(1997)
1.5
Brian J. Dillard
The best thing about this half-baked horror quickie is the sickening, if amateurish, puppetry used to portray the legless, embalming fluid-addicted hermaphrodites that threaten a small island village. French-Canadian heartthrob Roy Dupuis of television's La Femme Nikita brings tortured goth angst to the role of John, the prodigal son of the incestuous mutant dynasty. Unfortunately, though, an allegedly over-the-top love scene with co-star Kristin Lehman was excised for the American release, leaving only a disgusting epilogue involving John's deformed but loving sister/brother for sexual titilation. Elsewhere, Rutger Hauer brings his usual B-movie up-for-it-ness to the role of the doctor who assists John in his quest, while Leni Parker plays a memorable bit part as mute islander Baby Laura, who figures prominently in the village-against-the-mutants finale. Laughably inept even by low-budget horror standards, Hemoglobin nevertheless demonstrates that salacious gothic clichés and grotesquely novel special effects can provide some marginal entertainment value even when they're executed remarkably poorly.
Bleeders on AllMovie
Bleeders (1997)
