Sometimes they get it half right!

by MJ Preston

The opening scene to "Blood Runs Cold" is a horrific spectacle

I watched a horror flick tonight that had two opposing elements that repelled and attracted me. But first the hook: 

     Opening scene: A man lies  face down in the snow. After a second there is movement. He is regaining consciousness, is badly injured, disoriented and his face is caked with blood and snow.  As he lifts himself, he turns back toward his car. The vehicle has collided with a tree and for a fleeting moment you think that maybe he has been in a car accident. That is, until someone holding an axe appears from behind the car. Panic sets in, our desperate victim attempts to reach for his cell phone, but there's no time. He turns, a look of hopelessness crosses his bloody snow caked face. He begins crawling away. From behind, the person carrying the axe comes striding up, swings, the axe connects, the victims neck snaps over and then...    Fade to black.

     At first I thought I was watching a Canadian Film, due mostly to the winter landscape and the abundance of unknown actors in this atmospheric piece that reminded me somewhat of a low budget 70's horror flick. I stumbled across the film quite by accident. On YouTube of all places. Often I'll hit YouTube to bring myself up to date on movies that are coming out as I no longer hand money over to the crooks at the local cable company. Two years ago I cancelled my cable and everything now is online. 

     As it turned out, the film I was about to watch was a low budget Swedish horror film called: Blood Runs Cold. So far the opening sequence had drawn me in and now as it turns out we are following a young woman named Winona [played by Hanna Oldenburg] as she drives her minivan through the snow covered back roads in search of a country house that was rented for her by her boss. It seems Winona is a reporter of some type and needs a little down time from the stress of her job. As she searches, she checks the address and finds what she thinks is the house her boss rented. Unable to get all the way up her driveway she parks about 400 yards back and hoofs it through the snow.

     Once in the house, she hears all sorts of noises and we are led to believe that someone is in there with her. But after a room to room search she finds an open window that is banging and that calms her nerves. What is the best formula for creating the perfect atmosphere for a slasher flick? 

     Well, according to rules and regulations, there must be at least three more victims to make it a real slasher film. So Winona sets off for the local pub, hooks up with an old flame and drags him and his two friends back to the creepy old house for a bit of product placement (Budweiser) and sex. You have to have sex, without sex there would be nothing for the characters to do except spout more of the empty dialogue written for them in the script. Oh wait, I'm sorry. The title of this Blog is: Sometimes they get it half right, and they do. 

Enter the Antagonist, an axe wielding cannibal who is quite possibly undead.

     You see the strongest and most interesting character in this film is the antagonist, an axe wielding maniac who not only murders his victims, but eats them as well.  But there's more. This axe wielding, cannibalistic maniac has something else about him that is quite interesting. We aren't really sure that he is human. Every time he is attacked, be it stabbed, shot, or impaled by his own axe he seems to bleed out a plume of dust. And that is really what they get right in this film. The malevolent force is really quite scary and unrelenting. Slicing his way through the story whilst gobbling down the odd chunk or two of flesh. In fact this interesting chap was what made the film worth watching right through to the end. It certainly wasn't the protagonist Winona, who did more stupid things in an attempt to get herself killed than the average slasher bimbo does in the first five minutes of a Friday the 13th sequel.

     Look, I'm willing to look the other way when someone reaches out to open a basement door after discovering there is a distinct possibility that there is an intruder in the house. But this young lady does exactly what no one would do. Guy attacks you with axe and you knock him down the stairs, drop the knife. Someone kills the lights and is trying to get you. Flick your Bic lighter and give your position away. Good gravy, even my wife who usually gets angry when I start criticizing the writing of a film, began to roll her eyes.

    So, sadly they got it half right in this low budget film, but I still suggest checking it out for the scary scenes that save this film from a total tear down. There isn't a lot of reviews out there for Blood Runs Cold, but it sparked my interest to stay until the end. If you don't want to buy it you can check it out on Youtube using the following link: BLOOD RUNS COLD

Cheers
M 

Visit MJ Preston's Official Webpage

MJ Preston is the Author of the Horror Novel: THE EQUINOX

His new novel ACADIA EVENT is forecasted for release in late 2013
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 RATED AS ONE OF THE 
BEST HORROR NOVELS TO HIT BOOKSHELVES IN THE LAST 10 YEARS!!
'The Equinox' is a tour de force of brilliant writing, fast-paced action, and gritty characterisation. 
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PULP UNCHAINED: A Tarantino Retrospective

written by MJ Preston
 
Resevoir Dogs Planning the Caper Scene Excerpt:
Steve Buscemi:    Why am I Mr. Pink
Lawrence Tierney:    Because you're a faggot alright!
Michael Madsen:  Turns and laughs
Steve Buscemi:    Why can't we pick our own colors?
Lawrence Tierney:    No way. No way. Doesn't work. You get five guys all fighting over who wants to be Mr. Black. Nobody knows each other so nobody wants to back down. No way. I pick. You're Mr. Pink! Be thankful you're not Mr. Yellow.
Quentin Tarantino:    Yeah well Mr. Brown, that's sounds a little to close to shit.
Steve Buscemi:    Mr Pink sounds like Mr. Pussy. How bout if I'm Mr. Purple. That's good for me I'll be Mr. Purple.
Lawrence Tierney:    You're not Mr. Purple, some guy on some other job is Mr. Purple. You're Mr. Pink!

