Operation Blood Hunt

If someone would have asked me:- Daniel what is the perfect dating movie to watch together on a date? I would know exactly what to answer and that would be:- It needs to be a war movie combined with horror, where nazis fights zombies or vampires and i promise your date will be the happiest ever. I am fully aware i should be a dating expert and perhaps i will be at some point, i just have to figure out some things first but im sure it will be alright. For example figure out what Hawaii shirts i should be wearing while meeting dating couples, a first good impression is important they say. Speaking of war movies combined with horror this is one of those combinations that i really enjoy personally, and even if not every single film released that combines these two genres have been good there are some really good ones you should check out. You could go for the 2002 war horror classic Deathwatch from director M. J. Bassett that takes place during the year of 1917 during World War I where soldiers confront something evil in the trenches. A well made horror film that not only works well as a war movie but the horror scenes are effective as well as the acting performances are solid. I would also recommend the 2018 war horror film Overlord from director Julius Avery ( this is in my opinion his best feature film so far ) and this film was one of my personal favourite horror films of 2018. The story takes place during  World War II when American soldiers during D-Day is sent to destroy a radio-jamming tower that´s located in a small village taken over by nazis. They discover a secret bunker where nazis have been doing experiments on the villagers, turning them into zombie like creatures. Overlord is a war hero movie that is really effective both as a war movie and a horror movie as well. The combination matches very well together and i especially think the nazi experiments with the villagers is where Overlord really give us horror fans a real treat. Good acting performances, great costume design and great action scenes as well. Overlord is actually worth owning on a physical copy. Speaking of World War II horror films i actually sat down to watch a film in this genre called Operation Blood Hunt, a film that seems to combine classic war scenes but adds werewolves into the mix as well. When you hear a combination like that you know there is a possibility that this could be fun. Is this film a great way to enjoy the weekend with some ice cold beer and some snacks included, or should Operation Blood Hunt been thrown into the trash to soon be forgotten? 

                                                                                                                                                                 The Reverend Conte ( Quinton "Rampage" Jackson ), accompanies a ragtag group of military rejects to a remote South Pacific Island to investigate the disappearance of Marine units said to be in the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Ever since i saw the trailer of Operation Blood Hunt i knew this would be a film for me. Who doesnt want to see a war movie taking place during World War II and have werewolves included? It is exactly that kind of combination that may sound completely insane for some people, but for me this makes perfect sense. This film really have all the B movie ingredients you can think of. You have dialogue that no one can take serioysly where characters just seems to be placed here to be a team of soldiers. You have body fights, weapons, even bodies being torn apart as the werewolves attack. If you can accept that this film is made on a limited budget and not take it seriously at all, there are things to appreciate about Operation Blood Hunt. Let´s talk about the positive details first what i especially appreciate with this film. The werewolf costumes looks pretty cool and they look quite large as well. When we actually see werewolves fight against soldiers this is where this film finds it´s rightful place. I especially love one character in this film and that is the bad ass female character known as Heirani ( played by actress Sonia Couling ). It is nice to see actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers ( who i remember from the 2004 historical action film Alexander with Colin Farrel ) in this film as well as actor Quinton "Rampage" Jackson ( probably most known for his role B.A. Baracus in the 2010 film version of A-Team ). Now, we have to talk about especially two negative details i feel could have been fixed easily. In some scenes they play modern music in a film thats supposed to take place during World War II. Why would you add that unless there is a good reason? I also feel that the costume design could have been done better to match with the time period. Im not saying each character is wrongly dressed, but in some cases it becomes pretty obvious. At the end of the day i feel that Operation Blood Hunt have enough of entertainment to be recommended, especially for those who appreciate this genre on a limited budget. Director Louis Mandylor ( who you can see as the character Chaplain Glover in the sci fi horror film Doom: Annihilation ) is clearly inspired by the werewolf classic Dog Soldiers but make a different fun twist with this story. A film that may not be groundbreaking in this genre but still have enough power to please the audience.

