The Bleeding

A family harbouring a dark secret invite a stranded traveller, genial southern gent Nick (Patrick Breen), into their home only to discover that their loquacious guest, an ex-surgeon, is now a self-proclaimed 'bearer of secret punishments'. Equipped with a variety of surgical instruments, Nick proceeds to teach his hosts the error of their ways, but meets his match in Gloria (Alexandra Chando), the very disturbed daughter of the household.

Like the drip, drip, drip of blood from a tube into a bottle, The Bleeding House builds slowly and inexorably, the facts gradually accumulating to reveal a delightfully twisted tale of death and deception. Even as the film enters darker territory, with nasty Nick attempting to recruit Gloria as his disciple, writer/director Philip Gelatt steadfastly refuses to reveal all of his cards at once or placate the viewer with cheap thrills (there is some gore, but it is used sparingly). While this measured approach may prove frustrating for some, the film should prove thoroughly absorbing for those viewers able to appreciate atmospheric, thoughtful slow-burn horror with a dash of mystery.

Driving this indie film is the "Devil" sent me to collect your soul story. The white-suited silver tongued Dude with the well worn doctor's bag is a pulp-fiction icon. So we have a blood-letting that is neither surprisingly sordid or unusually gruesome.

It is all done matter of fact with a sermon like accompaniment of Southern Preacher platitudes and ironic overtones. Nothing here is exceptionally creepy or scary and is not profound just functionary. There is very little suspense and even less that is horrifying.

One is reminded of a tale from the dark side or an E.C. Comic adaptation without the twist ending or a satisfactory denouement. This movie is all surface with no penetration into a warped mind that seems to be the point of it all. Only a home (is where the heart pump is) invasion that clicks off the victims in a predictable pecking order.

In THE BLEEDING HOUSE, the Smith family is visited by a mysterious stranger named Nick (Patrick Breen). As the story unfolds, we realize that there's far more going on than a mere overnight stay. The man the Smiths have allowed into their home has a bizarre, ultimately lethal agenda.

Rather than the typical Good vs. Eeevil battle, this film opts for an Eeevil vs. Even More Eeevil confrontation. The dialogue is well above the average horror movie, especially Nick's odd, somehow convincing rants. There's also an overarching atmosphere of approaching doom.

Alexandra Chando is refreshingly enigmatic as Gloria Smith, the daughter who has a few dark secrets of her own. She is the only one in her family who seems to have a functioning brain, as twisted as it may be...

It amazes me that a good deal of the horror watching public passed this movie over or looked at the characters as hollow or awkward. That is what this movie was all about, strained relationships, pulled emotions, and people behaving like they do in a normal family. Their relationships are petty, full of kind of masked grief, and longing each of the characters looking for a way out of themselves and out of where they are. The visitor they invite into their home, although he turns out to be their downfall, is exactly what they are looking for, someone to just talk to. Each of the members of the house in turn try to talk with this newcomer, and each time a little more of the story unfolds. It is a beautifully shot movie as well, wide panning shots around the small family table, the hallway up the stairs being narrow and tall. Even the doorways and the rooms only slightly decorated, as though they were planning to leave at a moments notice, or had only been there for a few months. This claustrophobia builds as the movie progresses, and becomes ever more intimate until the end. That building sense of dread is the hardest thing to capture in a horror movie, and this one does beautifully. We as viewers know what is coming, we know the outsider is either in for a shock or going to cause one, but it is the anticipation of such an event that drives us to keep watching. I loved watching this movie with its subtlety and poise, keeping you on the edge with the back story being slowly revealed and the veil lifted a little bit minuet by minuet.

A stranger with mysterious intentions (Patrick Breen) comes to stay the night at a secluded country home, but what he finds inside is a family torn apart by a violent past and a secret more deadly than he expected.

For whatever reason, Netflix recommended this one to me as something I would enjoy. And while I must admit I did enjoy it, I think they could have recommended 100 other titles just as easily. The concept here is good, but not really all that different from a number of other films... a stranger who wants to stay overnight, and can we trust him? That is old hat.

Although I thought Patrick Breen was excellent in this, his accent seemed a bit forced. I kept thinking at any moment he would stop and say "just kidding" about his Southern roots. But alas, no, it was not to be.