Blood Brothers is a 2015 American horror thriller film written and directed by Jose Prendes (Unspeakable Horrors: The Plan 9 Conspiracy; The Haunting of Whaley House; Corpses Are Forever; screenwriter of Hansel vs Gretel; Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark; Song of the Vampire). It was formerly titled The Divine Tragedies and is the first feature from Dual Visions, the company formed by Jon and James Kondelik.
The film is set for a theatrical/digital release on December 2, 2016 and a DVD release on February 14, 2017, by Uncork’d Entertainment.
Cast:
Graham Denman, Jon Kondelik, Ken Foree (The Devil’s Rejects; Dawn of the Dead), Hannah Levien, Barbara Crampton (Replace; Beyond the Gates), Joshua Lou Friedman, Lynn Lowry, Ruben Pla. Prolific genre actor Shawn C. Phillips plays one of the murder victims.
Plot:
The film is loosely based on the famous Leopold and Loeb murder case. Charles Brubaker (Graham Denman) and his half-brother Thomas Lo Bianco (Jon Kondelik) concoct a deadly game to test their superior intelligence against the dimwitted masses.
Their macabre game eventually leads to murder, but problems arise when they quickly discover that Detective Homer Gaul (Ken Foree), a cop with a very special gift, is hot on their trail….
Reviews:
” …a fun film with just enough dark humor and decent kicks that will suffice the psychotically intrigued viewers who also feel the need to have a strong sense of family represented in their madness. In closing, believe me when I say while most tragedies are completely lamentable, this tragedy is simply divine.” Matt Boiselle, Dread Central
“This viewer enjoyed the dialogue between brothers and the other characters. The interactions are well crafted, while production elements are mostly of high quality. Some of the settings are repeated too often. But, all of the familial conflicts help heighten the tension in the film.” Michael Allen, 28 Days Later Analysis
“Jose Prendes’ 4th film isn’t the one that demands he be taken more seriously than the guy who gave us Monster Man and Corpses Are Forever. It just isn’t. The tone is way too austere for its own good. It’s embarrassingly derivative, overlong, and features two central turns of unparalleled annoyance.” Jack Dee, Arrow in the Head
“Lighting and cinematography run the gamut from textbook three-point to unmotivated party gels to a jarring Natural Born Killers rear projection used for driving shots. The movie attempts to disguise its low budget by using such cost-cutters as style surrogates, but the look doesn’t always deliver the intended effect…” Culture Crypt
“The Divine Tragedies is a thinking man’s horror film. It’s got plenty of gore and horror flick trappings, but more than that, it has the benefit of being a captivating character study. It’s both lively and fun, and on the other side of the token – esoteric and thoughtful – just like the clashing and ever-changing personalities of the boys themselves.” Michael Klug, Horrorfreak News
