Deadly Dreams (1988)

Dreams have always been a popular device in horror films but they were a particularly hot commodity in the 80's. The most obvious example being Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and its ensuing sequels, however before Freddy Krueger became a pop culture icon there were other genre films centered around the concept of dreams. The homicidal urges of the main character in the exceptionally bleak Italian backed Nightmare (1981) were set in motion due to a reoccurring decapitation based dream and the same year also saw the release of Stephen Sayadian and Francis Delia's avant adult classic Nightdreams (1981), a film which certainty crosses over into horror territory. The following year saw The Slayer (1982), who's main surrealist artist character is haunted by dreams of a murderous supernatural entity that soon become reality. Post-Elm Street dream based horrors included the likes of Dreamaniac (1986) and its offbeat mixture of heavy metal and succubi. One of the more explicitly Elm Street inspired films, more specifically Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), would be Bad Dreams (1988) which even features Jennifer Rubin of Elm Street 3 in the lead. Standing out in the crowd of 80's dream horror is Deadly Dreams, which saw the feature debut of director Kristine Peterson, one of the most underrated Roger Corman protegees, and a film which puts a unique twist on the idea of dream vs. reality.

As a child, Alex Torme witnessed the murder of his parents when Perkins, a disgruntled businessman whom Alex's father recently put out of work slaughters the Torme's right in front of Alex's eyes. Now in college, Alex is plagued with reoccurring nightmares of being chased down and murdered by a shotgun wielding man wearing hunting gear and a wolf mask, the same worn by Perkins on the night of Alex's parents deaths. Despite reassurance from his brother Jack, best friend Danny and new girlfriend Maggie, that the dreams are just that, dreams, Alex fears otherwise and as the dreams become more intense, Alex's concept of what's real and what's not becomes more obscured as he begins to see visions of the hunter while in a constant state of fearing for his life.

Considering its title and 1988 release, it would be too easy to dismiss Deadly Dreams as yet another Elm Street wannabee which is what several reviewers who either aren't too bright or didn't bother to watch the film have done because the film is far from a Freddy rip-off. Sold as a slasher, Deadly Dreams is a far more psychologically ambitious film than most would give it credit for. While there are some slasher elements to be found, they don't factor in until later in the film. For the most part, Deadly Dreams is concerned with the horrors of the mind and explores them in a refreshing manner. Following an distressing opening that is somewhat reminiscent of a scene out of William Friedkin's Rampage (1987), Peterson wastes very little time in getting inside Alex's head and very quickly lets it be known that anything can be construed as a dream which, as the film progresses, allows for the film to become even more of a mind-trip when the perceptions of other characters, not just Alex's start to become questionable. What's pretty incredible is that despite being Peterson's first film, she masterfully manipulates the audience when it comes to certain character motivations with some cruel and clever twists which wouldn't feel out of place in a giallo. The films imagery is what really makes it stand out, with the wolf mask worn by Alex's tormentor being rather unsettling and the hunting aspect giving way to some unusual visuals such as a dead dear in a bathtub.

Interestingly, one year after completing Deadly Dreams, Peterson returned to her first job as an assistant director working as the 1^st AD on A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child and later was the 1^st second unit AD on Tremors (1990) before directing her own features full time, following up Deadly Dreams with the Roger Corman backed erotic potboiler Body Chemistry (1990) and the masterful psycho thriller Lower Level (1992). She also happened to direct an episode of the steamy USA television series Silk Stalkings in 1992 and coincidentally it happened to be during the previously mentioned Stephen Sayadian's tenure as production designer. The cast of Deadly Dreams is also worth noting, with Maggie being played by genre vet Juliette Cummins who had Friday the 13^th: A New Beginning (1985), Psycho III (1986) and Slumber Party Massacre II (1987) on her resume and Xander Berkeley in the role of Jack would go on to appear in William Freidkin's The Guardian (1990) and Candyman (1992). Despite the eye catching cover art on the original VHS release, its seems as if Deadly Dreams is yet another more than worthy horror title that's fell by the wayside over the years. While it will no doubt frustrate those who prefer their horror to be predictable and one-note, those who appreciate films that attempt something different should find plenty to admire about Peterson and Deadly Dreams.  

