Blood Tracks (1985)

User Rating:

3.3/10   

Director:

Mats Helge

Writers:

Mats Helge (writer)
Anna Wolf (writer)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The mountains echoed with the screams of terror.

Plot:

A film crew producing a rock music video decides to shoot at an abandoned factory above the snow line. When an avalanche strands them, a murderous family living in the factory attacks and kills many of them. |

Plot Keywords:

Avalanche | Mountain | Slasher | Cabin | Maniac

Cast

Jeff Harding	...	John
Michael Fitzpatrick	...	Bob
Naomi Kaneda	...	Suzie
Brad Powell
Peter Merrill
Harriet Robinson
Tina Shaw
Frances Kelly
Karina Lee
Helena Jacks
Lotte Heise
Zin Zan
Chris Lynn
Alex Tyrone
Freddie van Gerber

Also Known As:

Heavy Metal (Sweden)

Runtime:

81 min | 85 min | Belgium:90 min (video version)

Country:

Sweden | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Australia:R

Filming Locations:

Funäsdalen, Jämtlands län, Sweden

Company:

Smart Egg Pictures

Avalanche of Dull

Unquestionably one of the dumbest, dullest and most redundant slasher/exploitation hybrids of the entire 80's decade, "Blood Tracks" is a Swedish-American co-production that desperately attempts to cash in on the success of "The Hills Have Eyes" and other similar mountain-survival horror flicks, but tremendously fails. The most transparent problem of this film project is the lack of budget. The acting performances are weak, the choreography looks amateurish and – worst of all – three quarters of the film is shot without lighting. During practically all the death sequences, you find yourself staring at a fully black screen with only a bit of loud screaming in the background. The basic plot outline isn't too bad, actually – albeit very derivative – but in spite of this and the reasonably high body count, "Blood Tracks" is an insufferably boring and retarded 80's movie. The intro sequence is undeniably the best of the whole film, as a worried mother of three slays her alcoholic and abusive husband and flees into the snowy Colorado Mountains. Many years later (forty according the synopsis on the back flap of the DVD), a cheesy and ultimately gay rock band called "Solid Gold" journeys to the area, along with groupies and backing vocals, to record a video clip. Their atrocious music and annoying behavior quickly causes avalanches so immense they find themselves trapped and cut off from the world. The family from the intro, by now completely bewildered and having developed cannibalistic appetites, resides in a nearby abandoned factory and prepares for a luxurious smörgåsbord. The influence of "The Hills Have Eyes" is obvious, as it is even hinted at that the self-exiled family engaged in naughty inbred games, but they're not the least bit menacing or scary. The band members and their dim-witted entourage form the least amiable horror characters I have ever seen. They say imbecilic stuff (like "the snow is cold" and "hey, let's do it in the snow"), make stupid decisions and honestly deserve to die in the most painful ways imaginable. The Colorado filming locations – actually shot in rural Sweden – are beautiful to look at, but that's pretty much the only positive thing I can write about "Blood Tracks". They're quite a bit of sleaze and nudity, but none of the female cast members are attractive or sexy. If I remember correctly, even that dreadful similarly themed movie "Terror on Tour" was better than this.