Story: Somewhere in the North Atlantic, late 1945. A lift raft adrift at sea, and in it, the survivors of a torpedoed hospital ship: With no food, water, or shelter, all seems lost - until an abandoned German minesweeper drifts ominously towards them, giving them one last chance at survival.
I finally had a chance to take a peek at one of my most anticipated movies of 2020. Being a film freak like me is hard because by the time I find out a movie is being produced it usually takes me a while before I get to see the finished product. I usually like stuff on the side that barely make festivals and most of them end up being questionable (bummer). So it is with a smile on my face that I say Blood Vessel is a fun vampire horror movie. Nothing groundbreaking but sporting enough style and cool visuals to keep the ship afloat.
From the opening credits (offering beautifully vintage looking font) there's a sense of dread and mystery as we meet our main characters. I give the director props for making the best he could with the resources he's given (clearly the budget is low). The ship looks gorgeous and creepy (I got Ghost Ship vibes). I loved the prevalent use of the color red when the creatures were near.
There's not much in the surprise department (you know who's gonna die and probably when, who's gonna betray who, etc) but there is some good gore and the vampire make-up is fantastic. The creatures look really creepy and with a classic look. Blood Vessel is more low-key and less goofy than I anticipated.
But for me it is the cast who kept me hooked. Nathan Phillips (of Wolf Creek fame) is a charismatic (and handsome) actor who plays both the tough and emotional guy persona really well. Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings) was annoying at first but grew on me as the clock ticked forward. Even so, it is Alex Cooke who stands out for me , with his character being the most interesting (and damn sexy) of the bunch. I only mention these few because the rest are disposable and paper thin. They play the Nazi/war times angle fairly well with it adding something to the story unlike a certain film called Ghost Of War.
For such a modest film I think they did quite well. There's not much suspense or scares, you won't really care for most of the characters and it's fairly predictable but definitively enjoyable even if the story takes a while to "get there". If you're a fan of those 80's creature-features you'll probably enjoy this one. Def a must buy for me.
Enjoy the trailer:
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