A Gun For 100 Graves (1968)

AKA Una pistola per cento bare (A Pistol For One Hundred Coffins)

Not unlike his fellow Italian horror maestro Lucio Fulci, Umberto Lenzi was already an industry veteran with a plethora of films to his credit by the time he made his debut in the genres with which he became synonymous, namely horror, giallo and Euro crime. In fact, Lenzi had helmed an incredible 21 features prior to his debut giallo Paranoia (1969). A jack of all genre trades, Lenzi's early films consist of everything from action/adventure films like Sandokan the Great (1963), Temple of the White Elephant (1964), Three Serpents of Bengal (1964) and Temple of a Thousand Lights (1965), a Maciste film that also doubles as a Zoro film in the form of Samson and the Slave Queen (1963), a peplum, Messalina vs. the Son of Hercules (1964), two James Bond influenced spy films, 008: Operation Exterminate (1965) and The Spy Who Loved Flowers (1966) and the colorful Fumetti neri adaptation Kriminal (1966). Lenzi also directed a war film, Battle of the Commandos (1969), which featured a writing credit for none other than Dario Argento. Given the era in which he was making these films, it was only natural that Lenzi dabble in the field of spaghetti western. Lenzi's debut western All Out (1968) was promptly followed up the same year by A Gun For 100 Graves, one of the finest the genre has to offer and a highlight of Lenzi's pre-giallo/horror days.

Following the end of the Civil War, Jim Slade (Peter Lee Lawrence) returns home to Arizona only to find both his parents brutally murdered. Setting aside his devout Jehovah's Witness belief in pacifism, Slade vows revenge. After quickly learning the identities and disposing of three out of the four culprits, the ring leader known only as Corbett remains elusive. After riding into Galveston, Texas, Slade has a run in with a member of a gang of bandits in town for a major robbery. Impressed with his handling of the situation as well as his shooting, the mayor offers Slade a cash reward to stick around and defend the town when the gang make their inevitable return. Slade refuses, that is until he learns the identity of the bandits leader, J. Texas Corbett, prompting Slade to agree to defend the town along with a fast shooing traveling preacher named Douglas and avenge his parents death.

Although the revenge angle and the idea of an enigmatic stranger defending a sleepy town from outlaws is fairly typical of western cannon, not unlike Sergio Martino's later spaghetti western Mannaja: A Man Called Blade (1977), there are certain things about A Gun For 100 Graves that make it a bit anomalous when compared to other spaghetti westerns with Lenzi peppering the film with the occasional peculiarity. The film wastes very little time getting right to the heart of the matter as it relates to Slade's vengeful plans with three out of his four targets taken out before the 20 minute mark in an almost stream of conscious fashion in the way Lenzi randomlly segues from one kill to the next. Once Slade enters Galveston the film settles into a more traditional narrative with the middle portion of the film devoting itself to Slade and Douglas' plans for defending the town. It's here where Lenzi throws a curve ball, taking the film into horror territory for about five minutes when out of the blue a group of lunatics escape from the local jail and terrorize the town. What's also interesting about the film is Lenzi's none to subtle jabs at religious hypocrisy, making Slade a devout Jehovah's Witness, punished by the military in the beginning of the film for refusing to fight, only to disavow his religious principles soon after in the name of revenge, even making a man dig his own grave, yet he hilariously refuses to drink whiskey throughout the film.

Its worth pointing out the number of clever plot twists that arrive late in the film. Again, the film was made before Lenzi began his string of giallo's, with Paranoia being the direct follow-up film and it seems that at certain points during A Gun For 100 Graves Lenzi was testing the waters in terms of plot twists that are typical of giallo films. Also interesting to point out that western staple John Ireland who plays Douglas was the lead in Lenzi's previous spaghetti western All Out. Leading man Peter Lee Lawrence made an all too brief but memorable career out of playing the hero in spaghetti westerns after having an unaccredited role in Sergio Lenoe's For a Few Dollars More (1965). He appeared in other types of films as well such as Hell in Normandy (1968), Tarzan and the Brown Prince (1972) and The Long Arm of the Godfather (1972) but westerns were his main payday before dying at the young age of 30 in 1974. Despite his popularity in westerns, some have criticized his casting in A Gun For 100 Graves, citing his boyish, unassuming good looks clashing with the dark turn his character takes, which is exactly what makes his casting just right as the film itself is rather unassuming on the surface only to reveal itself to be something a bit different in the crowded sea of spaghetti westerns.

