Reviewed by Geno McGahee
A family with some secrets live away from society in a small town, the topic of conversation and speculation, due to a fire that took the lives of a few and has been linked to the family. The daughter, Gloria (Alexandra Chando), has some definite issues and is rather quiet, an outcast to her own family. She spends a lot of time in her room, which features a lot of dead bugs pinned to the wall.
Gloria’s brother, Quentin (Charlie Hewson) is the most normal of the bunch. He encourages the family to move away from the town and get a fresh start, and if they don’t, he will with his girlfriend, Lynne (Nina Lisandrello). The parents, Marilyn (Betsy Aidem) and Matt (Richard Bekins) are clueless as to how to solve their situation but desperately want to, and that’s when Nick (Patrick Breen) comes into their lives.
Nick approaches the house and talks about his car breaking down and is looking for a place to stay, which is initially refused, but when the family thinks that he may go back to the town and give them some positive press, they take the opportunity, but they get more than they bargained for.
The stranger claims to be religious and takes in interest in Gloria, and he does have this aura of mystery, but his intentions are exposed rather quickly when he pounces on the family and begins punishing them for their sins.
Although I enjoyed this film, I think that the buildup leading to Nick’s attack on the family was so good that you almost expected more twists and surprises, and really, this film was a straight forward predictable story along the lines of VACANCY and THE STRANGERS, but just not as brutal or interesting, but it is still a very decent film.
THE BLEEDING HOUSE has some very impressive actors and actresses, delivering their lines well and coming off very believable. I was very impressed with Betsy Aidem as the mother with some secrets to tell. She gave an amazing performance. Chando was another standout, a potential future star with a great look and great delivery.
I do recommend THE BLEEDING HOUSE. The acting and cinematography were done incredibly well, but the story is very simple and the villain, as good of an actor as Breen is, and he is, doesn’t bring terror to the screen. His final showdown with Gloria is very good, but when the mystery disappeared, the character lost something. The monotone character that was meant to come off as terrifying, became less and less interesting.
If you like THE STRANGERS and FUNNY GAMES, then THE BLEEDING GAME, will be right up your alley. It doesn’t pack a huge punch, but it is an interesting flick with charm.
SCARED STIFF Rating: 6/10.
