Bloodline Killer – Movie Review | Tubi (2/5)

BLOODLINE KILLER on Tubi is a new slasher with a distinct Halloween vibe. We’re talking the season as well as the horror franchise. Shawnee Smith stars. Read our full Bloodline Killer movie review here!

BLOODLINE KILLER is a new Tubi Original. Actually, it’s already been out in theaters and on Digital, but now it has become part of the Tubi family. The ending of Bloodline Killer could be a clue as to why: It’s easy to make a sequel!

And when you have a movie that’s Halloween-themed with a slasher serial killer, then why not reach for that coveted franchise label?! I mean, you have Shawnee Smith of the Saw franchise as your star, so you’re practically a shoo-in.

Continue reading our Bloodline Killer movie review below. Find it on Tubi from June 28, 2024.

A new masked killer

In Bloodline Killer, the horror begins on Halloween when a masked killer goes after Moira Cole’s family. She tries to rebuild her shattered life, but it’s no easy task when the serial killer who went after her family is her own deranged and obsessed cousin.

While the movie starts on a recent Halloween, we get flashbacks to when Moira Cole (Shawnee Smith) was just a teenager and her cousin killed someone. Right in front of her. He has since been known as the Skulleton killer because he wears a skull mask.

Quick side note: When you see the Skulleton, note that he and Shawnee Smith’s character are supposedly the same age. This would make Skulleton a 50-something killer, which he does not look to be. Just sayin’!

Even as a traumatized woman, who withdraws into seclusion in a suburban neighborhood with her two adult sons, she always seems ready to fight back. Yes, like Sydney Prescott, Sarah Connor, and Laurie Strode before her.

Starring alongside Shawnee Smith we see Taryn Manning (Orange is the New Black), Bruce Dern (Freaks), Tyrese Gibson (Fast & Furious franchise), and stuntman Adam Shippey (Kaleidoscope) as “Skulleton” himself.

Shawnee Smith stars

While many will undoubtedly think of Saw when they see Shawnee Smith, I also think of The Blob (1988) and the Carl Reiner 1987 comedy Summer School. Yeah, I know, my age is showing, but the woman has been around for decades. As have I.

In any case, I love that she’s starring in Bloodline Killer because she can carry a horror movie. Also, she has the vibe of a woman who does not back down. In that sense, she reminded me of Laurie Strode from Halloween. Though less traumatized.

I mean, obviously, she is traumatized as her family has been affected by the serial killer known as “Skulleton”. Still, she has decided not to be the victim, and so she fights back and insists on being heard. There’s more to her character, but you’ll see.

Also, we even get a meta layer in the movie about a Skulleton movie coming out. This gave Bloodline Killer a certain Scream air. In that hugely successful horror franchise, movies called Stab are a part of the world-building for Sydney Prescott.

The fact that the son of Shawnee Smith’s character is portrayed by a man who is only ten years younger than her is weird. I mean, sure, the actor is also one of the writers (James Gaudioso of the Gaudioso Twins), but still. They don’t look like they could be mother and son agewise.

Watch Bloodline Killer on Tubi now!

Ante Novakovic is the director of this new Tubi Original slasher. He previously directed the 2022 action movie Sanctioning Evil, which also starred Taryn Manning and the 2018 Halloween-themed American Fright Fest.

Anthony Gaudioso & James Gaudioso (aka The Gaudioso Twins) wrote the screenplay. While I like how they’re mixing a lot of iconic horror franchise lore, while still creating something that feels fresh, it could’ve been a tighter story.

I mean, virtually everything with the police officers is irrelevant. Sure, it means Tyrese Gibson is in the movie and he has name and face recognition. Still, he could’ve been an old friend or a neighbor instead of a cop. Again!

Bloodline Killer wasn’t born a Tubi Original but became one after being released in select theaters and on VOD in April 2024. Now it’s on Tubi where you can watch it for free.

And, despite it being too long, you should check it out. Especially if my suspicions hold true and a sequel is in the making.

Bloodline Killer is on Tubi from June 28, 2024.

Details

Director: Ante Novakovic
Writers: Anthony Gaudioso & James Gaudioso
Cast: Shawnee Smith, Taryn Manning, Drew Moerlein, James Gaudioso, Montanna Gillis, Kresh Novakovic, Adam Shippey, Anthony Gaudioso, Bruce Dern, Tyrese Gibson