Bloodtype Online

DVD Screener 

    This is the feature length debut of director Evan A. Meszaros, and straight off the bat I will say that this is one of the more impressive debuts that I have seen recently. It most certainly isn't your average run of the mill horror movie, it is however a bloody good one. 

    Windcroft doesn't having any masked psycho's, no ghosts, zombies or other beasties, no torture and certainly no porn. It's not a particularly bloody movie and it doesn't have the cheap scares that we see every day in genre movies. What there is instead is a dark brooding story that slowly sucks you in, revealing its evil heart oh so gradually. 

    The plot follows John, who as the Vice President of an advertising company isn't doing all that well, he's lost a few accounts and seems to be letting things get him down. On top of this his father has recently passed away leaving John the family farm. So, along with his new wife Diane, he sets off out into the country to claim the family estate and do some renovation work on it while he is there. 

    However, once they get there it becomes very apparent that John is more interested in working on the farm than paying any attention to his wife. Whilst he is away in his own little world Diane befriends Mindy, who lives on a neighboring farm and also has some sort of history with John. As the movie progresses this history, along with John's relationships with his family, become all the more clearer and more disturbing. 

    Windcroft kept me glued to the screen throughout, as through its clever storytelling it is careful not to reveal too much too soon. Although on the surface things seem relatively normal it is fairly obvious that there is much more going on beneath the surface. Why is John so secretive? What really happened in his past? You'll just have to watch and see, it certainly kept me guessing and didn't disappoint by the time the final credits rolled. 

    Aside from the gripping story this movie is technically and visually very impressive too; the camerawork I thought was especially good, capturing as it did the wonderful scenery; adding a deceptive beauty to proceedings. There's no shaky shaky camera tomfoolery here, there are however some great sweeping crane shots and a far more subtle approach than I have become accustomed to lately. It is quite clear to me that a lot of love and attention went into the shooting of this film. If, however, you do like to see a little of the more visceral side of filmmaking there are one or two scenes here that will have you cringing in your seats; all of which fit into the grand scheme of the story perfectly. 

Good filmmaking can often be let down by a poor cast, or by less than wonderful acting. Fortunately that isn't the case here though as the small cast, there are only half a dozen or so people in the movie, all play their parts superbly. The three principles are all great too watch, although at times I did find Diane's character a little sugary in places; especially towards the beginning of the movie. This is a minor moan though as she does develop tremendously throughout the duration of the story. 

    Windcroft is a very impressive movie, let alone a debut, and one that I am glad to have seen. So often trailers can be deceptive, building your hopes up only to have them dashed when you see the final product. The trailer for this movie did look good, hence me trying to track down a copy of the movie, the movie however is a far more satisfying experience and I only hope that it finds some decent distribution soon. 

    If you enjoyed movies such as Head Trauma or even the more recent Wind Chill then chances are that you will get a kick out of Windcroft, as it is a very well made character driven genre piece. 

*** 1/2

- Jude Felton