Richard Crouse

“Fake Blood,” a new film from Vancouver director Rob Grant, blurs the line between fact and fiction.

Grant and his filmmaking partner Mike Kovac play themselves as, well, Rob and Mike, two guys who have made a number of low-budget horror films. Their movies “Yesterday” and “Mon Ami” are gruesome little slices of splatter that found success and a few fans on the festival circuit. When one of those “fans” sends them a disturbing video that re-enacts one of the scenes in “Mon Ami”—the grainy video details the real-life tools they would need to dispose of a body—they decide to examine their relationship with the violence they portray on screen. They discuss the difference between shooting guns in real life vs. on film and how a fistfight generally lasts only about eight seconds in reality. As they document their findings they decide to up the game and contact someone who has a history of violence. Their journey takes a perilous turn when they push too hard, go too deep and actually find their lives in danger.

Down ‘n dirty, “Fake Blood” gradually morphs from social commentary documentary—albeit a mock doc—to thriller. It is not always 100% convincing—some of the performances are slightly stilted—but there is an undeniable sense of tension that grows as the film nears the final credits. It’s a twisted b-movie that makes a smart u-turn, turning the story inside out as the movie flips from asking questions to basking in danger.