69 reviews
A hit and a miss. Michelle Monaghan is great. A decade ago, you could find her in literally every romcom coming out of Tinseltown, playing the love interest on the distaff side. Props to her for successfully maintaining a career in drama films like this one, films that rely entirely on acting chops. And Brad Anderson has forgotten more about sci-fi than most creators today actually know, another veteran. Blood is an eponymous title, and yes the viewers get what they pay for. But, acting aside, the story is not satisfying and the characters continually make bad choices -- which can be distressing for theater patrons expecting a fun ride. Notice also the new metric for the reviews -- count the number of fake-tens that the producers use to salt the early ratings, and that shows you the confidence that the studio has in its own product. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))
- A_Different_Drummer
- Feb 3, 2023
- Permalink
Blood is about Owen, a young boy (Finlay Wojtak-Hissong), being watched on by his older sister Tyler (Skylar Morgan Jones) and his mom Jess (Michelle Monaghan). They just moved in the middle of nowhere where there is horror afoot. Until one night, their dog bites Owen in the middle of the night that gives him a virus where he needs to drink blood in order to survive. The mom is willing to sacrifice anything in her life to make Owen live happy again by giving him as much blood as possible.
Overall, I tried to stay positive throughout this movie because I liked the acting, but that was it. The acting only made me watch the film because it is pointless and pretty slow as well. I thought it would pick up in the ending because I yawned in the middle of the film, but the ending is not good as well that I felt bad for the characters. Would recommend to stay away from this film because it is slow, pointless, and boring.
Overall, I tried to stay positive throughout this movie because I liked the acting, but that was it. The acting only made me watch the film because it is pointless and pretty slow as well. I thought it would pick up in the ending because I yawned in the middle of the film, but the ending is not good as well that I felt bad for the characters. Would recommend to stay away from this film because it is slow, pointless, and boring.
- demonblade-37792
- Jan 29, 2023
- Permalink
I agree completely with the reviewer that said this movie was boring, pointless, and slow. I'm not sure what got lost in the sauce because the acting really was GOOD. The Director also seems to have done their job well and the sound was creepy enough too. It certainly proves just how far a mother will go to save her child. But unfortunately the movie had me wishing that the brat would just DIE already!
I have no idea why someone said this is one of the most disturbing films they had ever seen. I've seen movies way more mentally disturbing and depraved than this. What was disturbing was how stupid the movie really was. Maybe they all just really liked the writer? I dunno. This is one of the movies I wish I had just listed to the reviews instead of the ridiculously high star rating.
I have no idea why someone said this is one of the most disturbing films they had ever seen. I've seen movies way more mentally disturbing and depraved than this. What was disturbing was how stupid the movie really was. Maybe they all just really liked the writer? I dunno. This is one of the movies I wish I had just listed to the reviews instead of the ridiculously high star rating.
- susiehaylol
- Jan 30, 2023
- Permalink
I like this one - it takes us on a grotesque and absurd trip, drags us in a dark tale and into the void of growing madness. Michelle Monaghan gives a fine and emotional performance, the rest of the cast, including the kids, does also well. Different than some other reviewers I don't mind that the "reason" for the dark and twisted happenings is not revealed - make up your mind yourself, the experienced connoisseur of the art of horror (be it books or movies) can easy fill the blanks. What else? Blood reminds me of Hereditary or The Witch, movies that takes us along on a dark, disturbing path, where in the end something awaits us that we don't expect.
- Tweetienator
- Feb 11, 2023
- Permalink
- Horror_Flick_Fanatic
- Feb 5, 2023
- Permalink
The characters do not behave like morons. The behavior of people quite sensible for the situation. There is nothing explicitly expressed here, there is a strange problem with the child and the mother who, according to her, does everything to keep her son alive without considering the consequences. For a B-grade cinema, this is quite an interestingly developed plot of supporting characters. The biggest drawback is probably that it's not very scary. On the plus side, there is a slight suggestion at the end of the film that maybe we didn't quite see the same thing as the main character, but I think it's more of an attempt by the medical services to justify the phenomenon in general. As for me 6/10, not great not terrible, I do not regret that I watched it but do i recommend it? I don't know.
