Director: Justin Dix
Writer: Justin Dix, Jordan Prosser (Screenplay)
Starring: Alyssa Sutherland, Robert Taylor, Christopher Kirby, Nathan Phillips, John Lloyd Fillingham, Mark Diaco, Alex Cooke
Plot: Somewhere in the North Atlantic, late 1945. A lift raft adrift at sea, and in it, the survivors of a torpedoed hospital ship: With no food, water, or shelter, all seems lost – until an abandoned German minesweeper drifts ominously towards them, giving them one last chance at survival.
Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Not Dead on Arrival
Story: Blood Vessel starts as the raft with Jane (Sutherland), Malone (Taylor), Jackson (Kirby), Sinclair (Phillips), Faraday (Fillingham), Bigelow (Diaco) and Teplov (Cooke) is drifting through the Atlantic Ocean during the closing days of World War II, with no food or water, they get approached by a German minesweeper, they board the ship only to find the ship is abandoned, with bodies lying around the ship.
As the group explore the ship more, they soon discover they are not alone and something evil is waiting for them on board.
Thoughts on Blood Vessel
Characters – Jane is the British survivor that is trying to protect Faraday, she like all have been a victim of the war and this will test her memories and ability to survive. Malone is the captain trying to find safety for the survivors. Sinclair is one of the men that was on the raft who is looking for a chance to fight after seeing the horrors of war. Teplov is the Russian prisoner that will help fight back, knowing they are all dealing with the same problems and can work together to survive.
Performances – When we dive into the performance Nathan Phillips and Alex Cooke are the best of the performers making us believe they are going to be dealing with something they are going to be facing. Nobody is terrible, but some of them just don’t get enough time to do much.
Story – The story follows a group of survivors that will need to find a way to survive out at sea, when they discover a German ship that just so happens to be abandoned, with an evil just waiting for them. This is a story that does us the horrors of war as the backdrop to the bigger events of the film, while it does start with a strong atmospheric feeling, it just dwindles into the action heavy idea which just seems to take away the mystery that could have been surrounding the events of the film. We get to deal into the side effects of war on the people as they must deal with their own pasts to get close to making it out alive.
Horror – The horror in the film comes from the eerie feeling which does work very well, only for things to be left go when we get too into the action heavy side of the film.
Settings – The film is set on the ship which does help the story have tension which is the highlight of the horror.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are simple enough, they work for the enemy and wounds which is all we need it for.
Scene of the Movie – The ship approaches.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The sudden switch to action just feels to much mayhem too quickly.
Final Thoughts – This is an enjoyable horror that uses the wartime era well, even if the tone of the film does change too quickly from claim to action heavy.
Overall: Enjoyable horror.
