Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Blood Bride; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.00
Direction: 1.00
Pace: 1.00
Acting: 1.25
Enjoyment: 1.25
TOTAL: 5.50 out of 10.00
Robert Avrech's Blood Bride A. K. A Death Of A Nun is reminiscent of a Giallo film. And in truth, the original title does have more Giallo overtones than the American sensationalism of Death Of A Nun, especially, when no Nuns were harmed in the making of the film. The trouble is he doesn't have the skill to pull the dark thriller off completely, either in the story or the movie - though the killer's motive is perverted enough.
The story isn't too bad and is fairly plausible. Marie is a middle-aged woman who has had her share of bad relationships. She believed her latest was her last until her boyfriend turned out to be rotten and immoral - a big no-no for somebody as religious as Marie. Sadly, she hit a slump in the dating game and ended up being pressured by her father to try and find a husband. Then one day at work, she's introduced to John McPherson. He is kind, caring, and shows an interest in her and her life. Could he be the man of her dreams or her nightmares? Johnny has a dark secret. Johnny likes sexy Nuns. No sooner are they married than his domination over her begins. It's subtle at first but rapidly builds to a violent crescendo. One of my favourite things in the story is the characters. I found I could easily relate to everyone except McPherson. I particularly liked Marie's relationship with her parents, expressly between her and her father. I have known people like this. He has an old-fashioned way of thinking, which stirred up some heartwarming memories for me. However, what the story needed was more tension and suspense. I found it a little light in those areas.
The direction is above average, and Avrech uses the slow pacing well to tell the tale. Though I can't help but have a niggling feeling that it could have been more engaging if he'd kicked the tempo up a notch or two. His compositions are sound. I especially liked the darkened restaurant where John takes Marie on their first date. Avrech uses the heavy shadowing to show that, though the place may be filled with a million customers, for John, there's only Marie, and vice-versa. I just wished his imagination and creative side had kicked in more often.
As the characters are one of the strongest elements of the story, the cast needed to be damned good to fill their boots. And they are. Take Marie's family; the actors and actresses have that family unit down pat. Ellen Barber does well in nearly every one of her scenes. However, when she has to start crying and has to retaliate against her husband while showing she's terrified, things get a tad messy. Though, in general, all the performers are enjoyable and engaging in their portrayals.
I would happily advocate one watch of Blood Bride for a Sunday Afternoon. It's the type of movie you can easily watch after comfortably stuffing yourself on Sunday Dinner. Sit back with a nice cuppa, relax, doze, and enjoy the twisted marriage of Johnny.
Now you've confessed and flagellated yourself, feel free to visit my Killer Thriller Chillers list to see where I ranked Blood Bride.
Take Care & Stay Well.
