Within the last few years there has been a spike in horror films that deal with demonic children or cults trying to capture babies for some sort of ritual. Most of them are re-tellings of stories we already have seen several times, but I’m happy to say that BLEED will probably be the most original and engaging title in the previously mentioned subgenre. From its incredibly creepy and realistic opening sequence to the last few frames of the movie, it’s a roller coaster that’s going to keep you on your toes. Here’s my very positive review having seen it in full.
BLEED is written, directed and produced by Tripp Rhame with co-writer Ben Jacoby. Cast members starring in the feature including Chelsey Crisp (“Fresh off the Boat”), Riley Smith (“True Blood”), Michael Steger (“90210”), Lyndon Smith (“Extant”), Brittany Ishibashi (“Supernatural”), Elimu Nelson (“House of Lies”), Raj Kala and Izzy Watts.
“It seemed perfect – a new house, a new marriage, a child soon to be born. But when Sarah and Matt invite their friends to celebrate, the situation turns deadly as they enter a burned-out prison on a ghost hunt. As the six friends encounter horrors of this world and beyond, no one is safe – not even the unborn.” – Spitfire Studios
First, I would like to say that any writer, director, producer or location manager knows that a creepy location can become a character all on its own when the right one is found in a horror movie. As far as BLEED goes, two important locations are used to to tell the story and they are absolutely the right kind of venue to showcase the movie through. I’m surprised, though, because I thought the entire movie would surround the old, wooden house that reminded me of so many other creepy horror houses on the inside and of Sydney Prescott’s house in Scream on the outside. The film throws a curve-ball then and introduces a burned down building in the middle of the woods. As an adventurer who previously sought out similar locations, I have to say that was a welcomed change of scenery. Basically what I’m saying here is BLEED is cinematically pleasing to the eye and the production team really put a lot of effort into finding the correct locations for their story.
What also surprises me is that BLEED didn’t receive a much bigger release. BLEED officially hits all VOD outlets starting today and has reportedly hit “select theaters,” although I can’t find any proof of that. Cudos to Gravitas Ventures for getting a hold of and distributing this baby, but I wish something more could have been done. BLEED is an absolute horror gem and I think it is more than deserving of going to 100 or more theaters in a limited release. The camera quality is crystal clear and high quality, audio levels are perfect, locations are perfect, rate of story is perfect, great angles, lots of props, perfect lighting even at night, superb special effects and a couple decent doses of CGI. I know in the world of independent horror films, the budgets don’t always allow for worthwhile production crews, but I have to say BLEED looks like it was made for a million bucks and everyone who worked behind-the-scenes deserves a round of applause. The hard work shows.
I would also like to say that BLEED is one of the very few horror films that was written, cast and performed expertly. Major props to Rhame and Jacoby for writing characters who were believable. None of the main six characters are horror stereotypes, so much as they are written to be real people. I loved that they weren’t horror cliches and this gave BLEED an extra breath of life. I’m so happy all of the actors signed on for this feature, too, because I think they were perfect for the roles. This was all just a perfect storm, if you will, that resulted in some amazing performances and intriguing characters. You want to know more about the main six because they’re written like real people – as they should be! – and the actors portraying them gave A+ quality performances from the small talk moments all the way to the big chase scenes. The acting, coupled with the locations, make BLEED a powerhouse of horror. Well done, casting directors.
To conclude, I feel as if I should touch on the level of horror contained within BLEED. This isn’t going to be a movie that makes you jump out of your seat and keep the lights on when you go to bed. I don’t think BLEED was ever conceived to be that kind of movie, either. My only slight criticism with the entire film is that I feel as if there are two horrific stories being touched on and they don’t always interlock cohesively. But, the story is still has a lot of mystery and keeps the suspense level sky high, especially towards the bloody end. Ghostly apparitions, burning people alive, slashing throats, human skin dummies… You get a lot of cool things, a good mix of horror elements that are used more as plot devices than bashing you over the head trying to be scary. BLEED is rightfully classified as a horror film, but it’s one of those slow burn movies… one that scares you if you put yourself in the place of the characters. How would you feel to be chased in an underground prison by a bunch of crazy hillbillies? Yeah, not fun. Don’t expect BLEED to be a gorefest or give you nightmares, but it is a scary ride none the less.
FINAL SCORE: 8.5 out of 10
