Bloodtype Online

           Andy Copp, the director who filmed the shocking and experimental film “The Mutilation Man”, directs this shot on video rape/revenge movie about a young medical student, Brandon, who helps a rape victim while working at a trauma ward. This brings back some repressed memories from his high school years that he’s been blocking out for some time. He witnessed his three friend’s gang rape Samantha, played by Telsa, he was good friends with back then. The event of him witnessing the damage of a women being raped stay’s on his mind. He has a beautiful pregnant wife and a career ahead of him. He opens up to his wife about the past and about the recent rape. He goes on about how the incident happened and how he felt guilty for being there while it happened. He was held back by one of the rapist so he didn’t have much control of the situation. He’s ashamed he never did anything about the assault and he was also scared of the guys. Now as an adult he realizes although he was scared as a teenager, he should of still went to the authorities or done something about it. The fact that he feels like a coward haunts him and now his friends of the past must pay with their lives.

Brandon writes his wife a letter explaining to her that he’s off to help the cops with the recent crime. Instead he goes to the wonderful revenge/exploitation token retards house to deliver some justice. This scene has an impressive gore shot and from this moment on you know everyone else is also getting what’s coming to them. Little does he know that the guys he grew up with have accepted their evil ways and are now psychopaths.

Andy Copp writes very interesting stories that involve characters with damaging past. He's also is a fan of exploitation films from the 70’s and this movie has many similarities to those classics. What’s great about the film is that there hasn’t been a rape/revenge movies in years, at least there hasn’t been any I’ve got my hands on. I also like the fact that the movie is serious in tone even though it’s on a low budget and shot on video. A lot of these types of films are horror comedies usually with shitty lighting and sound. Copp actually proved you can make a really dark themed movie on video. His writing is his biggest strength and makes the viewer overlook some of the flaws in the movie. I didn’t really care for the actor who played Brandon. I just didn’t like the rhythm of his speech and he seemed rather monotone. Again I stress that even the starring actor couldn’t ruin this story because of Copp’s gift to tell a good story. I have no problem with any other actor involved in this project because they all did a solid job. All the villains were menacing and made it fun for me to watch them die eventually. The Director made a wise choice by showing the rape from the female perspective. I don’t see that in a lot of these types of films so at least he brought something original to the genre. I like T&A as much as the next guy but I don’t mind that Samantha was never shown nude. There are some strippers in this movie, including an Asian who can shake her ass in an admirable way.

As far as the gore, there is some amazing stuff and some cheap looking stuff. The most impressive make up-effects in the movie is shot in the strip club. Some girl gets her face skinned off basically and it’s nasty. The only thing I don’t like about the gore in some scenes is the absence of stab wounds. I see people get all bloody but there are never any gashes. It’s just all blood that runs out of a plastic knife. I think I might be a little picky because on the DVD's commentary I heard the director admit that he wants an effects guy his next movie. He usually does his own effects and I am impressed with a lot of stuff he comes up with. There were some real effects in the movie that will make some viewers uneasy. If real needles gross you out then you’re in for it!

The climax of the film is surprising, sad and fairly gory. The movie didn’t feel like a rip off of the 70’s and 80’s horror but it’s nice to see a movie in 2006 resemble my favorite film’s that just aren’t made anymore. Nick Palumbo made the relentless “Murder-Set-Pieces” that brought back the sleazy slasher in the tradition of “Maniac”, Fred Vogel made one of the most brutal and realistic horror films “August Underground” that dares the viewer to watch such a  unapologetic horror film that seems all to authentic and Rob Zombie made the genius road/revenge horror classic “The Devils Reject’s”. I put Andy Copp’s movies “The Atrocity Circle” and “The Mutilation Man” in the same company with the filmmakers I just mentioned. He works on small budgets and he’s shot on both film and video. I think he has succeeded tremendously with both formats. Copp is a very knowledgeable and interesting director who has his own voice in everything he does. He should keep making genre pictures for us fans that miss the golden era of exploitation and splatter films. He seems to never hold back and isn't that what art is about?"The Atrocity Circle" has a lot to say about guilt, revenge and karma and it tackles these issues in that order.  The film was supposed to be released on Sub-Rosa Extreme but the director and company parted ways. You can now buy this film on www.coppfilms.com.