The Reel Review
This rare Western/horror mashup is set in an abandoned Colorado silver mining town in 1887, where a stagecoach full of travelers, a couple of outlaws and a mysterious gunslinger take refuge in a saloon. Outside, lured by the rare blood moon, is a bloodthirsty Navajo skinwalker looking to eat them.
The Western setting and character driven story from Alan Wightman adds a fun twist on what otherwise would be yet another predictable werewolf thriller. Yes, the monster in this low-budget creature feature is as laughably hokey as some of the dialogue – but the film has enough clever one-liners, scares and a fun vibe to let us know it is in on the joke. Blood Moon has one goal – to entertain. And it does.
Director Jeremy Wooding’s solid production includes some fun plot twists and a nice nod to women empowerment. Acting wise, standouts include Shaun Dooley (It’s A Sin, The Witcher) as Calhoun the gunslinger, Anna Skellern (The Descent, Part 2) as the quick-thinking, gun-toting, stagecoach passenger, and Eleanor Matsuura (Wonder Woman, Zack Snyder’s Justice League) as the tough-talking, half Navajo guide. Blood Moon has the feel of an old fashioned Saturday afternoon matinee – a quickly forgotten, but bloody good time.
REEL FACTS
• Blood Moon was filmed at the Laredo Wild West Town in Kent, England. The town, which is open only to its several dozen members every other weekend for role play visits, has become popular with film and TV production crews.
• The next blood moon, or lunar eclipse, will appear on May 26, 2021, which will be visible from the Pacific Ocean, Asia and Australia and large parts of the Americas.
• Superstitions have long persisted around the blood moon. In 1504, while in Jamaica, explorer Christopher Columbus knew from his almanac when a blood moon would occur. He told unsuspecting villagers an angry God would turn the moon red until they brought him and his hungry crew food and supplies. It worked.
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