View source for Bloodletting (film)


{{Infobox film
| name        = Bloodletting
| image       = File:Bloodletting (1997) DVD cover.jpg
| caption     = DVD cover
| director    = Matthew Jason Walsh
| producer    = 
| writer      = Matthew Jason Walsh
| starring    = {{Plainlist|
* [[James L. Edwards (actor)|James L. Edwards]]
* Ariauna Albright
}}
| music       = 
| editing     = 
| studio      = 
| distributor = Tempe Video
| released    = {{Film date|1997}}
| runtime     = 
| country     = United States
| language    = English
| budget      = 
}}

'''''Bloodletting''''' is a 1997 American [[direct-to-video]] [[horror film]] written and directed by Matthew Jason Walsh<ref name="Martin & Porter 2000">{{cite book|last1=Martin|first1=Mick|last2=Porter|first2=Marsha|date=2000|title=Video Movie Guide 2001|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2cicEzGKA2kC|publisher=[[Ballantine Books]]|page=118|isbn=0-345-42099-3}}</ref><ref name="Bowen 2000">{{cite magazine|last=Bowen|first=John W.|date=September–October 2001|title=The Three Ms of Serial Murder|url=https://ia800605.us.archive.org/3/items/Rue_Morgue_023_2001/Rue_Morgue_023_2001.pdf|magazine=[[Rue Morgue (magazine)|Rue Morgue]]|issue=23|page=44|issn=1481-1103}}</ref> and executive produced by [[J. R. Bookwalter]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Lentz III|first=Harris M.|date=2001|title=Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits, Volume 2: Filmography|edition=Second|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a21ZAAAAMAAJ|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|page=912|isbn=0-7864-0951-7}}</ref> The film was [[shot-on-video]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rue-morgue.com/exclusive-comments-plus-trailer-and-posters-sov-veteran-turns-director-with-her-name-was-christa/|title=Exclusive Comments, Plus Trailer and Posters: SOV Veteran Turns Director with "Her Name Was Christa"|last=Gingold|first=Michael|date=December 20, 2018|website=[[Rue Morgue (magazine)|Rue Morgue]]|access-date=July 8, 2023}}</ref> and stars [[James L. Edwards (actor)|James L. Edwards]] as Butch Harlow, a serial killer who is blackmailed by young woman Serena Stalin (Ariauna Albright) into taking her on as his apprentice.<ref name="Bowen 2000" /><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Collum|first=Jason Paul|date=January 2002|title=Guerilla Filmmaker: J.R. Bookwalter|url=https://archive.org/details/Femme_Fatales_v11n01/page/n11/|magazine=[[Femme Fatales (magazine)|Femme Fatales]]|volume=11|issue=1|page=12|issn=1523-5750}}</ref>

''Bloodletting'' was preceded by a 1995 short film, ''I've Killed Before'',<ref name="Tempe DVD">{{cite web|url=http://www.tempevideo.com/bloodletting/bl_dvd.html|title=Bloodletting (Remastered Special Edition DVD)|website=TempeVideo.com|publisher=Tempe Entertainment|access-date=July 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709081133/http://www.tempevideo.com/bloodletting/bl_dvd.html|archive-date=July 9, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Lindenmuth|first=Kevin J.|date=1998|title=Making Movies on Your Own: Practical Talk from Independent Filmmakers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=duC17f2AajMC&pg=PA6|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|page=6|isbn=978-0786405176}}</ref> also directed by Walsh and starring Edwards and Albright.

==Cast==
* [[James L. Edwards (actor)|James L. Edwards]] as Butch Harlow
* Ariauna Albright as Serena Stalin
* Nina Angeloff as Bobbie Jo
* Sasha Graham as Patti
* Randy Rupp
* [[Scooter McCrae]]

==Reception==
''[[Cinefantastique]]'' and ''Video Movie Guide'' both commended the performances of the film's cast.<ref name="Martin & Porter 2000" /><ref>{{cite magazine|date=1998|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I4BZAAAAMAAJ|magazine=[[Cinefantastique]]|volume=29|issue=12|access-date=July 8, 2023 | title=Cinefantastique }}</ref> A reviewer for ''[[Fangoria]]'' described ''Bloodletting'' as having "a smart script, a playful sense of humor and a solid rapport between the leads", praising its editing and noting "plenty of amusing twists and gruesome FX".<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Dr. Cyclops|date=November 1997|title=The Video Eye of Dr. Cyclops|magazine=[[Fangoria]]|publisher=Starlog Group, Inc.|issue=168|issn=0164-2111}}</ref> John W. Bowen of ''[[Rue Morgue (magazine)|Rue Morgue]]'' called the film "so much more tightly focused than most of its peers", writing: "If microbudget shot-on-vid horror is to remain viable, a lot of filmmakers would do well to study the ways in which ''Bloodletting'' compensates for its low production values with solid performances and tight scripting, neither of which costs a dime."<ref name="Bowen 2000" /> The film received moderate praise from critic [[Joe Bob Briggs]], who complimented its gore but asserted that it "ends up with a 'Who will they kill next?' plot that doesn't always hold your attention."<ref>{{cite news|last=Briggs|first=Joe Bob|author-link=Joe Bob Briggs|date=July 25, 1997|title=This rates a 10 on barf-bag scale|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orlando-sentinel/127835781/|newspaper=[[Orlando Sentinel]]|page=100|access-date=July 8, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

==Home media==
On August 19, 2003, ''Bloodletting'' received a "[[special edition]]" [[DVD]] release by Tempe Video.<ref name="Tempe DVD" /> In 2022, Tempe Digital and Makeflix restored and released the film on [[Blu-ray]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://makeflix.com/products/bloodletting|title=Bloodletting|website=Makeflix.com|publisher=Makeflix|access-date=July 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709081024/https://makeflix.com/products/bloodletting|archive-date=July 9, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> 

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0126820}}

[[Category:1997 films]]
[[Category:1997 English-language films]]
[[Category:1997 horror films]]
[[Category:1997 direct-to-video films]]
[[Category:American horror films]]
[[Category:American direct-to-video films]]
[[Category:American serial killer films]]
[[Category:Direct-to-video horror films]]
[[Category:Camcorder films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Bloodletting (film)|access_date=2026-02-27}}