Welcome to summer! What better time of the movie season then for studios to release a killer shark into the water. Unfortunately, not every killer shark movie can be Jaws. Or even just The Meg. But there’s a pretty simple premise to exploit for even a middle-of-the-road killer shark movie. And when all else fails, a filmmaker can always take the Sharknado route and mine the concept for laughs. Now out on VOD platforms, Blood in the Water, a British horror export, might be making things unnecessarily complicated. It promises to mix the basic conceit of Saw with a bit of Jaws thrown in for good measure.
Synopsis.
Several strangers connected by a past tragedy wake up chained at the ankles around an indoor swimming pool. Over an intercom, a distorted voice warns the group to confront their own truths or face the consequences. As time passes, their chains drag them closer to the water. And beneath the surface of the pool, a Great White Shark circles and waits.
Blood in the Water Can’t Nail Either of its Influences
There really isn’t much to be said about Blood in the Water. It’s not a good movie – which is a nice, roundabout way of saying it’s downright awful. Though it claims to mix Saw and Jaws, director Dominic Nutter and writers Matthew BC and Dominic Ellis can’t nail either homage. To their credit, they do come a little closer to the Saw premise. That is, Blood in the Water gets the idea of a preaching killer abducting and punishing immoral people correct. Still what’s put on the screen might be considered ‘ripping off’ the source material if the movie didn’t so badly miss the mark. Nutter et al forget to include any of the stomach-churning gore that defined the ‘Torture Porn‘ subgenre. Also missing is any semblance of suspense, scares, or shocks. For a movie that only clocks in at 78 minutes, Blood in the Water is boring and tedious.
Still what’s put on the screen might be considered ‘ripping off’ the source material if the movie didn’t so badly miss the mark.
If Blood in the Water can’t get their Saw imitation right, they really fall short of their Jaws tribute. Don’t worry if the premise of a Great White Shark attacking victims in a heated swimming pool seems farfetched. The shark barely factors into the movie. While it’s understandable that Nutter was working with a microbudget, he makes little effort to follow through on his own premise. And when the shark makes the occasional appearance, poor lighting and choppy editing all but obscure it. None of the performances here merit any mention. Like the movie itself, the unfamiliar cast turn in listless performances. Most of the actors struggle to hide their British accents from start to finish.
Blood in the Water Bet Left at the Bottom of the Dollar Store Bin
Sadly, Blood in the Water is a lazy, throwaway B-movie that offers nothing for horror fans. Somewhere in its silly premise was a ‘so bad, it’s good’ guilty pleasure. Instead of mining that premise for some intentional, over-the-top gore and laughs, Nutter et al opt for a dour, recycled story. Underwhelming performances, sluggish pacing, and poor filmmaking ensure that Blood in the Water is best skipped over for just about anything else you can find to watch.