Blood Vessel

A very unlikely group of allied forces survivors run into a seemingly deserted Nazi ship in the middle of Atlantic Ocean, only to find... stirgoi. The poster and the name tells you what this is so I don't it is a spoiler when I say vampires.

Despite plot holes the size of Donald Trump's ego and budget the size of his.... brain, this movie is campy fun, if you set your expectations low.

High production values given the budget, a decent ensemble makes this surprisingly enjoyable, even if the ending is predictable. So, stop complaining and just enjoy watching for Alex Cooke's Teplov steal the show from his higher billed co-stars. A star will be born soon, I think.

I had not even heard about this 2019 movie titled "Blood Vessel" prior to sitting down here late in 2020 to watch it. I happened to stumble upon the movie by random chance, and I was intrigued by the movie's cover. So of course I gave the movie a chance.

And I will say that "Blood Vessel" actually turned out to be a nice surprise of a movie. Sure, it was predictable, but that didn't really play much of a factor, because the overall storyline was good and provided wholesome entertainment.

The storyline is one that draws you in right from the very beginning as writers Justin Dix and Jordan Prosser actually managed to churn out something that had that old school classic horror feel to it, and at the same time managing to be something up to date.

Not only was the storyline interesting and entertaining, but the movie also had an interesting character gallery to play out the movie's storyline on the screen. And it definitely helped that they had great talents to portray these characters.

I was impressed with the special effects, especially the Strigoi creature effects, because they definitely looked nice. There was a very bestial aura to the way these shapeshifting creatures were brought to life on the screen.

While the events portrayed in the movie took place aboard a boat only, and the movie had a relatively small cast, then it was actually pulled off quite nicely. The setting worked quite well in favor of the movie, and you definitely feel right there alongside with the characters aboard the boat.

As it turned out, then I was actually more than surprised with "Blood Vessel"; I was genuinely entertained. This was a much welcomed addition to the horror genre. So thumbs up to director Justin Dix for his accomplishments here.

My rating of "Blood Vessel" is a six out of ten stars.

My expectations were kind of low, so I was surprised in a good way for a change. The acting was ok and also were the effects, it has a nice atmosphere wich overall made this movie a nice experience as for myself . I enjoyed this hour and a half, way more than I thought I would, so for me is a solid 6, for these quarantine days.

Locally made horror thriller Blood Vessel embraces its concept and kookiness to deliver a fun throwback like experience that is sure to have genre fans excited about the proposition of seeing World War 2 citizens take it to a ship full of bloodthirsty nazi vampires.

Directed by Australian special effects/props guru Justin Dix, Blood Vessel overcomes its low-budget origins and DIY nature to end up as a final product that is both proficient as a spectacle piece and as a moody atmospheric horror that will entertain anyone willing to go along with its insanely over the top and schlocky premise.

Everything about the film is no fuss, Dix wastes little time in introducing us to a group of sea-stranded survivors that includes Nathan Philipp's Australian soldier Nathan Sinclair and Alyssa Sutherland's kindly Jane Prescott as they and their fellow raft members find potential rescue aboard a seemingly deserted Nazi minesweeper, that just so happens to be host to some extra-ordinary cargo that would rather suck your blood than say hello.

Taking it slow for the first part of the survivors searching of the ship and quest to uncover why a ship such as the one they find themselves on is devoid of human life bar a young girl, Blood Vessel eventually goes all out as we and the films group come face to face with the true horrors of what lays in store for them becomes increasingly more apparent.

With some great visual effects and make-up work, a committed cast who all "bite" into their roles, a great set courtesy of a real-life docked ship and an atmospheric score from Brian Cachia, Blood Vessel is a well-rounded package that never tries to do anything outside of its reach and while it fails to go to insanely creative levels of B-grade goodness, it remains a home grown affair that horror buffs can be proud of.

Final Say -

A fun and entertaining Australian made horror, Blood Vessel delivers exactly what its premise promises and has a lot of fun along the way in doing so.

3 neck bites out of 5

I had really high hopes for this film after reading many comments. This film both worked and failed for me. It worked as a thriller more than a horror film, the acting was good on most parts, not all. The story was good to. The bad, why Tue bickering between characters, this to me fell right from the start and got on my nerves. There was no surprise at the end, so this was a bit of a let down foe me. The main problem I had was the film was slow in some parts and I found myself getting bored waiting for something to happen. Nearly an above average film but not this time.