Blood Runs Cold (2011)

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Directed by:
Written by: , ,
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[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9rGJWtUjLw[/youtube]

Blood Runs Cold (2011)

(15) Running time: 82 minutes

Director: Sonny Laguna

Writers: Tommy Wiklund, Sonny Laguna

Starring: Ralf Beck, Elin Hugoson, Hanna Oldenburg, Andreas Rylander, Patrick Saxe

Reviewed by: Matt Wavish, official HCF critic

If you watch this slasher, and I highly recommend you do, just remember that this was made on a budget of $5000. Keep that in mind, and you just might be as impressed as I was. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of moments which remind you that the budget was small, but for the majority of the film, it is a very solid slasher indeed. Barely wasting a second with silly back stories, we get to know our main ‘victim’ as she heads back to her home town to take some time out to write her next novel. Meet Winona (Oldenburg) and her boss has rented her a cabin in the woods for some peace and quiet, and I am sure you can guess where the story goes from there, but one victim is not enough, so three new characters are introduced.

Winona heads to a local bar and drinks wine as if she has never experienced it before, she looks very uncomfortable, and moments like this show the films restraints. She meets an old boyfriend, so he and is best mate and his girlfriend, head back to Winona’s rented cabin for a night of drinking and sex. This is where things go wrong, and with the films relatively short running time, it is not long before the killing starts. This is where the film shifts up a gear, and the snow covered setting works brilliantly to add some real atmosphere and a sense of being on your own. A killer has arrived, and in all the years of watching slasher films, I honestly believe that the fella brandishing an axe here is one of the finest killers I have seen in a slasher for some time. Well, I was praising Chromeskull recently as well, but this is turning out to be a mighty fine year for the slasher fan in terms of new killers. This guy doesn’t speak a word, eats human flesh, uses any weapon he can find (although the axe is his preferred weapon of choice) and he dresses like he is off skiing. It may sound a daft outfit, but believe me, it really works and the design and the way this killer is filmed is superb, and goes to show that director Sonny Laguna is most definitely a future name to watch. If he can create something as simple, and effective as this on the budget he had, who knows what he could achieve with a bit more cash!

There is very little story to speak of, this is simplicity at it’s finest, four victims and a killer and that is it. We also venture into the killers lair, it all gets very sinister and uncomfortable, however the character who is put through this literal Hell in the snow simply cannot handle the pressure of the role and loses some of the impact. However, I did expect this, and I suppose, if you weigh up the good and the bad, it can be forgiven. The director clearly knows what his audience want, giving us characters you sort of connect with, but are happy to see become the next victim, we are even treated to some sex and nudity, with the two girls providing some very pleasing eye candy, and best of all are the kills. It is a shame there weren’t more of them as each and every one is a glorious work of art. Even though the kills are magnificent, I do not believe they took up the bulk of the budget as it feels the kills are handled so well simply because the director has a unique skill. The camera gets in all the right places, you see it all, but it is not over done. They are simply blink and you’ll miss them moments of brilliance. A decapitation just might make my ‘best kill of 2011’ in my end of year countdown of the best of horror this year!

The pace is fairely quick, and there is even time for some almost nightmarish moments, again using clever camera trickery to get the best effect. The moment the killer is revealed out from the shadows is very effective indeed. Timing is key in horror, and Laguna has it weighed off perfectly. There is even time for a brief moment of bizarre, yet hysterical comedy in a scene that goes from terrifying to comedic with a second. The killer attempts to plunge his axe into a victim, they hold up a plank of wood which the axe becomes stuck in and the killer cannot get it out. In anger, he throws the axe on the floor, storms off, looks back at the victim in a very accusing way and walks off. The victim is confused and shocked, and then the killer storms back in with a new weapon, absolute genius! The film is littered with great moments like this, and if you can handle the less than average bits in-between, the Blood Runs Cold will give you plenty to enjoy.

Rating: ★★★★★★½☆☆☆

[pt-filmtitle]Blood Runs Cold[/pt-filmtitle]

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About Matt Wavish 598 Articles
A keen enthusiast and collector of all horror and extreme films. I can be picky as i like quality in my horror. This doesn't necessarily mean it has to be a classic, but as long as it has something to impress me then i'm a fan. I watch films by the rule that if it doesn't bring out some kind of emotive response then it aint worth watching.

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