Film Review: Blood Hook (1986)

SYNOPSIS:

A mysterious killer is going around taking people out with a fishing pole with a huge hook attached to it during a fishing contest.

REVIEW:

I first saw Blood Hook back in 1987 when my mom and I rented it from our local video store and I thought that it was awesome. I hadn’t seen it since then but always had fond memories of it so I was very excited and happy that I got the chance to watch it again recently. While it was a lot sillier than I remembered I still dug it and thought that it was just an all around excellent movie. It may not be the greatest slasher flick of all time but it has it its moments and I had a lot of fun watching it.

One of the reasons I have always liked it is because it is just different. I love the idea of someone going around killing people with a fishing pole and thought that it was an interesting choice for a weapon. I think that it would suck out loud to be killed with a bobber with a couple of large fish hooks on it and each of the death scenes that take place in the movie look painful as hell as a result (especially for the one poor guy who has his package hooked). There have been a ton of strange and unusual weapons used to kill people in other films but I think the fishing pole in this movie takes top prize as it is a unique weapon that hasn’t ever been done before (or after to my knowledge). Anyone who has ever been snagged with a fishing hook knows how painful it can be and I loved that the people responsible for Blood Hook made the fishing pole the weapon of choice for the killer.

I also like the fact that the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously. Directed by the great Jim Mallon (of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame) Blood Hook throws some humor into the mix and it works. I wouldn’t really say that the film is an all out horror film as it has an overall comedic tone to it but at the same time there are some pretty gruesome deaths that take place throughout its running time. Even though the idea of someone killing people off with a fishing pole sounds pretty cool (to me, anyway) I’ll admit that it sounds a little hokey too and the people behind the film were quite aware of this fact and as such the vibe of the film is a lot less serious when compared to other hardcore slasher flicks along the lines of Friday the 13^th, The Burning, and countless others. Don’t let that stop you from seeing it though as it really is quite an enjoyable little film for a number of reasons and the humor is pretty subtle for the most part.

I thought that the reason that the killer is murdering people was quite original as well. You can tell that the writers put a lot of thought into it and I didn’t see it coming. It isn’t about revenge this time around and the killer isn’t just some insane person who enjoys slaughtering people just for the fun of it. The person has a particular reason for doing it and in fact I would even argue that he can’t really help himself. It is just something that he has to do thanks to something that happened to him beyond his control and the first time I saw it I was pretty surprised by the revelation. If you pay close attention to what is going on during each and every murder scene you may be able to figure it out for yourself before everything is revealed but don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t because I wasn’t able to do so originally. Some viewers may argue that the killer’s motive is silly and a little farfetched but I have to disagree as I thought that it was brilliant.

I’ve always been a fan of Blood Hook and it is just one of those fun slasher flicks that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. In addition to having a couple of people from MST3K involved with it Lloyd Kaufman of Troma served as executive producer and if you ask me if you have all these awesome guys working on a film together there is no way in hell in could possibly be bad. Yes, it is a little cheesy at times but that is part of the charm of the film and one of the reasons that it is so good. I personally could watch it over and over again and never get tired of it and I think that a lot of viewers out there who give it a chance will feel the exact same way. If you are in the mood for a slasher flick with its tongue placed firmly in cheek give it a shot, I think that you will dig it (plus it is probably the only time you are ever going to get to see a main character and villain fight it out with fishing poles in a movie).