Film Review: BAPTISM OF BLOOD (aka SENREI) (1996)

From Japan comes the disturbing Baptism of Blood (1996) which sees aging actress Matsuko (Lisa Akikawa) suddenly come down with a dis-figuration facial disease which prompts her to retire from the public.  Instead she pours all her attention into raising her daughter Sakura (Rie Imamura) only she rules her daughter’s life with an iron fist hidden away in her old and crumbling mansion.  When Sakura over hears her mother’s ghastly scheme to transplant her brain into her own, she must find a way to escape her mother before it is too late.

Based on the manga by famed horror writer Kazuo Umezu, the film is written and directed by Kenichi Yoshihara who does a great job translating the material to the big screen even though I think that he could have gone even a little further with Umezu’s style in translation.  This being said fans of Umezu’s manga will enjoy this adaptation.  It’s a shame that Yoshihara hasn’t directed anything else as from this film he has potential to really create something unique with his style (especially if it was more material from Umezu).

Although not a spectacular film, it has its charms and was a decent adaptation of Umezu’s work.  It will satisfy Umezu’s fans as many of the other adaptations have been hit or miss but even though this one plays it safe, it does a great job with the characters despite any other faults.

Film Review: BLOOD RAGE (1987)

A product of the ‘80s, Blood Rage (1987) is one of those slasher films that you either love or your hate but if you saw it when it was released then you’re probably of the group that love it.  Having (finally) gotten around to seeing the film after years of hearing about it, I’m of the “indifferent” group in my opinion in regards to this film.

Twins Todd and Terry are so much alike except that one of them as a murderous fiend.  As a child Terry kills someone and frames his brother Todd who is put in an institution for ten years.  Terry in the meanwhile grows up a seemingly normal child and a jock beloved by his school peers but when Todd breaks out of the hospital on Thanksgiving Terry gets back into his murderous ways in order to cover up secrets…or just because he likes to kill people.

Mark Soper gets the chance to be two uniquely different characters as Todd and Terry which is the highlight of the film.  The kills are not all that creative but this is a derivative of ‘80s slasher films and by ’87 most audiences had seen everything and there were so many other films with better makeup FX. 

Bruce Rubin does the best he can with the screenplay as does John Grissmer as director but the film lacks its own unique style that differentiates it from the other ‘80s slasher films which is why this film hasn’t reached greater status.  This remains a curiosity for slasher fans but pretty much for everyone else it’s just a highly forgettable film.

Film Review: BLOOD FEST (2018)

Owen Egerton writes and directs BLOOD FEST (2018), a love song for horror fans and horror culture.  Dax (Robbie Kay) and his two best friends Krill and Sam (Jacob Batalon and Seychelle Gabriel, respectfully) have the hottest tickets in town which are to Blood Fest, a convention for horror fans who get to meet famous people and explore the horror landscapes of some of their favorite films.  This is the event of the decade for all except for Dr. Conway (Tate Donovan) who after his wife is killed by a serial killer becomes the voice of morality and deems Blood Fest as evil incarnate.  Conway also happens to be Dax’s father which has made their relationship very on edge, to say the least.

Dax and his friends are ready to have the time of their lives at Blood Fest until the gates are locked shut and the patrons start getting killed by the people hired for the event.  Now Dax and his friends must travel deep into the heart of Blood Fest, which is populated by killers, murders, clowns, slashers, zombies, vampires, and all other manner of creatures who want everyone dead.

There are some great set pieces in the film that every horror fan will recognize and the idea that the film tries very hard to show the world of the horror fan verses the ideas of people who criticize and denounce the genre make the film that more interesting.  This is not a film that just glorifies violence for violence sake but takes a couple cues and inspiration from Cabin in the Woods (2012), a film that also celebrates the horror genre.

I saw the film during a special theatrical screening with a huge audience that really was into the film.  It’s exciting and exhilarating to watch a film with an audience that is really into the film.  It also helps that the overall film is equal parts a horror film and comedy and it never falls for the cliché horror film clichés.  For horror fans this is one of the most fun films to be released that is made with the horror fan in mind.

Film Review: BLOOD LAKE: ATTACK OF THE KILLER LAMPREYS (2014)

The film Blood Lake: Attack of the Killer Lampreys (2014) sounds about as exciting as the title is overly long which is to say that it is one of those sci-fi-horror films where the poster is more exciting than the film itself (which is a shame since the human monster on the cover is nowhere to be found in the film). 

