Written and directed by Seth Ickerman
Starring Elisa Lasowski, Anders Heinrichsen and Christian Erickson
Running time: 50 minutes

by Nikk Nelson

Shudder seems to be doing everything right. From the revival of Joe Bob Briggs in the Last Drive-In to their latest original series, Blood Machines, letting talented people do what they want and staying the hell out of their way is a smart way to manage a streaming service. And Seth Ickerman may be one of the most singularly talented people I’ve encountered in recent years. Credited as the writer, director, editor, visual effects supervisor and production designer of Blood Machines, if ever a person made an impression upon arrival, Seth did that cool superhero landing that also breaks the part of the street where he landed—unironically. Blood Machines is a visual feast from beginning to end—a 50-minute epic space opera divided into three episodes. This, however, I found to be to its detriment—an interruption of the sensory narrative—but really the only detriment I found. The show is a spinoff/sequel to the Carpenter Brut music video for their song “Turbo Killer” which Seth also directed. I definitely recommend checking out the video before enjoying the show. If I had even more from Seth to get my hands on, I’d be watching it right now. Carpenter Brut also provided the music for the series and I’m a huge fan of them, and synthwave in general, so it only added to my giddily indulgent experience. Top to bottom. The visual effects, set design, props and costumes are all incredible.

The nods I expected to find to the likes of Ridley Scott and Stanley Kubrick were overshadowed by the ones I didn’t expect to find to Ray Bradbury and David Cronenberg—the classic rope-a-dope, the first episode sets you up for something, story-wise, you feel like you’ve seen a hundred times, and then by its conclusion, hits you with something from a totally opposite direction. Underneath the gruff anti-hero meets the mysterious naked lady with secret powers narrative is a powerful illustration of the technological usurpation of God—the, of course, patriarchal concept of God—the actual original sin. And in that return to the true nature of God as feminine, Blood Machines delivers a beautiful message of hope to the multitudes of abused and discarded left in the centuries-long wake of that corrupt rule. Your healing and rebirth is their destruction and the wake of that will be a return to what the true divinity has always been: A worship of the heart—literally, you’ll see. I can’t wait to see more from the visionary Seth Ickerman. Blood Machines is available exclusively on Shudder.

For more bloody reviews of Shudder exclusives, check out my review of Blood Quantum—