Smartorhypo
Highly Overrated But Still Good
Invaderbank
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Kien Navarro
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
mpaulso
"That's not cranberry sauce..."Blood Rage has some GREAT kill scenes and practical effects (machete through the back) and it's filled with 1980's nostalgia from the can-opener beer cans, drive in movies, old video games and short shorts.I was really tempted to give this movie 4 stars. It has a cool unique story of a brother who framed his twin brother for a murder he committed and when his brother breaks out of the mental institution he see an opportunity for another killing spree to frame his brother and get him thrown back in the mental institution again.
David Marcos
For some reason, there aren't all that many Thanksgiving-themed slasher flicks, but Blood Rage will definitely quench one's thirst for a decent one. It's easily the best out of the ones that are available (certainly way better than Home Sweet Home).The story is full of twists, mistaken identities, drunken mothers, evil twins, and a whole lot of delicious soap operatics sprinkled in between a series of remarkably bloody and brutal murder set pieces. The acting, besides an inspired (and strange) turn by Louise Lasser, is mostly decent if unmemorable. The real star here is the special makeup effects which range from cheesy to disturbingly realistic.The pacing can drag a bit here and there, but slasher and camp lovers should be more than satisfied with this one. The Arrow Blu-Ray release is the best way to go. The movie has never looked so good (and probably never will.)
quridley
Off the bat, Lousie Lasser makes this movie. She plays the emotionally destroyed mother of twin sons who are severely screwed up. If you know anything about her history (and an infamous SNL incident that labeled her too crazy for showbiz), you know that the pain in her performance is real.She elevates what, on its own, is a gory and clever slasher film that is above-average for its special effects and brilliant plot twist. De Palma pioneered this premise in "Sisters" (and someone probably inspired him), but I've never seen it used with slashers and its a PERFECT fit. The film is cheap and limited, but the story and crew are fantastic. Its shot and scored well. Besides some story lulls, its a good ride. And the ending is the cherry on top: brutal, poetic and satisfying. Quite ahead of the time in its cynical 80s humor.This is a horror gem.
tomgillespie2002
Made in 1983 but not released until 1987 until the title of Nightmare at Shadow Woods, Blood Rage is one of many forgotten slashers given a limited cinema run, only to be cut of a lot of its gore and released in various butchered versions on home video. Also like a lot of slashers, Blood Rage is terribly acted, badly written and features a plodding narrative in which we get to witness lots of boobs and blood- spraying. It's also an evil twin movie, beginning with two young identical siblings, Todd and Terry, escaping their car at a drive-in while their mum gets it on with a man in the front seat. Terry inexplicably hacks a young, dry-humping couple to death, wipes the blood on Todd, and blames his shell-shocked brother for the crime.Todd is locked away in a mental asylum, and years later, the grown up Terry (Mark Soper) is preparing for a Thanksgiving meal with his smothering mother Maddy (Louise Lasser), her new beau Brad (William Fuller) and his girlfriend Karen (Julie Gordon). They learn of Todd's escape and are soon joined by Dr. Berman (Marianne Kanter) and her assistant Jackie (Douglas Weiser) from the institute. Terry, seeing an opportunity to release his suppressed homicidal tendencies and frame Todd even more convincingly, embarks on a killing spree, stalking the estate and the surrounding wooded area with machete in hand, using his clean-cut mommy's-boy image to divert any attention from him.There's a clear oedipal theme running throughout Blood Rage, similar to but not to the same extent as fellow obscure horror (and video nasty) Night Warning (1982), but this is not explored with any care or intelligence. Decent slasher movies are extremely difficult to come by, and this is no exception. The horror is particularly gory, and alarmingly frequent, especially in the early stages. The make- up and effects (by Oscar winner Ed French) are also quite decent, but in between these moments are the same stretched-out chase scenes and clunky dialogue seen in a thousand films of its ilk. Soper is equally terrible as Todd as he is as Terry, but special mention must go to Lasser (who actually had a half-decent career), whose frankly bizarre performance is so awful that it may cause your ears to bleed. A true Thanksgiving turkey.
