#142 -- "B" Challenge: Blood Creek (2009)

Director: Joel Schumacher
Rating: 4/5

I was kind of skeptical about watching this, because I assumed that it was going to really focus on government and Nazi history (which is interesting; I just don't really like political type movies). I was wrong, because all this movie focused on was the dark arts. It started off in the 1930s, when a poverty stricken German family living in Virginia was notified by the Nazis that they would be housing one of their scientists. I wasn't really sure what he was doing there to begin with, but it became clear soon enough. He seemed like a nice enough guy, though looks do deceive. He was looking for an ancient stone that was said to have been found on the family's farm. The father of the family let him know that it was, in fact, out in their barn and still in perfect shape. The scientist, Mr. Wirth, went out to investigate the stone, and he found the man's young daughter crying in the barn because her pet bird had died. He said some sort of incantation, and the bird returned to life. He told the little girl that he could do wonders if he could only gain enough strength. Cut to the present day, and a young paramedic who spent his nights caring for his Alzheimer's ridden father, and worrying about the disappearance of his brother Victor (who disappeared during a camping trip). One night, out of nowhere, Victor returned to see Evan. Instead of rejoicing in their reunion (or returning to see his wife and children), Victor told Evan to grab some guns and follow him. He took Evan back to the place he had been held captive for the last two years, and he was very intent on getting his revenge on the people who tortured him. It didn't take very long for them to realize that it wasn't going to be very easy. The family that had been visited by Mr. Wirth was actually still alive, and still living on their farm. The stone was a powerful occult object that gave Mr. Wirth the power of necromancy. He could kill anything or anyone, and bring them back to life to become his slave: dogs, horses, humans--anything. His goal was to gain a third eye, which was said would grant him power that could not be stopped. It would happen on an eclipse, but he needed blood to complete the ritual--human blood, and lots of it. The family had found a way to contain him for a while, by painting banishing symbols from an ancient Nordic alphabet on all the doors and windows. They kept him in the cellar and fed him so that he wouldn't become angry. That is where Victor had been for the past two years, trapped in a trailer to feed Mr. Wirth. But when Victor and Evan returned, Mr. Wirth escaped. He enslaved the family's huge dogs, as well as their horses and one of their captives. I will say that bloody, undead horse intent on killing is pretty damn terrifying. Victor and Evan soon learned that there was only one way to kill him. He needed human blood, but his own blood would poison him. They gathered bones that held the blood of his ancestors and, using Evan as bait, tricked him into drinking it. That, of course, wasn't exactly enough to stop him. And there were still more like him out there. Liese (the little girl, and Mr. Wirth's first captive) informs the guys that Hitler actually sent out eight people like Mr. Wirth. They thought that, with the help of these stones, and by achieving immortality, there would be no stopping the "master race." So, even if they succeeded in killing Mr. Wirth, there would still be others out there who could possibly continue on their mission. The master race could still overpower and control everything. Holocaust 2.0 could still be a possibility. Something about Nazis in general is terrifying. The whole business of the Holocaust, the true story of it, is scary on its own. But to think that the Nazi party could come up with, and actually execute, something like this is downright horrifying.

This movie was actually quite good. The story was unique and I think has the potential to really scare some people. It takes something we already know and fear a little bit, and it multiplies it by 100. Just imagining it makes me shiver. If the Nazis were getting ready for genocide once again, there are a couple of reasons I can think of that I'd be on their list. The reality of it, though far-fetched, is what makes it scary. If you can toss the fact that you know nothing like this could happen...if you can use your imagination, you can picture a modern day Hitler parading through your town, knocking on your door and taking you away. Add to the equation that it's an undead Hitler who has had years upon years for his anger to grow, and tell me that's not a terrifying thought. Blood Creek really brings up an interesting question. If he had not been stopped, how far would Herr Hitler have gone to be sure the master race reigned superior?