Director – Terry M. West (Flesh for the Beast)
Starring – Josh Robinson (Bite Me!), Tina Krause (Hunters), and Tammy Parks (The Erotic Ghost)
Release Date – 2001
Rating – 3.5/5
When I was in high school me and a friend listened to the fine tunes of Buckethead…a lot. This was around the time he did the small stint in Guns N’ Roses but we mostly listened to his solo work along with some of the Primus tunes and the Cornbugs. Sometime during my sophomore year in high school we discovered that Buckethead did the soundtrack for the movie Flesh for the Beast.
We were several hours from the nearest mall so we relied heavily on our local video store to get the movies we wanted to see. Sadly, they did not have that particular film and the owner said he doubted he would ever order it. Bummed, we turned to the internet where we set up an ebay.com account and we found the film for a damn good price. We threw in a few bids and won it. Soon after the seller messaged us and congratulated us on winning before telling us that we really needed to check out the director’s first film, Blood for the Muse.
We watched FftB and really liked it but for some reason we never looked for a copy of BftM. That changed last week when director Terry M. West sent me an email that he was making the film available for one weak to stream. I jumped at the chance to check it out and I thank you Terry for letting me check it out!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a video store clerk who is obsessed with an Indiana Jones knock off that involves a beautiful muse. The muse desires blood so he has been picking local women, prostitutes, and escorts and inviting them back to his place where he kills them while reciting a an ancient verse that he created. He know this will never raise the muse and she is only a character in a film but he does it anyway.
One day he meets an older man killing someone and learns that the muse is indeed real but his blood offerings are not actually sacrifices. A sacrifice in this case would be giving up something they really care about or love for the bigger picture. He thinks about this for days when he meets a young woman that just recently moved and shares the love for the same movie he does. The two hit if off and they start going out. However, he soon realizes that his love for her will be the ultimate sacrifice for the muse. Will he give the blood of his love to the muse?**Spoiler Alert**
Almost all filmmakers have that style that shapes and defines them and their career. I have seen so many films in my short life and was able to tell who made the film just from watching a few scenes. However, some directors switch it up from time to time to give their fans something different and to prevent from becoming a stale director.
Now, I have seen Flesh for the Beastseveral hundreds of times during high school and college and I have seen trailers for West’s other films so I could tell what kind of style was his. However, after watching Blood for the Muse I realized that West is a very versatile filmmaker. He can make a real sexy horror film where women have a hard time wearing clothes while facing real danger or he can make films like BftM which is fucking awesome.
The acting in this film is spectacular. The entire cast was perfect for their roles. In fact, most was so well cast that they look as if they were made for their roles. The film would have not been as good as it was if someone else was in the roles. The story for this one was inspired by the indie comic of the same name. The story is not that unique but it does stand out from the crowd with the way it was filmed.
The story is a bit of a mash up of other stories with some evil bastard trying to raise an evil demon, or muse, by killing and sacrifices beautiful women. However, it was done in a nontraditional horror manner making it very fun. The film really does feel like American Psychomeets Clerks. The story is also able to pull the viewer in and not let go but it does get a little slow at times.
Finally, the film does not have that many impressive kills nor does it have amazing practical effects to go with it. The point of this film is to not shower the viewer with blood and guts but to give them a great story that flows well and entertains. Overall, Blood for the Muse is an indie classic that needs to be added to any collection. This film is essential viewing for any real horror fan and a modern classic. Check it out!
