Hans Hatwig's "Blödaren" aka "The Bleeder" is often regarded as a cult flick in Sweden.It was produced by the popular pop magazine Okej.The plot is idiotic and the acting is hideously bad.A girls band Rock Cats is lost in the Swedish wilderness while driving from the concert.The unlucky victims are bloodlessly murdered by the serial killer named 'The Bleeder' played by the drummer Åke Eriksson."The Bleeder" has to be one of the worst slasher flicks I have ever seen.It rips off "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Friday the 13th".The action is dull and all the killings are off-screen.The action moves at snail's pace and the film is utterly lifeless and annoying.A chore to sit through.3 out of 10.
6 Reviews
The first Swedish horror film was not a memorable occasion
LuisitoJoaquinGonzalez24 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Although American cinema was the key player during the slasher cycle's heyday, many other countries also provided a considerable contribution to the fledgling category. Whilst Spain's Bloody Moon and South Africa's City of Blood would never rival the audience revenue achieved by their American genre compatriots, the popularity of titles such as Prom Night and My Bloody Valentine proved that the formula had truly become a global cash-cow for ambitious producers.
By 1984 almost every country with a buzzing cinematic market had released at least one attempt at imitating the success of Halloween and its brethren, and Blödaren was Sweden's offering. Released in 1983, Han's Hatwig's low-budget opus was not only the first slasher flick to be released directly for the Swedish market; it was in fact the first horror film that the country had produced. As of yet it has not been made available for non-Swedish speaking fans of the genre, which has allowed it to achieve something of an obscure cult status amongst category enthusiasts.
The plot focuses on a female pop group called The Rock Cats. Whilst touring across the country, their mini-bus breaks down on a country road, leaving them stranded in the wilderness. They head out on foot to find assistance and are relieved when they discover a seemingly abandoned mansion in the depths of the woodland. Unbeknownst to the hapless women, they are sharing the location with a recently escaped lunatic who has a facial disfigurement, which means that blood constantly streams from his eyes. Before long they are fighting for their lives as they are stalked and ruthlessly slaughtered by 'The Bleeder'.
The first thing that struck me about Blödaren is that it's stylishly shot and competently produced. Slasher movies often fall prey to a lack of funding, but the cinematography is fairly crisp and the film looks lush for its age. Unfortunately that's the only positive I could find to mention about this long-forgotten slasher entry and it soon becomes apparent exactly why it has never been subtitled for global consumption.
The methodology of horror is fairly simple; it exists to create a feeling of dread amongst audiences. People watch horror movies to be scared. Fear is by far the hardest mood to create cinematically and the stats back this up. Of the horror films that you have seen, how many have actually terrified you? How many have made you check under your bed when you are alone at night and the lights are low? Although as an entertainment medium cinema has successfully portrayed moments of pathos and intense drama, fear has seldom been conveyed accurately and it takes a master director to make a competent horror film. The problem with Blödaren is that it doesn't even try.
The movie's biggest failure is its lack of a terrifying bogeyman. Watching 'The Bleeder' shuffle around the woodland pushing a pram is not a scary sight, and his bizarre method of sticking out his tongue like a spoilt child before he commits a murder is laughable at best. The cast are totally un-approachable and the film's lack of gore and suspense leaves little to be credited.
The victims are excessively dumb and the plot breaks down to one character wandering off to find a missing friend and being confronted by the hilariously inept killer. The score is a total rip-off of Halloween's notorious theme and the film fails to build a consistent momentum.
Blödaren is something of a cult-classic in Sweden as it launched a market that has delivered titles such as the gory Death Academy, Camp Slaughter, Evil Ed, Drowning Ghost and Blood Tracks. But unfortunately, an excellent debut this movie certainly is not and it will never be released outside of its country of origin.
By 1984 almost every country with a buzzing cinematic market had released at least one attempt at imitating the success of Halloween and its brethren, and Blödaren was Sweden's offering. Released in 1983, Han's Hatwig's low-budget opus was not only the first slasher flick to be released directly for the Swedish market; it was in fact the first horror film that the country had produced. As of yet it has not been made available for non-Swedish speaking fans of the genre, which has allowed it to achieve something of an obscure cult status amongst category enthusiasts.
The plot focuses on a female pop group called The Rock Cats. Whilst touring across the country, their mini-bus breaks down on a country road, leaving them stranded in the wilderness. They head out on foot to find assistance and are relieved when they discover a seemingly abandoned mansion in the depths of the woodland. Unbeknownst to the hapless women, they are sharing the location with a recently escaped lunatic who has a facial disfigurement, which means that blood constantly streams from his eyes. Before long they are fighting for their lives as they are stalked and ruthlessly slaughtered by 'The Bleeder'.
The first thing that struck me about Blödaren is that it's stylishly shot and competently produced. Slasher movies often fall prey to a lack of funding, but the cinematography is fairly crisp and the film looks lush for its age. Unfortunately that's the only positive I could find to mention about this long-forgotten slasher entry and it soon becomes apparent exactly why it has never been subtitled for global consumption.
