When you get an invitation to watch a film called Blood Covered Chocolate you do wonder what it might be about. First thought was a health and safety documentary about unsafe practices on the Cadbury production line. That proved to be wildly off target…quelle surprise! So what do we have then? Well, we start off with a romance, then slide into a crime drama, before another segue into the fantasy/horror genre.
Massimo (Michael Klug) and Tien (Christine Nguyen) are happy together. They are both recovering addicts supporting each other and are celebrating Massimo’s first year of sobriety. However a family meal with Massimo’s mother, Barbara (Debra Lamb), and his stepfather, Crate (Joe Altieri) breaks up the happy home. Crate suspects Tien’s motives and orders Massimo to split up from her. Oh, I forgot to mention that Crate is a local crime lord and is also Massimo’s boss.
The World’s Most Indispensable Movie App
The RunPee app tells you the best times to
run & pee during a movie
so you don't miss the best scenes.
Download the RunPee app.
100% free (donation supported)
Do As You Are Told!
Before they can break up Massimo gets a visit from Sophia (Meghan Deanna Smith) who just so happens to be a shape shifting vampire. She bites him and he too turns into a vampire. Oh, as well as into a neurotic wreck. Now he has to balance his life as a low level criminal runner saddled with a handler, Gage (Mike Ferguson) and a trainee vampire; Sophie sets him up with a prostitute called Candy (Helene Udy) as his first kill.
Needless to say, things start to go wrong. Quite startlingly wrong for some of those involved! Massimo’s newly found vampiric abilities start to distort his influence within the criminal underworld. He also finds complications arising within the relationships between himself, his mother, Sophie, and Tien. Throw in various handlers, whores, and a Malay nocturnal, vampiric entity called a Penanggalan! Quite the party!
Bite Me!
All in all, Blood Covered Chocolate was a highly entertaining way to spend a little over an hour and twenty minutes. The flyer that came with it described it as an homage to Nosferatu. Is that an overblown piece of hyperbole? Not really. Director Monte Light has made some knowing nods to German expressionist cinema; extreme camera tilting and high angles, deep shadows and chiaroscuro lighting, and the exaggerated, distorted mise en scene are all there to be found.
Where I’d take exception is in the comparison with Nosferatu. While there are occasional shots which are desperately reminiscent of that particular film. I would argue though, that the 1920’s German expressionist film that Blood Covered Chocolate leans more toward is The Cabinet of Dr Caligari especially with its use of the unreliable narrator. Still…if you have to be compared with some post war milestone films those two aren’t bad!
Movie Grade: B+
https://howditgo.app/indie-movie-review-hawk-rev-vampire-slayers/
What people are saying
about the RunPee app.
May 15, 2020
Got this back when I was pregnant, but I’ll be keeping it forever, it’s just so handy. I don’t go to the movie theater that often (even back before quarantine when you actually could…) but I make sure the app and the movie list are all current and updated, cause it’s so handy! It’s great for running late cause you can read their summary, obviously awesome for bathroom or snack breaks mid movie, and I also love that it tells you if there’s anything after the credits which is very handy.
View all reviews
Apple App Store | Google Play Store
Download RunPee app
https://howditgo.app/indie-movie-review-bite-me-2019/
https://howditgo.app/indie-movie-review-death-drop-gorgeous/
Don’t miss your favorite movie moments because you have to pee or need a snack. Use the RunPee app (Androidor iPhone) when you go to the movies. We have Peetimes for all wide release films every week, including Wicked, Gladiator II, Red One, The Wild Robot and coming soon Moana 2, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Kraven the Hunter, Mufasa: The Lion King and many others. We have literally thousands of Peetimes—from classic movies through today’s blockbusters. You can also keep up with movie news and reviews on our blog, or by following us on Twitter @RunPee. If there’s a new film out there, we’ve got your bladder covered.
Leave a Reply