#fabrice-ange zaphiratos

[adamwatchesmovies]

Blood Beat (1983)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

I have the nagging suspicion that Blood Beat writer/director Fabrice-Ange Zaphiratos either has a thing for samurai or just had samurai armor lying around when they started making this film. This is a hodge-podge of a horror movie. Random things happen consistently enough to keep you thinking this might become “so bad it’s good” but not consistently enough to actually make it worth seeing.

During the Christmas season, Cathy (Helen Benton) and her longtime partner Gary (Terry Brown) welcome Cathy’s son Ted (James Fitzgibbons) and daughter Dolly (Dana Day) to their home. Along to visit is Ted’s girlfriend, Sarah (Claudia Peyton). Immediately, Cathy’s psychic senses detect something strange within Sarah. After a hunting trip gone bad, she has a dream about a samurai armor (and matching sword) and soon after, the armor appears, with a mind of its own and a craving for blood.

I can appreciate a supernatural horror film wanting to keep its cards close to its chest but Blood Beat - whose title is as arbitrary as the rest of the film - takes it too far. Cathy’s can read minds and fend off psychic attacks, which makes her a great painter? Are the two supposed to be related? Her family is aware of her visions but if there’s a link between them and Sarah, we’re never told where it came from or what it means. There’s got to be a link. Otherwise, why would the girl who previously showed no supernatural abilities dream about a samurai armor and later find this magic wooden trunk that contains it? Speaking of which, when the samurai finally confronts Cathy, we're shown shots of old black-and-white WWII footage. Does this imply that Cathy is way older than she seems, that she somehow met the samurai during the global conflict? Your guess is as good as mine and keep in mind, I’ve actually sat down and watched the film.

There are many weird decisions throughout Blood Beat (sometimes titled Bloodbeat). Whenever the samurai attacks, Sarah gyrates like she’s having a wild orgasm. At first, I thought it was just some weird quirk but it's established later that there’s some sort of erotic link between it killing and her feeling pleasure. Why? Who knows. Equally perplexing is the film’s tendency to slap special effects onto the screen willy-nilly. A few times throughout, we see things from the samurai’s point of view. Sometimes, it’s normal. Other times, it’s the worst monster vision you’ve ever seen. It’s a wonder the thing can navigate through the woods without bumping into trees, much less sneak up on people and eviscerate them. Whenever we see it from other people’s perspectives, the armor is surrounded by a blue glow - a cheap special effect whose edges you can sometimes see and that consistently makes it near impossible to tell what’s going on. Combined with the bizarre musical choices (many classical pieces play throughout), you’re likely to develop a headache while watching.

The most frustrating thing about Blood Beat is that it should be hilariously bad. The movie is so random it consistently keeps you guessing. The special effects are dreadful and distracting. The jokes practically make themselves. As mesmerizing as this mess becomes, it's never the movie you want it to be. There are simply too many boring scenes, the action takes too long to kick in and when it’s bad, it isn’t bad enough to be memorable. (January 2, 2023)

[robe-and-wizard-hat]

[gbhbl]

Christmas Horror Review: Bloodbeat (1983)

A spirit wearing samurai armour begins killing members of a family at Christmas. This unravels a dark secret involving psychic abilities.

Bloodbeat is a slasher film written and directed by Fabrice-Ange Zaphiratos, releasing in 1983. The plot focuses on a young couple attending a family gathering for Christmas at their rural home. Everything is going fairly well when out of nowhere a spirit wearing samurai armour begins killing members of the family. This unravels a dark family secret involving psychic abilities. Initially, things…