Tied in Blood

Tied in Blood is a fantastic little ghost mystery. A decent script, strong direction, performances and an imaginative use of sound & music elevate it well above its somewhat modest budget.

Personally I think Tied in Blood is more of a slow burn psychological thriller than a horror film. Whilst there's a bit of gore and nudity thrown in there, these are secondary and used only to serve the story.

The story revolves around a medium called Robert who is hired by George; a desperate man who believes an evil spirit is responsible for the deaths of his family. Over the course of a turbulent evening Robert summons the spirits of George's family one by one and each gives a different account of what happened there. Robert must then piece together the clues to work out what has happened.

This kind of structure makes the film seem different and interesting as it's not something you see countless times in films, although it was used in an old Japanese film called Rashomon (which could well have been an influence for Tied in Blood).

I was surprised to see that this film got really poor reviews from a couple of users but don't let that put you off. It has faired pretty well with the critics, and the user reviews on Amazon (which is where I got my copy) are all really positive.

Tied in Blood may not be everyone's cup of tea but if you're a fan of indie cinema and you want something different and interesting then I'd definitely recommend checking it out.

Chemical Burn Entertainment has a new Roku channel, so I decided to see what they had to offer on it. This was the second film that I watched. The channel being free is the only reason that I gave it a go as the first film "The Experiment: Who's watching you?" was one of the biggest piles of excrement that I have ever had the sheer misfortune of watching.

Perhaps that movie being so mind-numbingly awful colored this one more positively. This one has a discernible plot that goes somewhere at least. Also for a low-budget film, the acting is rather good. It was a nifty little ghost mystery tale. Nothing that'll set the world on fire, but enjoyable.

Eye Candy: Amie Morris gets topless

Being a huge fan of the horror genre, I was excited when I found this new flick. The title did sound quite promising, but as most promises go unkept, it was a disappointment.

The story is somewhat interesting, I believe it could've been a success with stronger acting, better effects and a little creativity. I try to watch all kind of horror films and usually find some enjoyable factors even in the weaker productions, but I really had to force myself to watch this one to the end.

A couple of actors are pretty good, but effects are primitive, scare factor is missing and it cries for some clever twists and tricks.

Do watch it if you are blessed with the virtue of patience, you'll need it. It is not bad, just weak. You might find it better than I did. As I said before, it could've been a great movie with a stronger budget, better acting and cleverer plot. Do give it a try when you are in the mood for trying out the latest flavor in the market without worrying about how it really tastes.

I am giving it a generous 5/10 and that's due to the story and some good acting.

I'm not sure how this title managed to average 7 out of 10 as it's score. I can only imagine the votes were from the people involved in it. The storyline was boring and predictable, the acting atrocious, and the dialogue laughable. The characters were very two dimensional and did not interact naturally, it was all very staid. I had really been looking forward to watching this, but unfortunately it didn't even fall into the "so bad it's good" category, it was just plain bad. Not even really a horror film, it should be listed under drama. Bad drama. The main story revolves around a dysfunctional family and the consequences of the fathers abandonment. The paranormal / supernatural elements are secondary. The sub-plot, if it can be called that, involving the angst ridden medium, and his thoroughly (and unbelievably) obnoxious business partner, fizzles out into nothing, and is completely forgotten, and unresolved by the end of the movie. Give this a Miss.

This is a clever, well made little movie. I cannot understand the negative comments by other reviewers. The criticisms of the acting and story are, for the most part, completely unwarranted in my opinion.

I was impressed by the fact that this is a character driven story, dealing with real people who have recognisable human personalities and lifestyles. It certainly made a refreshing change from zombies, vampires and cheapskate "found footage" atrocities.

Tied In Blood has a supernatural element of course, which is nicely set up and introduced in a gradual way. This is essential in keeping the story plausible.

Most of the cast are very good. Paul McEwan and Laura Donohue in particularly give standout performances. The only weak link in the cast is Alan Brent who looks as though he is reading his lines off a card. Fortunately he only makes one small appearance and something about him perfectly suggests the kind of sleazebag who would do or say anything to separate honest people from their money. This attitude makes his casting as McEwan's boss quite understandable.

The film is an entertaining story with a twist that I didn't see coming. I really enjoyed it and found it a welcome change from other b-movies.