Bludgeon (2013)

Written by Shawn Burkett

Directed by Shawn Burkett

Stars: Erin R. Ryan,  Haley Madison, Shawn Burkett 







Many thanks to film maker Shawn Burkett for sending me an online screener of his new serial killer horror/thriller Bludgeon. The films amazing art work, suggests a cheesy 80s throwback slasher (which would have been equally as cool with me) however Bludgeon smartly plays it straight and as a result gets right under your skin. Be prepared to check your front door is well and truly locked....

I loved the opening of the film which sets an eerie tone by detailing a small Ohio towns haunting past. It seems that a rash of unexplained murders just started one day and by 1992 when the killings finally stopped without explanation, numbers of young girls were dead. The police were never able to apprehend the killer and their collated evidence was scarce to say the least. Twenty years later and this small town is about to receive a horrible reminder of their awful past as the murders start right back up....

As mentioned previously I think one of Bludgeons successes is that it does take a very dark subject matter and keeps it that way - dark and distressing. I love tongue in cheek horror and always will but I guess if you really think about the situations in this film occurring in real life then well...not fun huh.

The film may well take viewers by surprise as it reaches its peak and I do not wish to delve any further into the plot as it would mean giving some key spoilers away. To this end I will just say that the lead actresses Haley Madison and Erin R. Ryan do an excellent job with the dark material they signed up to work with.

In terms of gore there isn't a lot on offer but I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I think an array of creative and novel death scenes, for example, would have harmed rather than helped this film. There is blood don't get me wrong and one scene involving a bath room sink did make me cringe in horror.

I think the film is also well made and Shawn shows a very good skill at creating a creepy atmosphere with his lighting. I look forward to more from Mr Burkett in the near future.

I recommend this film to horror fans especially if you like those which are a bit darker and maybe closer to home such as The Town That Dreaded Sundown. Head on over to the Concept Media Films official website for more information on this and other films. Hint: you can order the Bludgeon DVD now....