Blood Rage Invites You to the Ultimate ’80s Horror Thanksgiving

Blood Rage—generally referred to as Slasher, plus there’s a model titled Nightmare at Shadow Woods, although Blood Rage actually suits it finest—is an impressive instance of what the worst Thanksgiving ever would possibly seem like. But fortuitously for horror film followers, which means the movie is a feast of intriguing performing selections, excellently dated units and outfits, a completely ‘80s synth soundtrack, and all manner of glorious gore.

The premise takes the ol’ good twin/unhealthy twin dichotomy and twists it with glee, giving us similar preppy children Terry and Todd. Stuck within the backseat at a drive-in—the film is subtly entitled The House That Cried Murder—whereas their mother, Maddy (Louise Lasser), makes out in entrance along with her date, the boys sneak out and commit a horrific axe homicide. To be particular, it’s Terry who really swings the blade—it’s implied he was set off by the sight of his mother getting some motion—however he promptly frames Todd for the crime by urgent the weapon into his hand, smearing some blood on his face, and shrieking his head off. Todd’s apparently too shell-shocked to protest and is locked away for 10 years, which is when Blood Rage actually will get going.

You know from the opening scene that there’s going to be an eventual showdown between Todd and Terry (performed as an grownup by Mark Soper), however first, there’s a wrinkle: Mom’s engaged! The fortunate man is Brad (William Fuller), the supervisor of the shag carpet-bedecked Florida condo complicated the place nearly all the film takes place. The announcement is made simply because the blissful couple, together with Terry (who’s been seemingly “normal” for the previous decade) and diverse associates, are about to dig into their Thanksgiving meal. Oh sure, after which there’s one other wrinkle: in keeping with his physician, Todd has lastly began to recollect what actually occurred that evening on the drive-in and will get so labored up about being the autumn man that he manages to flee. Two twins, two triggers. Who desires turkey?

Though the implication that Todd may additionally flip out looms over the entire film, Blood Rage doesn’t make you wait to see who the true menace is. It’s Terry, after all, who covers his tracks prematurely by cheerfully asserting “My psychotic brother just escaped!” (That’s the film’s second most quotable line—nothing beats Terry’s equally cheerful and oft-repeated declaration that the blood oozing down his machete is “not cranberry sauce.”) We mainly get what quantities to 2 completely different storylines: Terry stalking and killing numerous disposable characters, together with a number of who had been his associates earlier that very same day; and Maddy getting more and more booze-soaked whereas she obsessively cleans her condo and turns into more and more frantic whereas attempting to succeed in a mysteriously unresponsive Brad on the cellphone.

As directed by John Grissmer (who has one different directing credit score: 1977 surgical horror Scalpel), it’s all relatively easy, and the script (author Bruce Rubin’s different credit embody teen intercourse comedy Zapped!) doesn’t do a lot by way of delivering suspense, scares, or characterization past the floor stage, although as talked about it does slip some howlers into the dialogue. The particular results, not less than, are decently memorable; an individual will get reduce in half Black Dahlia-style, a hand that’s greedy a beer can will get indifferent from its arm (and continues to twitch thereafter), and there’s all method of slicing and stabbing. What units Blood Rage aside, although, is its tone—unhinged from the start, and inching ever nearer to full-blown hysteria because it progresses.

Soper’s efficiency isn’t precisely deft, however he does handle to distinguish between the twins, notably in his physique language; there’s additionally an argument to be made that he performs Terry so broadly and so stilted as a result of the character is definitely a monster merely pretending to be human. But the true standout in Blood Rage is Lasser, whose best-known credit score on the time was starring in cleaning soap opera satire Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Here, she brings an unimaginable quantity of pathos to her scenes. Obsessed with having every thing seem blissful and harmonious, to the purpose of ignoring actuality, Maddy’s introduced as being nearly childlike in her denial, although there’s an odd disconnect between her frilly garments and girlish, pulled-back coiffure and her deep smoker’s voice. That disconnect begins to crumble alongside along with her rigorously constructed world; admitting that the unsuitable twin was locked up is much an excessive amount of for her, and even when she’s confronted with an terrible lot of bloody proof on the contrary, she’s nonetheless insistent that she will be able to make every thing all proper once more.

Blood Rage ends on a tragic word that might nearly really feel Shakespearean if the context wasn’t… a raunchy slasher film stuffed with random scenes celebrating issues like spontaneous late-night tennis matches, the curiously unique attraction of coconut liqueur, and ill-timed pranks involving horror make-up. It’s additionally a film that contains a younger Ted Raimi as a sleazy condom salesman, and a bad-girl sort who declares that “partying” is her main at school. It’s by no means not entertaining, even in scenes the place you’re feeling alarmed for all of the unsuitable causes—like when Maddy, teetering on the sting of an entire breakdown, plops down on her kitchen flooring to sloppily devour leftovers from her ruined Thanksgiving social gathering. Very few low-budget Eighties slashers can evoke such a variety of feelings from a viewer (pity, revulsion, delight… vacation cheer?), making Blood Rage one thing each cult horror fan can be grateful for. To quote Maddy: “The turkey was perfect.”

Blood Rage is now streaming on Shudder.

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