Blood secret has a simple premise, perfect for a low-budget film: two friends, one location, and lots of secrets and lies to uncover. However, a minimal setup like this requires great chemistry between its two leads, an incisive script and a story that unfolds perfectly. Unfortunately, Blood secret does not contain all the necessary ingredients.
Madison (Tiana Akers) visits her longtime friend Anna (Katherine Lozon) for dinner in an effort to reconnect; The once-close college friends grew apart after the untimely death of their mutual friend Nadine, who was found dead, washed up on a beach after a college party 15 years previously. Both women blame each other for this tragic accident, and each has their own reason for feeling guilty.
As the two men drink, reminisce, and begin to peel back the bandage from a deep, old wound, old secrets, regrets, and ghosts of the past emerge from the shadows. Madison begins to encounter paranormal activity and sees warning signs that she may not be entirely safe in her old friend’s house. With visions, lingering guilt, and paranoia in her eyes, Madison wonders if she can trust Anna, but with Madison’s increasingly erratic behavior, Anna begins to wonder if she can trust Madison as well.
Blood Secret is billed as “a John Carpenter-inspired widescreen”, but as soon as one comparison is made to the Master of Horror, others will follow, especially when the story attempts to build suspense so that all the pent-up and stored angst and tension can be unleashed in the final 15 minutes. However, the suspense just isn’t there when it comes time to reveal everything.
Blood Secret is built around Madison and Anna’s relationship and their growing suspicions and accusations as the night progresses; a lot rests on the shoulders of Katherine Lozon and Tiana Akers to carry it all. Their job is made more difficult by too many questionably comical scenes – such as supernatural sightings from Anna’s partner – and strange occurrences involving burnt and shriveled pasta. It’s a little too much for them to bear, despite their best efforts.
With the twists and turns and activity bordering on the supernatural, there was an opportunity for an incisive musical score to punctuate the revelations, slowly build atmosphere and take some of the weight off the two leads. A good score can become its own character, its presence as important as anyone else on screen, but that’s another element that’s missing.
At one point, it is revealed that their food delivery driver’s name is “Steve-O”. The couple wonders if he’s Steve-O from Jackass and if Madison should go out with him. The attempt to show relationships and banter between Madison and Anna is clumsy and does the exact opposite of what it was supposed to do: establish their friendship. When Steve-O arrives, he reveals himself to be an overenthusiastic “theater guru” who tries to involve Madison in an improv on the spot. This attempt at comic relief comes at the wrong time, lingers too long, and drains any tension that was building. This is a recurring theme – it happens again when Neighbor Bob tries to move a car that is blocking his driveway.
Despite all his efforts, Blood secret falls flat and does not reach the high voltage levels needed. Too many scenes seem comical – even when they’re meant to be serious – and by the time all the secrets are revealed, the interest has completely waned.
Movie rating: 1.5/5