The methodology of horror is fairly simple; it exists to create a feeling of dread amongst audiences. People watch horror movies to be scared. Fear is by far the hardest mood to create cinematically and the stats back this up. Of the horror films that you have seen, how many have actually terrified you? How many have made you check under your bed when you are alone at night and the lights are low? Although as an entertainment medium cinema has successfully portrayed moments of pathos and intense drama, fear has seldom been conveyed accurately and it takes a master director to make a competent horror film. The problem with Blödaren is that it doesn't even try.
The movie's biggest failure is its lack of a terrifying bogeyman. Watching 'The Bleeder' shuffle around the woodland pushing a pram is not a scary sight, and his bizarre method of sticking out his tongue like a spoilt child before he commits a murder is laughable at best. The cast are totally un-approachable and the film's lack of gore and suspense leaves little to be credited.
The victims are excessively dumb and the plot breaks down to one character wandering off to find a missing friend and being confronted by the hilariously inept killer. The score is a total rip-off of Halloween's notorious theme and the film fails to build a consistent momentum.
Blödaren is something of a cult-classic in Sweden as it launched a market that has delivered titles such as the gory Death Academy, Camp Slaughter, Evil Ed, Drowning Ghost and Blood Tracks. But unfortunately, an excellent debut this movie certainly is not and it will never be released outside of its country of origin.
The Bleeder speaks
wasaexpress-5409316 September 2015
Considering that it was made with ONE camera and ONE microphone. And a script we didn't know much about. I think Hatwig did a fairly good job. There was a longer part of the band playing live in that "Folkpark" in the original cut. But it got cut down for the re-issue on DVD. To me it's like a scary movie for kids with no intention of making a Swedish "Texas chainsaw massacre". We had fun making it and the set were right there in the Swedish wilderness. An abandoned village in the woods ! That cut down the cost of production a whole lot ! And that was shoestring even at the start. But Hatwig had a vision, and he DID it. Not everyone fulfills that.
So bad it's good
psycroptic9 August 2004
Swedish ripoff on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The overall quality of this film isn't all that good, in fact it really stinks. Not to say the movie hasn't got charms. The band "Rock Cats" is probably the funniest band ever, without a doubt. I mean take a good look at them, they are hilarious? The so-called "actors" aren't that bad, their performances are quite OK. And I mean it could have been a lot worse. I'm sure it wasn't intended to, but when watching this movie the laughs seem closer than the shocks.
My conclusion is that this movie actually is so bad it's good, in some morbid kind of way. Translated tagline: Watch out for him-before he sees you.. (Pretty lame?)
My conclusion is that this movie actually is so bad it's good, in some morbid kind of way. Translated tagline: Watch out for him-before he sees you.. (Pretty lame?)
Only bad
superc0ntra25 May 2007
This is probably the worst movie distributed to the public ever. The result of a music magazine editor wanting to cash in on an early eighties trend in Sweden when the cry of the day was "violence videos" and everything with blood in it was banned. Naturally this spawned a huge interest in splatter movies among us who were in out teens back then. However, trying to make a splatter movie without blood and without actors (they were all musicians) is not the thing to do.
I watched it yesterday to see if I could get into some eighties nostalgia (I haven't seen it before) but failed miserably. Acting sucks, lighting sucks, the script is laughable at best, the sound is horrible and the band they are trying to promote can't play. If it's ironic, I've missed the whole point but if not then stay away from this piece of rubbish, it's not even worth downloading. The only minor positive thing is that Åke Ericsson looked the part, as long as he didn't try to "act".
I watched it yesterday to see if I could get into some eighties nostalgia (I haven't seen it before) but failed miserably. Acting sucks, lighting sucks, the script is laughable at best, the sound is horrible and the band they are trying to promote can't play. If it's ironic, I've missed the whole point but if not then stay away from this piece of rubbish, it's not even worth downloading. The only minor positive thing is that Åke Ericsson looked the part, as long as he didn't try to "act".
Entertaining
DennisAlexis8 January 2007
If you're looking for a professionally made horror movie that will terrify you, this is NOT the movie for you. But if you're looking for a slasher flick that is funny, cheesy and full of 1980's fashion, "Blödaren" is perfect for you!
"Blödaren" is a typical rip off of the "Friday The 13th" movies and the acting is non existing. Still it's very entertaining and funny. "Blödaren" has just been re-released officially on DVD. This is the first re-release since its premiere, which is one of the things that fascinates me about this movie.
The best thing about it is of course the 80's fashion and the hair dues of the lead actresses. Hilarious! Be sure to buy the DVD and gather your friends for a night of laughter!
"Blödaren" is a typical rip off of the "Friday The 13th" movies and the acting is non existing. Still it's very entertaining and funny. "Blödaren" has just been re-released officially on DVD. This is the first re-release since its premiere, which is one of the things that fascinates me about this movie.
The best thing about it is of course the 80's fashion and the hair dues of the lead actresses. Hilarious! Be sure to buy the DVD and gather your friends for a night of laughter!
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