Jason Vandygriff makes his feature-length directing and writing debut with Blood Dried Hands. The thriller follows Sgt. Investigator Edi (Micha Marie Stevens), whose job is taking a toll on her mentally. Edi is tasked with investigating the worst of the worst, criminally speaking: she and her partner, Reece (Jordan Walker Ross), are looking into several murders of young women that might be connected.
At home, Edi is walking on eggshells, as her young son is frustrated that she works long years and cannot remember his teacher’s name. Her husband, Joel (Samuel French), wants to help her, but Edi doesn’t want to talk about it. Unbeknownst to the intelligent but beleaguered cop, the killer is Hayden (Chance Gibbs). He has his next victim, Taylor (Anna Pena), locked up in a cage, but it’s clear Hayden is trying to fight against his killer instincts. Can Edi and Reece find Hayden before he kills Taylor? Will Hayden find the light and let his victim go, or will his darkest desires win out?
Blood Dried Hands is yet another serial killer story. Yes, it does even feature an extended sequence wherein the female investigator confronts an inmate she helped put away. Aside from recalling The Silence Of The Lambs, this scene is wholly unnecessary. It feels like 20 minutes of pointless jabbering that takes away from the main narrative at hand. The scene is not actually 20 minutes long, but it drones on and on for no good reason. Yes, said murderer Finley (Vandygriff) has another moment later on, but everything involving him should have been saved for a potential second film. As it stands, Finley’s stuff meanders away from the more compelling plot points.
“…his next victim, Taylor, locked up in a cage, but it’s clear Hayden is trying to fight against his killer instincts.”
Hayden’s inner turmoil is interesting. Gibbs portrays the conflict earnestly while still being menacing. His relationship with Taylor, who is reluctant to believe her captor, is engaging. Pena sells her desperation well and plays nicely off of Gibbs.
Stevens and Reece are the glue that holds Blood Dried Hands together. Stevens’ speech about the evil she sees day in and day out is stirring. Her losing her s**t after a particular character is killed is affecting and helps sell the ending. Ross is calm and clever as her partner, and the two work off each other perfectly. Unfortunately, Stevens and French’s chemistry feels more like estranged, divorced significant others as opposed to stressed out but in love partners.
The real star of the show is the sheer brutality of the numerous murders. Special effects make-up artist Trinity Ehrhart creates some bloody, realistic, and disgusting-looking guts. There’s a lot of bloodletting and it all looks stellar, besting studio films handily. The scene where a specific young woman is found bound via red rope is harrowing.
Blood Dried Hands is too long, as it shifts focus from the serial killer investigation to an already incarcerated felon. The problem is the themes and discussions therein are brought up more interestingly at other points. But the blood and guts effects are revelatory. The cast is strong and engaging, even if the chemistry between the on-screen husband and wife is so-so. The exploration of a murder not wanting to but needing to is fascinating.
For more information, visit the official Blood Dried Hands Film Movement page.
"…the blood and guts effects are revelatory."
