Making its European Premiere at Frightfest, ‘Bloodthirsty’ (from Director Amelia Moses, whose other feature film ‘Bleed With Me’ recently debuted on Shudder) centres on indie pop star, Grey who is invited to work with a talented record producer with a shady past at his remote studio in the woods. Grey is troubled with nightmarish visions which seem to suggest she’s a werewolf. Deep in the forest, Grey learns who she really is.
This strange hybrid of ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘The Wolfman’ is slickly produced, looks good and features a cast of well-known Canadian actors (including the always excellent Michael Ironside) but it was a case of style over substance for me.
Lauren Beatty is likeable as Grey, as is Katherine King So as Charlie, Grey’s girlfriend. Greg Bryk was a sleazeball in ‘Saw V’ so is well cast here as the dodgy Vaughan Daniels, but as with ‘Knocking’ beforehand, I found myself bored.
The filmmakers smartly decided to play the big transformation scene to their strength, as no-one will ever top ‘An American Werewolf in London’ no matter how hard they try to, but their effects and creature design which lean more towards the excellent ‘Ginger Snaps’ than anything else, look good.
There’s LGBTQ+ characters and conversations on veganism thrown into the mix, but it’s all superficial. If glossy lesbian sex and werewolf transformations don’t hold your audience’s attention, you know your movie is in trouble.
I really did appreciate the hard work put in by the cast and crew in the performances and on the technical side of things, but the story didn’t compel me.
- 4
