REVIEW: Here For Blood, a bloody good time

Halloween’s not for everybody, but it’s the most fun time of the year for people who enjoy it. Kids are excited to go trick or treating, adults are excited to go to costume parties, and there’s always tons of horror movies and shows coming out. A lot of the joy of Halloween boils down to experiencing that temporary moment of fear. The jump-scare, the rising tension, the bloody reveal. Any horror lover knows those tropes well, and the feeling they inspire.

One of the villains in Here For Blood, courtesy of Pageman Productions

Here For Blood is a independent Canadian film that leans into those feelings for a very fun time. Directed by Daniel Turres, the film stars Shawn Roberts (from Heartland and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter) as Tom O’Bannon, an amateur wrestler. His girlfriend (played by Joelle Farrow from Under the Banner of Heaven) asks him for a favour, to cover a baby-sitting shift of hers so she can study for an exam. He agrees, and heads over to the isolated house. But a mask-wearing cult descend upon the house, with wicked intentions on their mind and bloody weapons in their hands.

To say much more about this film would spoil it, and it’s a film best left unspoiled. Safe to say, it’s a gory gathering of several horror ideas, each executed lovingly by the cast and crew. There are minimal computer generated effects in this film, it’s predominantly practical. Every burn, cut, or ounce of blood that gushes is painstakingly created on screen. This is a film made by people for the love of making a horror film.

That love translates into a comedic appreciation for horror, with Roberts’ main character coming off as a modern version of Rowdy Roddy Piper’s protagonist in They Live. He’s a tough guy in a tough situation, and while he might not fully understand it, he knows how to use his assets to take care of business. Roberts is clearly having tons of fun in the role, tearing apart everyone who dares attack him or the people he’s protecting.

The best part of about this film is that it actually covers a lot of different horror tropes. There’s something in this for all horror fans to watch. It’s a house invasion with a cult, and it goes in some absolutely wild directions from there. I spoke to Roberts who tells me the film was an absolute blast to shoot. He says that especially with such depressing stuff happening in the world every day, “it’s nice to make light of some thing. We can’t just have dark, dark, dark gore, so it’s nice to be able to get some giggles in there too.”

There’s not a lot of films this year where you’ll get to see someone elbow drop a person’s head multiple times. But Here For Blood is exactly that kind of film. It’s a smorgasboard of laughs, scares, and everything that a horror fan loves. This film premiered at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and if you can you should absolutely check it out in a cinema!