Ghost Bride (2013)

While every culture has its own unique spin on ghosts, Asia in particular seems to have the market cornered when it comes to having the most interesting twists on the concepts of ghosts which naturally translates well to film. Obviously Japan is a prime example, with the classic tale Yotsuya Kaidan having been adapted to film over 30 times since 1912, including a version by Takashi Miike in the form of Over Your Dead Body (2014). Of course there was also the J-horror craze from the late 90's into the early 2000's with films like the Ringu (Ring) and Ju-on (The Grudge) series as well as One Missed Call (2003) from the aforementioned Miike. South Korea's A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) also found a big international fanbase solidifying Asian ghost films as the biggest trend of the time. Curiously, one of the finest horror films, 2013's Ghost Bride, centered around specters rooted in Asian lore was in fact not an Asian, but rather a New Zealand based film from the master of Kiwi horror David Blyth. Much like his fetish documentary Transfigured Nights (2007), the inspiration for Ghost Bride came from the internet after Blyth discovered photos and audio recordings from a “ghost bride ceremony” and the resulting film, though much less confrontational than Blyth' previous horror film Wound (2010), is nevertheless a wonderful example of Blyth's signature take on the fantastic.

Despite being in a loving relationship with his girlfriend Syke, Jason Chen, the son of Chinese immigrants raised in New Zealand is under constant pressure from his ailing mother Alice to respect his late, strictly traditionalist fathers wishes to marry a Chinese girl. Keeping his relationship with Skye a secret from his mother and in an attempt to humor her, Jason visits matchmaker Madame Yin who selects for him the silent and subservient May-Ling, though Jason is loyal to Skye and the two are soon engaged, though Jason soon learns the truth about Madame Yin's intentions when May-Ling unleashes her otherworldly jealousy on Jason and Skye.

Setting aside the horror elements for a moment, Ghost Bride is a fascinating film just based on the cultural clash that eventually leads to the horror with the idea of the child of immigrants at odds with his heritage having been raised in a culture wildly different than that of his parents possibly making an interesting drama in its own right. Given the differences between China and New Zealand, it actually makes the eventual supernatural happenings all the more original when considering the various differences in lore when it comes to ghost stories. Ghost Bride is of course a horror film first and foremost and at times a quite beautiful and moving one. While the title already implicates May-Ling's true nature, it's not so much Jason's discovery of her ghostly nature but rather Madame Yin's nefarious plans for choosing May-Ling to be his bride, ultimately making May-Ling the films most tragic and most sympathetic character. Although the film is vastly different from Wound, a good chunk of the film does occupy the same state of esoteric unconsciousness with everything including May-Ling and Jason's initial meeting, the actual “ghost bride” wedding ceremony and onwards playing out like a waking dream. The films final third stands out in particular with the brilliant editing making scenes seamlessly blend into each other, the narcotic haze becoming stronger with each moment. Blyth also sidesteps whatever issues the films limited funds might have caused with some stunning photography and even some moments of gore that give a surprising jolt.

Talking to the Never Repeats podcast, Blyth expressed some reservations when it came to the film, contrasting the shooting of the film with the production of Wound saying “Of course we were working long hours and it was a pretty intense film you know, Wound, but I loved it. It was liberating and it was energizing and I had the bestest time whereas Ghost Bride it was tough, it was hard, I felt I was comprising everyday, I was ripping out pages. It was a whole different experience, a very frustrating experience. It had to enter a kind of a zen level because I had to reduce everything.” Blyth described the shoot of Ghost Bride as “much more structured, much more old-fashioned” and claimed “Suddenly I got sort of lassoed back into a more traditional style of filmaking whereas Wound was liberating 'cause I was able to work with a smaller crew and just get a lot more done.” Blyth also discussed the differences in distribution between the two films with the extremities of Wound limiting is release save for the festival circus whereas Ghost Bride found itself on multiple streaming platforms and even on some TV stations giving it a much wider audience. Of course the film wound up going over many peoples heads though the horrible reviews are best ignored as Ghost Bride offers an intriguing antidote to unimaginative contemporary horror.

