Family First: Bloodthirst

Director - Ian Bracken
Starring - Christine Day, Karielle Jackson, and Paul Malleck
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     The indie horror community has been very active the last few months.  I have been getting email after email from people asking me to check out their films, short and feature length.  I am also a member of several horror groups on Facebook and find post after post from individuals trying to spread the word of their hard work.  One such short is Family First: Bloodthirst.  The news on this short was shared by Tori Bracken and I enjoyed the simplicity of the poster (shown above).  I reached out to Tori and she informed me that the film was not yet available and would keep in touch with me.  A few weeks passed and Tori finally informed me that the film is available.  Thanks Tori for letting me check it out and review it for Horror Society.  

     The film follows a young woman who finds herself homeless living under a bridge with other vagrants.  She can't eat normal food because it makes her sick.  So she has a hard time keeping her food down.  She goes out to steal some food to try and stomach and learns that her poverty stricken family has been murdered by a gang.  She takes a machete and sets out to exact revenge and in the process find something she can keep down.

     I love a good short flick.  Little bullshit and all story.  Some shorts have a hard time cutting the shit and leave out the action while others get straight to the point and refuse to let up.  Family First: Bloodthirst is one of those shorts that had a hard time getting the ball rolling but once it did it was fantastic.  The acting in this one is a little rough to watch and made worse by the dialogue.  The cast show a lot of passion and look like they really enjoyed being on set but their performances were a little rough to watch.  With all that being said, when I first came in contact with Tori on Facebook I had no idea she was smoking hot.  The short definitely has that going for it.  The story for this one is slow at first, painfully slow, but the film does pick up and delivers one hell of an ending.  The films first half is all about character development and moves at a snail's pace.  The second half is a bloodbath that turns cringe-worthy with the addition of the cannibalism angle.  This was a well written story that could have been a little tighter in the opening.  Finally, the film has several on screen kills that are fucking fantastic.  The kills were the film's high point and offer a variety of deaths.  The practical effects are great as well considering the film's budget.  Overall, Family First: Bloodthirst is a fucking bloody homage to the horror films of the late 70s and early 80s.  Check this one out as quick as you can.