Blood on the Bleachers

Well it depends on the type of movie watcher you are. If you just enjoy the ride, this is a fun one. If you like to pick things to pieces, well no movie is perfect. I tend to be the first :) Picking things to pieces just ruins the fun. For me that goes for all movies. This has the traditional slasher moments, unexpected but welcome humor, typical teen sarcasm, tried to keep you guessing on who done it:). The producer/director keeps improving his production values. It is noticeable if you have watch his other movies. All in all I enjoyed it. Is it a Spielberg level film, no. Was it fun to watch, yes.

Blood on the Bleachers rips through the screen like a haunted cheer, echoing down those locker-lined halls of high school hell-where memory, murder, and mayhem bleed into each other under flickering fluorescents.

The core cast, God bless 'em, carry it with that raw nerve, that midnight honesty-kids on the edge of adulthood and death, all tight smiles and broken glances. The psychology teacher? She's the steady pulse in the madness, watching the kids like she already knows which one won't make it to graduation.

It's soaked in the sweet nostalgia of early 2000s slashers-phone calls, rumors, hall passes to hell. And the sound-clean, crisp, impeccable. Every scream, every hallway footstep, every locker slam rings like a hymn.

A damn fun ride. Bloody, stylish, and smarter than it has any right to be.

Man oh man, I got a lot to say about this one. When it comes to Indie movies, my expectations are low. When it comes to action and thrillers, many fight scenes are terribly done, usually. And for horror movies, the way people get killed is rarely organic in how they react. And then you have the pacing issues and sometimes sound is off here and there as well as the video production quality. Then, some actors aren't convincing. I start this review in this way because just about all that is absent from Blood on the Bleachers.

The video quality, the sound team, the cast, the suspense, and talent are pretty top-tier here. As far as video quality and sound go, this movie looks and sounds professional. The dialogue was out of sync just the tiniest bit which could have been a theater issue. Sometimes, perhaps there might have been background music that lasted a little too long or was in places where it didn't need to be but that's really being nitpicky. Everything could be heard, no voices dropping out or sounding too far away. And the sound effects were excellent as well. The sound crew did amazing in really making everything that much more immersive.

The editing was also professional. There was no evidence at all based on editing and videography that this was an indie film. No scene was too stagnant, every scene flowed really well, and even the choices of the camera work in some scenes was beyond amazing. (Here's looking at you, school teacher face off scene). In fact, some of the surprises in this movie are because of the clever way the scenes were filmed. I say clever because many indie films I've seen in the horror genre seem to just focus on getting some kind of kill filmed and dumping a lot of blood all over the place. The art of the camera angle is often missing. But not here! This is AAA movie territory skill here!

Again, I emphasize this because if the story is kind of boring, well edited production is Paramount for toughing out the dry spots. I felt compelled to give the technical aspects their proper dues. So, how is the story?

Blood on the Bleachers follows a group of high School students taking a criminology class where they study an unsolved case involving a couple related murders from the year before. As typical slasher movies go, murders begin to happen this year as well. It has all the ingredients of a typical slasher but manages to carve its own space out to be memorable and worth visiting more than once.

The intro to this movie was engaging with clever dialogue and a couple chuckles. When it seemed like it was going on a bit too long before something happened, a scene would change direction and get my focus back on track. Each setting seemed appropriate and the characters made sense. You got a clear idea of what's going on and who is who. And let me tell you, the majority of the actors in this film are really good.

All the main characters did an excellent job with their roles. This is one area where, for me, I needed to be convinced. I've seen the lead actress, Arianna Harris, in a couple other promos and one other movie and I notice her skill improving. At times she does really well and other times it's tough for me to make out the character she is. The variety that she's been able to portray so far in her early career is no doubt paving the way for a lot of success. I was impressed by her at the end of this film, to stay in confusion and horror for so long. She did not break character at all and helped sell the outcome of the movie. With as many takes as necessary and hours or even different days, to always jump into that particular role dealing with that kind of emotion is pretty impressive.

This was also true with Leonard Peterson III. I was a little iffy here and there with being convinced of his acting but by the conclusion of the movie he had cemented himself as what I would consider a good actor and made me convinced. Otherwise, the excellent ending of the movie would not have come together so well.

