Following the success (I guess) of Bloody Homecoming, Jake Helgren returns with another love letter to 80s slasher films, with this tale of a football team who head to a remote farm house for a post-game party, exactly one year after a terrible accident claimed the life of one of their friends. What the kids don’t know is, there’s a killer lurking in the woods outside and he’s dressed as their mascot – an Indian Warrior armed with a tomahawk and a bow and arrows.
I enjoyed Varsity Blood. On some levels, it was better than Bloody Homecoming, because Jake Helgren got to direct from his own screenplay. At the same time, I think this was also the movies downfall. Jake is obviously heavily influenced by Kevin Williamson, so his characters (even the jocks) all constantly spout bitchy witticisms and without another director (like he had with Brian C. Weed on Bloody Homecoming) to rein him in, Helgren has his stamp all over this baby. Now I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing, but by the 60 minute mark, I began to feel as though I had been watching re-runs of Dawson’s Creek all day. No-one speaks like that all of the time.
If you separate his direction from his exposition, he is competent (although the party scenes are quite under lit) and he ticks a lot of boxes (boobs, blood, burgers, beer, blow, bitching, boinking and even a buff boy’s butt). There are a few really likeable characters, cool deaths and some mystery, but the film feels far too long and the ending descends in to a bit of a mess (Who was the killer? What was their motive? I’m sure it was explained, but I was past caring by that point).
OVERALL SUMMARY
Don’t get me wrong, it’s glossy enough and I’m glad somebody’s still making slasher movies (I don’t know about you but theatrical horror isn’t looking so good to me of late) but it didn’t quite come together for me in the end. I still have hope for this young director however.
