Horror Movie Review: Bloodsucking Bastards (2015)
Starring Fran Kranz, Pedro Pascal, Emma Fitzpatrick & Joey Kern, Bloodsucking Bastards (also known as Bloodsucking Bosses) is a horror comedy that takes the soulless monotony of working in a corporate office & makes it deadly. In a company where the bosses don’t care about the employees, a group of wasters are about to find out that those in charge are literally draining the life out of the staff.
Literally…because they are vampires.
The horror comedy genre can be a mixed bag. For every Shaun of the Dead there is a Lesbian Vampire Killers. Getting the blend of horror & comedy right is a big undertaking as neither aspect can dominate the other. Often the comedic side just tries to pander to the lowest common denominator with sex jokes & characters behaving like idiots.
Bloodsucking Bastards gets it right. In fact it gets it so right that it’s probably the best horror comedy since Shaun of the Dead. If that isn’t high praise…
Evan (Kranz) hates his job, the company he works for is soulless & he is constantly overlooked by his boss. The job is even worse now he has split with his girlfriend, Amanda (Fitzpatrick). Who also happens to work in the same office. Still, at least he has his best friend, Tim (Kern).
Things could be looking up though as Evan is expecting to get a promotion soon. This could be the making of him. A chance to get out of the daily grind. A chance at a better life so he can win back Amanda. Unfortunately, once again he is over-looked for the new arrival, Max (Pascal). Max has been brought in to shake things up & to change the direction of the company using his own unique style. A style that seems to rub off on many of Evan’s colleagues.
He begins to notice changes in behaviour & realises that Max is actually a vampire. Slowly turning the office into blood-suckers too. Alongside Tim & Amanda it’s up to him to put a stop to the corporate greed by driving a stake through its heart!
Hilariously funny, super-gory…Bloodsucking Bastards is all kinds of great. Great characters (Tim & Max) that are well acted with fantastic visuals & a well-put together story. It results in not just one of the best horror-comedies for a long time but one of the best vampire movies in a long time.
Paying homage to a number of things (Shaun of the Dead, The Office, What We Do in The Shadows, Interview with the Vampire) the end result is incredibly memorable & exciting. Sure, it’s got a cynical edge, lacks originality & is a bit predictable but it makes up for it in other ways. The ‘B’ movie style fits the silly story being told perfectly.
Watch this film.
Bloodsucking Bastards
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The Final Score - 9/10
9/10