Wound (2010)

The motto of “Everything old is new again” has certainty taken a hold of many forms of media and while nostalgia is a pretty potent drug, it's not without its pitfalls. This is especially true when it comes to film and the horror genre in particular has been one of the most unfortunate victims. While obviously not every new film has to reinvent the wheel in order to be good, the sheer number of “throwback” or “homage” films attempting to recreate the styles of past decades has led the gimmick to wear extremely thin, resulting in a slew of films that, while aesthetically pleasing, are ultimately shallow with little to no personality of their own. The same could be said for attempts at “extreme” horror, when the sole attempt of the film is to shock, the gimmick gets old rather quick, rendering the intended shocks null and void. Enter Kiwi troublemaker David Blyth. After taking a ten year hiatus from narrative features following the difficult production of Exposure (2001) to teach and focus on documentaries, Blyth felt the need to go back to his roots and was ready to cause a stir the same way he did with his debut feature Angel Mine (1978). The resulting film was 2010's gut punch Wound, one of the most genuinely affecting and startlingly original post-new millennium horror films that sets a new benchmark for transgressive horror.

Delving into the mind of an extremely disturbed individual with an effectiveness not seen since David Cronenberg's Spider (2002), Wound can be a tricky film to get a handle on and defies any attempt to neatly summarize it. The focus of the film is the troubled Susan (Kate O'Rourke) who early on in the film castrates and murders her father whom sexually abused her as a child. The film follows Susan as she holds sadomasochist “therapy” sessions in front of a webcam with a man she refers to as “Sir”, has phone conversations with her dead mother Ruth who she herself set on fire and finds herself being perused by Tanya, a teenager who claims to be her estranged daughter that Susan believed to have been stillborn and who reveals herself to be just as disturbed, if not more so than Susan.

Wound is the type of film that operates entirely within the unconscious and being that it occupies Susan's headspace for its entirety, any and all concepts of reality of logic are tossed aside relatively quickly. Very few films are as successful at quite literally getting into the head of its main character, oftentimes to the point of extreme discomfort with the film being incredibly frank in its portrayal of the possible effects of abuse. Blyth strips away any possible reasonable explanation for the events happening on screen, most fascinatingly with the character of Tanya who, if Susan's past is to be taken as fact, doesn't really exist, which again goes back to how well the film pulls off taking place inside Susan's fractured mind. Despite the films (purposeful) lack of narrative cohesion, the film is anything but cold thanks to the demanding and cathartic performance of Kate O'Rourke who brilliantly transports Susan's trauma onto the audience making the film as moving as it is incendiary. The film also finds Blyth taking visual influences from his fetish documentaries Bound for Pleasure (2004) and Transfigured Nights (2007), using them in a fictional context with one S&M act performed in the film lifted straight from Bound for Pleasure and the striking, grotesque masks at the heart of Transfigured Nights are prominently featured throughout. There are even some unforgettable moments of gore splatter with Blyth holding nothing back, including two scenes that are sure to have even the most jaded “extreme” horror viewers jaws hitting the floor.

Speaking to the Never Repeats podcast, Blyth explained his intent going into Wound saying “2000 I made Exposure... and it had so many producers and I came out of it so depressed. I then spent the next ten years basically the tutor at South Sea's Film School... The whole thing with Wound was that I became so frustrated and I went back and I re-looked at Angel Mine and I said to myself I've got to go back to my roots, I've got to go back to the unconscious, to the things that drove me and attracted me at the beginning of my career because I'd lost all of it, I'd become a journeyman, I'd become a hired gun.” How fitting that 32 years after Angel Mine, Blyth's comeback film made with the same spirit would draw the ire of moral crusaders just as Angel Mine did, with there being campaigns in New Zealand calling for the banning of Wound, which failed. Much like Death Warmed Up (1984) was championed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, Wound found a high profile fan in another pioneer transgressor, the legendary Ken Russell, who loved the audacity of it and was rightfully quoted on the DVD examining “Enter at your own peril!” Russell couldn't have been more right when he dubbed the film a masterpiece. A visually astonishing and potentially psychologically traumatizing experience, Wound stands as Blyth's magnum opus.      

