The Blood Shed

Alan Rowe Kelley has written and directed (and stars in) my favorite horror-comedy since Troma's “Terror Firmer”. Working with a troupe of local horror filmmakers, Kelly has made this the kind of campy, rude, punk rock horror film that we haven't seen since heyday of the New York based splatter films of the late 80's. From the opening shots of Alan Rowe Kelly skipping down the side of a road wearing a plaid babydoll dress, toting along a dead squirrel nailed to a board I knew this would be one I could sink my teeth into.

The film concerns the Bullions, a family of retarded, cannibalistic, in-bred nutjobs living in the backwoods of New Jersey (I know I've seen this family at Six Flags). Alan plays the adorably demented Beefteena Bullion, a “Baby Jane” type character (and also very reminiscent of Fanny from “American Gothic”). Along with her kin Butternut (Joshua Nelson), Sno Cakes (Susan Adriensen), Hubcap (Mike Lane) and Papa Elvis (Terry West), the Bullion family commits various crimes against humanity. These include tearing 12 year old boys apart in a game of tug-o-war, holding a journalist (played by Michael Gingold, managing editor of Fangoria Magazine) hostage in a rabbit cage. Take the gross-out, tongue-in-cheek vibe of an early John Waters film mashed up with “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” and you've pretty much nailed the mood of “The Blood Shed”.

However, what separates “The Blood Shed” from the half-past a dozen other movies that have tried the over-the-top horror comedy routine is the real talent behind, and in front of, the camera.

Alan Rowe Kelly never lets this movie fall flat for a moment, and keeps it briskly paced and well-timed for comedy from start to finish. A film like this can and will often exhaust it's audience once the novelty of the humor and the camp wears off, but because the writing is clever, the direction efficient, and the acting excellent it never wears you down.

Well, you know the interesting thing about this movie, and this isn't to knock the people working really hard making independent horror, is that it just moves so well. A lot of these movies we get to see are so boring.

A DVD arrives and half the time I look at the cover and don't even want to watch it, and when I do I have to look at the whole thing in fast-forward. I'm just loved how Alan Rowe Kelley managed to take the tired crazy family premise and actually have fun with it. And he's hilarious in it.

I've seen a few of Josh Nelson's other films, he's a great actor, I've seen him do all different kind of roles over the past few years. I'd never seen Susie act before, but she's got a great energy to her as well, Terry is great, and Mike Lane is just so bizarre in it. I liked how they all went for something different. It adds dimension to the film. There's plenty of scenery chewing, “camp-it-up” moments available for the actors in this film, but they also know how to hold back just enough to make their performances funny, demented but never annoying.

Hillbillies, terrible things happening to children, innocent frogs, journalists, cops, and fashion photographers? Well directed? Well shot? Hell yes, it is. And it's a solidly twisted, gory, retarded good time. I can't wait to see what's next from Alan Rowe Kelly.

The DVD also includes a trailer, actors bios, and great commentary track featuring Kelly, director of photography Bart Mastronardi, actors Catherine O'Sullivan and Jerry Murdoch.

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