My favorite characters are definitely The sassy Ka'ssee Rhe'Anne and Arianna's Best friend, Kimberly, played by Chloe Lutz. These actresses did not skip a beat. I was completely convinced. I cannot believe that they are so early in their careers. They were so convincing that I now want to see everything they are in. And Chloe's character, Kimberly, stole the movie in my opinion. There's a scene that takes place in the football field that was so perfectly done I was literally at the edge of my seat in the theater. The way the characters behaved seemed absolutely organic. There was nothing cheesy about this scene, no eye rolling moments, just straight up suspense. The decision of the camera angles, the convincing reaction and choices that the character was written to make and that Chloe flawlessly portrayed, the determination The Killers movements, time of day, the location, etc. Just came together to really make this believable! And what is more beautiful is that this wasn't just a one or two minute scene. This was several minutes and kept me engaged in its entirety. I'm all about the suspense and thrills more than any kind of Gore. Kudos also to Shawn Thompson playing the masked killer. He was pretty convincing as well, and worth double praise since he's also the stunt trainer, fight choreographer, etc. I kid you not, if you think the pacing is a little slow here and there, please sit through until you see that football field scene. It is every bit a AAA production that belongs in the ranks of great slasher films! It was just as or maybe more thrilling as The scream movies. Seeing it in a theater with other people made it more fun. In fact, there were many moments in this movie where people reacted. Shocking moments, some gruesome kills, some laugh out loud moments, and so on. That's another testament to the immersion and quality of the film.

I also need to give props to some of the other actors such as Jacob Richard as the security guard who delivered his comic relief role well, Houston Buckley who really nailed dealing with the conflicting personalities in his head, Holly Anspaugh's charm, Herb White III who pulled off a different character than he's normally accustomed to, Casey Miracle who stole a scene when he was ready to throw down, and I know I'm missing some but that's what my memory serves me at the moment.

This movie really doesn't have shortcomings. I guess the beginning may have had the slightest bit of a slow start. Also, it wasn't much to the story at all in the classroom as far as the actual case they were studying. Although it was an important plot point I don't think there was much at all about it. This movie seems like it still could have existed without that idea. Luckily, acting and the cool ass scenes I mentioned really made up for it. Sure, there was some side actors not too convincing, but as you can see the cons I'm trying to recall are pretty few.

Now, is this movie really that good or were my expectations low? Let me just tell you, one of the best, most engaging scenes in a movie that I've seen in a long time was the football field scene. And if it wasn't for the incredible acting, stellar sound and editing, wonderful video production, and common sense natural reactions Incorporated in the story and the filming for such a situation, then this scene wouldn't have impressed me. I will buy this movie, and if nothing else I will just watch that scene over and over.

Chase Dudley and the entire crew, honest to God, has something special here. This is Chase's best work yet and he absolutely deserves the several dozen awards he's gotten for this so far.

I like Chase as a humble human being. I like Chase as a person who follows dreams and I like him for his skills. I promise, if I did not know a little bit about Chase, If I had never met the dude, or knew he was in the same town where I am, I would still think this movie is that good. That football field scene top tier no matter who directed it or who starred in it.

If slashers are your thing, this is an absolute must! If you like to watch Independent films, especially if you're in the neighborhood, you're going to be pleased. Although some may find an 8 out of 10 too gracious, I say think again. Because the actors, the production value, the crew, the football field scene and how it came together at the end is solid entertainment!

So why didn't I give it a 10? Well, every review worth something lists both pros and cons. So here are some other cons. Some of the side actors weren't convincing, there was a bit of dryness here and there, and for the life of me I don't know why people don't make a sound when they're being killed. Kudos for some of these scenes where the character actually reacted with movement and sounds. If you're getting stabbed in the neck, surely you're going to start to make some kind of sound. A Gasp or a twitch or something. Do people really stand still when they're being grabbed and attacked with a knife? And how does a knife so easily penetrate the skin and muscle and bone? To just press it to the body and gently push, that knife should be extremely Sharp and the strength of the person pushing it into the skin so slowly would have to be pretty strong right? I just think it'd be a tougher time or take more effort or Force than a simple slow push to get the knife in. This is what I mean by saying that some scenes in indie horror are not organic. Fortunately, only a few of the kills in this movie were like that. Many were what I would consider to be organic which would make it believable and densible. That's because of the incredible talent behind the camera as well.

I'm not sure I would have seen this movie on purpose if I wasn't a supporter of indie films, especially with actors that are somewhat local where I live and have come across on facebook. But I still stand by everything I said about this film. An 8 out of 10, friends, for an indie movie that shines like a AAA!

Was this actually an Indie film? Yes it was. It wasn't Indie in the ways you would expect. It had the high budget look with it's editing and filming, while maintaining a real storyline that most big boxoffice movies just don't hit lately! The characters had enormous depth and the actors brought their A game!! It had the feel of the old school cult classic slashers that we grew up with in the 80's and 90's. I've been an Indie Horror Junkie for many years and I've been let down too many times. This was definitely NOT one of those times! Cut to the Chase Entertainment strikes again! Thanks for the thrills.

Chase Dudley absolutely nailed it with this tension building slasher. Remnants of Scream mixed with Psycho vibes. Incredible SFX!

One of the best opening scenes that I've seen in a long time. Even before the opening credits it leaves you with dread and unease setting the overall tone for the film.

Lightning and aesthetics were truly creepy. Leaving us wondering who was going to Pop out of the shadows.

So many incredible jump scares with close up sfx. Give you the feeling that you were right there with the killer.

Amazing twisty ending. I truly didn't see it coming!

A very original concept with a throwback to great slashers.

I highly recommend this one!