Rating: DDD

Azrael

One of the things that almost every single film have to incude apart from costumes, make up and the direction of the film itself is that we need to have dialogue to get to know our characters. If the dialogue is well written and matches the characters well, it definetely helps the film become more interesting. Of course to be able to make the dialogue work properly the acting performance itself should be solid ( hopefully really good if the story is well written ). But what if the film have almost no dialogue at all and the actor ( or actors ) have to use body language and facial expressions in the entire film? That is exactly what the survival drama film All Is Lost from director J.C. Chandor ( director of the recent cinema release Kraven The Hunter that´s clearly a box office bomb ). Released in 2013 this film tell the story of a man who tries to survive out at sea after his sailing boat hits a floating container. The sailing ship is repaired as good as he can do but still have problems holding together through rough weather. At one point his sailing ship can no longer go on and its sinking while he uses his inflatable life boat. A well made survival drama that really capture the fear and desperation of a man who is loosing all hope. If you love survival films in general and want to see a unique film in this genre than this is the film i would recommend for you. Legendary actor and director Robert Redford deliver once more a powerful acting performance and proves you can make a solid film on a limited budget. I have to mention what makes this film unique is that the dialogue is extremely low so Robert Redford basically act with his body and face expressions. Speaking of very little dialouge i heard last year about a horror film called Azrael, that was supposed to be unique for barely having any dialogue at all. I had a feeling this could be a different horror experience so i just had to check this film out and picked up a blu ray copy. Is this the perfect way to start of 2025 when it comes to horror films or is Azrael not as good as people were saying in the horror community?

In a world where no one speaks, a devout female-led community hunts down a young woman named Azrael ( Samara Weaving ) who have escaped imprisonment. Azrael is due to be sacrificed to an ancient evil in the wilderness, but fights for her own survival.

I think it is very important to know that this horror film is in many ways inspired by biblical pages, so if you are going into this film you might as well know that this is a faith based horror film. With that being said i can honestly say that does not affect the quality of this film at all, in fact it actually makes perfect sense why they would use this in the film when you see how the world have turned. These forest areas where people have builded their own society on junk that they have found, looks like something out of a Mad Max film but without the desert. The post apocalyptic feeling can clearly be seen through the whole film and i do feel they did a really good job capturing the feeling of hopeless souls, not knowing if they will survive the demonic beasts out there wandering around. Speaking of these demonic creatures, i have to say they did a really good job on the practical make up effects on these creatures. Not only that but when these creatures feeds on human flesh you actually get to see them eating from the body through effective practical make up effects. So what about the characters? Since there is basically no dialogue in this entire film it means each actor has to use their body language and facial expressions. I would say basically the whole cast does a great job with what they have to work with ( it´s not easy acting without dialogue ) and the character that really sticks out is the lead character known as Azrael ( played by actress Samara Weaving from the very entertaining dark horror comedy Ready Or Not ). Not only does she act well physically but especially her facial expressions works really well. I actually don´t feel like i have to say anything negative about any specific details of Azrael, this is in fact a better horror film that i expected. Azrael is a raw,dirty and well made horror film that clearly show if you build an actual film set on a limited budget it looks way cooler than any CGI effects. I also really appreciate that they really worked hard to make the practical make up effects look this good. Combine all of this with a religious undertone and you have a horror film that not only stands out but actually feels interesting. Director E.L. Katz ( director of the 2019 TV series of Swamp Thing ) is clearly what we need in the world a horror if he continue making quality films such as this. No need to wait any further you pick up a physical copy of Azrael as well.

