Director – Chris Woods (Kill-Cam, Chaos A.D.)
Starring – J.R. Bookwalter (Robot Ninja, The Dead Next Door), Nolan Canova (Light of Blood), and Zena Sade Dixon (Taste Me: Death-Scort Service Part 3)
Release Date – 2024
Rating – 3.5/5
When I started my reviewing career a decade ago I found myself befriending several Florida based filmmakers and over the years I’ve become good friends with these talented individuals. I never realized how much the state has contributed to horror until GatorBlade Films and The Sleaze Box brought us the documentary Blood, Guts, and Sunshine.
It was a fantastic look into the indie horror scene that I’ve been following for awhile now. A few weeks back writer and producer Sean Donohue reached out to me to review Blood, Guts, and Sunshine 2: The History of Horror Made in Florida. Like always, I want to thank Sean for sending this one over for review.
**Spoiler Alert** The documentary takes a look at several films made over the years in Florida ranging from Fred Olen Ray’s The Brain Leeches, Day of the Dead, Psycho IV: The Begninning, and many more. **Spoiler alert**
I love a well made horror or cryptid documentary when it explores a film, franchise, legend, and so forth. Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to review documentaries about George A. Romero, the Mothman, Paranormal Activity (which was better than the film), GWAR, VHS collectors, and film legends Tom Savini, Chris Seaver, William Grefe, and Vampiro. I love taking a look at the history, personal stories, and witness testimonies in these films. Blood, Guts, and Sunshine was a great look at the indie horror film scene in Florida and the hardworking filmmakers trying to keep it alive. The follow up takes a deep dive into the long history of horror and exploitation in the Sunshine State with interviews with local talent, long time filmmakers, and life-long fans.
The interviews in this one vary from from those involved in some of the most notorious films in Florida history to fans and other filmmakers inspired by their work. These interviews are extremely insightful and while it works for the film, I wish we would have heard more history behind these projects. The films discussed are not necessarily in order of release year but we get a look at the making and history behind several films I have never heard of before along with genre classic that many may not know were filmed in Florida. I really like how the doc is not focused on the more popular films. Instead, it’s to bring focus on the rich cinema history the state has.
Finally, the film is edited perfectly and the transition from film to film is seamless. This is a well put together doc that works. Overall, Blood, Guts, and Sunshine 2 is a fantastic follow up to the original doc. It explores some of the most popular genre films to be filmed in the state while, most importantly, bringing some unappreciated titles that many don’t know about to a much wider audience. I highly recommend checking this one out.
