Bloodthirsty is a queer werewolf tale with bite [Fantastic Fest]

Just a month after the world premiere of her debut feature film, Bleed With Me, Canadian director Amelia Moses is back with Bloodthirsty, a queer take on the werewolf mythos packed with earworm pop tunes and incredible effects.

Indie singer Grey (Lauren Beatty, also of Bleed With Me) is struggling with coming up with material for her sophomore LP. Consumed with vivid dreams of becoming a wolf that she tampers down with medication, she agrees to work with infamous producer Vaughn Daniels (Greg Bryk) at his secluded studio in the woods. Grey brings along her girlfriend Charlie (Katharine King So), who already has her doubts, given that Vaughn was once suspected of murder.

As Grey begins to collaborate with the eccentric producer, she is hit with inspiration; songs begin pouring out of her, and they are much darker than anything she has done in the past. Alongside her new artistic drive, Grey begins physically transforming into the creature she has always known herself to be, a very different sort of breakthrough that she has to wrestle with while trying to complete the album that could cement her career.

Canadian musician Lowell provides the music for the film and co-wrote the script with Wendy Hill-Tout, lending Bloodthirsty a real pop sensibility; Grey’s music sounds like something you might actually hear on a major festival stage. The three main performances by Lauren Beatty, Greg Bryk, and Katharine King So are all strong, as is the addition of genre legend Michael Ironside (Starship Troopers, Total Recall) in a small role as Grey’s doctor.

Much like Bleed With Me, Bloodthirsty is a contained story with three main characters in a remote location, yet Amelia Moses manages to ratchet up the tension throughout, focusing on Grey’s relationship with Charlie and her inextricable pull towards Vaughn, set against her startling physical and artistic changes.

Soaked in the beautiful atmosphere of the secluded cabin surrounded by snow, Bloodthirsty is a unique take on the classic werewolf story, contrasting Grey’s physical transformation with the newfound inner freedom that allows her to tap into the darkest places of her soul for her creativity. With the back-to-back releases of Bleed With Me and Bloodthirsty, Amelia Moses has quickly emerged as one of the most exciting voices in horror — here’s hoping she doesn’t need to kill for inspiration for her next film.

Bloodthirsty screened as part of the virtual Fantastic Fest 2020 Celebration. Read our interview with Amelia Moses here.