Bound for Pleasure (2004) / Transfigured Nights (2007)

Along with being know as a master transgressor with a particular knack for horror with films like Angel Mine (1978), Death Warmed Up (1984) and Wound (2010), New Zealand based provocateur David Blyth is also a celebrated documentarian. Blyth's first work in the documentary field was the highly personal Our Oldest Soldier (2002), centered around his grandfather, WWI veteran Lawrence 'Curly' Blyth,  who was part of the liberation of the French town of Le Quesnoy in 1918 and was later awarded a French Legion of Honor. The story of the liberation was the subject of another Blyth documentary, French Connection (2011) and Blyth's telling of his grandfathers story later branched out into a series of ongoing interviews with New Zealand war vets entitled Memories of Service. In 2004 and 2007, Blyth once again returned to the documentary field, albeit with radically different subject matter. Fetishism has always played a part in several of Blyth's films going all the way back to his debut feature Angel Mine and various forms of kink would re-appear in Death Warmed Up via mesh nurses masks, Hot Blooded (1997) was described by Blyth as a "dominatrix road movie"  and Wound is loaded with memorable and unsettling fetishistic imagery. With both Bound for Pleasure and Transfigured Nights which followed four years later, Blyth takes a look into the world of Kiwi kink with fascinating and at times terrifying results.

With Bound for Pleasure, Blyth shines a light on the world of the professional dominatrix, focusing on several madame's and mistresses in New Zealand. Each dominatrix profiled brings their own unique way of viewing their chosen profession, each offering their insights on a variety of topics related to the field of professional domination be it what they themselves get out of it, how “polite” society might view them and most interestingly, what they feel drives their mostly male clientele to keep coming back. Along the way, Blyth introduces some of the ladies most loyal costumers who's views on their own personal kinks are equally as interesting. Naturally given the subject matter the film is quite frank and Blyth never shies away when it comes to actually filming the mistresses showcasing their talents and for a documentary the film is often incredibly stylish given the theatricality of some of the S&M scenarios. Blyth's attitude towards his subjects throughout the film is entirely objective, only making himself known one time to ask a question to a man living with his mistresses to willingly be humiliated. At times the film can even be rather funny with the no holds barred attitudes of all the people interviewed and there are moments that are surprisingly emotional, for example the story of an older gentleman entering into a fully submissive relationship with his mistresses near the end of the film, the attitudes of both parties involved making for an incredibly sweet, Story of O-esque romance with the genders flipped.

Transfigured Nights, while still rooted in the fetishism, is something else entirely. Instead of focusing on a multiple kinks, Blyth takes a deep dive into the online world of “masking”, wherein men act out various fantasy scenarios in front of a webcam audience wearing rubber or latex masks and some even donning full body latex or rubber suits. Featuring testimonials from several masking aficionados, all wearing their masks and costumes of choice, it's an utterly fascinating and bewildering look into one of the strangest areas of the fetish world. Stylistically, the film is unique as everything is presented entirely via grainy webcam footage making the film feel far more personal and oftentimes very uncomfortable. Much like Bound for Pleasure, Blyth is once again entirely objective, letting the maskers speak for themselves in explaining what draws them to the webcam and again, like in the previous film some can be quite comedic, like the story of a man's mother-in-law discovering her love for rubber or the last interview with one “Miss Piggy”, who's mask of choice is, naturally, a pig mask, who's jovial the entire time. It's the wordless segments in-between the interviews that take the film into pure nightmare territory, such as an individual slowly wrapping themselves in layers of plastic or the “Lady of the Mask” as the person is credited as, removing one mask after another only to reveal more grotesque masks, all scored to a soundtrack of unsettling drones, somewhat reminiscent of Angelo Badalamenti's main theme to Mulholland Drive (2001).

