A centuries-old Druid (Jack Neubeck) savors a mouthful of the red stuff in Invasion of the Blood Farmers
There’s a fairly large amount of contemporary news footage to remind viewers what the Son of Sam era looked like. There are interviews with locals in the neighborhoods where the shooters claimed their victims, and of course the famous footage of David Berkowitz (wearing a cryptic smile) being apprehended in August 1977. But for those attempting to visualize the Yonkers cult’s gatherings in Untermyer Park during the 1970s, the closest thing to a snapshot that exists is a low-budget horror film entitled Invasion of the Blood Farmers.
Actually lensed in Westchester County (the film’s Wikipedia stub is short on specifics, but newspaper research confirms that it was shot at least partially in Briarcliff Manor, about twenty miles northeast of Yonkers), Blood Farmers made its debut in June 1972. The plot, such as it is, revolves around a group of Druids—disguised as dirt farmers—who drain the blood of multiple victims in an effort to revive their ancient queen. Superficially it’s cornball drive-in nonsense, completely inept from an artistic and technical standpoint, but set aside the film’s shortcomings for a moment and consider what actually transpires during its 76-minute running time: murderous cultists, wearing hoods and carrying torches, conduct their rituals in a wooded area overlooking the Hudson River. They exsanguinate their victims. One of the Druids even beats a dog to death and proceeds to drink blood from the animal’s throat. It’s too pat to be a coincidence, given what is known about the very real activities of the Yonkers cult.
The film’s opening shot follows a procession of those hooded, torch-wielding cult members through a red mist. Figures eerily like them were seen in Untermyer Park by local children, as well as doctors and student nurses at neighboring St. John’s Riverside Hospital during the Son of Sam period and thereafter (see below excerpt of a 1979 Yonkers Herald Statesman article co-written by Maury Terry):
None of this is to say that screenwriters Ed Adlum (who also directed the film) and Ed Kelleher partook in the cult’s activities or condoned them. In fact, until the reality of severe budgetary constraints set in, the villains were going to be extraterrestrials rather than earthbound Druids. But local lore quite unmistakably found its way into the script—and enough was known about the cult’s pursuits that accurate details appeared in the film, even if the whole thing was regarded as nothing more than an urban legend. (Recently, I contacted one of the cast members in an attempt to determine if cultic lore had been a topic of discussion on set. This individual declined to speak with me.) Of particular interest is the fact that the villains are not just cult members, but specifically Druids; over the decades, there have been numerous reports of Druidic activity in the region. One source alleges that such activity (including the ritual sacrifice of dogs) occurred in Untermyer Park as far back as the 1950s.
Watch Invasion of the Blood Farmers on YouTube: