Review: Blood Beat (1983)

Directed by: Fabrice-Ange Zaphiratos
Starring: Helen Benton, Terry Brown, Claudia Peyton
Written by: Fabrice-Ange Zaphiratos
Music by: Chris Zaphiratos, Fabrice-Ange Zaphiratos
Country: United States, France
Available on: Blu-ray (Vinegar Syndrome)
IMDb

My initial viewing of this weird gem, which I really liked, was at like 1 a.m. when our newborn baby was still waking up every couple of hours; I had to make sure my exhaustion at the time didn’t warp my grading curve too much. But I have since confirmed that it’s a pretty dang interesting film. A Christmas horror movie that takes place in rural Wisconsin and features a ghostly samurai and a woman who orgasms whenever her psychic abilities kick in? What could be wrong about it? But seriously, this is such an unusual but charming movie. The characters feel genuine and folksy, the backwoods setting is really tranquil yet eerie, and the music does an excellent job of maintaining an offbeat (offbloodbeat?) and chilling atmosphere. Supposedly writer/director Fabrice-Ange Zaphiratos was on drugs while writing this — and the title refers to a user’s accelerated heartbeat while high — and yes, that would seem to be the case. The spirit of a samurai warrior hunting folks in the rural Midwest is definitely an incongruous concept, but this package works on a strange level. There’s not a ton of blood but for a movie with such a potentially absurd story, Zaphiratos manages to keep up the tension and interest without ever feeling too goofy, despite some pretty poor optical effects and acting that, while generally adequate, is hardly great. Blood Beat is a very odd and fascinating film, and is totally singular, and I kind of love it. If you’re in the mood for a Christmas horror flick way off the beaten path, you could definitely do worse than this.

Rating: 8 out of 10