Bloodthirsty (2020 film)
Bloodthirsty | |
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Directed by | Amelia Moses |
Written by | Wendy Hill-Tout Lowell Boland |
Produced by | Wendy Hill-Tout Michael Peterson Alan Bacchus David Bond |
Starring | Lauren Beatty Greg Bryk Katharine King So |
Cinematography | Charles Hamilton |
Edited by | David Hiatt |
Music by | Michelle Osis Lowell Boland |
Production companies | Voice Pictures 775 Media Corp |
Distributed by | Raven Banner Entertainment Brainstorm Media |
Release date |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
Bloodthirsty is a Canadian horror film, directed by Amelia Moses and released in to festivals in 2020 and commercially in 2021. It stars Lauren Beatty as Grey, an indie singer-songwriter who begins to transform into a
Plot
Indie singer-songwriter Grey Kessler suffers anxiety over having released a successful album and feels pressure for a successful follow-up. She also takes medication to try to stop dreams of herself as a wolf, and she appears to have other medical issues too, though her doctor can find nothing physically wrong.
A reclusive music producer, Vaughn Daniels, once a famous boy-band singer in the '90s, invites Grey to his remote mansion to write and record her second album. Grey's girlfriend, a painter named Charlie, learns Vaughn was tried but not convicted for murdering a singer named Greta. Despite misgivings, Grey accepts Vaughn's offer, and Charlie accompanies her.
As the creative process continues, Grey becomes more obsessive and begins ignoring Charlie's concerns. Vaughn pushes Grey, urging her to dredge up her darkest impulses for her songwriting. He taunts Grey's veganism, gives her absinthe to drink, and pushes Grey to complete a song that he says his wife, who had died by suicide, had started. Grey begins to crave and eat meat, and she falls deeper into a personal abyss. But her songwriting and performing improve. Charlie, seeing the darkness overtaking Grey, wants them both to leave, but Grey refuses and Charlie leaves alone.
Grey finds herself transforming into a werewolf. Later Grey confronts Vaughn, who reveals that he too is a werewolf, and Grey is his daughter. He wasn't certain before this, because her mother, Greta, whom he had shot and killed in self-defense, had told Vaughn, who was gone for months at a time with his band, that their baby had died. Meanwhile, Charlie decides to return for Grey but gets stuck in snow.
Grey completes her album and tells Vaughn she is leaving, that she will not end up like him. Vaughn sends his housekeeper, Vera, to bring Grey back and locks her in the recording studio to complete her transformation. She wakes after blacking out back in the guest room, having showered off a lot of blood. Running out to the road, she finds Charlie dead.
Returning to the house, Grey gets the gun and aims it at Vaughn, accusing him of killing Charlie. Vaughn helps her see that it was she who killed Charlie, but he assures Grey they are far from alone in the world. Vaughn begins to transform into a werewolf and Grey kills him with the gun.
The scene returns to Grey's doctor's office as he shuts her file and suggests she's been hallucinating. Later, Grey sings her song "Bloodthirsty" on stage, but there is no audience. Grey remembers or imagines leaving the mansion, bloody from having savaged Vaughn.
