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This is one of those titles that came in a little late here at HoH world headquarters, got stuck into my "I've got to review this one of these days"pile and then promptly got a bout a dozen other films stuck on top of it.
While going through the "review stack" I happened upon the disc and realized I had passed over it and promptly stuck it in the player and gave it a viewing. You know what, this isn't a half bad flick. Actually, it's pretty damn good.
Original, well directed, well acted and a really good creature definitely elevates BLOOD CREEK to "must see" status.
Directed by Joel Shumacher whose career seems to have taken a bit of a downturn after 1997's BATMAN AND ROBIN returns to his horror roots. Schumacher you should remember is the man who brought us the horror classic THE LOST BOYS back in the day and also brought us some amazing mainstream productions including A TIME TO KILL and FALLING DOWN. So, I can't help but wonder how he finds himself director of this film BLOOD CREEK that is basically a straight to DVD release. The film did get one of those dollar theater, play it for a week releases but c'mon, that don't really count. So, basically it was direct to DVD. Shumacher's involvement does explain the higher then expected level of production value on BLOOD CREEK and why it most definitely comes across as the highly stylized, well made production that it is.
The storyline is original, albeit a little bit hard to follow. Everyone knows of Hitlers obsession with the occult and that he felt it was going to play a huge part in his taking over of the world. BLOOD CREEK places a spin on the story by inserting this story that begins in 1936 and has to do with a farm family that welcomes in a German visitor who is secretly searching for a stone with powers that the family has used as a part of the foundation for their barn. Once he finds this stone he is transformed into this supernatural creature and the family is trapped on the land to make sure the creature stays fed. They also find a way to trap the beast on the land with use of some kind of vest made out of bones from his ancestors and these special drawings. Oh yeah and the farm family never ages now. Got all that? Like I said it's all a bit convoluted but once you get past the set up, it's all good.
Now we flash forward to modern day and we meet Evan Marshall. He's helping to care for his bothers children since his bother disappeared during a camping trip. He feels responsible as he was there as well, he could hear his brothers screams but couldn't find him. One night he is awakened to find his missing brother standing over him looking like some kind of wild man, covered in blood and filth. Victor is the brothers name and he asks his brother to come with him, that something need to be taken care off and he needs his help.
Of course the brother agrees and after taking some time to arm themselves they head out. They end up at that farm house that we visited in our opening sequence. It seems that Victor had been held hostage there while he was missing apparently being tortured and such. What it appears that Victor wants from his brother is is help in exacting revenge against those that have held him hostage. And although that is for the most part true it actually only scratches the surface of what is about to unfold.
What starts out to look like revenge instead turns into a fight for survival that will span centuries and test no only their strength but their sanity because what is going on doesn't seem possible but there is no denying it when you're watching folks get slaughtered all around you and if they don't stop it on this farm the whole world could pay the price.
BLOOD CREEK deserves better than what it got. This film was certainly worthy of a full fledged theatrical release and it is certainly one that you should seek out and give a shot.
It's not the best horror film ever made but it is miles ahead of some of the other dreck that studios churn out.
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