Blood Fest

Writing movie reviews have been a passion of mine for many years. It is fun to express your thoughts on movies through your own reviews. But i don´t only write movie reviews, i also enjoy reading other people who also write movie reviews from all over the world. And of course i also enjoy different YouTube movie review channels, where i find out if there are some interesting films to check out. Usually i always check out Geek Legion Of Doom and another YouTube channel called Screen Stars. Both movie review channels are good, and they focus mostly on B movies. But last year i discovered a channel that has been around for quite many years, a movie review channel called Bobs Movie Review. I started going through some of his reviews, and i have to say i like this movie review channel as well. This channel also focus mostly on B movies , but also have reviews on bigger budget films also. One of the movies i discovered on Bobs Movie Review, was his review of Blood Fest. This seemed to be almost like last year´s horror release Hell Fest ( a movie i did review last year ). So why are YouTube channels like Bobs Movie Review so important ? Because they bring up all kinds of movies, in all genres. Most of all we get to hear about new B movie reviews, and thanks to Bob he helped me discover Blood Fest. One of the things that caught my attention about this review, is that this film seemed to mix both comedy and horror, while having some similar ideas to the horror movie The Cabin In The Woods. If you have not seen The Cabin In The Woods, you should if you love horror movies. This film turned out to be one of the better horror films of the year 2012, that might look like an Evil Dead rip off but turns into something completely different. Director Drew Goddard ( who also directed the really good movie Bad Times At The El Royale ) clearly knew how to mix different horror influences together, in a very clever way with The Cabin In The Woods. The plot is actually much more intelligent than you would expect. So i suggest you see this film, and see something different in the horror genre. So what if you would mix up Hell Fest and The Cabin In The Woods into one film. Could that be possible ? Well, it seems that this is what we get with Blood Fest. Since i love horror mixed with comedy, i just had to check this one out on Blu Ray from the UK ( not available in Sweden yet for some strange reason ). Is is possible that Blood Fest could be a future cult classic, or is this a movie that fails to deliver horror entertainment ?

Dax ( Robbie Kay ) can´t wait to go to Blood Fest, an amusement park that is supposed to be the best party location for horror fans. He is prepared to go with his friends Krill ( Jacob Batalon ) and Sam ( Seychelle Gabriel ), but his father Dr. Conway ( Tate Donovan ) refuse to let him go there and take his ticket. Dax is devastated and think this is over, but close friend Sam convince Dax that he has to go, that he will get in anyway. They decide to follow their plan, and next stop is Blood Fest. What seems to be the best time in their lives, is about to become their biggest nightmare ever. 

I had a feeling that i might enjoy Blood Fest, but i did not expect to enjoy this film the way that i do now. This is a clever mix of different horror genres thrown together, made from a director who clearly have a passion for classic movies. You might think that the idea behind Blood Fest as a massive amusement park sounds very predictable and boring. But let me tell you, this film actually makes the concept work. Even if this film does have some cliches that we have seen before, we also get to laugh and some really nice bloody gore scenes as well. Imagine an amusement park with killer clowns, zombies, vampires and crazy killers trying to get you, sounds like a great weekend at Farstorps Bygdegård ? Yes indeed, a perfect holiday. Even if i enjoy the gore and the comedy influences in Blood Fest, we have to talk about especially two characters that i think makes this film especially work. Let´s start off with actress Seychelle Gabriel ( who you might have seen in TV series Falling Skies ) as the tough young woman Sam. She is clearly ready for anything, and give us some of the best scenes in this film, with her powerful character. She have balls of steel, compared to all the men in this film ( a metaphor for being a bad ass personality ). The next actor i need to mention is the lead actor Robbie Kay ( who you probably have seen in films such as Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Strangers Tide and the British drama comedy Made In Dagenham ) as the character Dax. An ordinary guy with passion for movies, who have some family issues. He may not be a heroic type, but it is clear he will do anything for Sam. One character we have to mention is Anthony Walsh ( played by actor Owen Egerton ). He is an odd character who feels like a cabaret number, with influences from 80´s classic Fright Night as Peter Vincent, but with a passion for killing instead. The amusement park concept works, maybe thanks to the great looking logo of Blood Fest and all the different locations. The plot is not really interesting, so it all lands on how this film works as a horror comedy instead. Director Owen Egerton have managed to make a film that will guaranteed please fans of 80´s and 90´s horror slashers, who also appreciate comedy influences. He also have made sure to combine different ideas, and still have room for some smaller surprises. Blood Fest is a film that knows what kind of audience it is looking for, and if you are one of those who appreciate this mix, i think you are in for a fun ride. I am glad i picked up a copy from the UK on Blu Ray, i will be seeing this film again for sure.

Rating: DDD