Bloodline

I rented this movie the other night, and I'll be damned if I still don't have a clue as to what is going on throughout this movie. Without getting into any spoilers hopefully, all I can say is that when watching other movies similar to the way this story is told in which it seems to jump around with no clear direction, just didn't work for me. I kept waiting for all the pieces of the story to come to a conclusion, but when it finally does (kind of), the story I think should have ended. It doesn't and that just leads to more confusion. For a low budget film I do think that the quality of the movie itself was pretty good, although the sound at times was annoying. Sometimes the music was too loud and the dialogue was drowned out. And I don't want to even try and figure out what was going on with Henry's facial marks??? I can't recommend this movie. I feel like I wasted 1 hr and 30 minutes.

I like horror films, and have seen my share of both good and bad. I admit I wasn't expecting too much when I picked up this Lions Gate title (I'd been burned before by some of their low-budget releases), but I try to see every horror film and I have to say this was much better than I expected. It looks good for a low budget movie -- it actually looks like it was shot on film? Hi-def maybe? I dunno -- but the story was different and not just a slasher flick. The acting was pretty good with Clay Adams giving a strong lead performance as Travis. It also had that girl from the show Hawaii -- Aya Sumika (pretty hot, wish she was in it more). Anyway, the time fractures made it seem a little like Memento mixed with Friday the 13th or something.

Looked like there were some budget constraints, but it held my interest and kept me guessing up to the end. It'd be cool to see if these guys do another one sometime with more money or bigger actors. Overall, a good effort and worth seeing.

I just finished watching "Bloodline", and have to admit, I really enjoyed this movie. This was a movie I came across in my local video rental store while trying to find a horror movie a little more outside the mainstream.

"Bloodline" is a story about Travis and his autistic brother, Henry, who take a camping trip with friends, only to have the trip end in a bloody massacre. While the twist of events that lead to this massacre are interestingly not disclosed until the end of the movie, the result is Henry running off to hide in the woods while Travis returns home with two other survivors, unaware of Henry's fate. As the movie unfolds, we follow both Travis and Henry as their lives move on beyond the tragic event, slowly learning new facts about what really led to the murders...and what really took place that night.

Despite the low-budget of this movie, it is very well done, and has very professional look to it without the 'too glossy' Hollywood look. The charm is that it has an independent feel to it without coming across in any way cheap. It was clearly made by people who were fans of horror that really cared about what they were doing. The story was interesting and the acting, for the most part, was quite competent. I really enjoyed how expressive Henry (played by Bryan Smithson) was, despite the character's inability to speak. More interesting still, was the attention paid to the details. Specifically, I found the drawings and sketches that Henry had drawn to be very eye-catching and well-done. I paused the DVD a few times to get a better look at some of these drawings.

While this movie may not be for everyone, it is certainly for viewers looking for a great independent horror film that doesn't have a straight-to-DVD look and feel. Don't let the DVD cover fool you (I found it a bit cheesy to be honest), this is definitely worth checking out if you're looking for something that doesn't stick to the typical horror 'formula'.

Bloodline is an indie horror film that doesn't check it's soul at the door. It's connection to character is at the heart of the story, and it's from this connection that many of the scares emerge. I CARED for the characters...even the killer, which I thought was kind of a new twist -- though I guess Jason from Friday the 13th is a bit of a tragic character too.

The film weaves a compelling story that doesn't leave out the laughs - keep your eye out for a scene with two misfortunate hunters who wander off into the forbidden wood - it was my favorite.

Solid writing, directing, and acting make this a must rent for all of us who cherish the indie horror scene.