★ 6 / 10
Bloody FANTASTIC
Came across this movie completely by surprise and I'm SO GLAD I did. What a gem for horror and thriller fans like me.The story is so intriguing and, best of…
Came across this movie completely by surprise and I'm SO GLAD I did. What a gem for horror and thriller fans like me.The story is so intriguing and, best of all, so relevant to today's times in the era of internet and social media.The performances were GREAT all around, and really helped me get immersed in the world of this movie. The cinematography and the sound design are spot on and really show how promising this directing and producing team are. I can't wait to see what else they'll come up with in the future.If you like 80s and 90s horror movies, with a fresh twist and original look, you'll have A BLAST with "The Blade Cuts Deeper".I just can't believe how much they achieved on such a short budget. It really should serve as a lesson to the "big Hollywood" movie makers that what you really need is passion and care for the project you're creating, not mountains of money.Well done to everyone on the cast and crew! Fantastic work ??????
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★ 4 / 10
It was rather boring...
Right, well I had actually never even heard about the 2024 movie titled "The Blade Cuts Deeper". But given my love of all things horror, of course I had to…
Right, well I had actually never even heard about the 2024 movie titled "The Blade Cuts Deeper". But given my love of all things horror, of course I had to check out what director Gene Dolders had to offer. And also since it was a movie that I hadn't already seen helped to make me want to watch it.The storyline was a swing and a miss, as it wasn't particularly thrilling, much less actually entertaining. So it was a bit of a struggle to sit through the movie, I have to admit that. You have to arm yourself with some patience, as you have to suffer through a rather boring 30 minutes before the movie actually starts to pick up and become interesting.I was not familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list, something that spoke in favor of the movie.There were a few scenes with some fair enough effects in it, but it was hardly enough to make up for the shortcomings of the movie.Something that really worked in favor of the movie was the very 1980s inspired cover. I really liked that. And I have to admit that it was also what made me pick up the movie to begin with. But ultimately, the movie's cover was actually the best thing about the ordeal.Would I recommend you to sit down and watch "The Blade Cuts Deeper"? Nope. Nor is it a movie that will ever grace my screen a second time.My rating of director Gene Dolders's 2024 movie "The Blade Cuts Deeper" lands on a very generous four out of ten stars.
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★ 7 / 10
Review for the Blade Cuts Deeper
This was a film that I got the chance to see thanks to the co-writer/director, Gene Dolders. He reached out to see if I would be interested in watching for…
This was a film that I got the chance to see thanks to the co-writer/director, Gene Dolders. He reached out to see if I would be interested in watching for review and sent over a screener link. Now for me, just knowing something is in the horror genre will get me to check it out. This looks to be doing festival rounds now, so I'm considering it for the 2025 horror movies list.Synopsis: content has consequences in this giallo-inspired slasher.Now we start this with narration from John Abbott (John Tueart). He is talking about a crime where a sniper, who was targeting people, killed a pregnant woman while she was sitting on a bench with her husband. They dubbed him the Widow Maker. This turns out to be the last episode of a true crime television show. It was screened at a festival and John comes out with an actor from the reenactment, Olivia (Kristin Jaap). John gets spooked when he sees someone in the audience that he recognizes. He's not sure why though.It then shifts to a car ride. John is with Olivia and he's annoyed. The turnout wasn't what he expected. To make things worse, they're planning an upcoming episode that will be special, but his editor had a family emergency so they had to leave the project. It is during this we see that John is a jerk. He kicks Olivia out of the car, forcing her to walk the rest of the way home.Once she's inside, she makes a phone call to a reporter that is either her friend or is romantically involved with. We see that someone is watching her house from outside. Olivia gets spooked when she finds her backdoor is open. This is the same person from the Q&A, as we can tell by their heartbeat. Olivia is a victim and just the first one. Our killer then goes to the studio where the post-production of the episode was done.That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Now I went brief with my recap as this has a simple story and set up. I do find it interesting that we have a meta approach to start it with John and the show that he's the runner for. It is a bit jarring; I will say that. What I like though is that it factors into things later and it makes more sense from there. It is an interesting way to show, not tell us as the viewer backstory information.Where I want to go from there would be the subgenres that are in the synopsis. It is interesting because gialli was what sparked the slasher film. I do like making stylistic choices to give this film flair. It was easy to figure out who the killer was, if you're paying attention. That's not what is important though. That makes it into a slasher film, since it is more about the kills. Our maniac though is wearing black gloves. His spree is fueled by trauma, which is another hallmark of that subgenre.Now the last part of the story to look at would be the undercurrent story. Showrunner and host John's true crime show exploits real victims for profit, critiquing capitalism. John is also harsh on his production team. He is directly rude to the head of security Rita (Lindsay Bennett-Thompson) and editor Nathan (Saul Murphy). There are also interactions with episode artist Gill (Lucy Renton), and writer Jackson (James Podmore). What is interesting here is how things end up and how this factors in.I'll then say that for slasher films, they either need to have good characters or kills so let's move over to the acting performances. Tueart works as our lead. We get the idea that he's the one that our maniac is after. He's just taking his time to get there. Jaap, Murphy, Bennett-Thompson, Renton and Podmore are all solid as different people who are potential victims. I'll also include Quentin J. Gray as a new security guard; he works in his role. I did want to give credit to Durr as well. We see him on a limited basis, but what we do fits. The cast works for what was needed.All that is left then would be the filmmaking aspects. The giallo elements are the film's strongest point. The cinematography and framing were good. The studio setting is fitting, as it explains the killer's motivation. The maniac's POV shots, including the black gloves, effectively conceal the identity. The practical effects are impressively brutal. The soundtrack works well. My main complaint is the inherently slow pace, which is common for this subgenre.In conclusion, this is a compelling giallo-inspired slasher that successfully blends subgenre conventions with a meta-critique of true crime media and capitalism. While the slow pace and easily identifiable killer may slightly detract for some viewers, the film excels in its stylistic choices, strong cinematography, and brutal practical effects. Dolders and A J Ballard deliver a story where "content has consequences," elevated by solid performances from the ensemble cast. It's a stylish, thematically rich horror entry that delivers on its premise, making it a film worth seeking out, especially for fans of the giallo aesthetic.My Rating: 7 out of 10.
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3.4/10
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