Blood Sisters (1987)

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Blood Sisters (1987) * 1/2 (out of 4)A group of sorority sisters head to a house that has been abandoned for thirteen years. It turns out that a boy murdered his prostitute mother and one of her lovers in the house. Soon the girls are seeing strange visions and begin getting murdered.BLOOD SISTERS is another low-budget movie from cult filmmaker Roberta Findlay, which really doesn't have too much going for it. I'm willing to bet that fans of the director will enjoy being able to see her working during the slasher era but she admits on the DVD bonus features that there really wasn't much motivation for her to create a good movie.It's clear Findlay was working on a low-budget and this means all the gore is missing and the death scenes take place off screen. You know, I've always wondered why people bothered making these types of films if their budget wouldn't allow for special effects. Instead of gore we've given countless nude scenes, which help the sleaze factor but even this gets boring after a while. The performances are mostly laughable and there certainly aren't any scares.BLOOD SISTERS is certainly a forgettable movie that has some mildly amusing moments.

Produced on a shoe string budget, Blood Sisters (aka Slash) is another genre piece that outputs a story all-too-familiar to already established classics from days gone by. Roberta Findlay, the film's director, writer, and cinematographer, wore multiple hats to turn her vision into reality – but more specifically, to ensure her immediate future in terms of finances. Findlay also offered her services as an active cinematographer in '76's Snuff - a film in which I still feel sorry for...an in, feel sorry for anyone involved in that project.Blood Sisters revisits the same ol' concept of off'ing sorority girls within the confines of a desolate atmosphere. The new pledges of Kappa Gamma must endure a hellacious night of fake scares and buffoonery in an old brothel that witnessed a scandalous murder 13 years prior. As par for the course, the boys over at Sigma doctor the house up with phony- looking Halloween décor and sound equipment to illicit a scare or two from the unsuspecting gaggle of innocents. The game turns sour, however, when real ghost sightings are reported and a psycho is let loose to set the stage for mayhem.This relatively unknown title is a bit of a hybrid – representative of the supernatural and the Slasher respectively. The ghostly bits are thrown in for good measure…almost a demonstration of "look at what we can do!" If we're following a step by step guide on how to make a Slasher film From the 1980s, which I swear is in publication, then the identity of the killer is revealed in a chopped up ending. To say that every single plot point and device used in this film is a cliché would be a vast understatement. The cast and crew practically boast it from the roof-tops. In one scene a character playfully points out that the car's engine never successfully starts in a horror movie. At least the players and the crew acknowledge that their project is nothing more than a spin-off. The use of comic relief would have been a welcome reprieve for such a drudgingly dull film. Of course, as I've been known to repeat, the last 10-15 minutes are the only worthwhile moments. The conclusion has somewhat of a sinister feel to it but it's not terribly original either. Blood Sisters has nothing to offer; regarding the level of dedication, even the most accepting fans would find it difficult to enjoy this one. The performances are lousy, the soundtrack sucks, and the dialog could've been written by a highschooler during study hall. To compound such an award winning achievement, the blood droplets found on the victims is too watered down and lacks the consistency of the real thing. As I pointed out earlier, the only reason this film exists was out of desperation, as it shows in every facet. I suggest avoiding this flick unless you're willing to set your standards extremely low. If you're searching for a similar movie but actually done well, try a viewing of 1980's Hell Night starring Linda Blair - now that's a treat.

Yes, we all know that Roberta Findlay is far from a great filmmaker. But one thing I can say is that she knows how to please horror fans.BLOOD SISTERS opens up with a young boy who is taunted by a young girl he likes because his mother is a prostitute. He flips out and murders his mother and her John in cold blood by blowing them away with a shotgun. 15 years later, Linda, the leader of a popular sorority on campus drives 7 of her pledges out to the former brothel where the young boy murdered his mom, as a hazing. It is now rumored to be haunted by her ghost. Throughout the night, they are stalked and killed off by a fat prostitute, who may or may not be the ghost of the prostitute mother.BLOOD SISTERS, albeit, really cheesy and features some of the worst acting I have seen, is actually quite suspenseful and atmospheric. Robert Findlay did a decent job creating a sense of doom and suspense as the girls wander off alone and are brutally murdered. For the pervs out there, yes there is a decent amount of nudity in the film. I was slightly disappointed with the gore. Thee wasn't a lot of it and there was only one truly disturbing death in the entire film. A couple of things I didn't like about it also was the downbeat ending, which had me screaming at the TV, and the fact it took almost 40 minutes for the first person to die!! Other than that, it's a fun, spooky, and sometimes trashy mid-80s slasher flick that any horror fan should enjoy. Media Blasters released this on DVD a couple years back. Scour ebay and pick yourself up a copy.

I've read a number of scathing reviews of this flick here at IMDb. Look, it's no Wild Bunch, but it does have some heart. The story, such as it is, has some intrigue to it. And the cast, gives it their best shot. I've sat through movies where the cast was clearly phoning it in, but I felt like the whole gang was giving it all they had. And how many films of this genre actually attempt any type of character development. One of the weak points of all 80s slasher films. Thats not to say you'll care for all the characters - most of them are self absorbed nags. But again, that was the 80s for you. I don't remember knowing a single female that wasn't utterly self absorbed.The location and set dressing was more than adequate for this type of movie, especially considering the budget.Point is, you'll never think about this movie once after you've seen it, but there are many worse ways to kill 90 minutes than Findlay's Blood Sisters.