Blood Beat

Blood Beat (1983)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Extremely bizarre low-budget slasher about a group of people living in the woods of Wisconsin where they hunt deer and do very little else. One of the women begins to see strange things and before long a samurai warrior has her possessed.

Fabrice A. Zaphiratos wrote, composed, edited, shot and directed this bizarre film that's not really that good but at the same time if I ever met the man I'd have to shake his hand. I say that because quite often low-budget movies try to cash in on a popular genre while not doing anything original. If you're familiar with the slasher craze that was going on during this period then you know it was basically a bunch of horny teens in a variety of locations being stalked by a killer.

What's so interesting about BLOOD BEAT is the fact that the director really did try to do something different. This is a very bizarre movie and it's not one that is easy to write about because it's so darn weird that most people wouldn't believe what you're saying. The possession scenes, if you want to call them that, are being weird in their own right and why a samurai? In fact, why a samurai in Wisconsin of all places? The entire movie was obviously shot on a low-budget so there aren't any good special effects, no real memorable kills or anything like that.

The only thing you've got is this really weird idea that plays out about as weird as you could expect. I keep using the words bizarre and weird but there's really not other way to describe this movie. The performances are pretty much what you'd expect from a film like this and there's really nothing good here. The budget was way too low for the material to work but once again I tip my hat to the filmmaker for at least trying something different. In doing so he's at least created something you won't forget.

Bloodbeat is an odd tale about a brother and sister who come home for Christmas...only to end up fighting for their lives in a battle of light vs darkness.

The kids grew up hunting deer with their father, but their mother is a psychic artist, sorceress and prophetess, who paints what she forsees.

Thus, when her son brings home his new girlfriend for Christmas, to meet the family, she senses that something isn't right with her.

They make the mistake of bringing the girl deer hunting with them.

Where she ends up freaking out and running away...right into the path of a dying man.

Later that night, she has a dreams of finding a suit of samurai armour in a chest.

Now, every time she gets riled up- or has an orgasm- this rogue samurai comes to life...and attempts to hunt down and kill any and all of the deer hunters who happen to be in the vicinity.

After killing all of the neighbours...the ghost turns his sights on the family itself.

The mother- having been privy that something was awry- tries to intervene, and use her magic to stop the entity.

But it's vengeful spirit is just too powerful.

It's not until the two siblings combine their powers- which they have inherited from their mother- that they are able to stop this dark ronin once and for all.

The film doesn't do a very good job of explaining exactly who the ronin is, where it came from, why it was attached to the boy's girlfriend, or where the mother had "seen (the girl) before", despite those being central elements to the plot.

It all just kind of goes down...and then ends.

So you're left kind of confused in the end, other than, perhaps, to read into it, that the ronin is the devil, who, for some reason, has become attached to the girl, so as to attack this family that possesses powerful spiritual abilities.

But, really, that's all just reasoned speculation, based on a few subtle elements of the storyline.

It's not the worst supernatural Christmas slasher out there, but, they certainly could have done a better job developing the plot structure a little better...

4.5 out of 10.

A family's Christmas reunion gets off to a bad start when the son brings home his girlfriend, leading to an awkward feeling of deja-vu between her and the boy's psychic mother. Weird things begin happening, the weirdest of which happens to be the presence of a glowing samurai warrior who's murderous tendencies appear to be linked to the girlfriend's orgasms.

"Bloodbeat" is one of the more bizarre films you could ever see. What we have here is a slasher shot in Wisconsin by a French director with a ghostly samurai as the killer. It's actually pretty effective for the first two thirds of the running time, particularly a creepy home invasion and ensuing chase. Through some splendid editing, this sequence is interspersed with the girlfriend's writhing and upward-thrusting in bed. It's also undeniably cool seeing a samurai as the villain in a slasher. During the final third, however, the film veers off in an unsatisfying direction with over-the-top antics and ridiculous special effects. Disappointing, but not enough to ruin the film for me. Oh yeah, excessive overuse of violin chords too.

When i used to live in a crappy room in a crappy flat in London, me and my girlfriend (now my wife) sat down to watch this video (which my mate picked up in a cheap cash exchange shop) one lazy Sunday afternoon. We both really enjoyed this minimal but captivating little tale, but i have no idea why and still find it hard pushed to find a reason to recommend it. Might make a good double-bill with the equally diverting NINJA 3: THE DOMINATION.

A family with a few secrets of their own are terrorized by the spectre of a Japanese samurai warrior at their home deep in the woods.People begin to die,some by sword,some by arrow before mother's two kids step in and dispatch the sword-wielding samurai with their newfound magical power."Blood Beat" is a strangely fascinating film to watch.It has tons of flaws:confusing plot,lousy sound and cheap optical effects that made me laugh.There is some nudity and gore(knives entering bodies,a bloody stomach and neck wound)to keep your mind briefly occupied,but I'm still trying to understand this bizarre supernatural slasher.Wish me good luck.6 out of 10.