Bloodthirst (2023)


REVIEWER RATING: 
8/10

DIRECTOR:

CAST:


Huge shout out to the Mahal brothers (Mahal Empire) for continuing to keep me in the loop with all their new projects. Their latest juncture is Bloodthirst, starring the handsome Costas Mandylor, enigmatic Robert LaSardo and the always delightful Tara Reid. The casting alone draws you in while the opening sets us up for a post-apocalyptic/supernatural new world.

Ever imagine what would become of The Walking Dead if it collided with The Lost Boys? Minus the incredible soundtrack, replacing zombies for violent vamps and it is a noteworthy curiosity.  

While we explore the possible extinction of mankind in a now desolate landscape, vampires roam around freely, in the daylight and on the hunt. They ravage human occupied territories while occasionally turning several to increase their own population. Lead by the Master (LaSardo), his gang holds a group of people hostage in a cellar like a fallout shelter with an abundant food supply as rations amongst the hungry undead.  

As the last standing people work to protect their sleepy towns, homes and lives, the Queen (Reid) swoops in to monitor her vampires’ pillaging and conquests while showing a teeny bit of empathy for the lack of human morals she uncovers. One of the “food sources” eagerly sacrifices his two stepdaughters to the queen to save his own life, displaying little to no character, compassion, or concern for his family. He is paid back with a spiteful tongue and sharp fangs into his flesh as retribution for believing the Queen has no soul. Well, she doesn’t…but that’s beside the point…  

Reid shines as the mysterious, red-cladded immortal monarch, summoning her crew to carry out their mission and track the hunter who seeks their destruction.  

True to form, the brooding hero, John (Mandylor) parades through dead towns in search of the Master whose death will bring down the entire unearthly empire. He picks up a bumpkin sidekick (Huang), a shady biker and the blonde Thompson sisters to set his squad in motion as vampire hunters.  

Completing their artillery of garlic shotgun shells and “kosher” crucifixes, this chaotic group encounters several obstacles along the way including the devious troop of tax collecting clowns, ruling the terrain. Sound familiar?

Everyone is sneaky, salty, and savage. Everyone is considered dispensable and trust no one.

OVERALL: 
The spoofy humor, hokey homage to daisy-dukes in a desert town and copious blood gurgling just had me head cocked in a less impressive manner than usual. My attention was on performances over script since the struggle to connect the dots was real. But whatever my hang-ups were, it’s entertaining to see Tara Reid step away from a sex kitten role and into a powerful female lead of a menacing motley crew. The highlight of Bloodthirst as come a long way since her apple-pie days.


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