Bloodline (2013) – Review

Posted by maria kriva on December 24, 2013 · 5 Comments 

The unoriginal story of five friends who experience a deadly weekend induced by an evil legend is depicted in the horror movie Bloodline. The director and main actor, Matt Thompson, tries really hard to repeat once again the most recounted story of demonic spirits that await a group of ignorant friends who decide to spend a fun weekend in a secluded cabin.

In Bloodline, Brett a quiet seminary student gets convinced by his attractive best friend Kevin to spend the weekend before his ordination in his late grandfather’s isolated cabin. 

A map randomly found in his attic will lead the way to the house, as the two men along with three other friends, sexy Chelsi (Gina Comparetto), awkwardly funny Davy (Christopher Frontiero) and former crush Katie (Kimberly Alexander) set off for their short trip.

When they get to the small house, the setting gets extremely familiar. A wooden cabin in the middle of a forest by a lake with a dock is not something new to be introduced in the horror genre. On the contrary, the lack of imagination as far as the scenery is concerned, is particularly obvious.

An entire hour passes by until the viewer can actually see some action. The evil grudge, that originates from Brett’s forefathers and their savage treatment towards the natives back in 1787, follows the introverted young priest-to-be. His medallion, an heirloom from his dead father, hides all the truth behind the demonic legend that haunts them.

Besides the worn out plot, everything seems to be inexplicably convenient for the development of the story as the movie progresses. The storyline runs at a fast pace leaving the viewers confused with the speed that events take place. For instance, the sight of an empty tent is immediately enough to indicate that the campers are dead, as we can see from Davy’s frightened reaction. In addition to that, Chelsi by the minute she opens her eyes from sleeping, realises that one of their friends has gone missing. Let alone, the hidden knife that is found in a matter of a few seconds, buried under the bedroom floor.

That leads directly to the acting issues.

Unfortunately, as a viewer you can’t be fully satisfied by the actors’ performances. The lack of genuine emotion, crying, screaming and the obvious slow-running-so-that-the-killer-can-catch-me is a deterring factor. 

Regarding directing, serious omissions are made that could confuse the viewers. In the beginning of the film, some unexplained information is given that could possibly leave the viewers with serious questions as to “What on earth is happening?”. For example, the secret map is found in Brett’s attic, but he looks extremely surprised to be in that room, as if it’s the first time he goes to that part of his house. Furthermore, whilst the film starts with a scene taking place in 1787, the viewer, when taken to the present day, never gets to see in which year the actual story unravels.

A decent effort to make Bloodline a thrilling movie has been made when it comes to the music. However, it is not enough to create the necessary suspense to keep the viewer’s interest.

If you are looking for an original horror movie that could make you feel the chills – that you should when watching such a film – I would have to say that Bloodline fails to serve its purpose.

Filed under Review · Tagged with bloodline, evil grudge, matt thomson