By Romey Norton - February 20, 2025
Blood Dried Hands is a crime-thriller film written and directed by Jason Vandygriff and stars Chance Gibbs, Jordan Walker Ross, and Micha Marie Stevens.
Set in a small town in Texas, the story follows a reluctant serial killer Hayden (Chance Gibbs). Tired of his murderous impulses, Hayden kidnaps a young woman, Taylor (Anna Pena), and locks her in a cage, contemplating his next move. Meanwhile, Sgt. Edi Sharp (Micha Marie Stevens), a seasoned investigator, is hot on his trail, determined to stop the killings. The narrative intricately weaves their cat-and-mouse chase with deep dives into their struggles, creating a rich tapestry of suspense and drama.
For a low-budget indie thriller, the runtime is far too long. For any film in the horror-crime-thriller genre, 90 minutes is enough time to get a story told. This film drags on way longer than it should, without enough strong visual elements to keep the audience invested. With a lack of jump scares, blood, and gore, you’re relying on the psychological aspects of the story to lure you in and keep you hooked, and at times, not even that is there.
The storyline is straightforward but over-complicated by an array of supporting characters that aren’t needed or memorable, and far too many scenes that don’t feel needed. There is a skill in telling a story in a short amount of time with a short amount of words, and Blood Dried Hands has not acquired that.
However, Gibbs delivers a standout performance as Hayden, capturing the internal conflict of a man torn between his dark urges and a desire for redemption. Stevens shines as Sgt. Sharp, embodying the resilience and vulnerability of a woman haunted by her past yet unwavering in her pursuit of justice. Toward the end, she has a strong monologue, which is intense and certainly her strongest scene. The dialogue is well-written, and the characters have rich backstories allowing for some development.
The cinematography enhances the film's tense atmosphere, with close-up shots that capture the characters' emotional turmoil and wide frames that emphasise the isolation of the rural setting. There are intense scenes where the women have been kidnapped, but far less blood/gore than anticipated, which does feel like a let down. In a film like this, we want to see people being killed.
As the story progresses, there are sections of the film that aren’t necessary for the story/plot which drag the film out and will make audiences question why they are there. For example, Edi pays multiple visits to an incarcerated killer who has nearly nothing to do with the string of murders she’s trying to solve. All this does is waste time.
Even though the ending is filled with drama and suspense, it feels rushed and predictable. However, there is comfort in the expected, and audiences might feel vindicated in knowing what will happen.
At its core, Blood Dried Hands is about a serial killer grappling with his conscience. The film is a thought-provoking thriller that transcends typical genre conventions. Its exploration of morality, redemption, and the human condition, combined with stellar performances and atmospheric direction, makes it worth watching. What lets the film down is its runtime and amount of supporting, distracting characters. If two hours sounds too long for you, it is. You could watch four episodes of CSI in this time and get the same vibes at the end.
Available now on Prime Video
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