When I saw Blood had Skeet Ulrich in it, I thought - okay this won't be a bad movie.
And I'm not saying that the film is bad. It had a good story idea, but just really fell flat for me, and dragged on way too long. It was highly predictable too, but I guess it is hard not to be with what is a 'vampire' film.
I'm not going to knock the acting, it was fine. The sets were fine, the directing was fine. It just didn't have me on the edge of my seat and I was struggling to watch it come the mid way mark.
I think it was just badly executed. It needed more action, it needed to have at least 28 minutes shaved off it.
The special effects makeup was quite poor as well, especially towards the end of the film.
I really don't know what else to say, apart from yeah it just left me feeling a bit blah.
Would I recommend Blood? Probably not. I really gained nothing from it.
It is really a very slow burn that really doesn't take you anywhere, besides what needs to be done.
And I'm not saying that the film is bad. It had a good story idea, but just really fell flat for me, and dragged on way too long. It was highly predictable too, but I guess it is hard not to be with what is a 'vampire' film.
I'm not going to knock the acting, it was fine. The sets were fine, the directing was fine. It just didn't have me on the edge of my seat and I was struggling to watch it come the mid way mark.
I think it was just badly executed. It needed more action, it needed to have at least 28 minutes shaved off it.
The special effects makeup was quite poor as well, especially towards the end of the film.
I really don't know what else to say, apart from yeah it just left me feeling a bit blah.
Would I recommend Blood? Probably not. I really gained nothing from it.
It is really a very slow burn that really doesn't take you anywhere, besides what needs to be done.
- destiny_west
- Mar 3, 2023
- Permalink
Blood (2022) is a movie currently available on Hulu. The storyline follows a mother going through a divorce that moves into a family home in the country with her two children. One day her son is unexpectedly bitten by their dog and develops a strange blood condition...where he needs to eat/drink blood to stay healthy. The mother does her best to hide her sons condition while navigating her divorce and job...
This movie is directed by Brad Anderson (Session 9) and stars Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone), Skeet Ulrich (Scream), Finlay Wojtak-Hissong (Dreamkatcher), June B. Wilde (Final Destination 5) and Danika Frederick (I Still See You).
The storyline for this is well written and does a great job of establishing the family dynamics and circumstances. The cast is well selected and the acting is excellent. Everything felt authentic. However, the horror elements are under developed. The dog attack scene definitely wasn't a Cujo caliber sequence. They did do a good job depicting the son's evolution as his condition got worse. The horror was more around dealing with the circumstances over actual attacks and kills. The entire situation does feel relatable down to the final scene, which could have been better but was also fairly realistic.
Overall, this is an above average addition to the horror genre that I would score a 6/10 and recommend seeing once.
This movie is directed by Brad Anderson (Session 9) and stars Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone), Skeet Ulrich (Scream), Finlay Wojtak-Hissong (Dreamkatcher), June B. Wilde (Final Destination 5) and Danika Frederick (I Still See You).
The storyline for this is well written and does a great job of establishing the family dynamics and circumstances. The cast is well selected and the acting is excellent. Everything felt authentic. However, the horror elements are under developed. The dog attack scene definitely wasn't a Cujo caliber sequence. They did do a good job depicting the son's evolution as his condition got worse. The horror was more around dealing with the circumstances over actual attacks and kills. The entire situation does feel relatable down to the final scene, which could have been better but was also fairly realistic.
Overall, this is an above average addition to the horror genre that I would score a 6/10 and recommend seeing once.
- kevin_robbins
- May 10, 2023
- Permalink
When I stumbled upon this 2022 horror/thriller titled "Blood", I must admit that I wasn't initially impressed with the movie's cover. But with it being a horror movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to find the time to sit down and watch it.
Writer Will Honley churned out a semi-adequate script for the movie. There were some interesting aspects to the storyline, for sure. However, the narrative was just too slow paced and there simply wasn't enough of things happening throughout the course of the 108 minutes to keep it all that thrilling and interesting actually. So director Brad Anderson just didn't really have all that much of a proper script to work with really.
