Blood Vessel
Scenes were filmed on the HMAS Castlemaine. A fully restored WWII Bathurst Class corvette, currently docked at Gem Pier in Williamstown.,At the beginning, when the group is in the life raft and about to board the German vessel, the captain starts banging the hull with the butt of his rifle. As he does so, the actor is clearly not hitting anything.,References Death Ship (1980),Locally made horror thriller Blood Vessel embraces its concept and kookiness to deliver a fun throwback like experience that is sure to have genre fans excited about the proposition of seeing World War 2 citizens take it to a ship full of bloodthirsty nazi vampires.

Directed by Australian special effects/props guru Justin Dix, Blood Vessel overcomes its low-budget origins and DIY nature to end up as a final product that is both proficient as a spectacle piece and as a moody atmospheric horror that will entertain anyone willing to go along with its insanely over the top and schlocky premise.

Everything about the film is no fuss, Dix wastes little time in introducing us to a group of sea-stranded survivors that includes Nathan Philipp's Australian soldier Nathan Sinclair and Alyssa Sutherland's kindly Jane Prescott as they and their fellow raft members find potential rescue aboard a seemingly deserted Nazi minesweeper, that just so happens to be host to some extra-ordinary cargo that would rather suck your blood than say hello.

Taking it slow for the first part of the survivors searching of the ship and quest to uncover why a ship such as the one they find themselves on is devoid of human life bar a young girl, Blood Vessel eventually goes all out as we and the films group come face to face with the true horrors of what lays in store for them becomes increasingly more apparent.

With some great visual effects and make-up work, a committed cast who all "bite" into their roles, a great set courtesy of a real-life docked ship and an atmospheric score from Brian Cachia, Blood Vessel is a well-rounded package that never tries to do anything outside of its reach and while it fails to go to insanely creative levels of B-grade goodness, it remains a home grown affair that horror buffs can be proud of.

Final Say -

A fun and entertaining Australian made horror, Blood Vessel delivers exactly what its premise promises and has a lot of fun along the way in doing so.

3 neck bites out of 5,