Here For Blood

This review was originally published for the Glasgow FrightFest 2023 presentation of Here For Blood.

Comedy horror is hard to pull off. There aren’t that many who have done it usually failing to combine the two seamlessly there’s usually a heavy bias towards one or the other. To my mind only Severance and last year’s Deadstream have managed it. Here For Blood is not in that league though it has its moments on both counts.

The killings at the start of the film leave the viewer in no doubt where the direction of this film is going. Though it settles down for a while as the hard-studying, money-short Phoebe (Joelle Farrow) convinces her partner wrester Tom (Shawn Roberts) to take her babysitting evening for a while until she can get there. Built like the brick proverbial he’s reluctant (guys don’t babysit) though takes the job in the end.

There’s a similar reaction when he meets Gil (Michael Therriault) (is this man’s work?) and Barbara (Tara Spencer-Nairn) and then their daughter Grace (Maya Misaljevic). Simple rules apply; one cookie then bed. And it’s going well until Tom hears a noise upstairs. There’s a couple of intruders who are only interested in Grace only they can’t get past Tom, who clobbers them – one with horrendous injuries becomes a running gag – only for others to join the fray.

At that point Phoebe plus friends Mike (Kelly Penner) and Christine (Samantha Helt) arrive only for Mike to get killed nastily early on, leaving the others in a state of siege as the motives and participants of the killers start to become clearer.

Director Daniel Turres and writer James Roberts have crafted an entertaining, very bloody film with a few gags and laughs thrown in. Tom’s suspicions and his sound conviction early on regarding the intruders are hilarious. The cast for the main part are happy to play it all semi-straight and deadpan their way through it all which suits the absurdity of the story.

The by and large practical effects harp back to the 80’s either through homage or budget, it doesn’t matter as they contribute to the overall grunge and grind ambience of the film. The violence is over the top, plenty of chopping, but done is such a way that it couldn’t possibly cause offence just may some yuks along the way.

Here For Blood received its English Premiere at London FrightFest 2023.