Bloody Knuckles is two fistfuls of fun!
Released by: Artsploitation Films
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Production Year: 2014
Region Code: A
Running Time: 1:22:48
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 / Dolby Digital 5.1 / Dolby 2.0 Stereo
Video: 1080p (1.78:1 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: English, Spanish
THE FILM - [ 4 / 5 ]:
Travis, an underground comic book artist with a penchant for obscene caricatures, upsets a Chinatown crime lord who responds by cutting off the young man’s hand. As a despondent, drunken Travis wallows in post-severed hand depression, his decomposing limb returns to life and is determined to exact revenge. Soon, Travis and his mischievous appendage join forces with a masked S&M superhero to rid the city of evil. Filmmaker Matt O.’s debut feature strips Canada of its “land of nice” image with this deliriously offensive, gory, and happily un-PC horror-comedy!
"Bloody Knuckles" is two fistfuls of fun that features a great blend of horror and comedy. I am already looking forward to future films from director Matt O'Mahoney. 2015 has been a great year for horror fans with all the top-notch non-Hollywood films that have come out.
The film at its core, is about censorship. Although if you haphazardly watch the film it might just come across as being yet another horror-comedy. But there's more to it than that. It doesn't get too soapbox preachy though. Instead we have some delicious over-the-top scenes of carnage with a side of comedy and let me say, that is one tasty meal. If you like a dash or sometimes a heaping amount of inappropriate humor along with your horror, then you're in luck.
AUDIO - [ 4 / 5 ]:
"Bloody Knuckles" offers viewers three English audio options. You have your pick of DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Stereo 2.0 tracks. The audio for the film sounded very good. The Blu-ray maintains a terrific balance between the films dialogue, sound effects and music. Volume levels were consistent through the duration of the movie. I did not encounter any problems with the audio such as pops or dropouts. English and Spanish subtitles are also included.
VIDEO - [ 4 / 5 ]:
"Blood Knuckles" crawls its way on to Blu-ray thanks to Artsploitation Films. The film is presented in 1080p with a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. The video quality of the film looks great. Colors are strong and rich in appearance. Black levels in the film look great and really stand out in some of the characters clothing. Skin tones have a natural look. There is a fine amount of detail present as well. I did not notice any negative issues with the picture quality of the Blu-ray.
SPECIAL FEATURES - [ 4 / 5 ]:
Audio Commentary with director Matt O'Mahoney: Mr. O'Mahoney does a good job talking about the production of the film including the budget, cast, shooting locations and props used in the movie. He shares some interesting behind the scenes information throughout the commentary regarding the cast and crew as well as points of interest related to what is transpiring in the film at the time.
Deleted Scenes:
- Scene 1 (:27) - Looks to have been trimmed from the opening of the film, showing photocopies of the comic pages being made.
- Scene 2 (1:30) - This features an exchange between Travis and Raphie after Travis has lost his hand.
- Scene 3 (:45) - This scene shows Amy showing up to visit Travis, post-hand, but he basically blows her off.
Interviews:
- A Hate Letter To Censorship: Matt Garrett Interviews Matt O. (7:08) - Mr. O'Mahoney is asked about some of his previous short films as well as "Bloody Knuckles."
- Matt O. Visits Diabolik DVD (5:43) - Matt O visits the home of Diabolik DVD and learns about its origins. A pretty cool look inside the store, so to speak.
- Defending the Undefendable: A Conversation with Robin Bougie, Creator of Cinema Sewer (8:39) - Matt O. interviews Mr. Bougie about the origins of Cinema Sewer. They also discuss cases of censorship over the years.
- VHS is Happiness: An Interview with Lunchmeat (4:31) - Matt O. interviews Josh from Lunchmeat Magazine. Josh explains that Lunchmeat Magazine is a print and online magazine that helps support the VHS format. Viewers even get tips on how you can try to clean mold off of a VHS tape.
Short Films by Matt O'Mahoney:
- Adjust Tracking (5:10) - A good short that shows why parents shouldn't try to stop their kids from watching horror movies. Okay, not exactly. But I like looking at it from that perspective.
- Electric Fence (17:42) - The story of a man who has an unfortunate run in with a prostitute and ends up being a transplant recipient. Afterwards, he begins to have disturbing new urges that he is not comfortable with.
Trailer (1:51)
Also Available: Trailers for "Children of the Night," "Horsehead," and "Cub."
IN CONCLUSION:
Another very pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed "Bloody Knuckles" and the thanks go to the cast and crew of the film as well as Artsploitation Films for the wonderful Blu-ray they have released. The film looks and sounds great and includes a number of quality special features like the director's commentary as well as two of his short films. I highly recommend this release.
OVERALL - [ 4 / 5 ]