Backwoods Bloodbath

Backwards Bloodbath isn't particularly different or exciting as it begins like so many other horror films with a group of teenagers heading for an isolated environment in the woods. In this case six friends who have just been to the funeral of their friend Eric go to a cabin in the Black Forest in Wisconsin to drink, get high and try to put the negative aspects of life behind them.

The film begins with a couple in a barn with a woman giving her boyfriend a birthday lapdance - why in a barn and not somewhere else more comfortable, I have no idea. When he hears something strange and decides to investigate, he climbs a ladder and looks around the loft but something grabs and kills him. Tired of sitting on her own on a wooden chair in her lingerie, the girl decides to find out where her boyfriend has gone and is also falls prey to the creature in the barn.

It is clear from this scene that the film is not going to be anything special, nuanced or particularly clever as you get cheap scares and bucketfuls of blood - there is more of the red stuff spilled than would ever happen in reality but why let the truth get in the way the story? The characters all seem obnoxious or annoying enough that you really don't care when they die and you know they will as there is something wandering the woods killing people. Known to the locals as the Black Hodag and resembling a man in a dirty coat with long dreadlocks, this is a legend that is proving all too real.

The film isn't at all scary and is simply a string of death scenes drawn together with the loose narrative, some pretty ropey acting and a vague plot. This isn't dreadful but is the sort of film that I have come to expect from Brain Damage Films which retail at £2.99. Sadly this sort of cheap nonsense has also been released by MVM with a much higher RRP of £12.99, no extras to speak of and far from great production values.

The acting is particularly unconvincing and the final twist is pathetic rather than clever. The film leaves an awful lot to be desired and the press release has to rely on awards from single festivals rather than a rash of critical acclaim. The director's claim that this is "American Pie in the woods, where the pie eats the kids" shows that he is clearly aiming for something very lowbrow and going for gore over characterisation and effects over a well written and developed plot.

The Disc

The Picture
A decent enough full frame picture that is far from great but does a good job with the lower light sequences, of which there are many. The blood flows as if tipped from a paint can and is more bright and sticky than blood ever would be that this is clearly a look that the director was going for, with unrealistic and over the top violence.

The Sound
The Dolby Digital stereo soundtrack is decent enough without being overly clear and the surrounds rarely troubled by any well crafted ambient sounds or tension building score. The only musical on offer is source music that tends to drown out the dialogue rather than emphasise the situation and build and sustain tension.


Final Thoughts
MVM have seemingly moved into the horror genre with some very cheap films for which they are charging much more money than the DVDs deserve. With titles like Dr. Chopper and Mr. Halloween, they have seemingly bought cheap films which they intend to market a something better than the material. This is another of those cheap films that would be released by Brain Damage Films at £2.99 but this has a retail price £10 more than that! At least they got things right with Zombeak!, a film so utterly ridiculous that it was funny and only retailed at £5.99.

There is little to recommend about Backwards Bloodbath as it is such a cheap and stupid film with no extra features, except a trailer, on the single layered DVD.