Then his video self begins to tell a story, and we go
back in time a bit, and the film becomes the story he is telling. The only
problem with that is that in the opening sequence his video self says, “You
do not have time,” so it feels a bit weird that he would then tell a rather
long story. That’s really the film’s only weakness, and later on it sort of
makes sense. Anyway, Milton is in a rehab center, where he meets Skyler (Olivia
Tennet), an interesting young woman who is there to find someone to make a lot
of crystal meth for her. She tells the others in the group: “I noticed when
I was on the drug I was more alert, more productive, felt better, stayed
thinner, and could fuck like my ass was on fire for thirty-six hours straight.”
And soon Milton, clearly attracted to her, is helping turn over-the-counter
medication into crystal meth.
Skyler pitches an opportunity to him: help her and her
boyfriend make a lot of crystal meth for just one day, and make a lot of money.
She warns him that her boyfriend is the devil, and she leaves the room when she
hears him enter the rehab center, telling Milton, “I have to make sure he
doesn’t kill anybody.” She’s too late for that. Her boyfriend, Russell (Ari
Boyland), is dressed in a police uniform, and Skyler clearly fears him. Some
dialogue reveals she was twelve when she met him. He says he’s just quit the
force, but you can’t help but wonder if perhaps he stole the uniform and car.
If not, you wonder just how he used his position of authority when he met
twelve-year-old Skyler. It’s great that there is this twisted backstory, but
don’t worry, the movie never gets too heavy.
The set-up is intriguing and original, and the dialogue
is great. This movie pulls you into its world immediately. And things only get
stranger from there. They break into a hunting lodge, which has all sorts of
weapons on the walls. But more interesting to Milton is the scrapbook he finds,
with old photos and newspaper clippings about cannibals and bloodbaths and cult
suicides. And after he tries to kill Russell, things begin getting really
weird, and the film becomes a sort of deranged version of Groundhog Day.
But through all its twists and turns, this movie never lost me. It kept me on
board for the whole damn glorious ride. That is due in part to the smart
dialogue, but it’s also due to the cast, as the three leads are totally capable
of making it all feel very real. I’m looking forward to watching this one
again.
Special Features
The DVD includes several special features, including some
deleted scenes. One of those scenes, “I Don’t Sing,” is a cute nod to horror fans
who feel cheated by certain movies. It’s certainly not needed in the film, but
is enjoyable as a deleted scene. In fact, I think the filmmakers made all the
right choices here. None of the deleted scenes feels important enough to be
placed back in. There is also a deleted opening title sequence, and an extended
scene with the character Archer (Cohen Holloway).
The special features also include some early test
footage, as well as outtakes from that test footage and a teaser trailer from
that footage. There are also nine minutes of production outtakes, including
some behind-the-scenes footage.
Blood Punch was written by Eddie Guzelian and
directed by Madellaine Paxson. It looks like we can thank Power Rangers
for this movie, as all three of the main cast members worked together on that
show, and the writer wrote seven of that series’ episodes, and the film’s
director wrote two episodes. I never thought I’d be glad that Power Rangers
existed, but now I am. Blood Punch was released on DVD on September 1,
2015.
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