Family Blood is a 2018 American horror vampire film directed by Sonny Mallhi (Anguish) from a screenplay co-written with Nick Savvides (Black Cab; Ward 3). The Divide/Conquer production stars Vinessa Shaw, James Ransone and Colin Ford.
Plot:
Ellie (Vinessa Shaw), a recovering drug addict, has just moved to a new city with her two teenage children. She has struggled to stay sober in the past and is determined to make it work this time, finding a stable job and regularly attending her meetings.
Unfortunately, new friends, a new job, and the chance of a new life can’t keep Ellie from slipping once again. Her life changes when she meets Christopher (James Ransone) – a different kind of addict – which forces her daughter and son to accept a new version of Ellie…
Reviews:
” …while the film may not live up to its full potential, the end product is certainly worth a watch. The film takes a risk in making a monster of addiction, and while Family Blood may stumble a bit, it’s a commendable effort despite itself.” Bloody Disgusting
“Perhaps Family Blood means to echo the experience of having skin punctured by the mythical monster who shall not be named. Perhaps it merely wishes to emulate the feeling of being lost in a heroin haze to parallel its drug addiction throughline. Either way, the film’s exhausting dullness hooks lifelessly draining melodrama into an IV of incredibly anemic horror.” Culture Crypt
“I would definitely recommend checking out Family Blood if you’d like to watch a different kind of vampire story. It’s a slow-burn but things definitely speed up towards the end.” Heaven of Horror
“The aspect that bothered me the most, however, is the over-the-top and spoon-feeding social commentary (or agenda?) the movie is trying to push. Vampirism is shown as a metaphor for drug addiction, which is an old but interesting concept. The problem is that this concept is executed in an obvious and annoying way…” Horror World & Reviews
“By the time the third part comes about, the movie is filled with genuine suspense, splatter gore, a few jump-scare scenes, and a dramatic plot that will have Netflix subscribers guessing at the resolution. At first, the climax seems to overstay its welcome, but by the time the credits roll, it all comes together nicely.” Inquisitr
“The relationship between Kyle and Meegan is so shorthand that […] it wreaks the impact of a finale event. That event was fairly shocking anyway, in one sense, so making the effort earlier in the film would have made it powerful. All in all, there are other, much better, films using vampires and looking at addiction and there are better films on the impact of a vampire on a family unit.” Taliesin Meets the Vampires
Family Blood was released via Netflix on May 4, 2018.
Main cast and characters:
Vinessa Shaw … Ellie – Clinical; The Hills Have Eyes (2006); Hocus Pocus
James Ransone … Christopher – Sinister and Sinister II; Fun Size Horror: Volume Two; Prom Night (2008)
Colin Ford … Kyle – Supernatural TV series
Ajiona Alexus … Meegan
Ciaran Brown … Eddie
Teaser trailer:
