BA_Harrison
A family harbouring a dark secret invite a stranded traveller, genial southern gent Nick (Patrick Breen), into their home only to discover that their loquacious guest, an ex-surgeon, is now a self-proclaimed 'bearer of secret punishments'. Equipped with a variety of surgical instruments, Nick proceeds to teach his hosts the error of their ways, but meets his match in Gloria (Alexandra Chando), the very disturbed daughter of the household.Like the drip, drip, drip of blood from a tube into a bottle, The Bleeding House builds slowly and inexorably, the facts gradually accumulating to reveal a delightfully twisted tale of death and deception. Even as the film enters darker territory, with nasty Nick attempting to recruit Gloria as his disciple, writer/director Philip Gelatt steadfastly refuses to reveal all of his cards at once or placate the viewer with cheap thrills (there is some gore, but it is used sparingly). While this measured approach may prove frustrating for some, the film should prove thoroughly absorbing for those viewers able to appreciate atmospheric, thoughtful slow-burn horror with a dash of mystery.
zaknaud
It amazes me that a good deal of the horror watching public passed this movie over or looked at the characters as hollow or awkward. That is what this movie was all about, strained relationships, pulled emotions, and people behaving like they do in a normal family. Their relationships are petty, full of kind of masked grief, and longing each of the characters looking for a way out of themselves and out of where they are. The visitor they invite into their home, although he turns out to be their downfall, is exactly what they are looking for, someone to just talk to. Each of the members of the house in turn try to talk with this newcomer, and each time a little more of the story unfolds. It is a beautifully shot movie as well, wide panning shots around the small family table, the hallway up the stairs being narrow and tall. Even the doorways and the rooms only slightly decorated, as though they were planning to leave at a moments notice, or had only been there for a few months. This claustrophobia builds as the movie progresses, and becomes ever more intimate until the end. That building sense of dread is the hardest thing to capture in a horror movie, and this one does beautifully. We as viewers know what is coming, we know the outsider is either in for a shock or going to cause one, but it is the anticipation of such an event that drives us to keep watching. I loved watching this movie with its subtlety and poise, keeping you on the edge with the back story being slowly revealed and the veil lifted a little bit minuet by minuet.
demetrius11
This film would actually make a very good film school project. It is by no means a professional production. The story though is good, solid, and climaxes great. It is written much better than the big budget Hollywood productions we see nowadays. The actors are above decent, the dialogues and plot are well written, and the characters are strong (except for the brother and girlfriend). Of course due to the amateurish feel of the film, when it comes to music, camera and lights, we go way below average. Special effects are not even worth mentioning as they are nonexistent. In general, this is not a film that I think will ever be on the big screen, but it is fine to watch on the TV if there is nothing better on. The unfair thing is that if the serial killer was played by a big shot actor and there were actually some money to be spent for music, photography and special effect, this would actually be a blockbuster !!! Unfortunate indeed.
siddharma
My standards for horror movies in general are pretty low. Usually, I am the only person who enjoys a "bad movie" while the rest of the world is utterly disappointed... but the tables turned when I watched The Bleeding House.For the most part, the acting was horrible. In particular, I was expecting Alexandra Chandro, who supposedly played the lead female character, to deliver something half-decent... but this was not the case. I use the word "supposedly" because no matter how much her character was supposed to contribute to the story, her significance fell totally flat. It seemed as though the main character was played by the weakest actress in the bunch. Way too amateur. If not for the actress' IMDb profile, I would have guessed that they randomly picked a girl off the street and gave her less than 5 minutes to read the script.The story was not as original as other reviews here make you think. I was bored the entire time.In fact, the only reason I watched the whole movie was because I spent money for it. In retrospect, even that was a mistake.
AD
