'All You Need Is Blood' Review

All You Need Is Blood attempts to blend satire and gore into a lighthearted take on the zombie genre. It even starts with an intriguing premise. But it all stays within the category of "what could have been," quickly devolving into a mishmash of clichés, predictable jokes, and low-quality effects that even fans of campy horror would find disappointing.

An over-reliance on tropes and shallow character development was the first cause of death. From the reluctant hero to the camera-shy girl, the characters are so thinly written that they feel more like caricatures than people worth rooting for. Our protagonist, Bucky, is an underdog horror aficionado who initially promises some wit and depth, much of that coming from Logan Riley Bruner's performance, but is reduced to a series of horror-movie trivia monologues and eye-roll-worthy one-liners. The film seems aware of these stereotypes. But rather than cleverly subverting them, it doubles down on them to the point of exhaustion.

The script relies on low-hanging fruit—mostly slapstick and obvious puns—without the clever wordplay or self-aware charm that might make it memorable. At the same time, the movie aims for absurdity; scenes that should feel intentionally over-the-top come across as simply lazy. One scene in which Bucky and the camera-shy June (Emma Chasse) kill zombies in over-the-top fashions could have been comedic gold. Still, poor timing and lackluster direction make it feel like a missed opportunity.

Visually, All You Need Is Blood embraces its low-budget roots, but the effect doesn’t appear charming or enjoyable—it just feels cheap. The gore quickly becomes repetitive, with scenes that rely on neon-red “blood” to make up for a lack of engaging action. Redemption comes later in the form of a turtle monster, with the decent look of the creature acting as clear evidence as to where the majority of that department's budget went.

To its credit, the writer/director pair of Bucky Le Boeuf and Cooper Roberts take a stand on the art of filmmaking and the lengths creatives will go to perfect their craft. Some filmmakers will give profound philosophical explanations behind every aspect of their projects, while others just do what they like. Bucky falls into the former camp, with the belief that he is above "scary movies" and is destined for prestige dramas. That mode of thinking makes him the butt of several jokes, although they aren't much more bearable than Bucky himself.

In the end, All You Need is Blood tries to be a lot of things, succeeding at none of them. It lacks the wit of successful horror comedies, the inventive gore of classic B-movies, and the self-aware charm that makes cult horror memorable. The result will leave you standing in a blood rain, drenched and humorless.