Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Blood Beat Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 24, 2017

Most low-budget horror pictures tend to play it safe with narrative construction, keeping things simple to appeal to a wide audience, trusting in frights to define the viewing experience. 1983’s “Blood Beat” does away with story altogether, submitting what should be an abstract extravaganza where anything goes because it simply can. It’s filmmaking without rules, but something tells me the pronounced confusion of “Blood Beat” wasn’t intentional. Writer/director Fabrice Zaphiratos has ideas but no real clue as how to implement them into a dramatic saga of psychic forces, deer hunting, and samurai armor. Instead of giving it all some thought, he makes a mad dash through nonsensical scenes and empty characterizations, almost relishing how little clarity the endeavor has to offer its audience. Perhaps some viewers will get off on the confusion, but to reach a point of comfort with Zaphiratos’s randomness takes a substantial amount of patience I doubt few are willing to give.

Hosting a Christmastime family reunion, Cathy (Helen Benton) welcomes home her daughter, Dolly (Dana Day), and her son, Ted (James Fitzgibbons), who’s also brought along his girlfriend, Sarah (Claudia Peyton), who’s wildly uncomfortable with the surrounding farmland energy. While Cathy bickers with her boyfriend, Gary (Terry Brown), while working on painting projects, Sarah attempts to settle in for the weekend, only her psychic energy is disturbed, leading her to the discovery of samurai armor in a bedroom trunk. Cathy is also sensitive to supernatural forces, feeling a disturbance in the air as a demonic entity slips around the community, picking off helpless farmers and campers, filling Sarah with mysterious power that frightens her.

The previous paragraph is more of loose understanding of what happens in “Blood Beat,” which is a strange title for a movie that doesn’t have any sort of creative or narrative rhythm. Characters aren’t introduced, they’re thrown into the frame. Psychic abilities? Who knows, with Cathy and Sarah barely recognizing their ability to summon glowing orbs of power from their hands. There’s an “Evil Dead”-style monster on the loose as well, tearing up neighbors and bystanders, but even the very villain of the picture isn’t identified for the duration of the film. “Blood Beat” is at least 95% over before the screenplay gets around to even addressing the possible identity of the armor-wearing menace, and even then, there’s no clear grasp of motivation. It’s a maddening sit, especially when it becomes clear that Zaphiratos isn’t going to pay anything off. He’s happy to simply detail extraordinary events and introduce gifted characters, but does nothing with them.

Without a plot, “Blood Beat” becomes a series of encounters with the evil entity, who attacks indiscriminately, with the highlight of the picture being a kitchen eruption where poor dim-wit Gary is beaten by flying food and utensils, struggling to escape what was once a happy place for the deer hunter. Perhaps Zaphiratos is truly after a sense of abstraction, as the feature does pay attention to the creation of art in Cathy’s studio, but the connection between her creative release and the movie’s general disregard for pace and consistency is never made. Instead, there’s an offering of disconnected scenes that tease horror formula, but don’t come through. The greatest example involves Dolly and Ted finally encountering the blue glowing wrath of the samurai demon-thingee, fighting for their lives in a hallway, finally aware of a vicious supernatural presence in the house. The next scene? Ted strips down and has sex with Sarah like he just didn’t come into contact with the Other Side. And his partner is no day at the beach either, with Sarah spending her first afternoon on the farm ruining the family hunt, trading glares with Cathy, and displaying signs of unrest that would cause a normal human being observing all this to question what’s wrong with the once vibrant young woman. In “Blood Beat,” everything merely serves Zaphiratos’s questionable imagination, which is why the climax somehow involves World War II footage.

Blood Beat Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation comes with an opening explanation that while "Blood Beat" has been gifted a 4K scan from the original negative, the elements succumbed to mold issues. Points of damage are visible during the viewing experience, but the fine folks at Vinegar Syndrome have done a successful job whipping "Blood Beat" into shape. Clarity is strong throughout, offering surprising detail with house interiors and facial particulars, and nature is also offered dimensional distances. Colors are preserved, best with costuming (Cathy's serape pops nicely) and greenery, giving the rural location some vivid autumnal hues. Skintones are natural. Delineation is secure. Grain is fine and filmic. Also mentioned at the beginning is the lack of 35mm end credits, replaced here by a VHS scroll. It's jarring, but completely understandable.

Blood Beat Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix also struggles with points of damage and production limitation, working through a few stretches of muffling that disturb the limited sonic reach of the track. Dialogue exchanges do what they can, and most exchanges aren't problematic, handling amateur acting timing and emphasis. Scoring isn't precise but it's understood, missing presence. Sound effects are blunt and active, increasing as supernatural activity is fully unleashed.

Blood Beat Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Intro (:17, HD) is a short hello from writer/director Fabrice Zaphiratos.

• Commentary features Zaphiratos.

• Interview (18:04, HD) with Zaphiratos is almost as maddening as watching "Blood Beat," with the filmmaker only speaking in non sequiturs as he recounts his early years, which were heavily influenced by his father (who was apparently a director as well). Growing up with fantasy movies and comic books, Zaphiratos eventually found a way into his own production, though there's really no explanation how anything came to be. Instead, we're treated to discussions of aesthetic interests and random memories from festival and marketplace screenings of "Blood Beat." I'm sure Zaphiratos is a nice man, but he's not a skilled interviewee.

• Interview (18:44, HD) with cinematographer Vladimir Van Maule explores his professional training and opportunity to advance by taking the "Blood Beat" job. He discusses technical challenges, especially when shooting inside a rental home. Van Maule recounts cast and crew camaraderie, and shares a strange anecdote about the production waiting weeks for a deer carcass to become available for an early scene.

• Silent Version (28:08, HD) is an unexplained cut of "Blood Beat" with music from Nervous Curtains and Horror Remix.

• "L.U.N.C.H." (13:54, SD) is a short film from William Zaphiratos, Fabrice's son.

• Still Gallery (1:03) collects BTS snaps, which help to appreciate production effort and cast personality.

• A Trailer has not been included.

Blood Beat Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Blood Beat" has the appearance of a campy good time with a bad, bad movie. I only wish it was more fun to watch. There's plenty of poor acting (dialogue seems sprung on the actors at the last minute), crazy encounters, and homegrown special effects to enjoy, but without interest in building a haunting with some dramatic potential, it becomes a chore to watch. I'm not going to stand in anybody's way when it comes to the appreciation of "Blood Beat," but in the universe of backyard cinema, there should be a lot more consistent craziness when dealing with a film that pits a ghost samurai against an amateur painter.