Concept Media’s Bludgeon is about a serial killer that plagues a small Ohio town for more than 30 years. Girls around the town begin disappearing and as the killers M.O. changes, so does the complexity of the killings. Personally I didn’t care for the film, but I’m not in the business of trashing a film just because I didn’t enjoy it. There are good qualities and there are bad. My goal is to offer up these criticisms as a building tool from someone who appreciates everything about horror.
Bludgeon’s story is great, and based off of true events at that. Written, Directed, and Edited by Shawn Burkett, I really like the inspiration of the film as well as the way the film twists. Starting in the 80’s and eventually working its way into present time was a great way to get the back story. I feel like a lot of films really miss the mark on hitting back stories, this film did it very well. The acting in the film was so-so, I felt a lot of the actors and actresses did not have a lot of experience, thus a lot of stiffness can be seen early on in the film. The scene involving kids at a pizza place was really hard to watch because of it. However, the shining star of the film is Haley Madison (Quinn). She gave a great performance as Quinn the Pizza Girl. There are some rather intense scenes that she really nailed.
Some of the scenes in the film were very excruciating in length, and I felt this took away from film quite a bit. Bludgeon barely hit the 60 minuet mark and after finishing the film I got the impression that these scenes were long to help drag out the time of the movie. That is not a good feeling to have after watching a film. The trunk, wallet, and photo album scenes are the best examples of this. I think the film could have been better served as a short rather than a full length feature.
I thought the sound editing in the film was great, and the music in the film was good too, however I thought the use of music under dialog was a bad idea, at times Quinn is on the phone and the music interrupts the dialog. A lot of this can be attributed to the parts of the songs not being just instrumental, and the vocals muddying the dialog. The non-musical score was good too. The shriek violin/cello string scraps were a very nice touch.
The blood is ok, at times it did look like face paint though. There is not a tremendous amount of gore in the film. The viewer gets some smashed heads and crushed knee. It looks like there was a mixture of CGI and Practical effects; however the most important kill in the film looked real rough. The viewers also get a naked chick in the beginning of the film as well.
All in all the film is not groundbreaking, but it has its own charm. I think Bludgeon is just a step for Shawn Burkett and Concept Media, I look forward to seeing them improve and keep developing their craft. GLP gives Bludgeon 2 out of 5 stabs. While not the most exciting film it was still worth the watch. Go get your hands on a copy and watch it for yourself. As I said before I am not in the business in tearing down films, I am just offering my honest opinion, and offering criticisms in hopes they will not fall on deaf ears. Go support indie film making and this film by visiting Concept Media’s Website and Facebook, as well as Bludgeon’s Facebook and Website. Bludgeon is currently available on Blu-Ray & DVD through Concept Media’s online store. Check out the teaser below!
GLP Rating:
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