Bloodlust is a spectacular achievement. Richard Wolstencraft and Jon Hewitt's opus is a very fine film of its own accord, however its importance ultimately lies in the fact that it is an example of that rarest of breeds - an Australian film with balls. Bloodlust spits all over the dreary crap that regularly gets churned out with the assistance of funding bodies. At the time of its release, this film was a much needed shot of adrenalin in the arm of the limp and pathetic Australian independent film-making scene.
I don't care if each character has a different, equally unconvincing, accent or that the calibre of acting displayed in the film makes the average porn star look like Laurence Olivier. The film was obviously made on the sniff of wet rag with a cast of amateurs. Get over it. Bloodlust is all about ideas, in particular exploring the cinematic boundaries of sex and violence. In that regard, Bloodlust is the least patronising film I have ever seen. It gives the viewer large doses of sex and gore, often both at once, without all the garbage in between. For me, Bloodlust is like getting a huge serving of dessert without having to eat your mangy vegetables beforehand.
The film revolves around three blood drinking killers - Tad, Frank and Lear. Our three heroes spend most of their time having sex and murdering people, although not necessarily in that order. When the local stake wielding religious fanatics almost succeed in killing Tad, the lovely threesome decide to rob a casino and retire. This sets off a chain of events that result in Tad and his ladies being chased by police, mobsters and the religious slayers. Bloodlust does not waste a second of its running time being boring. If someone is not being mutilated or having sex, then one of the characters is spewing out a tasteless joke. In fact, Bloodlust is a very funny movie. The screenplay is wonderfully literate and the humour, while not exactly subtle, is dark and pointed.
The technical aspects of the film are just as inspiring as the subject matter. The direction is innovative and the film is lovingly constructed. The film's pacing is relentless and the final showdown counts as one of the finest moments in independent horror movie history. The special effects are extraordinary for such a low budget film. Olaf Ittenbach would be proud of the stakings, shootings, be-headings, bitings and general dismemberment. With the exception of one dodgy decapitation, the gore effects are hugely impressive for both their over the top detail and sheer frequency. The sex scenes are kinky and fetishists will love the liberal use of whips and constraints. There is even the occasional sex act with a corpse, which never fails to liven up a film in my humble opinion.
The voters who have trashed this film have either entirely missed the point or simply do not belong to the intended audience. Bloodlust is made for connoisseurs of underground horror. If you like Ittenbach, Buttgereit or even dirty, old Andreas Bethmann then this should be right up your alley. Richard Wolstencraft is truly Australia's finest cinematic export. Bloodlust comes very highly recommended.