While being interviewed at the Fantasia Film Festival in 2008, Blyth explained the connection he feels with dominatrix's saying “I've always sort of had an affinity with the dominatrix's, we seem to understand each other. I understand very clearly the kind of role play, performance, transformational therapy that they're involved in and of course I guess I came to them in a way where I wasn't going for the cliché, the stereotype because they're just like the women next door it's just that they have a very different, you know, career curve...” Blyth also explained how Yahoo served as one of the origins of Transfigured Nights stating “Basically Transfigured Nights came out of when the Yahoo user groups were still the wild west” and how he himself even got involved in the world of masking in order to fully understand the community. Blyth admitted “It took a number of years to actually move down into this very unique little boutique that I found and one just had to go very gently with it and be patient.” Blyth essentially made the entire film himself which required buying multiple hard drives and gaining ultimate trust with the participants despite the anonymity of the masks. Despite the niche subject matter, both films offer a compelling look into some pretty curious proclivities and would serve as an important stepping stone for Wound, Blyth's return to narrative features.

Exposure (2001)

While the career trajectory of David Blyth as a whole is worthy of discussion, the late 80's and 90's were a particularly curious time for the New Zealand based provocateur. Although Blyth helmed a few projects in his homeland throughout those years, he himself had admitted to having become a journeyman and worked abroad quite a bit, at times on some fairly uncharacteristic things such as four episodes of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993 and four episodes of the White Fang series in 1994. While speaking to the Never Repeats podcast about the genesis of his film Wound (2010), Blyth spoke of this period and admitted “I'd became so frustrated and I went back and I re-looked at Angel Mine and I said to myself I've gotta go back to my roots... I'd lost all of it, I'd become a journeyman, I'd become a hired gun.” Two of Blyth's standout films from this period were shot in Canada, the first being the unique vampire film Red Blooded American Girl (1990) and the subversive exploitation/road movie Hot Blooded (1997). At the dawn of the new millennium Blyth was back home in New Zealand and made the last of his “hired gun” period, Exposure, which is perhaps the most anonymous and least personal title in his filmography yet like most of Blyth's work is infused with several things that make it an interesting thriller.

After hearing a rustling noise in his boat shed while on his morning jog, photographer Gary Whitford (Ron Silver) is surprised to find a woman, Elaine Drury, inside who had slept in the shed all night after running away from a fight with her boyfriend. The two become friendly and Elaine, impressed by Gary's photographs, expresses her interest in modeling. After shooting a set with Gary, Elaine's modeling career begins to take off although her career is short lived after Gary discovers her murdered in her apartment. Not long after more people around Gary wind up murdered and despite the police's suspicion of him, Gary himself becomes the target, his photographs being the catalyst for the killings.

Much like Blyth's previous film Hot Blooded, Exposure is a film that feels very much “out of time” Visually, the film has all the characteristics of the erotic thrillers that defined the 90's yet its story of a photographer caught up in a web of murder wouldn't have felt out of place in a giallo film from the 70's, yet the film was made and released in the early 2000's which probably accounts for its under the radar status. It's a nice melding of styles and seeing as how both the giallo and erotic thriller tend to crossover, works quite well. As a protagonist, Whitford is certainty atypical in that for the majority of the film he's rather despondent and almost unapproachable which is unquestionably going to be a deciding factor for many viewers, though reveals later on in the story make his gloomy disposition perfectly understandable. The actual murder mystery is a bit unusual for a film of this type, with a strange religious angle attached to it, the reason for the killings being somewhat random and perhaps a bit far reaching which again, is very giallo-like in execution. By far the films biggest strength is its visuals with Blyth's knack for high style in full force, giving the film a very cool, icy blue sheen. The photography motif is put to great use as well, adding to the films sleek look and feel and Blyth does manage to let his surrealist tendencies to show briefly with some memorably strange dream sequences.

On the same episode of the aforementioned Never Repeats podcast, Blyth confessed that the shoot was difficult, largely due to the personality of Silver, especially his treatment of his co-star Alexandra Paul. Blyth stated “Ron Silver made her cry virtually every day 'cause he's a little short ass and he was only there 'cause he had to pay off his wife's divorce bills so he was in a bad mood and every day the producers would say to me “Get him to smile, he's looking too dark...” We'd work at night and he hated that and in fact he walked off one night and it caused so many problems.” Exposure was also the film that led to Blyth taking a decade hiatus from narrative features. Blyth confessed “2000 I made Exposure... and it had so many producers and I came out of it so depressed. I then spent the next ten years as basically the tutor at South Seas Film School.” It was during Blyth's tenure at South Seas where he focused on documentary work with Bound for Pleasure (2002) and Transfigured Nights (2007) before returning to narrative features with Wound. Although Blyth himself might not look back upon the experience of making Exposure with much joy, the films visual aesthetic and various little quirks prove what the best filmmakers can accomplish even when all the elements seem to be working against them.

