So if the phrase is No Guts No Glory, does that mean those who revel in guts have a ton of glory? If so, The Adams Family is overflowing with glory, as their homespun family horror films have found a space within a community of horror fans committed to finding and uncovering the ickiest, scariest, and often, simply films still using practical effects laden films they can find. The Adams Family has produced a number of these, with their fan following only growing, and their presence in the industry attracting more attention. Their last film, Mother Of Flies, hit Shudder earlier this year. Sadly, these films, which are made on a shoestring budget, do not have audio description. This is where a distributor should step in, but it also means their documentary, or rather the documentary about them, Blood And Guts, also didn’t ahve it.
While I passed on reviewing Mother Of Flies due to the accessibility gap, this is not intended to evoke the same experience as it is a documentary about them. This is for people who love documentaries about filmmakers, actors, Hollywood gossip, and behind the scenes drama. I’m talking people who dive into Megadoc, Lost In La Mancha, or The Kid Stays In The Picture. If films about film are your thing, and even more so if you appreciate horror, you should adore this.
The film is a behind the curtain look at how this family, with the help of some friends on occasion, make these extremely low budget films, and how their popularity has risen. They often tap into emotions or thoughts they have at the time, to help make the film feel more grounded. Like, did you know Hellhole was in response to the reversal of Roe V Wade? These are some deep thoughts.
But what is so wonderful about Blood and Guts is the whole family affair aspect of the film. The reason horror fans are so accepting of low budget, is because they so frequently get low budget indie splatter sensations. Most of the horror community doesn’t make a film for 10K, but Paranormal Activity clocked in pretty close at 15K.The Blair Witch Project was 60K, and likely most horror fans would point to movies like Evil Dead and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre as early success stories. All of them still had higher budgets, because they likely had to hire outside talent, and crew. The Adams Family mainstreams all of that as much as they can, saving a ton of money, and doing both in front of the camera, and behind the camera work.
The only part, aside from no audio description, that ever gave me pause was the weird reset we hit in the middle. The film has done a solid job of building the dynamic of the family, and then Zelda goes to Columbia University, and that’s when we decide to rally back again to a before it all moment. I’m pretty sure we could have chopped that out, put it earlier, and then segmented more casually into the empty nest vibe, and the feeling of what to do next.We went a few too many steps back in order to take one forward. It just stunted the momentum a tad.
Otherwise, I love films about films, so this was up my alley. I try and see what I can, like the 4 hour Doc Of Chucky, which went through most of the franchise. This film feels perfectly suited for a Shudder acquisition. Hopefully they will, and they’ll give it a theatrical window. In the meantime, check it out if you can see it.
From retaining creative control, to honoring the craft, Blood And Guts takes a stab at The Adams Family, and how they might just be saving underground horror.
Fresh: 8.5/10
