Working on your psyche, the movie Bloodline enters the hollows eve season and it’s outrageous to say the least. Just when you think a movie can’t get more diabolical than the last one you’ve seen, this one comes along that may just be one more step higher on the Horror chart. I know this sounds like a rave, but this well acted, directed and awesomely written horror thriller grasps you and compels as you get sucked into the twists, deceptions and a whole lot of bloody death. Opening tomorrow if you are a fan of the macabre, then seek out this psycho flick.
Evan Cole (Seann William Scott) was beaten when he was a child and has carried that hate for his father ever since. Now a dad with his wife Lauren (Mariela Garriga), he would do anything for his newborn to make sure he has a wonderful life without pain.
He’s a social worker for his HS students by day and takes care of their problems by night, the results of which are scathing. But as careful as he may be, there’s always a possibility for Evan to mistakes. And then there’s his wife who’s having troubles with a crying newborn and his mother Marie (Dale Dickey) that can’t stand her daughter-in-law’s lack of motherhood skills. But Evan’s about to please them all and in a fashion that you would not expect.
Director and co-writer Henry Jacobson whose last films were documentaries, jumps to the horror thriller genre and snaps up a very good script. And a difficult one I may add, because when you have to fool your audience and then apply a twist, it’s got to surprise or you lose all you worked for. But, Jacobson is spot on with Bloodline and I was blown away with his brilliant film. My only setback comes with retribution in the resolution, but that’s just me.
Making the film a success Seann William Scott pulls off a very good performance as the Social Worker dealing with high school kid angst. There were times when I was wondering if he could get Evan Cole to make the interviews with the students meaningful, but that’s part of the awesome finale so I won’t go there. Scott has had a great career as a comedian kicking it off with the American Pie series as Stifler and in between adding other comedy winners like Road Trip, Role Models and Super Troopers 2. Then he does a complete about face acting in his first horror thriller Bloodline and it looks like he may be just heading for more drama after this one.
Bloodline has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains nudity, language, violence, gore, and brutality.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A nicely written and produced horror flick. (4 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Seann William Scott, Mariela Garriga, Dale Dickey, Kevin Carroll, Christie Herring,
Directed and co-written by: Henry Jacobson
Genre: Horror, Thriller
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains nudity, language, violence, gore, and brutality.
Running Time: 1 hr. 35 min.
Opening Date: September 20, 2019
Distributed by: Momentum Motion Pictures
Released in: Theaters, On-Demand, Digital HD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
