Bloodtype Online

 

      Rachel Nichols plays Angela Bridges, a corporate type that’s running late for her families Christmas Eve get-together. She promised her sister that she would be at the party with all of her Chistmas goodies including a Santa Claus outfit for her father to don. She enters level P2 in the parking garage after exiting the elevator and goes towards her BMW. So far she is safe. Then her Christmas plans get screwed as her car doesn’t start but that’s the least of her problems. Soon she heads towards the office of the parking garage to ask the security guard Tom (Wes Bentley “American Beauty” and “Ghost Rider”) to call open up the front door so she can call for a cab after Tom opens up the door. Instead he tries to help her with her car trouble and when that doesn’t work he invites her to spend Christmas Eve with him. They part ways for just a few minutes as Tom somehow locked the building front door in order for Angela to catch her cab. 

      She then comes back to the parking lot to see what the problem was or if Tom is slacking on his job. Soon the lights begin to go out and the only way Angela can make it around the parking lot is by the light of her cell phone. Soon Tom creeps up from behind her and his Christmas Date dream became his sinister reality. 

      Tom is quite the creepy character in this film but Wes Bentley does play the character over the top. His performance never bothered me but I did feel that maybe it could have been more subdued. Still the character Tom was nuts and totally unable to control his emotions. He is a very lonely guy that spends his nights watching an empty parking lot. In his spare time he must have been watching Angela night after night until he orchestrated this premeditated plan of his forceful dating service. 

      Angela is not the quitting type or the kind of girl that will except that she’s being held captive. She chooses the right times to give in to Tom’s requests but when she gets a chance she stabs him right but to no avail. After this event Tom takes her to another floor level of the garage to meet up with a co-worker that groped her in an elevator in the past. Earlier in the film this gentlemen sincerely apologized to Angela about the incident in the elevator. He mentioned he was drunk and under lots of pressure now that he’s a family man. Angela actually accepted the apology and moved on as well. The one guy who couldn’t get over the situation was Tom. He saw it on the security camera and actually owns the tape! So his plan was to have Angela bash the “pervert” in the head with a flashlight. After she says no numerous times to his skull crushing demands Angela eventually gives in. It’s too late as the erratic Tom decides to take care of business himself, after he tells Angela to stay put of course. The events that go on in this scene are extremely violent. This scene will either create chills or cheers depending on your reaction to on screen violence. Let’s just say it involves a moving car, A guy taped to a rolling chair and a wall. 

      Soon Angela breaks free and more cat and mouse games go on until the ending. Wes Bentley goes into further camp territory when he does his Elvis impression/impersonation in his office while he watches Angela. They have plenty more of face offs as Angela ends up in a flooded elevator, the trunk of a car and they even play chicken eventually. Also the cops get involved after a getting a phone call about a disturbance in the building. Tom manages to keep his cool and Angela in a trunk while the cops make their rounds around the parking lot. Once the cops make it around Angela’s beamer Tom blast his Christmas music to blur her already muffled screams. I was surprised the cops didn’t question him about pumping Christmas music on a loud speaker but no big deal. 

      The film is just flat out enjoyable and has a handful of goofy moments.  Rachel Nichols nearly busts out of the dress that Tom puts her in while she was passed out. Her performance isn’t all T and A as she is capable of swinging and axe and going to war with a raging dog. She was able to deliver a performance worthy of cheers for the intended audience. All horror films like a bad ass and an empathetic character. All she wanted to do was make it home for Christmas but Tom had to go and fuck that up! Her role was physically demanding and a lot of attention was on her in terms of dialog as well. Despite  Wes Bentley’s over enthusiastic performance as the lonely villain Tom, he still had moments of sinister glee worthy of a chuckle and manic moments that could create some discomfort depending what affects you. 

      Every technical aspect of this film was great. The use of music, lighting, cell phones in the storyline, attention to detail with camerawork and all the effects including the flooding elevator, explosions and make up effects gave this filman authentic feel and a moody atmosphere. No noticeable CGI shows up in the film to ruin it. Tons of horror conventions are played out. You’ll get a creepy villain, one inventive kill that rivals Alexadre Aja’s “Haute Tension” stair case scene. The ending is satisfying and the 98 minute running time is reasonable although some of the chase scenes could have been trimmed. Women that work in office building might want to be escorted by non creepy men on the way to their parked cars after seeing this film. Seriously Tom epitomizes the creepy man that no lady wants to meet. He is obsessive, persistent, dangerous and bi-polar. 

      Personally I think everyone involved in this project is talented and it shows on screen whether it be Frank Khalfoun’s attention to detail, the simple but effective story by all the before mentioned writers and the entire team of producers and financiers that didn’t waste money on noticeable or hokey CGI.  

      I recommend everyone watch this film at least once. Its hardly flawed on a technical level, the story is simple and the acting is mostly stellar. I think Wes Bentley was given a little too much freedom but some of his dark humor make this film all the more memorable. This is a solid horror film with a few moments gore lovers will enjoy!

Special Feautures include Filmmaker Commentary, A New Level of Fear: The Making of P2, Designing Terror and Tension Nouveau: Presenting Franck Khalfoun.

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-Russ Rutter