   This was the first introduction I got to a hip young director named Quentin Tarantino, who instantly gained a cult following with his independent film: Reservoir Dogs. I had never seen anything like it. Cool music, excellent dialogue, and bloody violence turned up full blast. Quentin Tarantino was actually paying homage to the films he grew up with. The 70's drive-in classics like: Rolling Thunder or Dirty Mary Crazy Larry. Since the release of Reservoir Dogs,  Tarantino went on to write the scripts: True Romance and Natural Born Killers. Tarantino would only take story credit, for Natural Born Killers, due to tinkering with the script on the part of Oliver Stone. Tarantino then went on to write and direct Pulp Fiction which gained critical appeal and turned him from independent to on demand. Pulp Fiction, like Reservoir Dogs, was a gritty crime drama with plenty of violence infused with great dialogue and dark comedic undercurrents. It grossed over $200 million at the box office and gained the respect of the critics.

     Tarantino would follow that up with Jackie Brown, which received the scorn of Director Spike Lee. It was Lee's contention

that Tarantino's use of the "N" word and portrayal of African American's was disrespectful. This started a feud between the two directors that is still going on today with Tarantino's latest flick D'Jango Unchained. Longtime friend and Actor in many of Tarantino's films, Samuel L Jackson defended the use of the word in films saying.  "Jackie Brown" and "Django Unchained" are great movies, and Lee "hasn't made one of those in a few years."
     Following Jackie Brown came Tarantino's Magnum Opus: KILL BILL, which was filmed in two parts; Vol 1 and Vol 2. This film is one of my favorites, which portrays Uma Thurman as "The Bride" who sets to avenge the murder of her unborn child. The Bride is a member of a group of international assassins, but when she opts to leave they ambush her. At her wedding no less, after killing everyone in the wedding party they leave her for dead. 
     Big Mistake.

     What ensues is an inter-continental bloodbath that takes us from Pasadena, Texas to Okinawa, Japan. The first film is electric fast, filled with action, black humor and lots of bloody violence. The scene where the Bride fights the Crazy 88's (all 88 of them) with her samurai sword alone is worth twice the price of admission. The combined running time for both films is a little over four hours, but that is really the best way to view this film.
     Following Kill Bill Tarantino teamed up with his best friend Robert Rodriguez to film the double bill: Grindhouse. Each director filmed  a 70's style feature with all the imperfections, including fake trailers. The film ran as a Double Bill in theaters, but was poorly received due to its length. I, on the other hand, loved both films. In Tarantino's feature: DEATHPROOF, Kurt Russel plays Stuntman Bob, a serial killer who use car crashes to kill women. Although

this flick starts out slow, it gets exciting and funny as action picks up. You can't help but mention the second film by Rodriguez called: PLANET TERROR which is a hilarious parody of the Zombie Apocalypse. This film is chock full of comic book action, including the raven Rose McGowan spitting out one liners and using her M16 leg to mow down Zombies. It is hoot!
     Following up with the much anticipated INGLORIOUS BASTERDS of which I feel that Tarantino fell short. Not because it wasn't a well made film, but because I am somewhat of a purist when it comes to history. So if you're a Tarantino fan then by all means check it out. I have my own reasons for not loving this film.

      Then came D'Jango Unchained starring Jamie Fox, Christopher Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio. 
     After Inglorius Basterds I approached this film with cautious optimism. But the general public, with the exception of the Spike Lee, seemed to love this film. So last night I sat down and watched it and have to say that Quentin Tarantino is back in form. And with outstanding supporting roles from Samuel L Jackson, Don Johnson, and Walton Goggons just to mention a few. 
     The story follows a partnership between a German Bounty Hunter named Doctor King Schulz [played by Christopher Waltz] and the slave he free's D'Jango [played by Jamie Fox.] Initially he frees D'Jango to help him identify the Brittle Brothers, the bounty he is pursuing. Their partnership soon turns to friendship as Schulz teaches D'Jango the way of a the gun. 
     The story follows them through the south and is set against the horror of slavery. Which is presented masterfully. While entertaining and filled with Tarantino-esque humor  the elements surrounding the horrific way the slaves were treated in the south is notable. The brutality is neither glossed over or exploited and contrary to Spike Lee's assertion that "American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. " D'Jango actually brings the brutality of slavery to the forefront of the Western where it is barely mentioned, if at all,, in other Dusters.
     There were scenes in this film that were cringe-worthy, reminding us that this really was America's dark hour. But along the way we are also entertained. I will be going back for a second viewing of this film. In fact I think I am going to dig out all my Tarantino DVD's and binge on the movies with my wife for a day. I'm thinking this Friday will be Quentin Day...
     You're welcome to join us... 

Visit MJ Preston's Official Webpage

MJ Preston is the Author of the Horror Novel: THE EQUINOX

His new novel ACADIA EVENT is forecasted for release in late 2013
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 RATED AS ONE OF THE 
BEST HORROR NOVELS TO HIT BOOKSHELVES IN THE LAST 10 YEARS!!
'The Equinox' is a tour de force of brilliant writing, fast-paced action, and gritty characterisation. 
Get your copy of The Equinox  
Sold in Hardcover and Trade Paperback
Click on the books below for more details