Film Review: Bloodline: Vengeance From Beyond (2011)

SYNOPSIS:

Deep within the woods, the Surgeon pursues his perverted experimentation with Science and Magick on random people he has kidnapped. His bizarre and maniacal mutilation agenda reaches an apex when he captures a young girl who becomes separated from her twin sister.

REVIEW:

Italian horror—promises a lot, doesn’t it? Well, don’t expect much from Bloodline—at least nothing even slightly approximate to masterpieces like those produced from the twistedly ingenious mind of Dario Argento. The makers of this flop tried to create a decent film, or at least it ,appears that they tried based on a few key components.

The villain fueling the fear behind this film has his eerily distinctive characteristics. He collects organs while hapless victims are still alive. He also has no qualms about collecting unwilling donations from children. A brutal mix for a brutal killer; however, despite the morbid combination, the slow pace and slasheresque vibe leave the audience sadly disappointed. This movie had great ideas, but the execution fell flat. The production, presumably low-budget, created a cheap-looking set. And the soundtrack, it didn’t help the movie any. If anything, it hindered any chances of a favorable review.

Sandra and Giulia are a couple of pre-pubescent girls playing in the woods while their parents engage in a little love play. Whilst the girls play a harmless game of hide and seek, an unknown man and woman are running for their lives through the same woods, pursued by a masked killer. As implied, the two parties inevitably collide. Our villain, being the pragmatic that he is, takes advantage of the fresh, budding organs within young, helpless Giulia. Trapped in a snare, Giulia must wait for Sandra to return with help (as if that ever works). Before departing, the girls exchange words and say, “Together forever.”

Of course, Sandra doesn’t get back in time. Sounds like the start to a great revenge story, right? Not so much. Fast forward 15 years, and Sandra is a media journalist—nowhere near the badass revenger I had hoped she would grow up to be. Doesn’t “together forever” mean anything to you? Because those heavy words, to me, indicate a life-long commitment to brewing up a coldly served revenge. However, Sandra is not so strong, but instead, weakened by her experience. This sets us up for great disappointment in our anticipation of Sandra’s character development.

Instead of being hell bent on finding her dead sister’s killer, Sandra must literally be pushed into returning to the scene where the event occurred. Trying to bust two-bit criminals on the street, she and her lanky, friend-zoned counterpart, Marco, get caught, run away, and lose their camera all in the same instant…yea, not quite badass at all. Because of her incompetence, Sandra and Marco must document the backstage of a P*rnographic film in order to keep her job. There’s one catch—the scene of the P*rn takes place in the same location where Giulia was killed. At first, Sandra adamantly refuses (again, not a badass). But, for reasons never explained to the audience, she changes her mind.

There is a necessity in mentioning the choice of implementing a P*rnographic background. What a brilliant way to gratuitously inject graphic scenes of nudity and sex. This amplifies the undeniable slasher quality of this film. Every kill comes slowly, unexpectedly, and in-between long-winded moments of what we’ll call “plot.” When we finally arrive at the scenes of mutilation, the horribly fake gore ruins any chance of redemption. Besides, like eighties trademark slasher films, the torture and kill scenes are quite brief in comparison with the long-winded scenes of quiet.

In summation, this film is typical, predictable, and indistinguishable from the dozens of slasher films we’ve all seen. Not even its P*rnographic background could save it from its generic foundation. However, some interesting moments did arise. The dream sequences flowed in a manner reflective of an acid trip. The use of the camera angles enabled this massively trippy feel.

Giulia’s ghost appears to Sandra and tells her, “He’s returned,” and suddenly, the p**sy snaps out of Sandra. Finally! These intense moments though, are not present or intense enough to save this lackluster film. It had great potential, but if I have to work up the energy to strive through your movie, then you know there is something severely lacking, and that is the presence of genuine entertainment.