Rating: DDD

Rippy

Back in the early 2000´s i worked at a high school with disabled students, this was one of the greatest jobs i have ever had. Even if most of the students were going through rough moments most of them were much happier than other students. We did school trips together and we even did camping trips outside of school. One of my working collegues at this school was a man named Wieland and let me tell you he was such a fantastic guy. Not only were he amazing to the disabled students but he also treated school staff fantastic as well. One of the things i learned from Wieland was that in the 80´s he travelled to Australia to backpack in the Australian wild life. One day he brought pictures from his journey there and how amazing that journey was. The only thing he really complained about was sleeping out in the wilderness and waking up with scorpions outside the tent that they set up. And there was not only one of them near by but several scorpions. So he took a twig he found near by just to remove scorpions so they could get out of the tent safely. I can´t even imagine how scared i would have been myself, i never liked seeing scorpions at animal parks. Either way i am grateful to have shared some good moments with Wieland and his Australia trip was really interesting. Speaking of Australia most of my readers know i have some favourite horror films from Australia and especially the films Wolf Creek and Rogue. But there is one horror film that´s considered to be a cult classic known as Razorback from director Russel Mulcahy ( probably mostly known for his most beloved film Highlander from 1986, a film i am a huge fan of ). Razorback is like a classic monster movie except here we have an enormous boar attacking civilians. It´s a fun cheesy horror movie that´s not meant to be taken seriously. Last year i saw a trailer of a low budget horror film called Rippy about a killer kangaroo killing people in the Australian wilderness. It sort of reminded me of Razorback except this is a kangaroo instead feeding on human flesh. Of course i had to check this film out since this looks like something in my taste. Is it possible Rippy is the best way to start of this new year or is this a low budget film that most likely will be forgotten?

Out in the middle of a small Australian society some kind of animal have attacked humans who have no chance to defend themselves. Sheriff Maddie ( Tess Haubrich ) is investigating the murders of found bodies not knowing who is behind these horrific murders. As the investgation goes on and more bodies are found, she is about to witness the beast herself.

If you don´t like horror films taking place mostly in the wilderness than this is most likely not the film for you. However, if you appreciate a horror film using real nature instead of a lot of green screen than you might actually appreciate what this film Rippy was trying to do. This feels like a thowback to animal horror films of the 70´s like Grizzly where no one is safe, and i think making this film taking place in the Australian wild life is a great idea for a horror film. Kangaroos have been used in other films before such as in the terrible family film Kangaroo Jack fom 2003 ( how many of you actually remember this one? ). Thankfully Rippy is far more entertaining to watch compared to Kangaroo Jack so lo let´s dig into what i appreciate about this film. I think the companionship of the small town community in this film fits well with the plot of this film considering everyone is a possible victim. When they work together for survival it helps the battle between humans and this demonic kangaroo become more fun. Some of the practical make up effects on certain bodies looks charming when we see bodies ripped apart, just like we used to see in VHS horror films of the 80´s. I feel that lead actress Tess Haubrich as the character Maddy is just enough cool to look like a strong female character, while she still can show she can be vulnerable. Legendary actor Michael Biehn ( who is fantastic in both The Terminator and Aliens ) as the character Schmitty brings enough charm to please both his old school fans and new ones as well. I also have to mention actress Angie Milliken as the tough character Donna, exactly what this film needed. Ok so now to two issues with this film and i feel that the CGI effects of the kangaroo is not that strong. In fact, in some scenes when it attacks humans it doesn´t feel as effective as if someone in a costume ( like they used to do with werewolves in the 80´s ) would have looked cooler. Same thing goes with the CGI attack effects from the demonic kangaroo, if that would have been done more practical it would have looked much more effective. When i look at the whole picture surrounding Rippy i feel that this is a nice throwback to monster films of the 80´s and i really appreciate the effort they put into this film. It´s a very simple film made with passion for B movies and you can tell director Ryan Coonan tries to bring back that nostalgic feeling with films such as Razorback. If you want to have a good time and just enjoy a B horror film made for the fans of this genre, Rippy should be a great time at home with pizza and some beer. Flesh eating beasts in Australia? That´s good enough for me to come visit the country, let´s hope i get an axe there just in case i get into trouble.