It Wants Blood!

Director - James Balsamo (The Litch, Cool as Hell)

Starring - James Balsamo, Eric Roberts (Boggy Creek - The Bigfoot Series, Monster Island), and Bill Victor Arucan (Killer Waves 2, Bite School 2)

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Horror

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I started writing reviews for Horror Society I found myself struggling to meet filmmakers.  One of the first directors that I befriended was indie filmmaker James Balsalmo.  I added him on Facebook and soon sparked up a conversation with him about his films Cool as Hell, I Spill Your Guts, and Hack Job.  For the next several years I reviewed his film as he would release them but the last few years I've missed out on some of his films.  A few nights ago James messaged me to share news on his newest film It Wants Blood starring WWE's Lita and Eric Roberts.  I did and he sent over a link to check out the film.  I want to thank James for allowing Horror Society and myself the opportunity to check this one out!

     The film follows two politicians who are campaigning for senator.  Senator Du Sang (Roberts) has sacrificed his son in order to gain access to an ancient beast that he must feed blood.  His opposition is a rising political figure who has a winged creature with a taste for flesh.  Stuck in the middle is a political investigator who is trying to get the scoop on the two politicians.

      I like the humor and wild stories that Balsalmo and Acid Bath Productions are known for delivering to fans.  Movies like Cool as Hell, Catch of the Day, and Bite School were extremely fun and entertaining.  They are little clunky at times with unnecessary cameos and pointless scenes but they are fun nonetheless.  It Wants Blood! is a wild and gory story but the cameos and additional scenes that serve no purpose to the story makes this one a bit more of a struggle to finish than normal.  The acting in this one is fun but there is some room for improvement.  Balsalmo is entertaining as always and brings a lot of energy and charisma to his role.  He is always comfortable in front of the camera and this film is no exception.  Amy Dumas, or Lita from WWE as most of you would know her, was surprisingly good in her role as well.  Granted, I haven't watched wrestling in damn near 20 years but I don't recall her being this believable in the wrestling scene.  However, she was absolutely brilliant in this role.  I know wrestling has paid her bills but I really hope she takes on more genre roles.  Arucan was great as well as the aspiring politician hiding a deadly beast in his back yard.  He was one of the more entertaining characters and brought a lot of class to the film.  With all that being said, I'm a huge fan of Eric Roberts but his performance here is underwhelming.  He has no enthusiasm and casually spills his dialogue.  Hell, in some of his scenes he's sitting awkwardly in a chair while his scene partner is standing away from them making for a wide shot that looks a bit weird.  The story for this one is a very interesting politically charged creature feature that really pulled me.  I'm a sucker for monster movies and Balsalmo goes balls out with this one.  I loved the main characters, their backstories, and how they worked with the story.  However, those random insert scenes and cameos makes this movie almost two hours long.  So much could have been removed and this one would have been amazing.  Finally, this one is overflowing with bloody practical and stop-motion effects.  The kills are gruesome and slightly funny with some great looking practical effects.  Overall, It Want's Blood! would have been a solid 3 out of 5 if some of the movie was cut to make the story more fluid.  It's still worth a watch for the monster mayhem but this is a long one with a lot of filler scenes.