When I’m picking movies to watch for The 31 Movies of Horror-Ween, I try to mix things up a bit. I usually like to review a couple of low-budget Shot on Video slashers and at least one foreign film. The Bleeder checks both boxes as it’s a low-budget Shot on Video horror flick from Sweden. As a bonus, it belongs in one of my favorite subgenres, Rock n’ Roll Horror!
A crazed killer (played by rock drummer Ake Ericksson) escapes from a mental institution and lurks around a dilapidated resort playing with baby carriages. An all-girl rock band called Rock Cats are on their way to a gig when their bus breaks down. They go walking into the woods looking for help and eventually come upon the abandoned hotel where the killer begins picking them off one by one.
The video cinematography is surprisingly crisp and looks very professional. The camera movement and POV stalking shots are pretty good too, all things considered. It looks especially polished when you compare it to other SOV horror flicks that were being made in America around the same time, like Boardinghouse and Sledgehammer.
I will say that for a movie about a rock n’ roll band, the music is a little disappointing. Rock Cats only perform one song, which is odd. I thought they'd definitely play something once they arrived at the abandoned hotel (or at least rehearse). Then again, they kinda suck, so maybe that was for the best. (I was surprised to learn they were an actual band called Revansch.) Also, the score just sounds like someone playing the theme from Halloween in the wrong key. That said, this would still make a good double feature with Jess Franco’s Killer Barbys.
Do I wish the body count was higher and/or the kills didn’t mostly occur offscreen? Yes. However, there are countless other SOV horror films out there that score high marks in that department. It’s much harder to make an SOV horror flick that looks fairly close to an “actual” movie and is this good to boot. Besides, there’s a certain purity to the form of people splitting up and being bumped off until there’s only one left to confront the killer. Shit like this is what October was made for.
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