Blood of the Beast DVD Review

Following World War III, a third of the world's population has been wiped out and 98% of the surviving male population left sterile. After the initial attempts at cloning appear successful, the "first strands" of cloned humans are harvested, but 19 years later something goes horribly wrong. The story follows a group of teenagers who go looking for their friends who have gotten lost whilst hiking in the woods. They come across a reinforced house where Reverend Gray (Charles Norton) has locked himself away, listening to his radios for news of the chaos rampaging through the country and evangelising to John and his cloned daughter. The first strands of clones have turned into bloodthirsty zombies and civilisation is on the brink of collapse. The survivors fight against the odds to endure the advancing storm of mankind’s extinction.

Blood of the Beast begins with a montage of news reel footage that sets the scene for this bleak post-apocalyptic view of a near future, where cloning is the only way humanity can survive. Georg Koszulinski's nihilistic vision is an absorbing and memorable trip, examining attitudes towards science, religion and politics, creating an intriguing and original modern horror film. Considering (or maybe because of) the micro budget, the camera work and editing is stunning, with some simply breathtaking scenes. The soundtrack, composed by Georg Koszulinski, Steven Landis and Mike Maines, is haunting, using solo cello and synthesisers to great effect. In the final quarter of the movie, Blood of the Beast becomes a silent black and white film, complete with story boards, which brings the tale to a surreal and disturbing end. Blood of the Beast gives people who despair at the state of modern film making some hope, and those of us who support indie film making another reason to rejoice. S.J.T.

Blood of the Beast. 2003

Directed by Georg Koszulinski