The premise sounds promising. The mystery of the scenario is enticing. It feels fairly evident that writer Corey Brown and director and co-producer Tricia Lee took inspiration from survival horror videogames in building the story, what with intermittent announcements regarding a power generator, communication with a detached voice and a secretive supporting character, the presence of many scattered, bloodied bodies, and gradual dispensation of insidious overarching plot. It feels more and more that at the same time that 'Blood hunters' is an original creation, it plays in a familiar and tried and true space. Even with instances of violence and high tension, as the length quickly advances this doesn't necessarily carry a major spark of vitality, but it's engaging enough to keep us watching - and sometimes that's all a genre flick needs to be.
The "horror" here is more in the nature of the material than in the feelings it inspires, but I appreciate what everyone involved put into it. The dialogue and scene writing are critically heavy-handed and unwieldy, especially as the narrative at large and the genre elements get bogged down in quiet character moments, and the precise timing and pacing of the course of events is decidedly too precise and mechanical for its own good. The story in and of itself is strong and compelling, though, with some interesting ideas at play, and there are firm foundations in the scene writing. The cast give performances that are earnest and admirable, if constrained by the broad limitations of what probably should have been built as a more restrained, measured horror-drama rather than a horror-thriller. Like the storytelling, Aaron Gilhuis' score vacillates between superb themes that add to the tension and atmosphere, and those that are too light and ill-fitting for what the saga should or could have ideally been.
Recognizing that the simple design of the creatures is borne from the modest resources of the production, I still think their appearance is too plain and unsophisticated to entirely pass muster. The costume design and special makeup that bring them to life are excellent, however, as well as the practical effects including blood and gore (those instances of post-production visuals are unfortunate, but aren't altogether awful). Lee's direction is capable, though it joins Brown's screenplay in the tonal difficulties. And so on, and so on: what it comes down to is that the feature is a mixed bag. There is skill and intelligence here, and a great deal to like, including satisfying horror flavors; these advantages regrettably butt up against notions in the writing that are too pronounced and tactless as they present, draining power from the whole in terms of both the impact of the more dramatic beats, and the thrills of the violence and nefariousness. 'Blood hunters' bears definite value, but it is imbalanced; all the right ingredients are here, but in inappropriate proportions to give the resulting concoction its best form. I do ultimately like it, for I see what it does well; would that it were a tad more careful and mindful in how it was put together.
When all is said and done it's hard to especially recommend this only in light of how it fumbles its constituent ideas, coming across in turn in the overall tone; the flaws are just too significant. I do commend all for the work they put into it, however, and I'm glad I took the time to watch. I wish nothing but the best for all who participated, and I hope they find more success in the future; would that 'Blood hunters' had gotten the mixture right so that this itself could have more markedly been that success.
