Friday, October 21, 2011
Michael Allen
*full disclosure: a screener of this film was provided by Mudd Miller.
Director/writer: Mudd Miller.
Bloodstained Romance is an indie horror thriller from Mudd (Travis) Miller that was completed in 2009. Bloodstained Romance 2 followed in 2010 and the picture here is a "character study" (Miller) of an obsessed serial killer. Holden (Chris Burchette) is not your normal guy as he has a penchant for keeping severed heads in his closet. He also likes to follow character Sadie (Cameron Wright) around the library unnoticed. All of the secondary characters are just that, secondary and Miller focuses on going into the twisted mind of a killer to the neglect of all else. Blood red film photography and narrated poetry are your clues to Holden's feelings and future actions.
Holden attends the local college, which is strangely abandoned. More extras needed! Here, Holden looks for info' on Sadie, the object of his desire; there is some awkward questioning of friends. Eventually Holden meets Sadie but along the way there are many shots of Holden peeping through windows or of Holden stalking Sadie in the local gym. When they do meet, it is forced as Holden's dual natures fight with each other. He wants to possess and love her and he also wants to kill her. Sadie's friends who get in his way or who ask too many questions are soon disemboweled or left in the bathtub to die.
Really this film only focuses on Holden. So, the other characters are always playing second fiddle to Burchette's peformance of this murderer. These minor characters are given no backstory and even Sadie's life is given very little attention. That means that Burchette must basically carry the film on his shoulders and he does a good job. Other characters perform less well. However, many of the others are only a scene or two away from being killed anyways.
And the protagonist is an interesting character. Holden seems to have the normal desires of a young man. Yet, he is also tormented by this desire for Sadie. His inability to get close to her means that Holden must find a different way to express his feelings. His expression leaves dozens of pages filled with promises of: "I love you Sadie." His obsession also fills a closet with photos of this oblivious girl. Holden's torment is what keeps the interest, while the make-up keeps the bloody visuals real.
That is not to say that Bloodstained Romance does not have a flaw or two. The audio was overly low for this reviewer, which required some button mashing. As well, the film stock is not of high quality and this title was likely filmed for under 10K. As mentioned, some of the performances are weaker than others. But overall, this is a pretty satisfying venture thanks to Miller's focused writing and visceral expression of characters' internal states.
This title has been available on DVD for some time now and recently Bloodstained Romance was released in the United Kingdom. Fans of indie thrillers or of psychological interpretations of complex characters will enjoy this ninety minute thriller. Just do not let the blood red lights and torture scenes shake your resolve to see Holden's final and complete mental breakdown. And Burchette's performance is worthy of a sequel and thankfully this title is on its bloody way (Bloodstained Romance 2).
Writing/plot/story: 7.5 (different, focused).
Effects/makeup: 7 (also believable).
Sound/audio: 6.5 (there are some sound quality issues, minor).
Overall: 7 out of 10 (the low production values do not hamper Miller's storytelling ability).
*the release comes with trailers, and deleted scenes/
**disclaimer: in article advertising and promotional material e.g. screeners do not bias reviews here on 28DLA.
A second review of Bloodstained Romance at Fatally Yours:
Bloodstained Romance Reviewed by Gabrielle Faust
The Bloodstained Romance fan page can be found here:
Bloodstained Romance at Facebook
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Posted in: 2009,horror,independent,indie,movie review,psychological thriller movie review,serial killer,thriller,travis miller
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