Produced by Shadow Entertainment, subsidiary company of Charles Band's Full Moon Pictures as a way to cash in on the then re-energised slasher genre, Bleed is cheap, but it's also plot driven and competently made throughout, bagging even Ol' Uncky Lloyd Kaufman in a cameo appearance.
Bleed is a film that has little fat to chew, evident from it's modest running time of eighty two minutes. There are no characters, plot strands or dialogue even that i would consider time wasting. Basic probably, of course, but the film's brisk pace clearly makes it evident this had the involvement of low budget genre filmmakers who had already been there, done that and make four sequels out of it. Bleed is not an exceptionally entertaining film, by any means, but it is an exceptionally professional film for it's caliber. Compare this to the early 2000's filmography of other direct to video auteurs such as David DeCotaeu, the comparison in storytelling quality is nearly night and day.
The murder set pieces are visceral and tailor made for audience exceptions at the time as is the nudity and frat antics of the young adult boneheads which make up the cast. The idea of a 'murder club' in a slasher film had the potential to become really, obnoxiously self-aware, but it's left alone as an sub-interesting concept which is for the better. Such a high concept creates a fitting arena for intrigue and plot twists, a story that is perfectly watchable, especially considering how short it is.
I wouldn't give Bleed a second viewing though as it doesn't really go far enough with the exploitation elements or has interesting enough characters to make me give it a re-watch. Still, I say it's ok for one viewing, but no more.
In conclusion, Bleed is a slasher that does what needs to be done in a short amount of time. The story interesting enough to get you through it once, however this ain't a keeper though as for all that it does right, there is not enough spectacle here for it to be held up to scrutiny for very long.
Bleed is a film that has little fat to chew, evident from it's modest running time of eighty two minutes. There are no characters, plot strands or dialogue even that i would consider time wasting. Basic probably, of course, but the film's brisk pace clearly makes it evident this had the involvement of low budget genre filmmakers who had already been there, done that and make four sequels out of it. Bleed is not an exceptionally entertaining film, by any means, but it is an exceptionally professional film for it's caliber. Compare this to the early 2000's filmography of other direct to video auteurs such as David DeCotaeu, the comparison in storytelling quality is nearly night and day.
The murder set pieces are visceral and tailor made for audience exceptions at the time as is the nudity and frat antics of the young adult boneheads which make up the cast. The idea of a 'murder club' in a slasher film had the potential to become really, obnoxiously self-aware, but it's left alone as an sub-interesting concept which is for the better. Such a high concept creates a fitting arena for intrigue and plot twists, a story that is perfectly watchable, especially considering how short it is.
I wouldn't give Bleed a second viewing though as it doesn't really go far enough with the exploitation elements or has interesting enough characters to make me give it a re-watch. Still, I say it's ok for one viewing, but no more.
In conclusion, Bleed is a slasher that does what needs to be done in a short amount of time. The story interesting enough to get you through it once, however this ain't a keeper though as for all that it does right, there is not enough spectacle here for it to be held up to scrutiny for very long.