Oh, "Blood Widow," what a sweet little morsel of Schlocky goodness you turned out to be. I'm sorry, but I don't believe in burying the lede when I find something that tickles my fancy, folks. Just like a cool slasher flick from days gone by, I see the jugular and I go right after it.
I'm going to be up front with you: It's not often you'll find newly released films showing up in the Schlock Vault. Like a fine wine, Schlock ages better over time. But in rare instances, a film comes along that begs, nay demands, to be ushered into the Schlock Vault upon release and "Blood Widow" is just such a flick.
Why, you ask? It's simple: "Blood Widow" follows the tried-and-true horror film formula and does so without compromise.
We meet Hugh (Brandon Kyle Peters) and Laurie (Danielle Lilley) — man, I really wanna watch "House" for some reason — just after closing on a new home away from the city. Shortly thereafter, a few friends stop by ready to settle in for the week — each the epitome of the stereotypical horror movie co-star.
The group of friends points out something Hugh obviously missed while scoping out his new home — the super creepy home just beyond the tree line.
And of course they don't venture over to check it out, right? Right?! What good is a horror flick without an abundant quantity of stupidity?
Harmony (Kelly Kilgore), Mark (Jose Miguel Vasquez) and Kenneth (Christopher de Padua) venture next door and find the remains of a boarding school — albeit a very small boarding school — and awaken a secret that shut the school down over a decade before.
What Laurie had hoped would be a quiet night together quickly turns into a rager when all of Hugh's friends show up at the house. During the course of the party, Harmony drops a little acid and instead of kicking back and enjoying the light show, decides to go next door to the creepy house to meditate and giggle — a lot.
This is when the proverbial poop hits the fan.
With the evil inside the house unleashed, it begins picking off each member of Hugh and Laurie's inner circle, starting with our favorite little hippy Harmony.
While searching for Harmony, Laurie stumbles upon some composition notebooks that spill the beans on what truly happened at the boarding school involving a girl named Tiffany and the "attention" her headmaster gave her.
From there, it's a Schlock smorgasbord. There's limbs being lopped off, reverse leg breaks, flogging and lots and lots of blood. Not to mention an ending which leaves no doubt who's in control.
"Blood Widow" is a wonderful small-budget indie horror film that does lots of things right. First and foremost, the title character is very creepy but cool at the same time. I thought for sure we'd get to see the tormented girl behind the mask, but in keeping with good choices, director Jeremiah Buckhalt keeps that mask in place knowing such mystery is what makes a villain something to remember.
In terms of Schlock value, "Blood Widow" has it all. Most of the effects are very well done and bathed in blood, with a few exceptions throughout the movie. The audio sync is off in more than a few places, and the secondary actors are a little wooden and play to a stereotype instead of making more out of their roles. Those, however, are mostly partygoers so it's not that noticeable.
Newcomer Gabrelle Henry plays the Blood Widow and is wonderful as the girl behind the mask. Her body slinks around the shadows like Catwoman, only slightly more sadistic and mad.
Buckhalt, working from a script by Chad Coup and Ian H. Davis, delivers a wonderful little slasher flick that hits all the right beats and leaves plenty of bloody footprints behind. It's obvious it was a very low-budget film, but that's part of its charm. I would rather sit and watch "Blood Widow," whose passion resonates off the screen, than what another lifeless, paint-by-numbers horror film Hollywood has to offer.
Filled with gore and guts, "Blood Widow" is one helluva fun watch.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E0a6h8ailo&w=514&h=289]