‘The Bleeding Dark’ (2025)

Following a tragic assault in front of their home, father John (Courtney Gains) and son Michael (Sebastian Bjorn) are left reeling after the loss of their wife and mother Carol (Kelsey Tucker). Struggling to cope with the grief, the darkens festers within their home as Carol’s spirit fails to find peace.

Using the inciting incident as the film’s opening, two criminals assault the Barrow family as they drive up to their home. Inexplicably shooting and killing Carol, John and Michael are left unharmed. Progressing on then to show a broken home, father and son are left grieving, feeling even more alone in each others company.

Viewed through security camera footage, recordings of home videos and a more traditional lens, the story is presented through various perspectives. Even though the technique provides variety, the approach does little to add to the story. What little action does take place in the feature is not stimulated by the multiple lenses and add no excitement or suspense to the story.

The film does little to showcase the character’s emotional journey, presenting the characters go through the same actions and monotonous takes on John and Michael grieving. With stunted expressions of anger, sorrow and depression, the relationship between Gains and Bjorn feels manufactured and incongruous, further detaching from the already stifled and confused relationship.

Showcasing the two men suffer the loss of their loved one is further complicated when Carol’s spirit appears to be trapped in the house. Slowly descending into madness and visibly decomposing, Carol’s ghost makes itself known to Michael.

Opting to eventually posses her son, the two seem to share Michael’s body. To a varying degree of success, the possessed young man seems at times influenced by the presence of the ghost, with the erratic actions exhibited by the character proving difficult to discern if and when the man is possessed, influenced or having a mental breakdown induced by grief.

Further detracting from any semblance of an even flow to the story, the perpetrators responsible for the demise of the family at the beginning of the film are reintroduced at the mid and end points of the feature. Seemingly wanting to cover up their tracks and kill John and Michael to ensure there are no witnesses, the two perps break into the house to finish them off.

Now apparently fully possessed by the enraged spirit of Carol, Michael goes on a killing spree. Indiscriminately beating anyone and everyone to death with a hammer, Michael takes out both family members and intruders alike. With no rhyme or reason to the bludgeoning, the deaths have little impact, leaving the viewer confused rather than scared.

In terms of an atmosphere, the low production budget looms large over any sense of horror or terror. Offering nothing by way of scares and establishing an uneven rather than dark tone, the film fails to entice any sense of fear, resulting in a muddled and frustrating experience.

With a runtime of under 90 minutes, ‘The Bleeding Dark’ manages to feel twice as long. With a simple possession story, the listless delivery by the actors in combination with a flummoxing story-line leave one feeling cheated of an exciting film experience. Best not given a chance, ‘The Bleeding Dark’ should remain hidden from the audiences.

Score: 0/4