Film Review: Mansion on Blood (2015)

SYNOPSIS:

Millionaire Mason Murphy renovates the haunted Mayhew mansion. He plans a tremendous lunar eclipse viewing party to celebrate his return but at the party, a witch casts a spell to summon the spirit of her dead boyfriend which leads to a series of deadly accidents and revenge killings and then all the monsters come out. Each death is unique, macabre, and horrifying at the Mansion of Blood.

REVIEW:

Every house has a history. Whether it was built yesterday or built hundreds of years ago, there are stories that go along with the house. There are stories of what happened when it was built and stories of what the residents did. Even the most minor events can add to the history of a house. These stories help to fuel legends about hauntings and other spooky things. Haunted houses are founded on these ideas. With haunted houses come haunted house movies.

Mansion of Blood was a 2015 movie about supernatural happenings and deaths during a party at the Mayhew Mansion. Mason Murphy (Ray Quiroga) wanted to show off his newly acquired mansion by hosting a party. It was run by Zacharia (Gary Busey) and catered by Samuel Corbett (Robert Picardo). The guests included people from the local town. Zombies, vampires, and murders put a damper on the party as the guests looked for any possible escape route.

Some people would say that the various monsters throughout Mansion of Blood make it seem like the writers were throwing things at the wall to see what stuck. That isn’t the case. The movie was never trying to be a zombie movie or a vampire movie or a serial killer movie. It is all of those while being none of them. The real villain was the house. The creatures and monsters were simply a result of the house trapping the partygoers. It brought their fears to realization in order to murder them. The story being told was not about the monsters but about how the house brought about the monsters. It was not a monster movie. It was a haunted house movie featuring monsters.

The variety in monsters throughout Mansion of Blood kept it from feeling tired or worn out. Since most of the characters had different fears, there were many different supernatural beings that appeared. Early in the movie, we were introduced to witchcraft and ghosts. Zombies, murderous little people, demons, vampires, and mummies also appeared. Each of the beings got a time to shine. None were played for scares, however, as the movie was much more of a comedy than a horror movie.

Mansion of Blood took elements of horror and turned them into comedic set pieces. The jokes landed the majority of the time, bringing a dark story into a lighter space of entertainment. There were laugh out loud moments sprinkled throughout. From the argument between one of the female characters and her deceased boyfriend, to the reaction that some minor characters had to zombies that were surrounding the mansion, the movie was a laugh riot. There was never a dull moment.

It seemed like the actors were having a great time with the material, as well. Gary Busey was doing his typical Gary Busey thing, acting like a maniacal weirdo. It is something he has done in many of his recent movies. His character, Zachariah, seemed to be having fun with the death happening at the party. Also along for the fun ride was Robert Picardo. He soaked up every moment of his screentime, making the most of the material. He played things serious without playing them straight. It was an interesting performance in an interesting movie.

Watching Mansion of Blood was an experience that won’t soon be forgotten. It gave good laughs and good set pieces. The acting was hammy in the right ways, with the comedy shining through every performance. It might look like a bad movie, but the people behind it knew exactly what they were going for and played into the style in every way possible. It was nearly flawless in the execution. If you’re looking for a good time filled with laughs and light horror, this is a perfect movie to check out. It’s pretty fun.