The Horror Show
Blood Shed
by Patrick Hasson and
Juan Carlos Saizarbitoria
Evil entities are a staple of the horror genre; one of the major categories amongst slashers, monster movies, etc. There is some great stuff in the category such as The Evil Dead but also some bad ones that use the familiar territory cheaply. Blood Shed is the latest film I've watched in this tradition and while it didn't blow me away, it wasn't a disappointment either.
Blood Shed follows Gabriel (Gabriel De Santi), a young homeless man with mental problems who is given a key to a storage facility by his brother. His parents were the original owners but for some reason he is given the key. Things start off suspicious right away as the owner of the storage area (Yasha Blackman) seems to be especially interested with the specific storage facility Gabe is asking about. The owner tries to get him to sell whatever is in there, but Gabriel's one emotion seems to be “moody” and they have an altercation pretty quickly.
Samira, (Bree Essrig) a young woman who works at the storage area offers to leave a key for him so that he can get in despite his now 86’d status. Of course an attractive girl offering him help without asking anything in return is an annoyance to Gabe who just broods the hell out of the building without saying so much as “thanks.” He does, however, decide to take her up on the offer and gets more involved in the storage facility, trying to uncover secrets about his family and the mystery surrounding the facility. Thanks to having access to the key again, Gabe starts to sleep at the unit.
At this point we have been given reason to know there is sinister workings afoot thanks to the attack of a young couple early on. I was pleased to see Trent Haaga involved in this part. His role is more of a cameo, but being a fan of his work, especially with Troma for over a decade now, it was still a treat to see him on screen.
We get an inside look into the lives of some of the other residents who also camp out at the storage facility. Not a whole lot, but a little bit of exposition with the other folks trying to keep their lives up and running, taking advantage of shelter within the facility. Gabriel's obsession sort of just happens, but it's made clear that he isn't always the most stable-minded so that can explain some of it.
Throughout the film we have an early victim of whatever the baneful entity may be being held captive. We see the supernatural troublemaker of the film early on, essentially being a demonic looking woman covered in dirt; it is clear the patrons of the facility are not safe around this thing. The film doesn't do an especially bad job juggling an ensemble type cast too much but it doesn't really mix the main character with the others too much. The glimpses of the other residents is interesting, but just doesn’t feel necessary. Once the antagonistic being comes for each of them it makes a bit more sense, but the little glimpses into their lives might have been better served being either a little more or a little less detailed. The way they are presented seems a bit random, but I like it. Because of this I wish the film had worked the intertwining characters a little more neatly.
Not even taking into account the little subplots scattered throughout, there's a few too many cooks in the kitchen. We are shown several ongoing things that seem to be important, even though Gabriel is clearly supposed to be seen as the main character. It's a difficult thing to get on board with a film that makes it hard to follow all the different moving parts. It can still be interesting if you take them one at a time, but just when I'm trying to follow one aspect, it switches to another. Even this would be fine if it didn't try to be so secretive with everything; it was a difficult film to figure out a response too. All of this would have been impressive to pull off and great if done right, but the overall project is only about 85% there in this regard.
The acting in the film, for the most part, isn't bad. A little is to be desired primarily from the lead but overall the actors and actresses do a respectable, competent job with their respective roles. I didn't find the film boring at any particular point and I really do like the concept. Blood Shed doesn't seem to be rehashing anything or wearing down old tires; it sets itself apart of the park to an acceptable degree. No new revelations per-say, but not something that I feel I've seen countless times before either.
The connection between Samira and Gabriel feels forced and it's strange to see them going back and forth given the limited interactions they have shared previously. They've barely spoken but all of a sudden launch into a “we can't be together/why not?” type of deal that feels odd and unannounced. This is an example of the film occasionally relying on expected routes, but not enough for the whole film to feel overly cliché. It's simply that the expected elements that are there seem awkwardly placed.
The technical quality of the movie is put together well. It's cinematic and audio quality is good and leads me to believe that those involved knew what they were doing on this angle. All in all, I see Blood Shed as a decent film. It isn't super original but isn't nearly as forgettable as some titles I've seen. It wasn't an intensely terrifying experience, but it had enough horror elements to keep me entertained for the most part.
I won't rave about Blood Shed, but I won't caution anyone against seeing it either. In the end, Blood Shed is what it is and, in my opinion, what it is isn't bad. It's not phenomenal either, but for me it was worth the watch.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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