Hot Blooded (1997)

AKA Red Blooded American Girl II, Red Blooded 2, Red Blooded and Hit and Run

The direct-to-video market has always been a bit of a double-edged sword. When distribution options for lower budget films began to dry up in the late 80's going into the 90's along with the closure of certain theaters and drive-in's, the DTV market was unquestionably a boon for low-budget and genre filmmakers as not only did it secure distribution for their films but with video stores at the height of their popularity, it was almost a guarantee that many films would find their audiences either in the video store or on cable. This was especially true for genre films, especially the horror, action and erotic thriller genres, with many DTV titles in each of those genres gaining cult followings. On the other hand, there was always a stigma to going DTV, with many elitist types snubbing their noses at DTV films as if it was a sign of lower quality. There was also the danger of certain films getting lost in the shuffle with so many film either going straight to home video or cable, it was inevitable that some films would be passed over and never really find the audiences or cult they deserved. This is certainly the case when it comes to David Blyth's 1997 film Hot Blooded, one of the most satisfying films from the New Zealand based provocateur and a film that offers so much more than is advertised.

Trent, a naive college student on the road to visit his parents for Thanksgiving inadvertently finds himself in the midst of an altercation at a truck stop resulting in a hit and run. Miya (Kari Wuhrer), a prostitute who initiated the confrontation, jumps in the passenger seat of Trent's car and the two speed away from the scene. Although reluctant at first to have Miya ride along, the two form a bond and continue on to Trent's parents, trailed by both the police and Roy, a vengeful trucker, while Miya drags the sheltered Trent further into her world of lawlessness.

Hot Blooded is a fascinating film for a variety of reasons. The film is fairly indicative of the kinds of films going direct-to-video or late night cable in the later half of the 90's in terms of look and mood,  but the film is also very much in the vein of a 70's drive-in exploitation vehicle. The film goes through some pretty interesting tonal shifts, playing out like the kind of film it's advertised to be early on but once the film settles in and Miya and Trent set off on their journey together, Blyth's subversive tendencies kick in and the film essentially becomes a character study or a psychological profile of Miya. Miya is a wonderfully multi-layered character with a tough, streetwise facade yet underneath is  a severely damaged individual. Both facets of her personality make the relationship she and Trent develop throughout the film all the more engaging and at the same time, tragic. There's always the question as to whether or not Miya is manipulating Trent's naivety with her constant philosophizing of the hurt parents do to their children in an attempt to get him to break out from his parents control or if she begins to feel genuine affection for him as it's clear both are in need of true companionship and Blyth does offer up some light-hearted moments between the two such as a humerus scene in an S&M shop, yet the film never shies away from skin-crawling, uncomfortable territory either, especially as it relates to Miya's past.

The film was shot in Canada for the same producer as Blyth's vampire film Red Blooded American Girl (1990) and despite having absolutely nothing to do with vampires the film was released and marketed in some territories as a sequel. Bylth himself is rather fond of the film with some slight reservations regarding the final edit as he explained on the New Zealand based Never Repeats podcast “I quite like it to be honest... the editor, what's happened is they cut, there was a very long sequence of after they leave the gas station at the beginning there was a very long sequence in the car which I shot car processed in a studio and what the editor did was they cut it in half and they put the other half halfway through the film and it actually makes the film make no fucking sense but again, I didn't have any control plus that's not the end I wanted to shoot but the producer insisted on that end.” Blyth also has some humorous compliments regarding Kari Wuhrer and the reason her co-star Kristoffer Ryan Winters' eyebrows made him “look like a dick”. Had the film been made 20 years earlier, there's a good chance it would have become a drive-in hit. As it stands, Hot Blooded is the definition of the term “hidden gem” and a prime example of Blyth's skill at subversion.