Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Bleed With Me’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Bleed With Me’.
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If one were to ask a group of strangers, what they believe goes into the makeup of an abusive relationship, a fairly consistent answer would come right back. One that revolves around a broken man that uses verbal insults and physical violence to assert his dominance over a woman, who likely cannot escape the disgusting nature of this ‘romantic’ coupling for reasons that are either monetary or fearful in nature and well… it makes sense as to why so many people would gravitate toward that scenario. Because the sad fact of the matter, is that such situations are commonplace in the modern world, to the point where the phrase ‘abusive relationship’ is the only proper one that applies to it. But while there is definitely merit to that line of thinking, what’s unique about that phrase, is that it does extend beyond relationships that are love related.
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Because friendships are a form of relationships as well, and we don’t talk enough about the fact that they too can be quite toxic or abusive in nature. Something that is likely attributed to how easily it is to shed a garbage friend. After all, we have no monetary or living situation commitment with them more often than not, so a simple goodbye text or conversation allows for us to move on when they cross a particular line. But that’s not the case for everyone, in fact, some folks find themselves in a scenario where they simply cannot let go of a toxic or abusive friend for reasons that we sometimes do not understand. But as is often the case, in the event we are eager to learn why, fiction is there to teach us the reasoning behind such matters and it just so happens that on Tuesday, August 10, 2021, Shudder will release a motion picture that explores the nature of toxic friendships, and the difficulties that comes with escaping them, in great detail in Bleed With Me.

Now in this particular film, we are introduced to a pair of close friends named Rowan and Emily and when we catch up with them here, they’re off on quite the adventure. For Emily has a wonderful family cabin in the woods and now seems like a perfect time to get away from it all with her boyfriend Brendan and bestie as well and for a time, it appears as though this weekend escape is going to be good for everyone. Simply because it will allow for two people she cares about deeply to bond, and everyone can enjoy the scenery and relax for a change. But it doesn’t long for this weekend to take on a sour note for Rowan. Because strange wounds on her arm, combined with Emily’s uncomfortable desire to care for her and seemingly inspect her wounds a little too closely, leads Rowan to believe that her best bud is not what she seems and now she must uncover the truth about what’s going on in this cabin, before she succumbs to the evil within its walls. 

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Which at first glance, is a story that seems grounded in vampiric themes over a story about the nature of abusive and toxic relationships and the story does little to sway you from thinking otherwise early on. For there is a lot of blood related imagery that surrounds Emily, and the fact that she sucks upon Rowan’s finger when she cuts it whilst making dinner, alongside some trippy dream sequences where it appears that Emily is feasting on the blood from Rowan’s wounds, only reinforces the possibility that Emily is eventually going to emerge from the shadows wearing a cloak with fangs presented. But really, the blood sucking aspect of this story is designed to tap into something far deeper. In that the blood related stuff is nothing more than a grand metaphor, one that is designed to teach us that abusive and destructive friends will in essence suck the life out of a person with their toxic behaviors and oh boy, are there some seriously toxic behaviors present in this film and those moments are where this story truly shines.
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Because the story holds nothing back in its examination of what toxic and abusive behaviors look like in a friendship, and that comes courtesy of Emily’s horrific behavior. Wherein she consistently gaslights both her boyfriend and Rowan on a consistent basis and uses victim moments to maintain control because that is in fact what she wants, pure control over people that she claims are important to her and those behaviors bring forth some unsettling moments. The kind where the viewer is forced to watch Rowan enter a state of terror over the possibility of being abandoned by someone that claims to care deeply for her if the wrong long is crossed. All because no one has given Rowan this kind of attention and care before and therein lies the lesson. In that, people like Emily, prey upon the weaknesses and fears of others and the only way to combat a monster of her caliber, is to find some measure of self-worth and personal happiness so that one doesn’t need a person like Emily in their lives.

If anything, this is simply a brilliant horror film when all is said and done. Since it really does explore a different kind of monster, one that lives in our world and that oddly makes this movie supremely terrifying for certain. For the worst monsters imaginable come into our lives with a smile on their face and a hand extended and that’s precisely what Emily did to gain her power in this tale and hopefully putting this kind of nightmare on display, will help others to recognize those rotten behaviors. So they can escape a situation where they are the prey to a friend that only cares about themselves and well, in the end, if you’re looking to enjoy a different kind of horror film, one that is both intimate and chilling and painfully realistic, since we’ve all known an Emily or will encounter one at some point in our lives, then swing by Shudder on 8/10/21 and check out this twisted and unsettling tale.

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