Bloodtype Online

  

    Unrest was the sleeper After Dark Horror Fest film from last November that tried to stir up controversy because it featured real dead bodies! I am not into the hype machine for any film because that can ruin my viewing experience due to expectations of shock, gore, etc. This film did have some nasty stuff such as cadaver tank swimming, a gross anatomy tour that takes up a lot of the 88 minute film and a decent body count. This film impressed me beyond the gross out tactics. The score was impressive, the unknown cast did a fantastic job and the medical location (morgue) was something I didn’t see in a lot of genre films.

    Four medical students begin their Gross Anatomy class with a cadaver that may be more than something to dissect. From the beginning of the film Alison Blanchard (Corri English) senses that something is wrong with the cadaver she’s working on. She feels sensations and instantly knows nothing is normal.. She even thinks its odd she feels this way because she’s either an atheist or agnostic. She plays detective throughout the film and takes chances of getting kicked out of school for snooping around stuff she's not authorized to even touch

    When one of her lab partner’s girlfriend dies Alison suspects something is wrong. She begins to research were her cadavers body came from and while she finds more information more people in the hospital are dying. The corpse of “Norma” may have a lot do with the number of deaths that keep adding up in the hospital. The story behind “Norma” aka Alita Covas. (Played convincingly by Marisa Petroro) isn’t the easiest thing to comprehend but the characters and atmosphere more than made up for the Aztec mumbo jumbo that conveniently got mixed into the story. Most subplots of ghost stories suck I have to admit. Although this film had some retarded and illogical explanations, this flick packed a powerful punch with classic scream queen acting by Corri English, a great orchestra score with religious or cultural vocals and the true grue like nasty  limbs floating in a cadaver tank. The cast made everything going on seem real and although the plot was ridiculous the performances gave the story credibility. The film is directed perfectly by Jason Todd Ipson who used to be a doctor and is an expert on the Gross Anatomy narrative. This is the best ghost story I’ve seen since Tartan Video’s “Red Shoes” and the fact that no long haired Asian clichés were on screen was refreshing. Jessica Alba’s brother buys the farm in this movie and I’d like to give him a shout out. Hey Joshua Alba….. I want to bone your sister gently!

     Other stand out performances I’d like to mention are by Jay Jablonski  who played Rick the dick of the group. I thought I would enjoy his death scene but his character went through enough to make me care when he slices his own throat! Derrick O’Connor plays the Dr. that believes Alison is full of shit when it comes to bodies needing to be put to rest.

     Brian Cross played Scot Davis and is a lucky bastard for scoring with the hotter than boiled water Alison character. His acting was just as good as Carri English’s and their chemistry on screen made the experience a breeze. The morbidity of corpses make up for the lack of cut and slice mayhem. I highly recommend this film because of its location, the cast, the music and educational tour of what it may be like in medical school.

    Despite the gimmicky ghost subplot , this film is one of my favorite horror flicks I‘ve seen in a while for these two facts……a vast majority of it was original and the entire class took the film seriously. This is not an American remake of a Japanese ghost story. The movie was inspired from a guy with medical experience and a respect for the dead. Hopefully jaded horror fans give this underrated take on ghost stories a chance.

Rating - ***

-Russ Rutter