Blood Beat

Director - Fabrice A. Zaphiratos
Starring - Helen Benton, Terry Brown (The Princes Diaries, Nash Bridges), and Dana Day
Release Date - 1983
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "A force of evil"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I love weird movies.  I guess that is why I have an obsession with Troma and exploitation flicks.  Weird movies are more entertaining to me than trendy movies that copy the last film that did well at the box office.  Several weeks back I attended Cinema Wasteland like I try to do every 6 months.  While I was there I met up with some friends and one of them had a projector set up in his room screening movies.  Some were on DVD and others on blu but there was one we checked out on VHS.  The film was Demon Warp and was one of the weirdest fucking movies I have ever seen.  The movie threw so much shit at the viewer that it was hard to keep the story straight.  I fucking loved it while most of the others disliked it.  When we were finished one of them suggest to me that I check out the 1983 slasher Blood Beat.  I knew I had this for review so I was excited to check it out especially after they told me it was just as weird.  I want to thank Vin Syn for sending this one my way!
     The film follows a family in Wisconsin who is gathering together for the holidays.  Their son brings his girlfriend along but something is not right.  Their mother has special abilities and so foes the son's girlfriend which causes a rift between the two but things turn deadly when she touches an old samurai sword the family has releasing a spirit that possesses her.  Now the family is under attack by the ancient samurai and the surrounding houses could get bloody if the mother can't stop her.
   


     I didn't think I would ever watch a movie as bat shit crazy as Demon Warp again but Blood Beat was pretty god damn close.  That is why I love Vinegar Syndrome so fucking much.  Not only did they have the balls to release Demon Wind which was one of my favorite movies growing up but they also take the path less traveled.  They release movies that you can't find everywhere.  Sure, Evil Dead is a fantastic movie but I don't need it on every format known to man.  Give me movies like Blood Beat!  The acting in this one is kind of dry.  The cast doesn't fully settle into their roles and their performances fall flat.  Granted, the characters are not that in depth but their performances were lacking as well.  The story for this one is not what I was expecting.  Most slashers involve masked madmen butchering teens in the woods or girls at a sleepover.  I can't think of one film where a spirit of a samurai possesses a teen in rural Wisconsin and I loved it.  Why give the people they expect when you can knock them for a loop with some crazy shit?  Finally, the film is a little bloody with minimal practical effects but what makes this one so cheesy and fun is the visuals.  These outdated visuals we see for the "magic" scenes was so bad it was awesome.  I absolutely loved how it looked and I don't give a fuck what people say about it.  Overall, Blood Beat may not be that well known among the horror fans but it is appreciated by those that like films that are unique.  The film is far from perfect but I wouldn't change a god damn thing about it.  Check this one out!