Horror Review: Painted in Blood (2022)

Written and directed by Aaron Mirtes, the art-focused horror movie Painted in Blood stars Deiondre Teagle and Deborah Seidel.

Malik is an aspiring artist, struggling to get himself noticed in the art world, while also trying to make sure he can pay his rent next month. This aspect of his life hits a speed bump when he gets fired for being late… again. His belief that his art is more important than anything doesn’t mesh with reality. Especially as a lot of his work just isn’t that great.

After being threatened with being kicked out of his apartment by his roommate, Malik has no choice but to take a job as a night security guard at a small art museum. One run by Trisha, who warms to Malik, enough so that she tells him about their big, upcoming exhibition. They will be displaying a painting that is extremely unique.

A painting that mesmerises Malik and inspires him in ways he never has been before. Which seems great, until what is inside the painting comes out and offers Malik greatness, provided blood will be split.

Yes, there are some Candyman vibes here but not in an overtly egregious way. Painted in Blood is all about the sacrifices that artists will make in their purist of their art. It’s a familiar story with minor twists to the formula along the way.

The story works, for the most part, even if the humdrum descent into visual supernatural horror is less interesting than the descent into madness. Deiondre Teagle as Malik is quite watchable and as an actor, he does an impressive job of portraying a tortured soul. Unfortunately, like the story, the heavy tilt into supernatural horror doesn’t seem to gel as well with both the character and the actor.

The film is shot well and utilises some angles to create strong creep factor, even if there’s nothing outright scary about the movie. You can tell that there is talent behind this movie and effort was made to make it the best it possibly could be.

All that being said, Painted in Blood’s wholly unoriginal story and questionable attempts to subvert those expectations make it hard to recommend.