Blood Falls

It's hard to call this a "film," as it looks like it's shot with a home video recorder, but the story was so oddly captivating that I couldn't stop watching. It's a modern day retelling of the Salem Witch trials, where women (and men) turned on one another, falsely accusing the "innocent" to save their own necks. There are a few scenes where reenactments from incidents in Salem actual happen, with stoning of the accused - these I found to be the most disturbing. It's not really a horror movie, it's more of a fantastical/dramatic take on what it means to come into adulthood and to realize your independence. I love the main actress, who is definitely an up and comer, but the standout performance for me was her stunning friend- she is a very gorgeous, enigmatic person with a ton going on behind her eyes. The "caught in a dream" theme/aspect started to get a little old for me, but once what was really happening was revealed in the end, it all paid off. "Blood Falls" in an actual place, where the water below the surface shoots out and turns a 'blood red' - and that's what's happening here: what's below the surface of these people is truly disturbing and remarkable.

This movie was clearly made for no money, but I really enjoyed it. The story is very compelling and had me guessing the whole time. There were some weird elements that didn't make a ton of sense to me, but were creepy and even a little thought-provoking nonetheless. I see what the filmmakers were trying to do: the main character is stuck in a dream, and so a lot of the scenes have that dreamlike quality, where you don't know who exactly is who and what is actually happening. There were a couple of duller stretches with too much dialogue and a some other moments that didn't really lead anywhere, but I really liked what the actors did with what they had (the two main girls were actually pretty phenomenal) and I loved the witch/spell related segments. No spoilers, but the quirky end was fairly well done and surprising too. Definitely worth a watch if you're in the mood for a simple little indie with a different vibe.

Probably semester 1 project. possibly the worst camera work i have ever seen. it was nice having regular people star instead of beautiful people. just make sure they can act next time

2.9

This whole film is a kooky nightmare with plenty of dips and turns. It's basically the Craft meets Girls, with lots of Millennial angst. A lot of thought definitely went into this story, and there is a bunch going on, plot-wise. I guess it begins to get very confusing in the middle, as that is what is happening to the protagonist: she is lost on her journey. I watched a few parts over after seeing the ending and I think I get it. It's a nice chilly night watch, and gets your mind working. A few scary images, but not truly a horror movie, if you're looking for blood and guts (lol even though there's blood in the title).

There's something very compelling about this film. I think they were a little ambitious in trying to get across some heady themes that didn't fully coalesce, but it was still fun to watch them play out, and to guess at what the hell was actually happening. I thought there were some really strong performances in this obviously super low budge film (especially the lead chick), that transcended the occasionally flimsy plot. The imagery was definitely a highlight (and creepiest aspect), even if a lot of it seemed random. Overall, it's more of a supernatural-themed drama than an actual horror movie, but definitely had its own vibe and I actually loved the weird ending (that put it into the 8 category for me, otherwise probably a solid 7).