Dry Blood Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Dry Blood Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 6, 2019

The horrors of addiction collide with the vastness of mental illness in “Dry Blood,” which hopes to communicate the struggle of an individual who’s taking on too much, trying to save his life while endangering it. Screenwriter Clint Carney (who also stars) has some extreme ideas when it comes the scenes where self-control is lost, creating a slow-burn endeavor that’s not afraid to take this tale of a poisoned mind to its natural conclusion. “Dry Blood” has issues with performances and director Kelton Jones’s mishandling of stasis, which he insists is suspense, but for his first feature- length endeavor, the helmer has some strong visual ideas and an encouraging commitment to Carney’s illness.

Brian (Clint Carney) is a drug addict and an alcoholic struggling to find a way out of the darkness of his life. He’s retreated to a cabin in the woods he once shared with his ex-wife, hoping to use the space to clear his mind. When friend Anna (Jayme Valentine) arrives to support Brian’s journey, she finds the young man completely warped, unable to get beyond past guilt, with his sadness turning into madness as he begins to see visions of dead people in the dwelling.

The struggle with addiction plays an important role in “Dry Blood,” and perhaps some viewers will understand Brian’s headspace more than others. However, Kelton isn’t making a drama about sobriety, using the situation to delve into more ferocious matters of frenzied behavior, with the addict beginning to see ghosts as he disconnects from reality, also finding paranoia overwhelming him with the arrival of a suspicious cop (Kelton) who lives to harass the only vacationer in town. Demonic visions of decaying, headless bodies are delivered to keep “Dry Blood” appropriately chilling, but it takes some patience to stay with the effort, as Kelton pads the first act considerably, studying Brian during mundane tasks, which do nothing to help pace.

Dry Blood Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.90:1 aspect ratio) presentation delivers a comfortable look at the HD-shot feature, maintaining an encouraging level of detail, securing facial particulars and interior decoration. Gory incidents are also available for study, along with exteriors, which retain the rural seclusion of the setting. Colors are inviting, with deep reds with bloodshed and brighter primaries for costuming. Visits to a local store offer more varied hues with labels and signs, and greenery is intact. Delineation is adequate, but some stretches of blackness are milky, losing their natural appeal. Banding is periodically detected during the viewing experience.

Dry Blood Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound mix preserves conversations, as dialogue exchanges lead the way in "Dry Blood." Heated exchanges and acts of panic maintain stability, never distorting extremes. Scoring is supportive and crisp, along with a few soundtrack selections. Surrounds push out music and manage some atmospherics, but largely remain sedate. Low-end is minimal.

Dry Blood Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features writer Clint Carney and director Kelton Jones.

• "Remember Not To Kill" (34:51) is a making-of featurette for "Dry Blood," collecting interviews with cast and crew concerning the creation of the film. Initial script interest and thematic appeal is explored, along with extensive talk about casting, with writer Clint Carney pulled into the lead role, inspiring director Kelton Jones to take a supporting part. Makeup achievements are detailed, as the production favored practical effects as much as possible, using digital tricks to pull off a few gruesome acts of violence. Emotionality is investigated, and the family atmosphere of the shoot is recalled, with many working several jobs to do their part.

• And a Teaser Trailer (:30, HD) and Trailer (1:20, HD) are included.

Dry Blood Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Dry Blood" is low-budget, using a few amateur actors in critical emotional roles, but the overall atmosphere of agony is retained, leading to shocking acts of violence in the third act. Kelton follows through on a few ideas, and he clearly has skill with escalation, as movie gets better as it goes. "Dry Blood" is certainly rough around the edges, but it does attempt to approach terrors of addiction from a different angle, endeavoring to explore the dam burst of anxiety with attention to macabre extremes.