Movie Review: Bloodhound (2020)

January 4, 2020

Written by DanXIII

Daniel XIII; the result of an arcane ritual involving a King Diamond album, a box of Count Chocula, and a copy of Swank magazine, is a screenwriter, director, producer, actor, artist, and reviewer of fright flicks…Who hates ya baby?

The long and the short of Bloodhound is rather simple: Private dick Abel Walker (Ed Ackerman) is looking for a dame that has pulled a disappearing act, and he’s brought along his cameraman, Jim (David Foy), to document the whole sordid affair. As the plot sickens, our dudes find themselves balls deep in a swirling miasma of twists, turns, and murder.

While that plot sounds straightforward, the actual picture is anything but. Writer/director Jason Richard Miller has created a unique animal in our ol’ horror biz; a heady mix of film noir (including the omnipresent narration the genre utilizes), found footage, and faux documentary.

These techniques make the audience feel that we are actually a part of Walker’s high stakes investigation, and it all works pretty damn well. Adding to that is Ackerman’s dependable “everyman” performance that really gets us invested in our hero’s plight… one which may be way beyond his scope to contend with.

Another element I enjoyed is the film’s slick ’80s style synth-heavy soundtrack. This gives the film another seemingly disparate element that just ends up working somehow. Admittedly music works against the basic conceit a titch, but regardless it gives the flick that much more unique flavor.

On the downside, if you can’t stand a shit-ton of hand held cinematic visuals and that shot on the fly aesthetic then you will have a bigger hurdle to overcome in your enjoyment of this one than most… but even if found footage style films aren’t your bag, I’d still urge you to give this one a fair shake.

Bottom line; Bloodhound is a unique, tension filled neo-noir affair that successfully adds a level of immersive elements that keeps the suspense that much more personal.

 

 

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