Macabre…ish Horror Review: The Blade Cuts Deeper

I watched this surprisingly fun slasher by director Gene Dolders called The Blade Cuts Deeper. This movie hit a lot of points of nostalgia for me and I’m a fan. Everything, including the title and poster was one nod after another from so much cinema from my childhood. 

At first, I didn’t know what was happening or where we were headed until I spotted the familiar hints of the old true crime shows like Unsolved Mysteries. Including a host, reenactments of the crime, complete with terrible wigs and mustaches and honestly, it made me more curious and what was to come.

 

 

Then as the film unfolds we start to get hints of what’s in store for the star of the movie, the host of ‘Lights, Camera, Kill’, John Abbott who’s ego is much bigger than his show, with close up shots of gloved hands holding a trinket, very reminiscent of thrillers and horror of the 70s. It did stall out for a minute as the direction changes from the host of the show to members of his cast but even that made it feel very much like a 70s or 80s film that’s a little longer than it should be. 

 

As we get to the first kill, which is very gory and very graphic, it is pretty well confirmed that this flick is indeed inspired by horror movies of the 70s. The weapon scenes, the action sequences and the presentation of the killer is delightfully familiar and will be enjoyed by fans of older movies.

The pacing is a little slow but the kills are very nice, the fx artists did a good job! The kills alone, are worth at least one watch. Then you get you get to see that this brazen killer and a stack of bodies makes John nervous. Not because he’s in danger but because if this gets out, his show, his pride and joy, is over. And so is he and he knows it.

People who are more fans of modern horror might not love this one because it is a slow burn and the director makes us wait for answers and reveals. The reveal is pretty good and it ended in a very classic way. I really enjoyed this movie!

If you like Alice Sweet Alice, Psycho, My Bloody Valentine or a host of other slasher films of that era (70s & 80s), you might enjoy this UK slasher! Watch it with some friends, like I did and enjoy the gore and the nostalgia! It’s streaming now, go watch it.

Also, Gene Dolders will be a guest on my podcast, Macabre…ish Cults, Classics & Horrors soon, come back for a listen! And remember to support indie film.

 

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As promised I had Gene as a guest on my podcast, Macabre…ish Cults, Classics & Horrors and you can find it wherever podcasts are including youtube. Here’s a link to find all the options, click here.

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Gene Dolders’ love of cinema began as a bonding activity with his Mom (though he ran out of the theater a couple of times!) and during the era of the video nasties, his brother acquired a copy of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and that, to this day, is one of his favorite films, including Nightmare City by Umberto Lenzi. He started writing scripts very young and by 15, he had the format down. Originally Gene wanted to be a special effects artist but amended that because he couldn’t draw or model clay, so he pivoted to camera work.

Unable to get into film school, Gene headed to  college and with help from his multi media instructor, he landed his first job at a video production company. There he worked as a camera man and editor. After a while, because of his love of Asian cinema, he move to Hong Kong for a year and taught English and the year in Hong Kong turned into a decade of moving around Asia. There he did some camera and post production work while still teaching English. It wasn’t until 2016 that he returned to England.

He started his company Barbra Green Digital in 2018. And while his full time job is cinematographer, he started with a few short films and then he was ready for his first feature, The Blade Cuts Deeper, co-written by him and his friend Alex (AJ Ballard). The film was made over a week with a lot of favors, some good location deals and a low 5 figure budget.

Gene talks about submitting his film to festivals and tells the story about how he got distribution.  He also talks about working on Blood Stream as the director of photography and also having his own segment. So keep an eye out for that anthology!

Carlos, Gene and I were in fan mode toward the end talking about documentaries such as Mancunian Man and horror movies such as Shelby Oaks, The Dark and the Wicked and Predator Badlands. We also talked about indie filmmakers taking chances and the guerrilla marketing of the 80s and 90s and how it helped build horror fandom and film success.

This is another fun one and if you haven’t yet, support indie filmmakers and watch The Blade Cuts Deeper! And maybe leave a review.