Director Madellaine Paxson’s Blood Punch Receives Sept. 1 DVD Debut From Midnight Releasing

Nothing is what it seems in Midnight Releasing’s Sept. 1 DVD debut of director Madellaine Paxson’s mixed-genre film delight, Blood Punch.   

Part horror, part black comedy and part drug-dealing thriller all mixed together with a generous helping of film noir … and this doesn’t fully describe the fun to be had here with Blood Punch. 

The script is provided by Paxson’s husband, Eddie Guzelian, who have been prolific writers on such television series as Nickelodeon’s Peter Rabbit, Power Rangers R.P.M., Lilo & Stitch: The Series and The Penguins of Madagascar over the years and are stepping out for the first time on their own (they are also Executive Producers here).    

With those years of studio-level experience, Guzelian and Paxson have served up an indie film that doesn’t film feel like an indie film … and certainly doesn’t play like a low budget indie film.

The film opens with an impossible prologue, that only begins to makes sense much later in the proceedings.   There’s other mumbo-jumbo too, but that’s all there for a reason, which will become clear as Blood Punch unfolds.

The main body of the story begins with would-be tweaker Skyler (Olivia Tennet — as “Dr. Power Rangers R.P.M. series, plus small parts in such films as The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Boogeyman), who is as cute as a button, in a drug rehab center.    Now don’t believe any of this — not the cute part, she’s a dangerous, manipulative vixen.   Nor, the tweaker-part either, she’s in lockdown because she wants to be there; she’s on a mission.

K” in the

Her target is a druggie named Milton (Milo Cawthorne — as Ziggy on the Power Rangers R.P.M. series — are you beginning to see the connection here between filmmakers and actors?), a nice enough college kid who has been tossed into this particular facility for cooking meth.   

Cute little Skyler quickly seduces him and sets up the nourish elements of our story … Milton, I have over a hundred pounds of pseudoephedrine and I need you to cook it for me!   How can he say no?

Once poor Milton is hooked, not on drugs, but on Skyler, she then lets him in on another piece of information (another piece of the puzzle) about this get-rich-quick drug deal.   She has a “boyfiend” named Russell (Ari Boyland — yes, another Power Rangers R.P.M. alumni), who is dangerously psychotic, but is part of the deal and — pay close attention to Tennet’s performance here — she’s afraid of Russell, so poor Milton is not only going to be her cook, but her protector … sucker!

Blood Punch is a great thrill ride that will keep you guessing right up until the final twist.  Think: film noir.  Think: drug deals gone bad.   Think: slasher film, yes slasher film!!  Now combine them all together and you have the delicious film mixture that is titled Blood Punch.

Bonus features include “test footage” and deleted scenes.