Bloodletting (film)
{{Short description|1997 American horror film}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Bloodletting
| image = File:Bloodletting (1997) DVD cover.jpg
| caption = DVD cover
| director = Matthew Jason Walsh
| producer =
| writer = Matthew Jason Walsh
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- James L. Edwards
- Ariauna Albright
}}
| music =
| editing =
| studio =
| distributor = Tempe Video
| released = {{Film date|1997}}
| runtime =
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
}}
Bloodletting is a 1997 American direct-to-video horror film written and directed by Matthew Jason Walsh{{cite book|last1=Martin|first1=Mick|last2=Porter|first2=Marsha|date=2000|title=Video Movie Guide 2001|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2cicEzGKA2kC|publisher=Ballantine Books|page=118|isbn=0-345-42099-3}}{{cite magazine|last=Bowen|first=John W.|date=September–October 2001|title=The Three Ms of Serial Murder|url=https://ia800605.us.archive.org/3/items/Rue_Morgue_023_2001/Rue_Morgue_023_2001.pdf|magazine=Rue Morgue|issue=23|page=44|issn=1481-1103}} and executive produced by J. R. Bookwalter.{{cite book|last=Lentz III|first=Harris M.|date=2001|title=Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits, Volume 2: Filmography|edition=Second|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a21ZAAAAMAAJ|publisher=McFarland & Company|page=912|isbn=0-7864-0951-7}} The film was shot-on-video,{{cite web|url=https://rue-morgue.com/exclusive-comments-plus-trailer-and-posters-sov-veteran-turns-director-with-her-name-was-christa/|title=Exclusive Comments, Plus Trailer and Posters: SOV Veteran Turns Director with "Her Name Was Christa"|last=Gingold|first=Michael|date=December 20, 2018|website=Rue Morgue|access-date=July 8, 2023}} and stars James L. Edwards as Butch Harlow, a serial killer who is blackmailed by young woman Serena Stalin (Ariauna Albright) into taking her on as his apprentice.{{cite magazine|last=Collum|first=Jason Paul|date=January 2002|title=Guerilla Filmmaker: J.R. Bookwalter|url=https://archive.org/details/Femme_Fatales_v11n01/page/n11/|magazine=Femme Fatales|volume=11|issue=1|page=12|issn=1523-5750}}
Bloodletting was preceded by a 1995 short film, I've Killed Before,{{cite web|url=http://www.tempevideo.com/bloodletting/bl_dvd.html|title=Bloodletting (Remastered Special Edition DVD)|website=TempeVideo.com|publisher=Tempe Entertainment|access-date=July 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709081133/http://www.tempevideo.com/bloodletting/bl_dvd.html|archive-date=July 9, 2023|url-status=live}}{{cite book|last=Lindenmuth|first=Kevin J.|date=1998|title=Making Movies on Your Own: Practical Talk from Independent Filmmakers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=duC17f2AajMC&pg=PA6|publisher=McFarland & Company|page=6|isbn=978-0786405176}} also directed by Walsh and starring Edwards and Albright.
Cast
- James L. Edwards as Butch Harlow
- Ariauna Albright as Serena Stalin
- Nina Angeloff as Bobbie Jo
- Sasha Graham as Patti
- Randy Rupp
- Scooter McCrae
Reception
Cinefantastique and Video Movie Guide both commended the performances of the film's cast.{{cite magazine|date=1998|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I4BZAAAAMAAJ|magazine=Cinefantastique|volume=29|issue=12|access-date=July 8, 2023 | title=Cinefantastique }} A reviewer for Fangoria described Bloodletting as having "a smart script, a playful sense of humor and a solid rapport between the leads", praising its editing and noting "plenty of amusing twists and gruesome FX".{{cite magazine|author=Dr. Cyclops|date=November 1997|title=The Video Eye of Dr. Cyclops|magazine=Fangoria|publisher=Starlog Group, Inc.|issue=168|issn=0164-2111}} John W. Bowen of Rue Morgue called the film "so much more tightly focused than most of its peers", writing: "If microbudget shot-on-vid horror is to remain viable, a lot of filmmakers would do well to study the ways in which Bloodletting compensates for its low production values with solid performances and tight scripting, neither of which costs a dime." The film received moderate praise from critic Joe Bob Briggs, who complimented its gore but asserted that it "ends up with a 'Who will they kill next?' plot that doesn't always hold your attention."{{cite news|last=Briggs|first=Joe Bob|author-link=Joe Bob Briggs|date=July 25, 1997|title=This rates a 10 on barf-bag scale|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orlando-sentinel/127835781/|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel|page=100|access-date=July 8, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}
Home media
On August 19, 2003, Bloodletting received a "special edition" DVD release by Tempe Video. In 2022, Tempe Digital and Makeflix restored and released the film on Blu-ray.{{cite web|url=https://makeflix.com/products/bloodletting|title=Bloodletting|website=Makeflix.com|publisher=Makeflix|access-date=July 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709081024/https://makeflix.com/products/bloodletting|archive-date=July 9, 2023|url-status=live}}
References
{{Reflist}}