Blood Freak

Director(s) - Daniel Boyd (Jagoff Massacre) and Tim Gross 

Starring - Chuck Conners (Jagoff Massacre), Ashleigh Schimmel, Tim Gross

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Tagline - "Witness a horror most foul"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Thanksgiving is a holiday that doesn't get a lot of love from the horror community.  There is only a few horror flicks centered around the holiday and just a few more that you can twist to make work.  One of the most infamous horror films is the anti-drug flick Blood Freak.  The film features a killer donning a turkey mask as he kills drug users.  A film known for being bad that has a cult following is often screened around the holiday.  A few days ago I discovered that Daniel Boyd and Tim Gross has worked together to remake this classic.  I really wanted to see it so I ordered a copy but I couldn't wait a month to see it so I added it to my Halloween rotation this year.  

     The film follows biker Herschel (Conners) who meets a devout Christian woman who tells him about Christ.  He becomes a believer and drops her off at a party that her sister Anne (Schimmel) is attending.  She tries to get him to use drugs but he refuses.  However, over the next day or so, she convinces him to try it.  He becomes hooked and will do anything for a fix.  Anne's father put him to work on the turkey farm and soon he turns to the scientist and his helper who are using chemicals to genetically modify the fouls for extra cash.  They convince him to eat one of the turkies that htye had been testing and he dies only to awaken as a blood thirsty drugged out psycho.

     I honestly didn't know what to expect from this no budget remake but I found myself seriously struggling to finish it.  The movie did pick it up during the last 20 minutes and was really fun but not enough to make up for it.  The acting in this one is very inexperienced and amatuerish.  The cast has a lot of fun in their roles and it really shows.  I liked the characters as well.  They reminded me a lot of old Brain Damage films from the early 00s.  However, the inexperienced cast does make a few awkward scenes.  The story for this one is very inconsistent.  The first two thirds of the film is extremely boring.  The character interactions and scenes are very dry and the cast's inexperience makes them very awkward.  However, the last portion of the film is very fun and entertaining.  If the entire film had that eneergy it would have been an instant hit.  Finally, the film is blody during the last few minutes of the film.  The no-budget horror remake showcases some DIY practical effects that work for the film but are easily forgettable.  Overall, Blood Freak has the heart that most indie horror flicks lack but the execution is just all off.  The movie is a tough one to sit through but if you can make it through the first hour the last 20 minutes if your reward.