Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Summer of Blood’

Written by Scott Edwards 

​Someone once said, there is nothing to fear, but fear itself. It is a good rule to live by, since then you will only fear one thing, fear and nothing else, but there are several people out there that have many more fears than you can even count. Being afraid of everything may keep you alive longer, or at least make you feel like it, but it makes it difficult to truly live your life. A little bit of fear on the other hand is a good thing, but you need to find the happy medium between the two, so you are not missing out on all of the things that make the world go round.

Erik Sparrow is living life the way he wants to, he has a great girlfriend that is too good for him, a job that will not fire him for being lazy and no stresses of owning a cell phone. He is beyond happy with where he is at, but being afraid of everything, even commitment may change his outlook on things. After his girlfriend Judy proposes to him, Erik does not want to disappoint her, but he has to say no. With the few reasons she actually wants to be with him, they are heavily outweighed by his flaws and she has to dump him, so she can move on with her life.

Knowing that it is over but not choosing to believe it, Erik tries to go on with his own life as well. Flirting with his co-worker that he has had a crush on for countless months, he is amazed that she will not go out with him. Using a dating site, Erik gets back into the game and tries to find his next soul mate, but none of the woman he meets are willing to put up with his attitude on life. Knowing that it is not him causing the problem, everyone else has a distorted world view, Erik finds himself walking alone one night and when he stops to look at the stars, he finds a new friend that has an offer for him… to die.

Waking up in the office completely covered in blood, Erik is fired for failing to show up to the last meeting, but he does not care since he has a new outlook on life. Hungry, he tries to eat something that he has had many times before, but it just makes him feel worse. Trying to find his next meal, he follows a man off of the train, but when he finds out that the man has a family, he is not able to strike. Getting a hard time from a kid smoking on the corner, Erik takes the lunge and bites the young man on the neck. Becoming one of the dead that roams the streets at night, Erik tries to turn back the clock with his ex-girlfriend, but when she shoots him down once again, he is able to go back to his past dates and prove to them all, that they never should have thought any less of him. Becoming a vampire might have been the best thing for Erik as he is able to harness the powers of the lords of the night to his advantage, but will he be able to win Jody’s heart back, even with his new found strength?

Just a different kind of vampire movie, one that you would not expect until you finish watching it. With a guy that seems to be afraid of everything becoming one of the demons of the night, it shows how hard his transition really is when it comes to feeding time. With his list of flaws and fears, he is able to grow into his change and become something more than he was before, but it does not change his outlook on life at all. I did enjoy how Erik stays the same throughout the movie with his attitude and he refuses to be broken by anything or anyone. This movie might not be for everyone, but it has found a place in my viewing collection since the dialogue is witty and the story takes you places that you never thought you would need to go. And with a taste or two of horror, it will leave you wondering how bad things really are in your life and if it is worth being afraid of anything anymore. Stay Scared.

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