a good solid day of MST-ing: a pompous mad scientist; a ridiculous, badly costumed monster; a fat redneck sheriff; a few vapid good-looking heroes; and a nice silly theme song. At least compared to some of the others we watched for Season 10, this seemed benign.
The most memorable host segment for me, based on the experience, was Segment 4, Bobo and Brain Guy's nude scene. One technical note: it was always a challenge for our brilliant director of photography, Jeff Stonehouse, to light scenes with both Bobo and Brain Guy, as their colors were so aggressively different. After Season Eight, we made some adjustments with make-up and masks so that Brain Guy wasn't wearing clown white but a slightly more flesh-colored white; and Bobo was given a somewhat lighter face mask. So that helped. But once "nude" -- what with Brain Guy's pasty torso (and for the sharp of eye, actual purple nipples -- eeewwww!) and Bobo's dark full body ape suit -- the challenge was back, and worse than ever. So poor Bobo was almost invisibly black.
Leaving Brain Guy all too visible. My god, I apologize! None of you did anything to deserve that. I'm so sorry.

Movie
Daddy-O's Drive-In Dirt
Rotten Tomatoes (Critics N/A, Viewers 11%) - Wikipedia - TVTropes
IMDB (1971, 2.5 stars)
"A mad scientist transforms himself into an aquatic killer."
Directed by Don Barton and Arnold Stevens. Written by Ron Kivett, Lee O. Larew, Don Barton and Arnold Stevens. Starring Marshall Grauer, Wade Popwell and Paul Galloway.

Notes:
Director Don Barton seems an okay guy, although word is he wasn't happy about the treatment the movie MST3K gave it. Satellite News points us to some stuff about the movie: his introduction to a restored version, an article on the film that appeared in the Florida Times-Union (that I once had on actual paper), and a fansite.

posted by JHarris (4 comments total)

Ah I did it again, this one premiered May 2, 1999, not June 27, 1998. I keep forgetting to change that part of the template.

Anyway, we're watching this one tonight, which I'm surprised is on YouTube given the owner's antipathy to MST but if we have the chance we takes it. MST Club is again tonight (Thursday) at 7 PM Eastern through to about 10:40. We watch two episodes with about a half hour of intermission. Tonight's show is at https://cytu.be/r/Metafilter_MST3KClub and consists of:
7 PM Eastern/4 PM Pacific: 317 THE VIKING WOMEN AND THE SEA SERPENT
9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific: 1005 BLOOD WATERS OF DR. Z
posted by JHarris at 8:31 AM on March 15, 2018

Having been born and raised in Northeast Florida where this was shot, this holds a special place in my heart. I picked up the Bluray of the original film for five bucks at MovieStop years ago and it's a favorite, particularly with the filmmaker commentary track on. These guys are quite aware it's not a masterpiece, but there is a ton of heart in the filmmaking and that makes all the difference.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 9:12 AM on March 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

I know one of the video releases had the wrong aspect ratio, so you could see Zaat was wearing tennis shoes.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:16 AM on March 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

SARGASSUM.

I LOVE YOU.

Somehow, really painful and deeply incompetent movies like these are more tolerable when they have blackly bleak endings like this one. As if the movie is somehow punishing itself. (Maybe this is a pathology of mine. If so, I blame Best Brains.)
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 9:32 AM on March 15, 2018 [1 favorite]