Dir. Joe Sherlock (2013)
Thirty years after a logger went on a rampage, the killings begin again.
Joe Sherlock's filmography encompasses a little bit of everything in the horror genre. He's dealt with zombies, aliens, vampires, werewolves, and seemingly everything in between. This, however, was the first film (outside of perhaps Drifter) that is an out-and-out slasher. Of course, that makes it right up my alley, and I was excited to see how it would all play out. Indie slashers are surprisingly not all that common outside of 80's SOV, so I'm always down for an entry in the subgenre that promises to be cheap and entertaining. Thankfully, cheap and entertaining is Joe Sherlock's standard, and Blood Creek Woodsman is no different.
TJ Sherlock (Tom Stedham), the local sheriff, is investigating a series of teenagers' deaths at the hands of a serial killer, and the town of Oak Creek is in an uproar. Thirty years before, a woodsman named Bud Kindrick (Adam Paris) went on a killing spree after discovering his wife was cheating on him with his best friend. Now, a masked man wielding an axe is committing the same heinous crimes, and its up to TJ and a prying news reporter named Janet (Amanda Bounds) to stop him and save the town from any further bloodshed.
The gore is surprisingly effective in this film, with bodies being chopped apart and entrails decorating several setpieces along the way. For a budget of only five grand, Sherlock does a fantastic job with making things look as realistic as possible. Granted, this isn't Savini, but it's pretty well done nonetheless, giving Blood Creek Woodsman a nasty streak I didn't really expect coming in. There's also a relatively high body count, a must for a slasher and more than enough to keep the audience entertained despite the relatively slow plot.
The killer, who wears a sack over his head, resembles Friday the 13th Part Ii's Jason, an intentional, I'm sure, and wise choice to pay homage to a classic without feeling like a straight ripoff either. The kills are inventive, with axe, chainsaw, and even PVC pipe being used to great effect. The acting is the only major setback for the film, but the writing is good enough to tell the story and the main characters generally do a pretty good job in their roles. It's as good or better than many slashers that I've seen, and while that's not saying a whole lot, Blood Creek Woodsman is a perfectly entertaining and well-made indie slasher that has a lot going for it.
I'm a big fan of Sherlock in general, but it's really nice to be able to check out some of his branch-out films. With tons of love shown to some genre classics, like the aforementioned F13:2 and a score that's eerily reminiscent of the OG A Nightmare on Elm Street, Sherlock does a great job of making a watchable film that slasher fans will eat right up. It's far, far better than most of the indie slashers that came before, and it's got Sherlock's patented blend of cheap and effective gore with a decent amount of nudity thrown in for good measure. Check it out if you get the chance.
Who this movie is for: Indie slasher fans, Skullface Astronaut lovers, Cynthia, who remains a lying piece of shit
Bottom line: Blood Creek Woodsman is a watchable indie slasher flick with a ton of blood and enough nudity to make genre fans happy. It's wholly indie, super cheap, and a whole lot of fun. The kills are excellent, the gore is surprisingly good, and while a good number of the actors leave a lot to be desired, it's well worth a watch regardless. You can grab a copy of this film at Skullface Astronaut's website or stream it on SA's Vimeo, and I definitely recommend that you do so if you're a supporter of indie horror.
