Review #70: Bloody Murder (2000)

Cast/Notable Credits:
Ralph Portillo (Director): Fever Lake (1996)

Jessica Morris (Julie)

Tracy Pacheco (Whitney): Bring It On (2000)

Patrick Cavanaugh (Tobe): Dorm Daze 1 (2003) & 2 (2006)

Trailer:



Plot:

This is a low, low, low budget rip off of Friday the 13th and any other "camp massacre" movie. Camp Placid Pines (CPP for short) has been closed for some time because of a string of camp murders by the camp's notorious boogeyman, Trevor Moorehouse. Trevor's clever disguise...a hockey mask. Yep. Can you say, "Rip Off"? No wonder it went straight to video. (STD for short)

Now a few years later, a group of teenagers spend their summer working as counselors at the camp and start fixing it up the place for the upcoming reopening. The counselor's play a game of "Bloody Murder" at a campfire and soon afterwards counselors start disappearing one by one. Over the course of a few days whispers of Trevor Moorehouse's revenge circulate amongst the counselors as they ponder the disappearances of their co-counselors.

The film tries to thrive off the movie Scream's popular formula, by making it a "who dun nit" slasher flick. Is Trevor the killer or is some one impersonating Trevor? Is the killer the troubled boyfriend, the camp counselor, the best friend, any of the other counselors or is it really Trevor Moorehouse? Yes, it can't get any worse. Or could it? Film's main squeeze, Jessica Morris pictured right.

One of the things I hated about the film is that most deaths happen during the day in broad day light out in the open. Yet no one sees a guy wearing a hockey mask wandering around picking people off one by one. There is even a "chase" sequence in the middle of the movie where one of the girls is walking down a trail and hears a crack in the distance. She stops and looks around and runs. Trevor runs after her through the field. She ends up meeting one of the other counselors on the road and stops running. She acts like nothing's wrong and never mentions anything to him. Did she not see the tall, white guy with the hockey mask chasing her in broad daylight? He offers to assist her back to camp and she declines. Guess what? As soon as she gets 20 yards down the road, Trevor kills him. Another movie hottie Tracy Pacheco (pictured right).

Most scenes are predictable and laughable and yet I can't break myself away from it. The film also features the "crazy" old fart trying to warn the counselors of Trevor. And of course...the girl always falls when being chased. Chalk that formula up times two or three or four. And internet connection out it the woods? Come on'! It was released in the year 2000, an internet connection in the woods now a days is difficult itself.

I could "bash" this film in a lot of ways. I mean A LOT of ways, but some how I'm drawn to it. I don't know how to explain it, but I have to say...I like it. There are no redeeming qualities of this film, but I some how have been "sucked" into it. I feel ashamed admitting this, but it's the reason for the better grade than it deserves. I why do I think of Nestle's Tollhouse cookies every time I hear Trevor Moorehouse? And how do I get one of the nifty CPP T-shirts?