Blood Reservoir was added to Amazon Instant Video a few days ago. Due to a promotional article I did for creator Mark Anthony Del Negro’s next upcoming film, I decided that his directorial debut was more than deserving of a review. There are some hard truths in this review, so I encourage you to read this one until the very end.
Blood Reservoir is written and directed by Mark Anthony Del Negro. Cinematography was performed by Michael C. Jenkins, special effects by Scott C. Miller, and features original musical compositions by Kevin MacLeod. Cast members include scream queen Felissa Rose and Jonathan Tiersten of Sleepaway Camp fame, Hannah Landberg (Rabid Love, “The Ropes”), Jessica Mazo (Antfarm Dickhole, “Mythos”), Maximo Gianfranco Sorrentino (“The Sorrentinos”), John J. Thomassen (The Awakened, The Uninvited), Ian Lyons, Ashley Gladden, Andi Balser, and Edem Kwakumey.
The film follows, “a group of young campers with their own motives who go to a place known as the Blood Reservoir despite the massive killings that have taken place on the grounds through recent memory. Some are going to persuade a lover, while others are looking for lost treasure believed to have been left behind from decades past. No matter their motives, they must fend for themselves when they run into a group of contract killers who are believed to be hiding out at the reservoir.”
From the opening scene of Blood Reservoir, I knew this title was going to be an independent B-movie. The lighting was bad, the girl looked like she was in a pool instead of a lake, some sloppy editing, but the acting and the comedy was good. Despite all that, though, it wasn’t enough to make me turn it off. The following scene introducing the two lead girls was shot well, only it was so boring. Still, I didn’t give up on this this one. Maybe it was because I was interesting in seeing what Felissa Rose and Jonathan Tiersten had to offer to the production as a whole. That was definitely worth waiting for, right? I know a lot of love was put into this and it had good acting and good effects, I had to keep going!
Originally I thought they were both minor roles since their first lines came and went, but I’m happy to report that they are both lead to supporting characters in this feature that comes in at just over an hour with credits included. This wasn’t enough to overlook the technical problems, though. Some rough edits, some shots that looked just out of focus, audio levels off at certain times, differing camera qualities, and a plot that was trying to do way to much in such a short amount of time. Honestly, Blood Reservoir was rough. It started off well enough after the first two scenes, but the technical aspects of production and post-production are extremely flawed. Not all the time, but most of the time.
One thing I would like to say in defense of Blood Reservoir is that it’s Del Negro’s directorial debut. Sharing anything you created, whether it be film or food, takes a lot of guts. So, I want to give him a sincere applause for having the balls to put out a film that wasn’t completely up to industry standards. He had to know, at least to some extent, that there would be people criticizing all the production errors. If anything, Blood Reservoir was one Hell of a learning experience and his next film, Aleister, will only be better due to the hard experience. Plus, he got to work with one of the biggest scream queens, the talented and beautiful Felissa Rose. I know my critiques may seem harsh, but let me be clear – Del Negro has nothing to be sad about here. For his first effort, it could have been a lot worse.
All things considered, I believe that Blood Reservoir will still find an audience. Not only does it appeal to the Sleepaway Camp franchise fans, but it will also appeal to those who love the old school, gritty, unperfect slasher films of the 80s and early 90s. It has a definite VHS feel, especially at the beginning, and glimpses into what it could have been. As much as I wanted to love this film, I have to give Blood Reservoir a 5 out of 10. But who knows, maybe the film was supposed to be made this way and I missed the point!