The acting performances in "Blood" were fair enough, taking into consideration the limitations imposed on the actresses and actors.
Visually then you're not in for anything outstanding. But then again, "Blood" wasn't a movie that really relied heavily on having special effects. So the lack of impressive and bedazzling effects wasn't really a hindrance to the movie.
While I managed to sit through the entire movie, I have to admit that "Blood" just didn't have the stuff that mattered, and that made it a somewhat boring movie to sit through, especially since it took director Brad Anderson forever to set the stage for the final 15 minutes of the movie.
My rating of "Blood" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.
Writer Will Honley churned out a semi-adequate script for the movie. There were some interesting aspects to the storyline, for sure. However, the narrative was just too slow paced and there simply wasn't enough of things happening throughout the course of the 108 minutes to keep it all that thrilling and interesting actually. So director Brad Anderson just didn't really have all that much of a proper script to work with really.
The acting performances in "Blood" were fair enough, taking into consideration the limitations imposed on the actresses and actors.
Visually then you're not in for anything outstanding. But then again, "Blood" wasn't a movie that really relied heavily on having special effects. So the lack of impressive and bedazzling effects wasn't really a hindrance to the movie.
While I managed to sit through the entire movie, I have to admit that "Blood" just didn't have the stuff that mattered, and that made it a somewhat boring movie to sit through, especially since it took director Brad Anderson forever to set the stage for the final 15 minutes of the movie.
My rating of "Blood" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.
- paul_haakonsen
- Feb 12, 2023
- Permalink
If you're like me and you're done with the tired old horror flick template of jump scares that aren't scary, sewn closed mouths in mirrors, etc., and you find yourself riveted to your couch by the slow burn dread and horror of movies like Hereditary, the VVitch, the Ritual and so on, then Blood should be as good for you as it was for me. There are some truly creepy scenes, it's well written (mostly, more on that in a sec), and the characters are believable and interesting. My only complaint is the lack of explanation regarding the tree. That's just kind of left hanging... on the other hand, it, along with the post credits scene may be setting up a sequel??? If so, I'll be watching it.
- apollocapcom
- Feb 7, 2023
- Permalink
- projectpat72988
- Sep 15, 2023
- Permalink
Worth a score of 6 once you can get passed the slow start and being unsympathetic to the characters. Not much arc. But I found myself thinking I hope it's good. Please be good. Then I checked IMDb for the rating and wasn't convinced I'd see it out. It got to a point where I was going to give it 5 more minutes before turning it off and I'm pretty glad I didn't but not one for the collection. Just one to say 'yeah I've seen it, it's alright' the ending was inevitable but how do you explain yourself. Let's not over think it eh! No spoilers. Wrote this before the ending and called it before it happened.
- dbennettcubeonline
- Feb 18, 2023
- Permalink
- nik-498-56571
- Jun 5, 2023
- Permalink
Blood: An interesting twist on the Vampire trope is slightly derailed by an over concentration on Jess's (Michelle Monaghan) attempted recovery from addiction. Going through a messy divorce she brings her son, Owen (Finlay Wojtak-Hissong) and daughter Tyler ( Skylar Morgan) to an isolated farmhouse to live. She loves the kids but obviously should never have gotten custody of them in the first place, her mad stares reminds me of Claire Danes in Homeland. Sympathy for the ex-husband is muted due to the fact that he has a baby by the much younger nanny. Anyway the kids go to a dried out pond where their dog senses something strange in dead tree. Later the dog runs off and when he returns is acting savagely and bites Owen. Owen has a bad reaction to the bite and in hospital Jess sees him drinking blood from his IV bag. It soon becomes clear that Owen will not survive without blood, being a nurse Jess can steal blood at first. Things turn ever darker as Jess goes to increasingly desperate lengths to source blood. Owen going from being a lovable if demanding kid to a beast doesn't happen overnight. The process is interesting to observe and is obviously demanding for Finlay but he puts in a tremendous performance. Skeet Ulrich is really just a cypher as the father. The woods, dried up pond and the farmhouse could also be seen as characters, each provides a battleground both psychic and physical which allows the narrative to unfold. Some grisly scenes but much of the horror is psychological. Could have been a better film but still well worth watching. Directed by Brad Anderson and written by Will Honley. 7/10.
