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| Movie Review |
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In the Blood
Directed by Lou Peterson
Emerging Pictures/TLA Releasing
With a slick look, engaging story and a unique edge, In the Blood is a highly effective thriller that takes the horror genre in new directions. Part psychic awakening tale, part sexual discovery tale, and part serial killer tale, the film will have you hooked until the very shocking and unexpected conclusion.
Cassidy is a young man with a conflicted double life. On the outside he is a popular jock, yet he is struggling with increasing attraction to the opposite sex. When he is aroused in anyway by another man his nose begins to bleed and he sees visions. The film deals with him learning about his psychic abilities and also coming to terms with who is truly is sexually.
With a serial killer prowling the grounds of the college Cassidy and his younger sister Jessica are attending, Jessica becomes quite paranoid as she fits the same profile as the first two victims. An eerie tarot card reading has also put her on edge when the last card she pulled was the death card. As Cassidy explores his desires his visions become more vivid leading to him seeing his sister covered in blood. Without giving it away, the ending is a clash between multiple characters with the end result being far from what you were anticipating.
The script is very well written and the sexually charged psychic abilities slant was definitely a unique idea. The running time is somewhat short at just 82 minutes, yet the movie does feel very complete. The ending does seem slightly abrupt, but it still has tremendous impact.
The entire cast does a remarkable job. Tyler Hanes steals the show as Cassidy and certainly has the chops to have a successful career in the film industry. Alison Fraser does an amazing job as the oddball Aunt Helen who helps Cassidy understand his visions and lets him in on the family secret. The rest of the cast is just as good allowing the movie to tell its story without a hitch.
While this may be a movie about a serial killer, it certainly isn't a bloody film. Aside from the murder at the beginning and the finale, the bloodshed is mainly limited to photos of the crime scenes. When you get right down to it though, this really doesn't need to be a gory movie. It actually might have taken away from the film in this case.
In the Blood takes from the 70's school of horror giants like Carrie and takes it in a new direction. The acting is top notch, the production values are professional and director Lou Peterson has crafted a tension filled film with enough twists to leave even seasoned veterans of the genre staring at the screen mouth agape during the end.
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 UN: How long did the writing process for In the Blood take? Have you had the rough idea for the story in your head for a while now? Did the story go through many different versions?
Lou: I wrote the script in a class at film school. I knew I wanted to do a college-based psychic thriller, but wasn't sure of the exact story. It went through several variations over the course of about a year. Then later as production time approached, we made more changes to accommodate available locations, budget, etc.
UN: Was it a tough casting process? Did you guys have a huge turn out for the casting call?
Lou:Casting was great! Donna Deseta and David Cady (our casting agents) brought in dozens of terrific people, so the tough part was actually narrowing it down. But the cast we ended up with was worth the time and effort we put in.
 UN: When Tyler auditioned was it apparent right away that he was perfect for the role of Cassidy? Is it safe to assume that he more than lived up to your expectations of film? I think he has a long career ahead of him.
Lou: We were pretty blown away when Tyler first read for the audition. And then of course his performance in the movie was fantastic. The amazing part was that he was in a broadway show at the same time we were filming the movie, so he was doing double duty and still managed to pull off a great performance.
UN: Were there any specific qualities you were looking for in an actress to play Aunt Helen? I think Alison did an amazing job. Do you feel she was pretty much perfect for the part?
Lou: We looked at several people for Aunt Helen, because there were a lot of directions we could have gone with the character. Alison was one of the last people we saw, but when she read we knew she was the best fit.
UN: How did the initial idea to have the visions linked to sexual release come about? To a certain extent it somewhat reminds me of Carrie, yet still quite different.
Lou: Carrie was a huge influence and I wanted to do something similar, but with a different twist on the whole thing. Like Carrie, the idea of mental powers linked to a sexual development became an interesting way to tell a coming-of-age story. Cassidy is forced to deal with his sexuality in order to save his sister.
 UN: I've read you say that In the Blood was influenced by 70's thrillers. Was there anything in particular you tried to incorporate into the film to conjure a similar style or feel?
Lou:Definitely. Like lots of horror films shot in the 70s, we tried to create tension and style by incorporating zoom effects and a minimal aesthetic. Those films relied on camera, sound, and editing more than special effects which also fit our budget. Aaron Medick (the DP) and I watched dozens of 70s horror movies to develop the visual style we used.
UN: Was it intentional to keep the movie light on bloodshed? The murders are mentioned, but only one is shown and only in flashes. Do you think showing the murders in gory detail wouldn't have fit the feel of the movie?
Lou: More blood may have given the movie more visceral thrills which would have been fine, but I don't think it would have fit the style we were going for. Also, this was never meant to be a slasher movie, since we had a very limited effects budget. Trying to do cool effect with little money and time can end up looking cheesy.
UN: Was it tough to get everything you needed for the film with 16 days of shooting? I'm assuming every day was a long day and you probably didn't get much sleep during the entire shoot.
Lou: Every shot and location was meticulously planned in advance so we were able to move pretty quick. But since we were so low budget, myself and Sean Cassity (the producer) had to wear several hats. The day for us would go long since we had to drive the vans, haul the equipment, and plan craft services.
 UN: You shot on Super 16 instead of video. Are you pleased with the look of the film? I think shooting on video is far too bright, can be very grainy and just doesn't look cinematic at the end of the day. Of course there are some exceptions to that.
Lou: I agree that video can look blown out, especially when used in low budget productions. Film is definitely more forgiving. We briefly thought about video, but after talking to the DP we decided that the look of super16mm matched the 70s aesthetic we were after.
UN: The movie has an incredible score. Were you blown away the first time you heard it?
Lou: Oh yeah. Sasha Gordon (our composer) was amazing. Especially with the resources she had to work with. We couldn't have asked for a better score.
 UN: How has the response to In the Blood been so far? Has it been playing in theaters or mainly just festivals? I think I read that it was being played on satellite as well.
Lou: The response has been incredible! After a great festival run (we actually won a few awards) we had a successful broadcast premiere on Logo in October. It continues to play on that network as well as being available On Demand.
UN: While the DVD isn't officially available yet, is it exciting to know that it will soon be readily available on DVD in stores? Do you hope the film really fins its audience with the DVD?
Lou: DVD is really the place where we hope the movie will shine. Especially because it's an uncut version which didn't play on TV. Also, the extra features are pretty cool, like the director/producer commentary and an alternate opening scene.
UN: When did TLA Releasing come into the picture for the DVD release? Were they excited about the film?
Lou: We had interesting distribution options appear during our festival run, and TLA was there from the first day, which was great. TLA is the best home for this movie. They were very helpful in the creation of the DVD and we're excited to be working with them toward the release on April 29th.
UN: What's next for you? Do you have any future projects in the works just yet?
Lou: I have a few scripts I'm developing and believe it or not, they all have a psychic component -- I guess that's my thing.
Visit the Official In the Blood Page
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