Bite

Blood Trap-what a name for a film! It sounds like something peeled straight off a 1970s drive-in screen. It certainly conjures up images of fun, cheesy exploitation, and that's partially what it is. In addition, it's a darkly comic heist film; there's a definite Tarantino influence in play here. You could split the proceedings in half and end up with two different stories.

We open on Costas Mandylor dragging his bloodied self down a dimly lit hallway. Squint, and you could mistake this for some sort of unofficial Saw sequel. What we're actually seeing is the end of the film. This flash-forward technique is always questionable and runs the risk of giving too much away-here, it doesn't really add or detract much but could have easily been forgone.

Soon, we learn that Roman (Costas)-a prison overseer of some kind-and his colleague, Boria (Gianni Capaldi), are scheming to kidnap a rich man's daughter and hold her for ransom. To do this, they plan to enlist a rogue's gallery of inmates. We're introduced to all of them via montage, with the most notable of the bunch being Vinnie Jones, essentially playing the same character he always does. The group sneaks in and bags the girl but hits a snag when the mansion's windows and doors seal around them, trapping them inside the-gasp-BLOOD TRAP!

As they try to find a way out, the mystery deepens, and things get really weird. There's a copious amount of what-the-farkage going on in this movie, and it's actually kind of admirable. It's tough to discuss without giving too much away, but at the same time, I don't want to imply that this is some sort of sacred, unspoilable must-see in any shape or form.

The cast never really gels, and what could be a strong ensemble piece feels fragmentary. The performances aren't particularly strong, even though Costas and Gianni have a couple of decent scenes together. Vinnie Jones is only here as a glorified cameo, and the rest of the cast does the best they can with what they're given. Most of the dialogue comes off as hackneyed, but there are some genuine zingers.

The pitch-black humor is appreciated as a contrast to the nasty tone. A real attempt has been made at some moody cinematography and lighting, and the film looks as good as its digitalness allows, despite some overbearing orange color grading. The action primarily takes place inside the mansion, which makes for an interesting setting. It's suitably filthy, rusted, and decayed. There's a real old-world feel, and the entire piece has an undeniably Euro-aesthetic that adds to the atmosphere.

The real problem is in the payoff. There's lots of violence, but no gore. Most of the nastiness happens offscreen, and it feels like a copout. The other problem is the characters-there's no one for the audience to root for. Everyone is either so unlikable or simply undeveloped that it's tough to latch onto anyone specific and get on board with the craziness.

Once the mystery begins to unveil itself, it's truly bizarre, and the film leaves far more questions unanswered. As a package, Blood Trap doesn't quite work, but it's admirable for striving to be different. I always say I'd take a flawed original over a competent remake, and this is a flawed original with uniqueness as its greatest virtue. If only the pieces fit together a little more neatly.

I don't do a lot of reviews, but just felt this had to be out there... this is the movie the 2024 abrigail remade. Now abrigail is a much better version of the story just as the third version of the Maltese falcon with bogart is the best of the bunch. Many scenes are word for word. But the changes are excellent. If, one likes abrigail, one should enjoy this . The scenes etc that were changed or omitted were done so for a reason...so it has some slow points.... But some aspects are funnier and some scarier than the remake. There had to be a good amount of money change hands to allow them to avoid mentioning this film. Although I do not understand why movie makers try so hard to pretend that 'their' film is the original.

A strange collection of bad guys and a couple of women try to kidnap crime lords daughter and the first 40 minutes or so it's a straight forward story and a pretty good story at that. Then it gets amazing with something I'll never forget. It was so unexpected it was awesome. It changed what I thought of the movie and it made me like it for other reasons. While what happened was great it definitely changed my focus and for me the plot fell apart a little but I did enjoy the ending as well. As soon as you see what happens you'll know what I was talking about.

This movie was hilarious! Very predictable, I could tell from the beginning what was going to happen although there were quite a few twists I did not see coming. But the whole movie had me cracking up. Especially a certain scene with a knight in shining armour and a staircase. This movie might not have the intention to make you laugh but it certainly entertained me a lot. I can't believe the actors could take a straight face, especially with some of the angles that the movie was shot it. It makes me wonder if this movie was just entirely improvised. Overall a great movie and great acting by Costas Mandylor and the rest of the cast!

There's a certain sardonic, somewhat frenetic stylization about the movie that, in combination with the clashing personalities of the characters, theoretically lends to a dash of humor. While there's occasionally a morbid amusement beyond the promise of blood that we expect from a horror film, 'Bite,' also known as 'Blood trap,' is never truly funny. Actually, I think the main effect of those touches of style - uncareful selections music beyond the essential original score, sparing visual effects, would-be comedy - is to dampen the impact of the horror-thriller that the film could have been. One great example: if you remember the bunny in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail,' well, there's a similar moment here.

It's regrettable that 'Bite' is distinctly overdone, because I do like the concept, and I think there are a few good ideas here. Lighting and set design is pretty great. I like the blood and makeup as they appear, and though their employment is questionable in some ways, the special effects do look good. While no one in the cast really stands out, I think they all do their job to help realize the picture. And that unfortunately rather goes for the feature as a whole: not necessarily altogether bad, but not especially good, and at best just languishing in the unremarkable middle. If the story were more straightforward in its telling it would have met with greater success. Why, for that matter - this simply didn't need to be 90 minutes long.

Then take into consideration instances of hackneyed dialogue, thin characterizations, and scenes that are unconvincingly written or executed, and I feel like I'm being overly generous to offer any slight praise. Every added flair, every attempt to dress up the movie with comedy, only serves to diminish our enjoyment. By the time 1.5 hours have passed, it seems like we've been stuck here for twice that, and what possible value we had hoped for when the film first began gradually vanishes over the runtime.

Ultimately I don't think I'd recommend this to anyone at all. Whether you're looking for outright horror or a solid horror-comedy, I'm unsure how any viewer could step away from this feeling satisfied unless they're a diehard devotee. 'Bite' had some small potential, but the filmmakers seemed intent on squandering it.