A pro-wrestler turns babysitter in an effort to help his girlfriend study in new home invasion slasher, Here For Blood. Directed by Daniel Turres and written by James Roberts, Here For Blood joins Tom (Shawn Roberts) as he is coerced into taking on his girlfriend Phoebe’s (Joelle Farrow) regular babysitting gig. Tom and his young charge, Grace (Maya Misaljevic), get off to a rocky start, but the two are thrust together when a group of masked killers invade Grace’s home. A violent battle ensues and only one side will last out till morning.
Before Tom is introduced, Here for Blood actually begins with a kill scene. A young woman returns home from work, showers, and is then attacked and horribly murdered. As her prone body lays on the floor, the killer is introduced. His appearance is a mixture of wrestler Sting and The Crow’s alter-ego, Eric Draven. He is clad in a tight-fitting leather jacket, under which he is bare-chested; it’s a look that is certainly far removed from the bulk of masked movie killers. It is in the aftermath of the brutal butchering that Here for Blood starts anew, introducing the main cast of potential victims. To introduce the antagonist first is vital, as the viewer knowing that Tom is in danger builds tension.
The home invasion angle is a familiar one, although the babysitter is typically female. This is addressed at several points during the film as both Grace and her parents are surprised to discover that Phoebe’s replacement is a man. The set-up also takes the murderous group by surprise, but they adjust quickly. Given Tom’s tall stature and profession it is easily believable that he can handle himself and help protect Grace. It also opens up the possibility for some great moments of action, as this is one victim who is highly capable of fighting back, and in another life could easily have become one of the many henchmen he is trying to outwit.
Here for Blood is an over-the-top action-slasher that borrows a little from the Terrifier films, namely the overly beautified female cast and fountains of gore. The latter puts effects company, The Butcher Shop FX, through their paces, with all manner of grotesque deaths and injuries splattered onto screen. During the course of Tom’s ordeal there are stabbings, burnings, and a host of grim dismemberments. The high threshold of carnage is exactly what one requires from a slasher of its ilk, and Here for Blood certainly lives up to its title. Terrifier isn’t the only series that director Daniel Turres aspires to. As the home invasion moves forward, the story transforms. From this point on there are clear homages to a variety of movies including The Evil Dead, The Re-Animator, and even Blood Diner. It’s an eclectic mish-mash, made even stranger with the addition of Die Hard style action scenario.
On the whole, the strange cocktail of genre and influences hold together well. The only exception is when Here for Blood tries to be funny. Throughout the film there are several attempts at jokes, and amusing sequences, but none of them work quite as well as they should. Most attempts fall rather flat and leave the viewer in the uneasy position of trying to work out if the comedy was intended or just a result of something not being executed correctly. Another issue with Here for Blood is that it is simply too long. Though one hundred minutes is a fairly standard length for a film, Here for Blood doesn’t have enough steam to sustain itself. The constant shifting of tone, genre, and focus elongates the film, making time slow down, dragging out the pacing.. Here for Blood will likely appeal to fans of the Terrifier series, the WWE, The Evil Dead, and most camp, blood-thirsty slashers. At no point does it reinvent the wheel, but what it does do is make for an entertaining, albeit slighting saggy, tornado of violence.
Here for Blood
Summary
A film that lives up to its title, Here for Blood will delight those with a thirst for the red stuff.
