I first learned of Alan Rowe Kelly when Alan e-mailed me back in 2003 and asked me to review his first film I’ll Bury You Tomorrow. I found that film to be a very crazy movie full of mayhem and madness, however the production value of I’ll Bury You Tomorrow was really good, and that’s one thing that Alan Rowe Kelly does better than any other independent filmmaker out there. The Blood Shed is the second film by Kelly that I’ve had the opportunity to review, and again we get a film with not only a screwed up story, but great production value as well.
If you took the characters of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House of 1000 Corpses, put them in a room, told them all to screw one another for the sake of reproduction, you’d get the Bullion family. Yes the Blood Shed is a horror family film, and those of you who know me, know that it’s my favorite sub-genre. The Blood Shed is similar to the likes of both TCSM and HO1K in terms of look and butr the storyline, although similar in style is actually done in an original way.
The Blood Shed follows the story of the Bullion family, they live in a house on an old abandoned lot in a small quiet neighborhood. Beefteena Bullion (Alan Rowe Kelly) is an extremely overweight twelve year old girl who likes to romp around the neighborhood pulling a dead squirrel she calls Flapjack on a small dolly cart. Most of the neighbors avoid her at all costs for obvious reasons. But the neighborhood kids like to pick on her, and this is where the trouble begins. A local bully throws flapjack in a river, and begins to bully Beefteena, however her two brothers Butternut (Joshua Nelson) and Hubcap (Mike Lane) come to her rescue and take the boy hostage. But while teaching him a lesson they kill him and break Papa Elvis Bullion’s (Terry West) number one rule; Don’t kill the locals. Now the Bullions along with their crazy cousin Sno Cakes (Susan Adriensen) attempt to cover-up the killing and will stop at nothing at making sure no one finds out about what happened. Anyone who comes close to even attempting to investigate their home will be taken prisoner and tortured in the Blood Shed.
There is also a sub plot to the film that involves Beefteena trying to become a model. This subplot ties into the whole film as the agents who attempt to rip off Beefteena; Ms. Faith (Zoe Daelman Chlanda) her photographer Geoffrey (Kane Manera) and security Leslie (Katherine O’Sullivan), all become involved in the Bullions crazy Blood Shed plan as well.
The script for the Blood Shed is out of control, I mean this in a good way. My only complaint however is that it seems to jump all over the place from scene to scene, but it’s nothing that’s really of any concern as each scene does come to a conclusion. The dialogue is the best thing about the script. Alan Rowe Kelly really has the talent when it comes to writing good one liners and some great memorable monologues. The character development is also one of the strong points that the script has as well. Each family member has their own distinctive thing about them that separates them from almost seeming as one. Even the victims and outside characters all have something that identifies them as more than a one dimensional character. Funny thing about the script is that it was originally supposed to be a short film that ended up as production moved along turning into a feature. Not bad for a script that was written as the production was moving forward.
The acting in the film is the strong point and we get some of the best acting I’ve ever seen in an independent feature. I have to really give credit to a lot of people for their performances. First is Alan Rowe Kelly, whom besides directing and writing this film plays a semi-retarded, extremely overweight, twelve year old girl named Beefteena as mentioned above. Alan in real life is in his forties. But due to the over the top extreme natural of this film, (and not to mention the great make-up job). Alan is transformed into Beefteena and plays the part very well. It’s an overall odd part and it’s hard not to say “What the F&@#!” when you get first glance of Beefteena in the first shot of the film. But Alan does such a great job with this over the top character that you can’t help but praise the performance that Alan gives in this film. On that note however I must point out some performances that really impressed me, Mike Lane as Hubcap was not only who I thought to be the best character in the film, but Lanes performance was outstanding. How any actor can act like he did in this film takes a lot of talent. Not only did he have to act like a retarded crackhead with brets in his hair, but he had to wear a pig costume also. How he stayed in character is beyond me, because it takes talent to play a role like that. Terry M. West’s performances as Papa Elvis Bullion was very surprising good as well as actor Joshua Nelson and Susie Adriensen as the rest of the family members. Actress Zoe Daelman Chlanda really stood out a lot as the bitchy talent agent Ms. Faith. Zoe seems like an actress who always seems to research her characters before she plays them. She was great in I’ll Bury You Tomorrow and give an even better performance in this film. The rest of the supporting cast was really good as well, but the actors who stood out the most are the ones I mentioned above. A very great well rounded supporting cast overall, which even included Fangoria editor Michael Gingold tied up and locked in a dog cage as a pet of sorts to Joshua Nelson’s character Buttercup.
As I mentioned above the overall production value was very good. I did think that the camera work was a bit shaky at times, as most of it was handheld shots. I do however understand that by using such shots it added to the craziness and mayhem of the film, but after a while I needed a break, and the film didn’t give you one. In the likes of set design the films sets were very much like that of the ones we’ve all seen in the likes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but I felt with the use of doll heads and Christmas lights that it felt very similar to that of House of 1000 Corpses. The film had really great art direction and production design. The make-up effects are outstanding, and although it’s not listed on IMDB I’m sure that with his background in make-up Alan Rowe Kelly had a big say, if not did most of the makeup for this film. If you saw the head shots of some of the actors who were in this film, you probably wouldn’t be able to recognize some of them. That’s how good the make-up in this film is. The special effects and visuals in the film were also really good as well.
Overall, The Blood Shed is a film that you really need to just have fun with and enjoy. It has all the elements of great over the top independent film with the camp of a B-movie. Watching Alan Rowe Kelly dressed as a retarded overweight twelve year old girl, dressed up like a doll; pulling a dead squirrel around is worth the time in itself to check out. Not to mention the bad toupée that Terry West dons on his head. The Blood Shed is one hell of a wacky, balls to the wall, funny as hell, horror flick. It has great over the top characters and is just one of those films that after watching it; you’ll realize just how much fun it was. I think most horror fans who enjoy over the top gore and comedy in their horror movies will get a kick out this film. You can’t go into it thinking it’s going to be a very scary horror flick, because it’s not, but it one hell of a great time.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
