Review of Blood Games

Blood Games (1990)
5/10
Babes, baseball and hillbilly manhunts!
10 August 2009
There are a handful of elements indicating from beforehand already that "Blood Games" will become a pretty bad but nevertheless hugely enjoyable action/sleazy time-waster… The alternative title, which apparently only got used in Australia, reveals the whole set-up: "Baseball bimbos in Hillbilly Hell". Correct me if I'm wrong but little insignificant cult movie titles don't get to sound more promising than this. The whole premise is just as simplistic yet effective as that! Unleash a team of indescribably beautiful female baseball babes into the woods and send a bunch of drunken, testosterone-overdrive rednecks – complete with bullets and crossbows – after them for a bit of chasing, raping and killing fun. Moreover, the director of this obscure piece of junk was also a woman, so be prepared for heavy and obtrusive feminist overtones and cheesy heroine speeches. Just by looking at the plot synopsis, it's a guaranteed fact already that, somewhere at some point in the movie, one of the lead actresses is bound to speech the words: "I'm sick and tired of being pushed around by male chauvinist pigs! Let's stand up for ourselves and fight back!" Admittedly it takes far too long before the film properly kicks into gear and the first half is extremely tedious, but you easily tend to forgive all the shortcomings, as it's more than obvious that this is an ultra low-budgeted amateur production that merely relies on spirited performances and playful teasing rather than originality and spectacular stunts. The film opens with the almost integrally shown baseball game between the babes and the rednecks. A crazy and depraved ex war veteran hired the girls as a present for his porker son, but rednecks clearly can't deal with losing that well. Two of the girls accidentally run over the son with a bus whilst running away from an attempted rape, and before they realize what's going on, they find themselves chased by a whole posse of armed yokels! "Blood Games" really isn't anything special or original, but it's amusing stuff with a handful of exciting moments. The girls are exceptionally beautiful; each and every single one of them, but it's not exactly surprising that none of them ever starred in anything else before or after this film. They're merely sportive types and beauty queens, but not suitable to do any proper acting work. The death sequences are quite alright, and there's a plausible balance of losses on each side. One final but important little argument to convince knowledgeable horror/cult fanatics to watch "Blood Games" is that it stars George "Buck" Flower as one of the hillbillies. He's even the one who got to play the voyeur in the obligatory shower sequence! Go Buck!
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