Blumhouse is known for releasing some of the biggest hits in horror for the last few years. They gave us plenty of supernatural stories and franchises like The Purge and Insidious series. Their logo sitting in front of any movie always brings joy as it’s promising that I’m most likely in for a ride. Walking into BLOODLINE, I had no idea this was one of their projects. The poster art is simple with a close up of a not so happy Seann William Scott (American Pie, Southland Tales) with possibly blood splattered on the side of his face that’s shrouded in shadows. While I never doubted his acting capabilities, my curiosity was peaked to see what he could bring to the genre as I don’t think I’ve seen him in anything presumably dark.

BLOODLINE opens with a nurse getting ready to end her shift before she meets a gruesome end by an unseen assailant. We rewind to some time before and meet high school social worker Evan (Scott), who is expecting his first child with his wife, Lauren. After a graphic up close and personal birth sequence, we get to experience the stressful nightmare that is trying to get a good night’s sleep with a newborn in the house. Evan begins to take late night rides to supposedly clear his head but is really murdering those who are hurting his students (abusive fathers, rapist uncles, etc). However, the murders are drawing attention and the links aren’t so subtle as to who might be apprehended for these crimes. On top of that, Evan’s mother, Marie, decides she’s going to stay to help with the baby even though it’s clear her presence is not welcomed by Lauren.

It’s not just Evan’s rampage that engages the audience, but the family dynamics are fun and at times tense to watch. There’s some unspoken animosity between Lauren and Marie especially when it comes to how to take care of the baby.  For example, Lauren does not like it when Marie is holding the baby with the TV on. Just one of those first-time mother superstitions? Marie is more laid back in her approach, but her relationship with Evan is very close.

BLOODLINE keeps you engaged from start to finish, in a narrative where it might be conflicting who you actually are rooting for. The death scenes are pretty brutal and Scott embraces it like he was born to play a vicious killer. This isn’t the same guy we saw several years ago playing a horny teenager with the hot mom. Scott proves he’s the real deal and doesn’t shy away from showing off his dark side. The cinematography is complimented with knife close-ups and vibrant colors reminiscent of the beloved Giallo sub-genre, accompanied by an addicting synth score that better get a vinyl release.

I got to watch this at the Windy City Horrorama, a film festival that focuses on independent horror where us midwesterners get the luxury to watch the kind of movies we normally have to wait for VOD. With fellow horror fans and some special guests, it’s the kind of weekend I look forward to.

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Jovy Skol

Jovy grew up loving all kinds of horror movies which is ironic because his parents hated them. CANDYMAN still scares the shit out of him and it doesn’t help that he lives in the Chicago suburbs. He loves venturing into lesser-known exploitation films of the 70s and being introduced to new movies. Along with movies, Jovy loves horror video-games and books, including comics. Some of his favorite franchises include SILENT HILL, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and the RESIDENT EVIL games.

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