The stakes in Brad Anderson’s Blood (2022) are a touch too safe when they could have been a lot more provocative. As a result, the film loses all of its charm. The promises provided by the sudden dramatic change seem far too alluring to foresee the letdown that is to follow. However, the movie manages to drag you along for its spasmodic degeneration before bringing you to its wearying conclusion. Blood is a hauntingly desolate backdrop comprised of the rural landscape’s harsh indifference. In it, a mother on the verge of collapse is clinging to her last vestiges of hope.
The wonderful Michelle Monaghan expertly assumes the role of a mother struggling to deal with the mounting risks that pose a threat to her life and the lives of those she cares about. Unfortunately, the wonderful talent of the actress is lost on the mediocre horror. The tepid story gives the desperation that Monaghan faithfully evokes an unsteady foundation. If it had been a far more savage narrative about an unusual bloodthirst, the audience would have been filled with quaking fear at the impending peril. Furthermore, if the drama had continued, the realistic psychological horror clichés would have fuelled any remaining melancholy. Despite having a number of issues, the movie avoids receiving a “poor” rating. In actuality, the actors’ outstanding performances serve as the piece’s lone salvation, and they deserve all the credit for that.
Blood (2022): Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis
A big divide has developed within the family as a result of Jess’ tragic experience coping with addiction. Their marriage is basically over when her husband, Patrick, finds solace in the arms of the kids’ nanny and begins a new family. Jess fights tenaciously for the custody of Owen and Tyler after leaving rehab and trying to maintain her worn-out relationship with them. Patrick seems to think that he deserves far more time with the kids than the minimal four days a month that Jess’ lawyer is arguing for because he was the sole caregiver when Jess’ addiction took over. And as is always the case, the difficult circumstances of a divorce have a profoundly negative impact on the lives of the children. When their father moves into their home with his new family, Owen and Tyler are ejected to the farmhouse owned by Jess’ family.
Flustered, Jess has dedicated her life to reviving the stale relationship with her children and obtaining sole custody. There is some heartwarming truth to the mother and kids’ running joke that she loves Owen more than the other kids. Little Owen, who is extremely attached to their dog Pippin, is only able to worry about his pet’s safety. The ominous danger that lurks in the woods that surround their home keeps a wary eye on the unwary family and Pippin. Even without the prowling evil, Jess’ maladjusted life is full with trouble. She becomes more aware of how distant she has been from her kids as she thinks she is becoming closer to them.
Work is Jess’ only haven because she is a capable nurse who receives requests significantly more frequently than any of her coworkers. The silence of her otherwise noisy thinking soothes her damaged sanity. Jess has come into contact with Helen, a cancer sufferer whose relapse has sent her into a painful emotional spiral. The woman, who is dreading the repetition of the agonizing operations that drain her mind and body, is unaffected by Jess’s words of optimism.
Owen and Tyler joyfully search the nearby woods as they try to make the best of the unpleasant situation. When they arrive across a dried-up lake with the skeleton of a spooky tree standing guard in the middle of the mud, their adventure is cut short. Owen goes to Pipping’s aid when he escapes and runs in the direction of the lake. They return the dog to the house in safety. However, the encounter had a noticeable impact on the dog, who was normally amiable. Owen senses the presence of something undesirable as he follows Pippin’s focused eyes to the neighboring woods. Pippin flees when Jess opens the door to inspect the neighborhood around the house. Owen is really uneasy about not finding Pipping. He accuses his mother of not making an adequate effort to locate the family dog that his father had purchased.
What Happens To Pippin And Owen?
Clearly, the evil force that drew Pippin into the woods and ultimately the dried-up lake didn’t intend to kill him. Owen notices Pippin through the window as the family is eating their stressful supper. Running outside, relieved that Pippin is back, Owen approaches Pippin a little too closely before anyone observes the terrible changes in the most devoted dog they have ever known. One of the most frightful passages in the otherwise uninteresting novel is when Pippin’s eyes shine a ghostly yellow in the darkness of the night. His ominous, subdued growl carries the dire danger warning. In defiance of his mother’s entreaties, Owen approaches Pippin. The beast, once a loving family pet, quickly attacks the youngster and severely mauls him.
Owen bleeds heavily as his mother rushes him to the hospital where she works, and his deteriorating vital signs warn of an impending terrible tragedy. Patrick arrives at the hospital angry and accuses Jess of causing their son’s terrible health. As none of the test findings indicate any sign of a known infection, his perplexed parents eagerly await an improvement in his condition. Jess is preoccupied with a phone call and misses seeing Owen savoring the blood bag like a juice box. When Owen’s vital signs return to normal, his anxious mother is baffled.
