The Bitter Taste

Apparently this movie was made on a shoestring budget but you wouldn't know it from watching it. The whole runtime is packed to the brim with nifty CGI, gooey practical effects, underwater chases, sword fights, sprinting zombies, dungeons, rivers of blood, and more. The German production and locations give it a European flavour that feels fresh for the genre, and the whole thing plays like a love letter to horror movies with nods to classics like The Thing, the whole haunted house sub-genre and even Saw. It's an all out everything-but-the-kitchen sink approach to every aspect, lovingly shot and edited by Guido Tölke. Julia Dordel, meanwhile, shines as the protagonist, running, swimming, shooting and fencing her way through the movie with gusto, drawing from her real-life pentathlon skills and adding a vulnerability to her character that makes her sympathetic. Don't miss this one!

The Bitter Taste is a refreshingly original horror-action-fantasy that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Directed by Guido Tölke and co-written by Julia Dordel (who also stars), the film is a daringly imaginative horror-action hybrid.

Dordel is fantastic as Marcia, a former pentathlete who finds herself battling undead aristocrats and cursed villagers. The action scenes are intense and creative-think fencing, shooting, horseback riding, even swimming-all used as survival tactics in a nightmarish setting. It's campy, stylish, and adrenaline-addled.

Shot in real German castles and mines, the atmosphere is eerie. The villains, especially the countess and her silent servant, are memorable.

In contrast to big-budget horror films, the energy, inventiveness, and sheer commitment to the concept shine through. If you love genre mashups, female-led action, or indie horror with heart, The Bitter Taste is a film for you.

Crazy intro to say the least, Violence begets Violence in the end. It's a rather simple story up front, but I feel that's exactly what they want us to think. So much Intrigue, and so many unanswered questions as to the finality of the clues given.

Now for some back story and it's substantial and one that I can really get into. What a finale, gotta see it folks for yourself to appreciate it.

Right, well without knowing what I was in for here, aside from "The Bitter Taste" being a vampire-themed horror movie, I sat down here in 2025 to watch the movie because it was a horror movie that I hadn't already seen.

I have to say that writers Julia Dordel and Guido Tölke put together a script and storyline that failed to entertain me. And my interest dwindled with each passing minute that the movie trotted on. The plot was not well-written and thus hard to get into, and the character gallery was pretty flaccid.

The fact that I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list, was certainly something that spoke in favor of the movie. The acting performances in the movie were fair, despite the fact that the script was a dud.

The movie's cover was actually the best thing about the ordeal. Needless to say that the cover over-sold the movie by a landslide.

Would I recommend horror fans to sit down and watch "The Bitter Taste"? No. Will I ever return to watch it a second time? No.

My rating of director Guido Tölke's 2024 movie "The Bitter Taste" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.