Bloody Murder (2000)

 There was this era when the VHS rental store was about dead while the DVD boom was starting to heat up. That Scream era, I guess, right before Netflix DVD (then streaming) was about to emerge as a gamechanger in terms of receiving films in the mail at a time when certain titles were nearly impossible to get a hold of. Within that window sandwiched between the VHS rental store and the Netflix DVD mail was the Movie Gallery / Blockbuster DVD era. In the late 80s, I could count about seven VHS rental stores in my small town. By 1997 or so, there were like two. Gone were the likes of Gardner/Watson, Hassels, Eagle's Video, Ray's Rent-a-Movie, and Down's Video and what was left was Movie Gallery. Now the building where Movie Gallery used to occupy exists a physical therapy office. Now the last Blockbuster nearby me houses a jewelry store. No longer is there a Netflix DVD in the mail. From about 1997 or so until probably 2009 was Movie Gallery and Blockbuster's greatest period of success where I live. During the height of the VHS horror era in the 80s, I was too young, but by 1997, I was finally able to rent all the rated R horror I wanted. And, sadly, all those horror films I always wanted to rent on VHS were no longer available. Unfortunately, Scream (1996) brought about a tame era of slasher film far removed from the visceral early 80s style that populated plenty of VHS rental store shelves before I was of the age to see them. Eventually a lot of what populated those shelves are having a come back thanks to the boutique Blu-Ray age where the likes of Vinegar Syndrome, Synapse, Severin, Arrow, and Shout/Scream Factory are competing to release them. In the early 2000s, I was renting from Movie Gallery ALOT. Bloody Murder (2000) was a film with Nelson Hammond in a hockey mask (wielding a chainsaw) on the cover, enough to lure unsuspecting slasher fans to rent it.

In the opening of the film, the hockey-masked boogeyman was referred to as Trevor Moorehouse, but, ultimately, the killer was revealed to be a tormented camper named Nelson Hammond. Young adults are heading for a camp to prepare for the summer camp period, training to be counselors while setting up the archery range, grounds, and cabins. Trevor Moorehouse is mentioned as he is about to bury his chainsaw into the chest of a motorist (whose car had a flat tire), talked about by the young cast while on their way to Camp Placid Pines. That is the only time you see a killer in the hockey mask with the chainsaw. False advertising to the absurd degree. I can only imagine how many folks like me saw that cover expecting chainsaw carnage, leaving the film quite dissatisfied. Hilariously, after pretty much telling us throughout the film that there was no actual Trevor Moorehouse, the screenplay then offers him at the very end as a groan-inducing twist...too late for that shit.

As you will read in the IMDb user comments or Letterboxd reviews, Bloody Murder is very much unapologetically a wannabe clone of "Friday the 13th", right down to the Part 5 movie poster hockey mask, Crazy Ralph character named Henry (who just pops up in the film for no other reason than to proclaim, "You're doomed!" to the lead character, Julie (Jessica Morris, a very busy actress, known for a soap opera and whole bunch of low budget horror; this film was a rough start)), and plot involving college-age kids arriving at a camp to develop as counselors for camp season. Julie is a pretty but bland blonde who realizes that a killer in on the rampage (eventually). Slight touches to differentiate this film from "Friday the 13th" are added but not enough to matter much. There is even a character named Jason proposed as the possible killer. But shoehorning Moorehouse into the twist at the end after the main killer is caught is a bit frustrating because it feels like a course correction too late to make a difference.

I really thought Crystalle Ford, as the kind Drew, eventually suspected of being the killer as a screenplay diversion, could have been the better candidate to follow as the lead instead of Morris. It wasn't just because she was very attractive, but I thought there was some nuance in her as opposed to Morris who was about 18 at the time and a bit out of her depth. Morris, now an incredibly active actress with lots of projects either completed or in production, was just a kid then, so there was time for her to hone her craft and build upon her career. In this film, she was just dull. Granted, she was given a dull character, so there wasn't much available in Julie to do a lot with. I guess, though, with a film that didn't have much to offer period, her boring character was just one of a myriad of issues. 

The promise of Trevor Moorehouse hacking up teens with a chainsaw isn't the only letdown. There is this weak attempt to elicit jump scares with badly times cues, the use of weapons like the arrow on the archery range, or the use of a knife to stab or slash, the washed-out, unatmospheric cinematography, and uninspired underscore for the film all accumulate into a poor viewing experience. I get it, though: money was clearly an issue and plucking directly from "Friday the 13th" so much content, without any real originality or sense of style, energy, and visceral punch, what is left is a bore. I did like the outdoor locations in California, so I worked to find some consolation for returning to this after 20 years. The film even has Julie's dad arriving, and the revelation of the killer, someone who just pops in and out to dictate plans for the day and make assignments, really isn't significant enough a character to to shock us. The actor doesn't have enough charisma, either, to make any psychotic moments or dialogue work. It all lands with a thud.

Much like a lot of slashers from 1980s, Bloody Murder has a lot of actors/actresses who were in very little (or nothing) after this film. Why this got a sequel, I'm not sure, but I will revisit that one as well. It has received better reviews that the first film, if that matters much. Well, it does have Shepis in it, so I have that incentive for wanting to watch it one more time. But I will grant this to Bloody Murder: it had me returning to my early 20s when I was scanning those DVD shelves, hoping something might equal what I missed being too young when those 80s slashers were unavailable to me. 1.5/5