Blood Quantum

BLOOD QUANTUM - SHUDDER

The zombie apocalypse comes to Canada in Blood Quantum, the sophomore effort from Rhymes for Young Ghouls writer-director, Jeff Barnaby. Distributed by horror-oriented streaming service SHUDDER, the film follows the journey of an immune Mi’kmaq community coming to terms with their demons, and each other, at the end of the world. 

Though it belongs in a genre susceptible to drowning in guts and gore, Blood Quantum finds a strong protagonist in Forrest Goodluck’s Joseph; it is through his perspective that the audience experiences both the pre and post-apocalyptic scenes. It is a heartfelt and genuinely mature showing that finds time to navigate its way through relatable teenage tribulations, as well as the barren wasteland that surrounds the characters . Kiowa Gordon steps in as the antagonistic Lysol, but comes off as more an angsty caricature than a genuinely intimidating presence. Rounding out the cast is veteran actor Michael Greyeyes as Joseph’s father, Traylor. Despite his leading position amongst this tight-knit community, he delivers a performance that seems bizarrely unemotional, even in the face of unprecedented odds. 

These performances are stunted by an inconsistent script, which sometimes seems a little ham-fisted. Unlike many films of its ilk, however, Blood Quantum takes time to establish its characters. Flaws and problems help ground them, so when heads start rolling, the audience finds themselves invested in their respective fates. Further distancing Barnaby’s film from B-movie fare is Michel St-Martin’s gorgeous cinematography that breathes life into this world. A subtle percussive score whispers impending dread below establishing shots of an aesthetically grimy locale. The way St-Martin plays with lighting elevates the visual language of the film: hazy night scenes, illuminated by flickering police lights, are there to drench sequences in atmosphere.

Naturally, when one comes to watch a zombie film called Blood Quantum, they first and foremost expect to see gore, an expectation that is delivered on, in glorious droves. The practical effects and makeup are messy in the best sense of the word, as bodies with the fragility of wet cardboard are dispatched in a brutally creative fashion. It can sometimes be objectively nasty, in a way that those unfamiliar with the genre may reject to, from a moral or aesthetic point of view. It does not deliver much in terms of scares, but the shock value is most definitely there. The blending of live-action with ethereal moments of surrealist animation, reminiscent of Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy, and production design that provides the finishing touch to this harsh new world, put it on the same visual level of genre flagships like AMC’s The Walking Dead. 

When it comes to a genre this congested, it is essential to make the viewing experience feel fresh and worthwhile. The film opens with an Ancient Settler Proverb, and the Mi’kmaq culture is as integral to the narrative as the aforementioned droves of the undead. In that sense, Blood Quantum feels like it is practicing a kind of reverse exploitation. It takes the popularity of the zombie subgenre and spins it on its head, making protagonists out of characters who would otherwise be walking cliches. This is a trope that can be traced back to earlier days of horror cinema, with the likes of Sonny Landham’s Billy in Predator, someone whose whole character is reduced to a racial stereotype. It appears Barnaby is reclaiming the cinematic integrity of his people. For instance, Gary Farmer — most famous as the outcast ‘Nobody’ in Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man — is included as a genuine member of this society, unlike the feared outsider he played in his most iconic role. The Mi’kmaq people are forced to band together by an overwhelming and violent force of walking, occasionally running, dead — who are also uncoincidentally Caucasian. 

These days, horror films with something original to say are becoming increasingly rare. Blood Quantum does not triumph as a horror film; nor does it take full advantage of the opportunities such a genre provides. The dialogue can be questionable at times, and the performances are inconsistent, but as a colonialist metaphor packed into an enjoyably bloody apocalyptic romp, it does get its message across.

BLOOD QUANTUM is streaming on SHUDDER