Bedridden

Director - Dakota Thomas (One Last Scare, The Other Woman)

Starring - Ryan Rox (Flaming Straight Guy, Crawl), Elizabeth Elise Gonzalez (e-Virus, Save Me), and Hector Dez (Blood Relic, Dominion)

Release Date - 2021

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Some wounds NEVER heal"

Format - Streaming (Vimeo) (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Several months back I started receiving press releases for the indie horror flick Bedridden.  I was really digging the artwork for the film and the story seemed unique and different.  However, as the year dragged on I stopped receiving news on the film until I eventually forgot about it altogether.  A few days back I was tagged on a past by another reviewer about sites potentially reviewing the film.  The post was from Dakota Thomas who is also the film's director.  I had the weekend off and agreed to check it out.  I'm glad I did because it was a lot of fun once it started moving.  Thanks Dakota for allowing Horror Society and myself the opportunity to review the film!

     The film follows a widow who lost her husband while out of town celebrating their anniversary when a deranged man breaks into their hotel room.  Now, time has passed and she is bedridden healing from the knife wound she received from her attacker.  To kill the time she sleeps when not taking heavy doses of pain meds to numb the pain.  However, one day she uncovers an Ouija board and decides to use it in hopes of communicating with her late husband.  She does but something sinister comes through as well.  Now, confined to the bed, she has to fight for her life as a benevolent spirit can get the upper hand.  

     I was interested in Bedridden when I first heard about it but after about 30 minutes into the film I was ready to write it off as a negative review.  However, by the 45 minute mark the film starts to pick up and I found myself really into it.  I typically don't care for a claustrophobic film because they rarely make good use of their atmosphere and location but Bedridden does once it finds it's stride.  The acting in this one is fairly well done but there is a few scenes where it is uneven.  The cast goes all in into their roles but inexperience mixed with awkward dialogue does drive some of the scenes down.  It's not bad but some of these scenes could have been a little better.  The story for this one takes a little too long to get started but once it does it delivers on a great supernatural element.  I like where the story went but the trip there is a bit dull at times.  Also, the film tries to capture that 80s vibe with the soundtrack and graphics but the story itself is not one buried in 80s nostalgia so it feels a little off.  I would have preferred the film embrace it's modern story and sceneries with a more modern score and look.  Finally, the film has some blood and some really impressive make-effects but don't expect a gory flick.  The blood looks great with minimal effects but the highlight of the film is the make-up effects during some of the later scenes.  Overall, Bedridden takes some time to gain traction but once it does it delivers.  The story works if you give it the time but don't expect a gory one because it will disappoint.  Personally, I thought it was very entertaining and I highly recommend checking it out.