Cast
- Lauren Beatty as Grey Kessler
- Greg Bryk as Vaughn Daniels
- Katharine King So as Charlie
- Judith Buchan as Vera
- Michael Ironside as Dr. Swan
- Jesse Gervais as Reporter
- Jayce McKenzie as Hitchhiker
Production
The film originated with producer Mike Peterson. As
Lauren Beatty, who had worked with Moses on Bleed With Me, said Moses "came on to this project pretty late and reached out to me because, obviously, the main character's [a] queer singer-songwriter and [she] knew that I'm both those things in real life, so she approached me with it."[6] After getting the part, "I think it was within five days [that] I had to leave to start shooting. So Lowell had sent me all of the songs that would be in the film. I [had] had to learn [the song] 'Bloodthirsty' for the audition, so I already knew that one. But I had to learn piano in those five days ... just the chords that you actually see Grey playing...."[6]
Greg Bryk said he had been shooting a movie Hill-Tout was directing and Peterson producing, "and they approached me and asked if I was interested in being a part of it."[6]
Bloodthirsty was shot in three weeks, primarily at an old mansion southwest of
The werewolf effects were achieved through practical effects — makeup and prosthetics — and not CGI.[7] Beatty said,
The makeup that you see is what we had on. That was partially due to budget, obviously. But, for Amelia, there was a big appeal in seeing the monster and human exist at the same time. I would go to the bathroom when I had this makeup on and I would look at myself in the mirror and I could recognize myself. It was my face built out into this monster. There is something really special that happens when you can see the human emotions through the werewolf makeup. You can still see me emoting. There was a bit more of subtlety to it.[7]
The film's poster and
Release
The film premiered on October 1, 2020 at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas,[8] held virtually that year.[9] It also screened at the Telluride Horror Show festival in Colorado in 2020,[10] and at the Calgary Underground Film Festival in 2021.[7]
In February 2021, Brainstorm Media acquired the U.S. rights to the film and planned to release it in theaters and on
Awards
The film received two
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film reports an approval rating of 82% based on 49 reviews. The site's critics consensus says, "Offering a hauntingly lush style and plenty of gore, Bloodthirsty successfully captures the nightmarish darkness behind being hungry like the wolf in the quest for fame."[13] According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 based on 5 critics, the film received "generally favorable reviews".[14]
The alternative weekly
On the negative side, the large city newspaper the
References
- ^ a b Cranswick, Amie (March 24, 2021). "Werewolf Thriller 'Bloodthirsty' Gets a Poster and Trailer". Flickering Myth. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c Sandor, Steven (April 21, 2021). "Pop Stars and Werewolves: Bloodthirsty is a Killer of a Thriller". Edify Edmonton. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ Hullender, Tatiana (April 23, 2021). "Amelia Moses Interview: Bloodthirsty". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (February 26, 2021). "Werewolf Thriller 'Bloodthirsty' Lands at Brainstorm Media, Sets Release Date". Variety. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (October 1, 2020). "See an Exclusive Clip of Werewolf Thriller 'Bloodthirsty". Variety. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c Vinney, Cynthia (April 24, 2021). "Bloodthirsty's Lauren Beatty & Greg Bryk Tear Into Their Terrifying Werewolf Movie". CBR. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c Volmers, Eric (April 22, 2021). "CUFF: Edmonton-shot werewolf tale, Bloodthirsty, relies on character and a slow build". Calgary Herald. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ Sigler, Gabriel (October 2, 2020). "Bloodthirsty Is a Queer Werewolf Tale with Bite". Bad Feeling.
- ^ Screen Daily. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ Borders, Meredith (April 22, 2021). "Check Out a New Clip from Queer Werewolf Sorta Musical 'Bloodthirsty'". Fangoria. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ "Search for "Bloodthirsty"". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 28, 2021. "No results found for 'Bloodthirsty'."
- ET Canada, March 30, 2021.
- ^ "Bloodthirsty". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. 23 April 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- Fandom, Inc.Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ Whittaker, Richard (April 23, 2021). "Bloodthirsty". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ Navarro, Meagan (April 21, 2021). "[Review] 'Bloodthirsty' Applies Werewolf Metaphor to Artistic Hunger for Success". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ Harvey, Dennis (April 22, 2021). "'Bloodthirsty' Review: Things Get Beastly in the Recording Studio". Variety. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ Crimmins, Deirdre (April 29, 2021). "Movie Review: 'Bloodthirsty' Will Sate Your Hunger for Lycanthropes". Rue Morgue. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- Detroit News. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ Abrams, Simon (April 23, 2021). "Bloodthirsty". Retrieved July 29, 2021. RogerEbert.com.
- ^ Kramer, Gary (April 19, 2021). "Horror film 'Bloodthirsty' lacks bite". Philadelphia Gay News. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
External links
- Bloodthirsty at IMDb
- Bloodthirsty at Library and Archives Canada