DVD Review - Varsity Blood - Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Varsity Blood
Director: Jake Helgren
Starring: Lexi Giovagnoli, Wesley Scott, Debbie Rochon, Natalie Peyton, Blair Jackson
Studio: Image Entertainment
Release Date: August 19, 2014
Retail: $27.97
ASIN: B00KB0OAAU
Running Time: 87 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

I've been a fan of horror films ever since I watched John Carpenter's Halloween when I was either seven or eight years-old. While I do enjoy most slasher films, there are a few (Blood Murder 1 & 2) that are so horribly written, directed and acted, that they are just laughable. I'm not a fan of the recent surge of PG-13 films either, so I eagerly asked to review Varsity Blood, as soon as heard there were review copies available form RLJ Entertainment.

Varsity Blood is written and directed by Jame Giovagnoli; yeah, you're not the only one that has never heard of him. The film stars a bunch of unknowns, except for Debbie Rochon, who is famous for the low-budget films Tromeo and Juliet and Toxic Avenger 4; so you can pretty much guess that the acting is cringe-worthy. Then again, most horror moves have bad acting in them anyway.

The "killer" in Varisty Blood!

The film begins on Halloween Eve, where a Hogeye High cheerleader is murdered by the football team's mascot. The rest of the film takes place on Halloween night with a group of teenagers and football players having a party at a remote farm. Of course the mascot-axe-carrying-killer is also there and one by one, the killer murders each teenager, all except for the new girl in town Hannah Wallace (played by Lexi Givoagnoli).

At first glance Varsity Blood looks like a throwback to the 80s slasher films, tossing in a few clever references to other movies, but when you have a killer in a laughable costume, you can't take the movie too seriously. Even on a shoestring budget, horror films can be entertaining, but Varsity Blood has way too many problems. From silly dialogue and bad acting (and I mean really bad acting) to horrible camera shots, the film has very little to offer a horror fan. When the camera cuts away before a character is killed, you know that the director doesn't have a clue what he is doing. Sure, there are a few interesting moments, like opening scene, but I had a hard time deciding if this is a comedy or a horror film. Overall, Varsity Blood is a forgettable low-budget horror films with no thrills or shrills.