Bloodthirsty opens in visceral, gory fashion with a nightmare sequence that sets the tone for what’s to come. Sadly, what follows is only passingly enjoyable. The presentation of a lesbian horror film about a struggling indie artist (Lauren Beatty’s Grey) as she tinkers with the conception of her second album, only to run into something strange working with her new producer (Greg Byrk), is great on paper. Female director Amelia Moses was the perfect choice, and frames cool terror sequences in a way that keeps the material eye-popping. The problem is, I’ve seen this type of film done before so many times and better than any single segment of Bloodthirsty.
A big transformation sequence late in the film stands tall for the legacy of this film; it chooses to utilize practical effects over CGI. The approach to the soundtrack, featuring organic music tracks, builds the music itself into a character. I found two of the songs in this haunting and beautiful, with my favorite being the title track, “Bloodthirsty.” Even when I didn’t quite care for the direction it took, the songs fit the mood of respective scenes perfectly. Lauren Beatty brings the character of Grey to life with authenticity. If half as much effort had been put into the film’s scripting as the spectacular soundtrack, the possibilities were endless. Bloodthirsty comes to limited release theaters, VOD, and digital on Friday, April 23rd.
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