“Strigoi!”
Vampires have been on plenty of ships over the years. Heck, the granddaddy of ’em all, Dracula, even featured the ill-fated Demeter, which was eventually given its own film in 2023. In 2019, Director/co-writer Justin Dix gave us Blood Vessel. The film takes place somewhere in the North Atlantic near the end of World War II. A small group of survivors from a medical vessel are adrift at sea on a raft and stumble upon a German ship that has apparently been abandoned…..until the group investigates different parts of the ship. They discover a young girl, a number of charred bodies, and the captain burned up in his quarters. The young girl seems innocent enough, until she bites Nurse Jane Prescott. Then she leads them to one of storage areas below deck where they discover the ship’s lone survivor and a few Nazi items boxed up for safety. What lies in the box? Watch Blood Vessel to see what terror awaits the survivors on the high seas!
The film is actually pretty good. It does have a few slow moments, especially when the group initially arrive on the ship. I love how we get to know a few of the survivors and I actually pulled for a few of them. Robert Taylor, Alyssa Sutherland, and Alex Cooke carry this film. The vampires look amazing as well. They appear to be primarily composed of practical effects with minimal CGI enhancements. There are some tense moments and plenty of gore to boot.
Blood Vessel is a fun ride that takes on water at times, but ultimately doesn’t sink. It’s not a classic, but it’s definitely worth watching if you love historical horror. I definitely recommend it.
Ken's Alternate Universe! 