Bloodtype Online

    In celebration of Sara’s 18^th birthday, her friends decide to throw her a surprise party at haunted Burkitt Manor.  This is a nice, simple, straightforward premise, which enjoys a lively and at times, highly original, interpretation in this Scotchworthy production.  For being this company’s first feature length release, I was really impressed with how much they got right and I’m really looking forward to what they do next. 

    I have to take time out to give them credit for successfully blending in the history of the haunted house with the rest of the film.  Getting in the backstory is never a simple matter and it gets screwed up a lot.  Using a simple house tour, writer Tony Wash found a nice way to get all that you needed to know into his film without saddling his characters with drawn-out, unnatural speeches.  Mr. Burkitt was a tyrannical steel mill owner who lost everything.  To hide himself from the shameful stares of the rest of the town, he decides to cover all his windows with paint and seal his entire family inside their home.  When the authorities were finally convinced to investigate they discovered that Burkitt had slaughtered his entire family before arranging them around the dinner table and joining them in death.  These scenes are pretty bloody and they had the guts to show the kids meeting their untimely demise.  I know that these guys were lucky enough to attend Tom Savini’s Special FX classes and their enthusiasm and attention to good old fashion blood and guts really shows.  Obvious Creepshow fans, they even threw in comic panel frames to help transition scenes and to deliver the opening credits. 

    The film falters a bit by taking too much time to focus on the party preparations, but once Sara gets inside the house, the story follows a quicker pace.  And Sara is a well-developed slasher film heroine—sure she’s got the usual qualities…she’s quieter, a straight A student etc.  However, she’s also a horror film loving, weapons trained black belt.  Once her friends start getting killed, she zeroes in on a really ballsy way out.  She’s going to fight.  She never considers any other option and I loved that.  So, with her decision firmly made, we are treated to some more of the crew’s make-up and blood spilli

ng skills via creepy kids, one drippy monster, and flesh slicing homicides.  Will anyone make it out alive?  Ok, is that really what we watch these movies for anyway?  Let me just say that you will be treated to a truly unique and surprising (not to mention bloody as all hell) ending—at least I’ve never seen anything like it before. 

    All things considered, this was a fun one to watch.  It has a Tom Savini cameo, so that’s an added plus in my book.  The story didn’t suffer from most of the usual screenplay flaws.  I also really enjoyed the “Choose Your Own Adventure” features on the DVD.  Having loved those books as a kid, I had a blast playing.  You have nine possible endings and the goal is to help Sara and friends get out alive.  There’s a lot of extra footage in this part, so it’s well worth your time.  “It’s My Party” is one to check out and I look forward to what Tony Wash and company think of next—it’s only gonna get better.  For more information, check out the movie at http://www.myspace.com/its_my_party_n_ill_die or go to http://www.scotchworthy.com/store.html to order ($15 + $3 s&h). 

**3/4 (really close to ***, but not quite)

-Jennie Milojevic