DVD Review: BLOOD JUNKIE (2010)

BLOOD JUNKIE

Directed by:  Drew Rosas
Distributed by:  CAV Distribution and Troma Entertainment

I recently watched one of the latest films picked up for distribution by the infamous Troma Entertainment.  It's called BLOOD JUNKIE, and it is well....just ok. Before I go any further, here is the plot synopsis from the film's official website:

Laura is supposed to babysit her little brother all weekend, but plans change when two studly high school graduates invited her and her best friend on a weekend adventure. Dragging her brother along, the five of them head to the woods for a killer camping trip. But the party of their lives is about to get cut short.

Blood Junkie is a 1980s-style horror comedy about a group of kids who discover a mysterious abandoned building where bad things happen. Shot in Wisconsin for $7000, Blood Junkie is a refreshing new vision in DIY independent filmmaking from first time feature filmmaker Drew Rosas. Bursting at the seams with bad ‘80s fashion, power synth anthems, and character clichés, Blood Junkie both embraces and pokes fun at the ‘80s horror film genre.

The film is not bad....but it's just not really good either.  The film is supposed to be a flashback to the great slasher films of the 80's, and in terms of making the film look like it is from the 80's,  it is a home run.  In fact, I was confused at first as whether or not the film was "lost" film actually made in the 80's that Troma ran across and picked up the rights to distribute.  But the film was made in 2010 for sure, thy filmmakers just did everything right to make it look old (well....almost, check out the convenience store for clues that the film was made in present day).   The music is great, straight from the 80's with overly synthesized sounds and the hair and dress donned by the actors was spot on.  I forgot how big eyeglasses were back in the 80's! Ha!  And if you were never around to witness stone washed jeans, then this film will be a visual time capsule that you can experience.  Also, if you were a male in the 80's, it was apparently a rule that you had to wear a jean jacket. 

Well, aside from the awesome trip down memory lane, the film provided little more.  Other than the opening title sequence, we do not see the killer in this film until 45 minutes in.   That is far too long in my opinion.  I understand the need to set up the main characters that will eventually be killed off...so we will get to know them and care about them, but by the time the killer got down to business, I was sick and tired of the characters and didn't care what happened to them at that point! 

This is director Drew Rosas' directorial debut (for a feature length film), so lets hope he learns from this film and improves upon his next one.  The film does show potential.  I look forward to seeing what Rosas does next, hopefully he can keep the elements that worked and fix the ones that didn't. 

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD