Sortilèges

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.

So, following the very much perfect Deadly Games, things took a turn for the weird, but I couldn't really say bad. Now, let me preface my review by saying that Blood Beat is one of the weirdest films that I have ever seen in my life.

From the extremely awkward close ups, to the really awful dialogue, to the terribly loud classical music that pretty much conceals any real words coming from the actors, to some really weird female orgasms, to a Japanese samurai killer, this is all just really weird.

The plot, from what I could tell was this: A brother and sister return from college to visit their parents in Wisconsin. The family is very fond of deer-hunting by the way. Anyways, the brother decides to bring home his girlfriend to stay with him at his parent's house. As soon as the girlfriend meets the mother, she gets this really peculiar look on her face. The mother starts to become really erratic, draws really abstract paintings, and becomes mentally unstable. She somehow can see that the girlfriend is evil, even though she is actually really sweet. The girlfriend is creeped out by the mother. Regardless, a samurai ghost starts to kill people throughout the area. And whenever the ghost kills people, the girlfriend gets a massive orgasm that practically makes her levitate.

Like I am not even kidding. Whenever the ghost stabs someone with the sword, the girlfriend has the most incredible orgasm that people could only dream to have. Like what in the actual hell? It was so weird, but was kind of cool too? Anyways, the samurai ghost causes the house to have an earthquake, people start dying, the family obtains really weird mind-trick powers (that have horrid special effects), and an epic mystical fight between the mother and the girlfriend happen.

Now, this may sound confusing. But I would try to urge you to watch the film, because it was one of the most unique cinematic experiences I have ever had. The filmmaking wasn't bad at all (except for the cheesy effects), but the acting, although horrendous, was probably intentional. Nothing made sense at all, but it was highly entertaining.

While many people left the theater, about thirty of us remained, and we laughed, loudly expressed our happiness or anger, and ultimately had a blast. I have never screamed out "WHAT?!" in the theater so many times in my life. It was so weird and made no sense, but it was totally enjoyable.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to enter a cinematic void, and escape the mass amounts of horrendous blockbusters that consume every AMC theater. Also, if you enjoy female orgasms from ghost samurais stabbing people with their sword, then here you go.

PS: Despite how horrendous the special effects were, I will rest my case that it beats a lot of modern CGI, especially in Justice League.

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.

I was quite surprised by this movie. Obviously it was made with no money at all, but acting, photography, editing and story are well done. Proves once more you can do an entertaining movie with very little. "Blood Beat" owes a bit to "Poltergeist", "Witchboard" and "The Shining" maybe, but has a good storyline of its own about the ghost of evil (dressed up as a samurai warrior, also incarnated in one young lady) against a family whose members seem to have a certain talent for (good) magic. The special FX to show the magic (red powerlines vs blue powerlines) look ridiculous by today's standards, but hey, this is just a cheap little horror movie to waste a Sunday afternoon with, okay? The movie has a couple of memorable scenes (e.g. the samurai slaying the older woman, while the possessed young lady is getting more and more "excited", I thought the rapid cutting was breathtaking). If you see a copy on a probably dusty shelf, give it a try, as the video tape will be cheap I bet.

Where to begin with a movie like Blood Beat? I had never even heard of this until Vinegar Syndrome gave it a Blu-ray restoration a couple years back. It sounded odd enough that I decided to give it a chance. Odd is an understatement.

You are never given any explanations for anything that happens in this movie. It's not one of those experiences where the end credits begin to roll and you're angry because you feel like you wasted your time though. They never lead you on like you're going to get an explanation at any point, you're just along for the ride.

The film itself has slasher tendencies, but it's definitely not a full-on slasher flick. But for a slasher villain, the Japanese samurai is super cool and original. Not to mention that a girl keeps having orgasms every time it kills! Why? Who knows?! But it's a cool effect!

It also seems like the majority of the cast has phychic powers. How? Beats me! What does it all have to do with the mother's paintings? Don't ask me! But it adds an unusual supernatural angle to everything.

The film itself is actually shot rather well with some memorable cinematography. This combined with the editing, and in certain scenes the lighting, add to the trippiness of everything. Blood Beat almost plays out like a nightmare. There are many dream-like qualities to it.

I just finished the film as I'm writing this, and I'm so intrigued by this oddity that I feel compelled to research it a little further. This will be one I'll try to introduce to as many people as possible. Highly recommended to lovers of strange cinema, and those who know how to have fun with a "bad movie".