In order to care for Helen, who is nearing the end of her life and wants to be put to sleep, Jess is summoned away. When Owen starts to scream and froth starts coming out of his mouth, their communication is cut off. Jess is not consoled by the knowledge that her anemic young boy must consume blood in order to recover. But whatever moral conflict she may be experiencing, it is overridden by her son’s welfare. She takes a bag of hospital-looted plasma and lets Owen consume it all. She utilizes her background as a nurse to persuade the physicians that Owen would be better off staying at home once he begins to feel better.
How Far Does Jess Go To Keep Owen Alive?
Both Jess’ past as an addict and her love for her son contribute to her declining morality. When the hospital’s new locks prevent her from stealing blood bags, Jess must turn to draining blood from animals in order to keep Owen alive. Owen’s catastrophic seizure makes it evident that only human blood will keep him alive. Jess is forced to use her own blood to feed her sick son since she has no other option. Jess is oblivious to the festering parasite that lives inside her son because she is too caught up in the maelstrom of her desperation. She is too focused on keeping him alive for her to notice the savage darkness consuming Owen.
The timing of Helen’s botched suicide attempt couldn’t be better for Jess, who is critically low on blood and on the verge of passing out. Jess intends to hold the dying woman captive and draw her blood while luring her to the car with the pretense of dumping her off at home. Helen responds to Jess’ words of encouragement. She now wants to enjoy the remaining years of her life as much as possible. Helen is given medications while being held captive in the basement by Jess, who is unconcerned by the moral quandary of harming her.
When Tyler discovers her family’s terrible secret, the days of robbing the poor lady of her blood and feeding it to her son are in danger of coming to an end. She is forced to refrain from speaking. When she finds out that Helen’s unfathomable atrocity is what is keeping her little brother alive, she doesn’t necessarily have an issue with doing the same. Helen’s predicament, however, gives her a chance to flee, only for her to stumble on the jagged barbed wire that surrounds the woods. As he feeds on the blood gushing from Helen’s punctured throat, Jess’ horrified eyes gaze in horror at the monster she has been enabling to develop within her son.
Blood (2022): Movie Ending, Explained
Where Did Owen’s Predicament Originate?
Jess had made the conscious decision to utterly disregard any ideas that did not fiercely support her troubling behavior. She was now worried about more than simply who would have custody of her kids. Sadly, she had criminal tendencies, and her son’s basic existence depended on them. It was simple for the mom whose only goal was to ensure her son’s survival to lose sight of right and wrong. Additionally, there were other things that her myopic vision missed.
She was blind to the obvious and alarming changes her son was through. Tyler was the one who first realized Owen was no longer the person her mother was trying to save. Jess was out of blood to give to her son, whose appetite seemed to be growing more and more ferociously now that Helen was gone.
Patrick arrives at Jess’ home with child services, whether it is entirely out of concern for his son or to manipulate the circumstance to gain sole custody. Jess hasn’t been able to send Owen to school since the incident. She cries out in vain to have the kids stay with her and watches helplessly as they are taken. While she is aware that the last bottle of blood won’t be enough to quench Owen’s furious desire, she does remember to give it to Tyler. When his appetite is not immediately satisfied, Owen’s eyes glow in the most vile shade of yellow, mirroring the diseased Pippin.
He is destined to be controlled by the monster inside of him at his father’s home. He nearly attacks Patrick’s newborn child in the end. Just in time, Tyler shows up, dragging the man away and convincing him to return to humanity. The young girl is aware that something far more evil is in charge of Owen, though, at the same time. She takes Owen to the dry lake with the evil tree, the place where it all started.
When a terrified Patrick returns and accuses Jess of kidnapping the kids, her desperate situation gets worse. Jess drags her to the lake as they explore the abandoned house as her maternal instincts take over. By the time she arrives at the foreboding location, Tyler has already been attacked by a ravenous Owen. After controlling her violent son, Jess finds herself in the worst situation a mother could encounter. Jess decides it’s time to put an end to the chaos when she sees the dreadful monster that has replaced her son. She suffocates Owen to death by holding him down in the muck. Tyler chooses to support the fabrication regarding the circumstances of Owen’s death because he is the only other person who is aware of the complete truth.
Jess loses Tyler’s custody because she is denied the opportunity to reveal the truth. Jess is granted a single, brief visitation with Tyler in return for seeking counseling since they believe that mental illness was involved. Jess burns down the tree that started it all, creating the uncertainty in the finale that the author desired. It appears for a brief, relived moment that the evil that possessed the tree had been destroyed. But given that Jess’ new puppy appears to be fascinated on something in the woods in the middle of the film, it stands to reason that whatever caused her life to be destroyed is still present.
