Blood Creek

Do you mind? I'm having an intimate
moment with this Rune stone.

Chocolate and peanut butter, two tastes that taste great together. We all know it; we all love it, so why can't the same be true with our movie villains? Well, in 2009 we got to see that theory put into practice with not one, but two movies where our villains are not only Nazis, but zombies as well. Norway's Dead Snow and Joel Schumacher's Blood Creek both utilize this mixing of genres and each works in its own way. At a later date, I will discuss Dead Snow, so let's get to the meat and... well, more meat of Blood Creek.

The story opens in 1936 with the Wollner family, German immigrants, on their farm in West Virginia. They have received a request from the German government to host a scholar looking to do some research into Runestones. The researcher is the affable, yet ominous, Richard Wirth played by Michael Fassbender. After a minor display of its power, we jump to the present day where we are introduced to two brothers; Evan (Henry Cavill), a paramedic and Victor (Dominic Purcell), a Gulf War veteran who had been missing for two years and presumed dead. Victor had escaped from the Wollner farm and asks his brother to go back with him to stop the evil that existed there. You see, the Wollner's, who have not aged a day since the 1940's, have attempted to keep Wirth contained on the farm, but in order to do so, they have to supply him with a steady supply of blood. Blood that he had been getting from Victor. And when Evan and Victor return to exact vengeance, they upset the balance between the Wollner's and Wirth, potentially giving Wirth the chance to complete the ritual he was unable to finish decades before and unleashing him on an unsuspecting and unprepared world.

Baby... you got REAL ugly.

So, I've had issues with Schumacher ever since he decided to put nipples on the Batsuit in Batman & Robin. I know it's nit-picky, and it didn't help that that movie was just awful, but it's the first thing that comes to mind whenever I see his name appear associated with a film. And the man can direct. Just look at Tigerland. And I guess the stars were in alignment here because this is a decent horror film with some interesting tweaks on very old themes. I think it also helps that the cast puts in some very strong performances, most surprisingly Michael Fassbender since it must be difficult to emote through all the effect appliances he was wearing throughout the film.

Rating: B+