Examining Brad Anderson's back catalog, it's almost heretical to state that Blood is in desperate need of thrills. This is a guy that has given us the likes of The Machinist, TransSiberian or Session 9 - all competent, albeit disposable genre fares. Anderson is clearly trying to capitalize on his strengths here - the moody and evocative cinematography, simple yet relatable themes, and committed performances from his leads - but they never coalesce into something consistently engaging. The trailer is probably the most rousing aspect of this picture - a masterclass of false advertising promising a gloomy, vampiric take on a child gone bad and containing most of the movie's memorable scenes. Yet the final product is more Room than The Good Son, a plodding tale of a loving mother that is too languid and ludicrous to sustain any kind of dramatic heft. Much like the child she nourishes, it's an insipid piece that only sporadically springs to life - and it will take more than a few pints of blood to fix.
- push_the_fat_man
- Feb 8, 2023
- Permalink
Actually a good little film, but i think you will disappointed if you expect a more classical horrorfilm.
This more of a drama with the classical premise: How much will you do as a parent for your children?
I enjoyed it and there was great performance from teh entire cast, especially Michelle Monaghan and the 2 kids.
Its a slow burner withour scarejumps and the usual tools of the trade for horrorflicks, so dont expect any of that or you will be sorely disappointed.
The writing, dialogue and actions of the characters are also believable most of the time and when they appear less rationel, its back to the "what wouldnt you do for your kid"-dilemma so thats covered i guess.
This more of a drama with the classical premise: How much will you do as a parent for your children?
I enjoyed it and there was great performance from teh entire cast, especially Michelle Monaghan and the 2 kids.
Its a slow burner withour scarejumps and the usual tools of the trade for horrorflicks, so dont expect any of that or you will be sorely disappointed.
The writing, dialogue and actions of the characters are also believable most of the time and when they appear less rationel, its back to the "what wouldnt you do for your kid"-dilemma so thats covered i guess.
- michaeldamgaardmoller
- Oct 28, 2023
- Permalink
I loved THE MACHINIST but was mixed by BLOOD. The film has great elements, first Michelle Monaghan is phenomenal and her performance is really great, engaging as a mother who is ready to literally everything to support and heal his child. Also the two children are every great. The script is far from being flawless, but is full of suspense, tension and strong relationships between the characters.
BLOOD is also one of the most disturbing film you'll ever see. It can be disgusting at moments, though there is no gore (but lots of, well, blood, in this film. What's unhealthy, and really disturbing is the character's decisions and actions, and Monaghan's character, just like us, knows from the very beginning that what she's doing is wrong. She can be seen as a mother who loves and cherishes her child, and also, as someone says in the movie, "a monster". That's really disturbing. And her actions become unbelievable at some points. Of course, the supernatural element here is only a pretext to think about: "how far would you fo for your child?".
Still, there is a feeling that something is unfinished here, probably due due to some unanswered questions, but we feel it goes beyond these.
BLOOD is a film you'll love or hate. What's sure is that you'll probably feel very uncomfortable, and be shocked watching this film. Whatever you'll like or hate it, you won't forget it, and you'll probably need to walk 20/30 minutes to absorb the experience.
BLOOD is also one of the most disturbing film you'll ever see. It can be disgusting at moments, though there is no gore (but lots of, well, blood, in this film. What's unhealthy, and really disturbing is the character's decisions and actions, and Monaghan's character, just like us, knows from the very beginning that what she's doing is wrong. She can be seen as a mother who loves and cherishes her child, and also, as someone says in the movie, "a monster". That's really disturbing. And her actions become unbelievable at some points. Of course, the supernatural element here is only a pretext to think about: "how far would you fo for your child?".
Still, there is a feeling that something is unfinished here, probably due due to some unanswered questions, but we feel it goes beyond these.
