Bloomfield

I love horror and suspense movies. But lately I haven't seen one where it has kept my attention. This story kept me watching and trying to figure out where it was going with the story. I loved it! Aunt Tilda was creepy but that was the point.....there was something not quite right! The story worked! I read this was the first film directed by this director and she wrote it as well. She also was the main actress! Wow! Can't wait to see where she goes from here!

Without ever having heard anything about this 2020 horror movie titled "Bloomfield" from writer and director Brianna Young, then I had the opportunity to sit down and watch it.

Now, I must say that when a movie is written, directed and starring one and the same person, then chances are that you will be in for a lousy movie experience. Sad to say, but the track record just has that tendency. So I wasn't really harboring much of any expectations to "Bloomfield" when I saw that this was one of those movies with the writer, director and star being the same person.

Still, giving "Bloomfield" the benefit of the doubt, I sat down to watch it. And boy was that a mistake on my part. "Bloomfield" is insanely slow paced, monotonous and actually downright pointless and boring.

I found no entertainment in the storyline simply because it took forever in the narrative to go nowhere. So yeah, there was just nothing to enjoy here. And it didn't really help much that the character gallery in the movie was about as interesting as something constructed in a kindergarten arts and crafts class.

As for "Bloomfield" being a horror movie, well that definitely depends on how abstract your definition of the word horror goes.

I am rating "Bloomfield" a generous two out of ten stars.

I'll keep this to the point, I watch a LOT of horror movies, it's one of my favorite genres, and this movie fails rather spectacularly on almost all fronts. The narration is done entirely with an almost comically overdone southern drawl, scenes will just hang on nothing happening for way too long, most of the actors seem like they're reading their lines for the first time there on set, and no one seems connected to the world around them. Not to mention how noticeable it is when they clearly pulled in random crew members to fill out a scene. The basic idea of the story is also a very generic "small town is secretly a cult", something that can be enjoyable at least, but this is incredibly paint by numbers. It's not even so bad it's funny, it's just frustratingly boring.

Elaine is nearly eighteen years old when both her parents are killed in a road accident. She is taken to live with her only relative, an aunt with whom she has had no previous contact. Her new home is Hickville, USA, although it is called a town, it has less than a hundred inhabitants.

"Bloomfield" has been likened to "Rosemary's Baby". Whether or not that is a fair comparison, it is extremely confusing with flashbacks and/or dream sequences. Yes, there is an element of horror to it, but it helps if the plot is relatively easy to follow, if indeed there is a plot. Seriously, this could have been much better, but it fails whichever way you look at it.

I had the pleasure of seeing this film at the Houston Horror Film Festival recently and was very impressed. The film has a great atmospheric vibe about it with Wicker Man and Messiah of Evil undertones throughout, and to a lesser extent Rosemary's Baby. While the film might be too short on gore for some genre fans, its use of supernatural, old dark house tropes, and mysterious cult scenes provide sufficient scares. In addition, the first time director, did a masterful job of transitioning from past events to present day to meld together a great engaging story. Likewise I enjoyed how the old stately house and the town itself became secondary characters in certain respects. For a low budget film there are plenty of beautiful aerial shots and locations that are engaging, which belie its limited budget.

Turning to the cast, there are standout performances from Jennifer Moriarty, Allie Perez, and director Brianna Young. The Aunt Tilda character has a southern gothic vibe about her that is very appealing and beguiling. You can almost imagine Tilda being a character in a Faulkner story or a Williams play. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what Aunt Tilda has cooked up in the teased sequel.

If I had to level any complaints about the film is that it gets a touch long and possibly could have used a bit more gore. However with that being said Bloomfield is still without a doubt top notch indie horror and a great feature film directorial debut. Lastly, the film is such a nice change of pace from typical indie horror slashers and creature features one forgets they are watching a low budget movie.

Overall I highly recommend watching Bloomfield.