BLOOD RAGE is a fun '80s American slasher shot in Florida. The whole thing plays out as a special effects showcase in much the same way as a Friday the 13th sequel; there's zero time for plotting or characterisation, just one brutal kill following another. The movie was made in 1983 but not released for four years, although it's hard to see why it took so long; the effects are good enough to make this stand alongside the genre classics of the decade.The story begins with a HALLOWEEN-style opening in which a kid bumps off a fornicating couple in a car in an extremely grisly fashion. It then cuts forward ten years when the killer escapes from an asylum to go on a rampage, but there's a twist: he has a twin brother. Cue lots of mistaken identity and at least one decent plot twist. Otherwise the characters are all dumb, token stereotypes, and random shower scenes are included for the nudity.In the end, though, this is all about the gore and the blood really does flow freely here. Human bodies are impaled in various nasty ways and it all plays out in a realistic, occasionally rubbery fashion. The half body and hanging head are the stand-out effects, but really all of it is decent and it makes you eager to see what the FX technicians are going to deliver up for the next kill. BLOOD RAGE will win no awards for cinematic quality but slasher fans will find it a hoot, and at least it's never dull.

"Blood Rage" begins with two twin adolescent boys at a drive-in with their mother on a date; the two slink off, and one of them murders a man in his car. Ten years later, the psycho twin is incarcerated in a mental institution. On Thanksgiving, the good twin and his mother go to visit, but find he has escaped. He returns to the woodsy community where his mother lives and begins carving up residents like turkeys.Let's face it—evil twins are to horror films what pumpkin pie is to Thanksgiving. It just works. "Blood Rage," a little-known slasher filmed in the early 1980s, knows this, and takes full advantage of the trope. The film fell into obscurity and wasn't even released theatrically until 1987; it made it to small theaters and B-movie drive-ins, and all but disappeared. What's interesting is that the film actually offers all of the hallmarks that genre fans love about these films: a holiday setting, corny one-liners, young adults copulating, and some impressive special effects set to a pounding synth score. You'd think the film would have at least garnered a cult following, but the limited availability of it until Arrow Video's 2015 release prevented it from ever really catching on.The film is admittedly a mess in areas; some of the performances are hammy and the dialogue contrived, while the pacing is certainly bizarre at times, but for a low-budget B slasher film, these are typically taken for granted, and if anything are part of the charm. Louise Lasser spends the majority of the film boozed out screaming into a telephone and eating Thanksgiving leftovers on her kitchen floor, while her good twin boy searches ruthlessly for his unhinged brother. Bodies start piling up, and elaborate gore effects take precedent over plot development at times. The script overall is vaguely sketched and doesn't completely feel rounded out, and the film does suffer from a frankly nonthreatening villain, but the final act is tongue-in-cheek and well handled.Overall, the film is a nice slice of eighties slasher pie that somehow got left behind. It's not a great film by any means, but it's also not a bad one when pitted against the genre standards. The ending is rather grim, and Lasser's turn as the mentally destroyed mother is hammy, Oedipal, and at times poignant. In many ways, the film reminded me of "Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker," another eighties slasher that never really caught on, in both tone and thematics. "Blood Rage" is most definitely worth a look for genre fans, and is a hokey, gory effort if nothing else. 6/10.

