Everything about film has changed, and while some lambast this brave new world, it does have its silver linings. Streaming services took over channels and then became their own studios. For every Netflix dud there's a great horror film championed by SHUDDER, Bloody Disgusting, or Fangoria that would go otherwise unproduced. SHUDDER, specifically, has been picking up amazing films, from last year's LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL to this year's IN A VIOLENT NATURE. The studio is ending the year strong with a meta take on the coming-of-age slasher rom-com called BLOODY AXE WOUND, releasing in limited theaters before landing on the streamer in early 2025. The synopsis is as follows:
Abbie Bladecut (Sari Arambulo, "A.P. Bio") is a teenager torn between the macabre traditions of her family’s bloody trade and the tender stirrings of her first crush (Molly Brown, "Dexter: Original Sin"). In the small town of Clover Falls, Abbie’s father, Roger Bladecut (Billy Burke, TWILIGHT), has built an infamous legacy by capturing real-life killings on tape and selling them to eager customers, but as Abbie delves deeper into the grisly family business, she begins to wonder if it’s time to take the family tradition in a new direction.
The conceit of the film is surprisingly fresh in a genre that finds new ways to reinvent itself with shocking regularity. Set within the confines of a horror film, we see what it might be like to grow up in a family where the patriarch is a serial killer/slasher who rises from the grave everytime a brave teen succeeds in fighting back... to a point. Roger Bladecut is aging out of effectiveness, and while at first Abbie thinks she's the logical successor, getting to actually know her victims before swinging the axe has her seeing things differently.
I was able to talk to producer Hilarie Burton Morgan and co-star Molly Brown about crafting a story with strong female characters and bringing as much talent behind the camera as in front. In a move that I've been contemplating for a while that's a win-win-win, I am not transcribing this interview (win for me), so you get to see the actual interview subjects (win for you) and sometimes my cat jumps into the frame when I do these things (also win for you, though she doesn't do so this time, but you can make a drinking game of it as we move forward). The small price you must pay is watching me try to form sentences.
Thanks to Hilarie Burton Morgan (whom I figured out is actually Jeffrey Dean Morgan's wife after the interview) and Molly Brown for chatting with me about this fresh and fun horror ride, and I invite you all to check it out when it releases in theaters December 27th, 2024 or you can wait until it hits the streaming service next year. Either way, definitely check it out and let us know what you think. Until next time, enjoy this week of purgatory before 2025 becomes a reality and I hope it brings you everything you desire!
Take scare!
-McEric, aka Eric McClanahan-
