Blood Review: Michelle Monaghan Resorts to Drastic Measures

A struggling mother (Michelle Monaghan) needs blood to feed her vampiric son (Finlay Wojtak-Hissong).

What awful extent would a mother go to save her precious son from dying? Blood answers this question in a heartbreaking and disturbing scenario that grips with unease. Michelle Monaghan, sublime in one of her best performances, plays a recovering drug addict who has recently separated from her husband. She already struggles to care for her two children when a bizarre attack shatters any semblance of normalcy. She feeds a vampiric urge while staving off authorities and a concerned ex. Her worsening predicament leads to a chilling conclusion that rattles to the core.

Jess (Monaghan), a nurse who was addicted to prescription drugs, moves Tyler (Skylar Morgan Jones) and young Owen (Finlay Wojtak-Hissong) into a rural farm house. The kids miss their father (Skeet Ulrich). He left Jess for their nanny and has a new baby. Jess was largely absent in her children’s lives. She hopes to make up for lost time but still hasn’t regained her footing.

A Strange Discovery

Tyler isn’t happy in the middle of nowhere. Owen acclimates better by playing with his dog. Pippen is Owen’s best friend and indispensable companion. The siblings make a strange discovery while hiking to fish at a nearby pond. The water has vanished with a creepy tree surrounded by mud.

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Pippen vanishes into the woods that night. A distraught Owen begs his mother to search for him. He blames Jess when Pippen isn’t found. They hear barking several days later at dinner. A snarling Pippen lurks outside the house. Owen ignores his mother’s warning to stay back. Pippen bites Owen savagely on the neck.

Owen’s Hunger

Jess and Tyler race Owen to the hospital. His father is absolutely furious. How could Jess allow this to happen? Owen’s condition baffles the doctors. He refuses to eat. Jess catches Owen drinking the plasma from his IV drip. She’s aghast but elated when he miraculously recovers. Owen hungers for more. He especially likes it warm.

Blood does not succumb to foolish horror tropes. Jess acts logically with haste and dire purpose. She knows that Owen will be taken from her if discovered. Jess must find a way to satisfy his thirst while investigating what happened. Getting fresh blood isn’t easy. Her first resort shows physical signs of a relapse. This leads to more calculated solutions to the problem.

Monaghan rivets as a woman with nowhere to turn. She was already in a precarious state with divorce proceedings. Everyone thinks she is an unfit mother. Jess resolves to do anything to save Owen. She will not let her son suffer. The situation turns both Owen and Jess into monsters capable of the unthinkable. They reach a terrifying point of no return. The mother and son develop a deranged symbiosis that’s clearly not sustainable.

Dark Themes with Emotional Gravitas

Director Brad Anderson (The Machinist, The Call) continues to explore dark themes with emotional gravitas. There are no obvious villains in the story. Jess, Owen, and his father are victims of twisted circumstance. Their actions are not born from malicious intent. The instinct to protect and nurture at all costs clouds reasoning to tragic outcomes. Don’t watch this film expecting a monstrous payoff. That’s an easy out avoided by a sophisticated filmmaker.

Blood is a production of Hercules Film Fund, H2L Media Group, Rhea Films, and 1821 Studios. It will have a theatrical release on January 27th, followed by a VOD debut on the 31st from Vertical Entertainment.