Amid the slew of slasher films pumped out in the early 1980s, a few have been lost in the sands of time, available for years only in cut VHS form or rare DVDs (if they were lucky enough to even make the jump to that format) that have since gone out of print. Blood Rage (aka Nightmare at Shadow Woods) is one of those films. Currently available only on VHS and an expensive out of print DVD (which is heavily cut), it's a shame this wonderful little slasher film has to suffer anonymity while other (lesser) slasher films have been given the deluxe treatment with special edition DVD releases and some even making the transition to Blu-ray (I'm looking at you, The Dorm That Dripped Blood). The truth is, as an avid fan of these often-maligned films, Blood Rage is better than 80% of the so-called classics that have received better treatment in the area of home video.What makes Blood Rage worthier than those other slashers and vastly underrated? Well for starters, the lead performance by Mark Soper who does a double take as the twins Terry and Todd, is among one of the better performances in slasher movie history. If you've read the plot description, you'd know that the movie is about two identical twins--one good, the other evil. Soper manages to play both roles seamlessly, which is surprising given the film's low budget origins and the genre. Each twin's facial expressions, body language, and mannerisms are contrasted perfectly to make it believable. Louise Lasser also hits the spot as the twins' mother, who slowly starts to lose it once she gets word that her son, Todd, has escaped his mental institution and may be on his way home for Thanksgiving. Little does she know that Todd is actually innocent of the crime that got him locked up as a boy--the brutal slaying of a teenage boy at a drive-in movie by way of a hatchet--and that Todd's evil brother, Terry, is actually the resident psychopath, living with her all these years undetected. It seems (or is at least assumed) that Terry's homicidal tendencies have remained dormant all these years until, one night, his mother announces her engagement and gets a phone call that Todd is on the loose. All of this is apparently enough incentive for Terry to have some fun again while probably assuming he can blame all of the new murders on the escaped Todd. And boy does he take advantage of his brother's escape. Terry hacks, stabs, and slices his way through most of the residents of the Shadow Woods apartment complex with much gusto. The gore effects in the uncut version are an 80s slasher fan's dream. The now out of print DVD edition titled Nightmare at Shadow Woods was a heavily cut presentation. We get multiple hatchet whacks to the head, an impaling, decapitations, severed limbs, bisections...the works.The music is one of the best qualities about the film and one of the things that really sets it apart from most of its brethren. It really is one of the greater slasher scores I've heard, at times reminiscent of Halloween but with a more 80s vibe that you can really dig into.We get the usual slasher movie conventions here and there--the kids throw a party in one of the apartments while some sneak off to have sex in certain areas of the complex which proves to be a very bad idea (stay away from that pool house). Eventually, as usual with these films, things dwindle down to the final girl, Karen--a likable enough actress who, while pretty, often makes some questionable decisions regarding her safety. But once the chase is on, we get several memorable set pieces that are at times genuinely suspenseful. Terry chases Karen all over the complex as she tries in vain to get help from the now mostly dead residents. This leads to lots of unopened doors and unanswered cries for help. There is one suspenseful scene in the apartment of a dead resident where Karen attempts to call for help while hiding behind a desk as we see Terry's bloodied machete slowly enter frame off to the side as Karen watches in horror as she looks up to see Terry towering over her. Speaking of Terry, he is really enjoying himself, jokes, smiles, and all.The movie ends in the pool house with a little "twist" if you will (and given that the movie is about twins, no, it's probably not what you're thinking).Overall, several factors in the film elevate it above the level of many of the 80s slashers that have received far more attention and care over the years. I wish some brave company would take a chance on releasing this in its uncut form sometime in the future so slasher fans can see it and appreciate it. I gave the film a 7 for sheer entertainment purposes. It IS a slasher movie, and yes, it often suffers from all of the flaws associated with these films, but pure fun can override your film snob sensibilities at times. Especially when a movie is this fun.

BLOOD RAGE a.k.a. NIGHTMARE AT SHADOW WOODS is a decent little slasher flick that is surprisingly underrated. It's about two young brothers who witness a couple making love in the backseat of their car while watching a movie at a drive-in. Terry, one of the brothers murders the guy and blames it on his twin brother, Todd. Todd is sent away to a mental institution, while Terry enjoys his freedom.15 years later, Todd escapes the mental institution and a series of murders begin plaguing the apartment complex where Terry and his mother now live with her fiancée. But is it Todd or Terry who is committing the murders. Don't worry, the filmmakers do not hold back the identity and you get to see who is doing the killing the entire time. I was quite surprised and pleased with how gory and brutal the murders were. We have a woman who gets cut in half with a machete, a steak fork that gets shoved in a young teenager's throat, a severed hand, a machete to the face and a decapitation, among many others. The gore was well-handled and brutal. The acting is typical 80s slasher with uneven performances. The ending is a bit out there.The only complaint that I have is the motive of the killer. It's never really explained. Maybe hinted at, but not completely explained. BLOOD RAGE has become extremely rare to obtain under it's video release from Prism Entertainment. However, there is a bargain bin DVD that I'm sure you can find on amazon or ebay under its original title, NIGHTMARE AT SHADOW WOODS. Ever slasher fan definitely needs to check it out. It may not be as well known as MY BLOODY VALENTINE, THE BURNING, THE PROWLER, or MADMAN but it's still worthy of recognition. It's woefully underrated.