Written by Anna Rasmussen and Delondra Williams, Blood Lake is the story of a small town that is besieged by an aggressive lamprey population that kills everything in sight once they’ve chowed down on the fish population.  It’s up to the local police to find a way to rid their town of the lampreys before the population threatens to grow outrageous and dangerous to surrounding communities.  The film stars Shannen Doherty, Zack Ward, and Jason Brooks and has a guest appearance by Christopher Lloyd who all look like they wish they had never signed on to be in the film.  This (yet another) Jaws knock-off is filled with stupid characters that do stupid things but is mostly destroyed by the horrible CGI throughout the film.  No one and nothing is saved from the banality of this film that is neither entertaining nor contain the required large amounts of gore and sex appeal that appeal to the audience that even bothers with these types of absurd films.

Ward, who is so good in the absurdity of Postal (2007) and Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) plays the every-man type which goes against what he normally does so well in these types of films and Doherty has been completely domesticated as the matriarch of the family menaced by the killer lampreys.  This is a highly forgettable film with nothing for any audience and should be avoided.

Film Review: A BLOOD PLEDGE (2009)

When you’re a teenager, life can be hard especially for four young girls who decide to make a suicide pact that goes horrible wrong in the South Korean thriller A Blood Pledge (2009).  Jeong-eon’s sister Yoo-jin’s (Yoo Shi-ae and Oh Yeon-seo, respectfully) suicide is anything but normal.  As she investigates further into the death of her sister she realizes that Yoo-jin and her friends Soy, Eon-joo, and Eun-yeong (Son Eun-seo, Jang Kyeong-ah, and Song Min-jeong, respectfully) entered into a suicide pact the night of Yoo-jin’s death but only she ended up going through with it.  As Jeong-eon gets closer to discovering the truth each of three remaining women are hunted down by Yoo-jin’s ghost who want them all to finish fulfilling their pact.  The closer Jeong-eon gets to the truth, the more she discovers about her sister and of the nature of the pact itself. 

Written and directed by Jong-yong Lee the film is an atmospheric thriller that follows the trend of other revenge ghost stories.  This is but one of several Korean ghost stories that takes place in a school in the series that started with ‘98s Whispering Corridors and includes Memento Mori (1999), Wishing Stairs (2003), and Voice (2005).  These are all films that delve into haunted schools or people haunted by other people yet take place in and around schools.  This film is very much in line with those films and if you’re a fan of this series then you’ll at least enjoy this one.

This is not one of the stronger films in the series as it doesn’t provide anything different than what came before it but it is a well done film with high production values and an interesting story that entertains and never drags despite containing the typical ghost story clichés.  Most fans of Korean horror films will immediately take a liking to the film but casual watchers will be turned off by how mundane everything is presented especially in terms of the fact that this film deals with the real life tragedy of suicide.

Film Review: BLOOD GLACIER (2013)

I was completely surprised by how much I enjoyed the German horror film Blood Glacier (2013), which I have to admit wasn’t on my radar.  I love foreign horror films but there was nothing about this film that made me even curious and then it came across my desk and I put it in on a whim.  Despite its borrowing a lot from other films especially John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) this is an interesting and well done film. 

A group of scientists doing research in the Australian Alps discover a strange fungus that has turned part of the nearby glacier blood red.    It’s not long before the fungus disappears as if it was never there but its effects are devastating as every life form that comes across it goes through dramatic metamorphic changes.  These “new” creatures are both dangerous and aggressive and fascinating for the scientists who believe that they are at the frontier of a new discovery.  It is only Janek (Gerhard Liebmann) who sees the real danger that is to come.  Now he must convince the scientists as well as a visiting party of diplomats to abandon their base and seek out help before more of the creatures show up and more of their team are killed and/or infected.

Borrowing from the Rob Bottin (creature FX for Carpenter’s The Thing) playbook of practical effects over CGI FX this film has a plethora of morphing creatures that are mixtures of other creatures.  The creatures (both on land and in the air) are very well done and the gore FX fly at an alarming rate.  There is CGI FX in the film but they are used in the right places and do not over shadow or distract from the rest of the film.

Benjamin Hessler writes the screenplay and the film is directed by Marvin Kren who knows how to put together an effective horror film.  This is a thrilling and entertaining film that provides enough new ideas to elevate it above being just a simply copycat of other films or a horror film cliché.  If you’re a fan of monster and creature features then I suggest you give this film a chance.