BLOOD is a film you'll love or hate. What's sure is that you'll probably feel very uncomfortable, and be shocked watching this film. Whatever you'll like or hate it, you won't forget it, and you'll probably need to walk 20/30 minutes to absorb the experience.
Saw a couple of fake reviews, telling that the good reviews are the fake ones. Like come on seriously? As a movie critic I am concerned about the amount of fake reviews giving a false indication about how a movie is.
I saw the trailer and it looks good. Not sure why these people were complaining about slow paced, boring or whatever. This movie is GOOD. Not excellent of course. But GOOD.
The acting is excellent. Sure, the movie goes a bit slow, but I have watched a much slower paced movies that made me sleep. This movie is not that bad.
Jess (Michelle) and both her childrens acting are on point. Kudos to the director honestly. And quite the comeback by Skeet.
If you watch this movie expecting a straight horror movie, you'd be disappointed. But this isn't a straight up horror movie. It is a Horror + Drama movie... which is kind of a fresh make up of real life drama and intertwined with horror/supernatural.
My final say is, ignore the low ratings, and Go for it. You won't regret it. I loved this movie.
I saw the trailer and it looks good. Not sure why these people were complaining about slow paced, boring or whatever. This movie is GOOD. Not excellent of course. But GOOD.
The acting is excellent. Sure, the movie goes a bit slow, but I have watched a much slower paced movies that made me sleep. This movie is not that bad.
Jess (Michelle) and both her childrens acting are on point. Kudos to the director honestly. And quite the comeback by Skeet.
If you watch this movie expecting a straight horror movie, you'd be disappointed. But this isn't a straight up horror movie. It is a Horror + Drama movie... which is kind of a fresh make up of real life drama and intertwined with horror/supernatural.
My final say is, ignore the low ratings, and Go for it. You won't regret it. I loved this movie.
- emirfithri-12517
- Feb 5, 2023
- Permalink
It boils down to what lengths will a parent go to in order to ensure the survival and well-being of a child. And those lengths will come at no cost. To really boil it down as to why I gave it a six and not higher, is because there is a major plot point in the movie that never really gets explained or answered.
I don't know if this was a metaphor for addiction or just a straight forward horror movie, but I was pretty enthralled throughout the entire thing. I never knew, for the most part, what was coming next. Again, outside of a singular plot point that never receives an explanation, it was actually not a bad movie. I'll recommend it to the wife tomorrow and ask her to write her own review. But I think it deserves a check.
Lastly, the kid.....man he is good..
I don't know if this was a metaphor for addiction or just a straight forward horror movie, but I was pretty enthralled throughout the entire thing. I never knew, for the most part, what was coming next. Again, outside of a singular plot point that never receives an explanation, it was actually not a bad movie. I'll recommend it to the wife tomorrow and ask her to write her own review. But I think it deserves a check.
Lastly, the kid.....man he is good..
- Tovi_Se7en
- May 9, 2023
- Permalink
Not a terrible B-movie, but a rather bland one.
The bad: I am starting to think that the horror/mystery genre is one of the most underestimated genre. Hollywood keeps churning out these so called "mystery" movies, but there is a distinct problem with many of these cheaply produced mystery movies: THEY ARENT MYSTERIOUS in any way.
That's a problem.
Not any good then? The acting performances aint terrible, (but again) quite bland an unimpressive. It has got the look and feel of a TV movie and not of a feature movie that is worthy of being shown in the cinemas expecting people to pay for it.
To be avoided...
The bad: I am starting to think that the horror/mystery genre is one of the most underestimated genre. Hollywood keeps churning out these so called "mystery" movies, but there is a distinct problem with many of these cheaply produced mystery movies: THEY ARENT MYSTERIOUS in any way.
That's a problem.
Not any good then? The acting performances aint terrible, (but again) quite bland an unimpressive. It has got the look and feel of a TV movie and not of a feature movie that is worthy of being shown in the cinemas expecting people to pay for it.
To be avoided...
- WolfGoddess77
- May 15, 2023
- Permalink
- radbitrabbit
- Jun 6, 2023
- Permalink