Sean Parker
Every horror fan should know the story of the MGM studio fire. Sixty years ago, an electrical short caused a fire in Vault 7 of the MGM backlot just before ten o’clock at night on August 10, 1965. The nitrate film quickly burned, and the pressure building within the vault would eventually cause it to collapse in on itself after triggering a hefty “boom.” As the vault exploded, several films were lost, including what is now considered the Holy Grail of lost horror films: Lon Chaney’s London After Midnight. However, another of Chaney’s films remains among the missing, 1922’s A Blind Bargain.
After fighting with censors over the film’s presentation of a mad doctor playing God, Chaney received rave reviews for his performance in A Blind Bargain. The fact that we will never get to see the film somehow makes it all the more legendary and special for anyone who may have had the opportunity to see it. I say that knowing full well the deep heartache this true cinephile feels, knowing he’ll never be able to soak it in. One hundred and three years have now passed since Wallace Worsley’s then-modern adaptation of Barry Pain’s The Octave of Claudius—the perfect amount of time before considering a reboot, in my opinion.
Set in 1970, Paul Bunnell’s A Blind Bargain reimagines Worsley’s original picture, retaining much of the sentiment while adding more complexity to the fifty-seven-minute silent feature. Like the original, Bunnell’s film explores vanity and greed through profound moral dilemmas; however, by setting the film against a Hollywood backdrop, he’s able to cooly craft his tale with added subtext and larger surprises.
Bunnell taps Willard star and Back to the Future alum Crispin Glover to press a particular nefariousness into the mad scientist of his latest vision. His overgrown 70’s news anchor haircut and bushy mustache do have a particular Burgundy quality about them. Still, Glover’s signature style for finding a character’s voice is well-suited to making his Dr. Gruder effectively menacing. His performance helps create a Hammer horror style throwback that’s soaked in atmosphere and dripping with sinister intent.
Bunnell’s Bargain begins with Dominic Fontaine (Bones and All’s Jake Horowitz), a lowly addict whose last dime and shred of credibility have been spent with his drug dealer, Vincent (John Dies at the End’s Rob Mayes). After an encounter with Vincent leaves him battered, bloody, and bruised, Dominic’s understanding mother, Joy (The Amityville Horror’s Amy Wright), insists he try a new recovery program. This leads Dominic to Nurse Ellie Bannister (Teen Wolf’s Lucy Loken), who enchants Dominic while drawing his blood to the point that he’d do anything to impress her.
When Ellie calls with news that Dominic’s blood contains the markers Dr. Gruder is looking for in his ongoing scientific experiment, Dominic is excited to make some extra money as a guinea pig. However, Ellie informs him that the blood Gruder needs must be extracted from his mother. With no better options left to make money before his next beating commences, Dominic sells out his mother through A Blind Bargain, not knowing what Gruder’s intentions are, and then the real fun begins.
As previously mentioned, A Blind Bargain takes place against the backdrop of Hollywood. Dominic’s mother muses on her time as a silent era film star, and we even see her work in a very B-movie adjacent version of Cleopatra. So, when she’s tricked into spending time at Gruder’s facility, she actually comes to believe what he is doing is helping her. Themes of youth and beauty beguile this character through a Substance-like commentary, as the aged actress is often overshadowed by her younger counterpart (Cobra Kai’s Annalisa Cochrane).
From the set pieces to the costuming and even the antique cars, Bunnell’s production design team captures an incredible 1970s aesthetic to captivate the viewer, and it’s seen through the lens of a 16mm camera to give it an even more authentic ’70s-era look. The technical quality of the film is utterly brilliant and remains that way right until the finale. From the blue tiled bathroom to a lab that looks like it’s been plucked from an old movie, A Blind Bargain’s designers get an A-plus. The look and feel of the film are an utter delight, operating at a high level on a modest indie budget, providing an authenticity rarely replicated by Hollywood titles.
There are also several homages to the original A Blind Bargain on the screen, including images of Chaney as well as character names like “Fontaine,” referencing actress Fontaine La Rue. There are also self-referential bits, such as a line where Ellie compares herself to silent film era actress Theda Bara, which adds a touch of tongue-in-cheek reference to the period in which the original film was released. It’s easy to see Bunnel having the time of his life playing in this sandbox, as he links the past and present versions of the film, making them feel like two sides of the same coin.
To that effect, the film almost feels like a great cover of an old song. The kind that remembers where it came from and finds pure joy in dissecting the elements that made it work in the 20s while applying a love for 70’s B-movie horror on top of it, emerging as a cacophony of extraordinary patience and talent. With characters that you’d never see in films outside of the era, and Jed Rowen doing his best impersonations of Chaney and Tor Johnson, A Blind Bargain is a visual symphony, and an aria to late ‘60s and early ‘70s monster movies.
However, despite its visual prowess and exceptionally crafted Hollywood satire, the movie’s plot can sometimes feel stiff and convoluted. Bunnell co-wrote the script with John Falotico (The Malibu Beach Vampires) on a story from Bing Bailey. While I wouldn’t be lying if I said it wasn’t on par with many horror films of that era, it does distort the well-established atmosphere and stretches the pacing just before the film’s finale, slightly hindering the film’s momentum. A Blind Bargain manages to reclaim its footing to go all out in the end, ultimately making it a fun excursion in the tradition of the original and a deal worth taking a chance on.
A Blind Bargain held its World Premiere at FrightFest on Monday, August 25. For more information on this and other films playing at the festival, please see the FrightFest website.
A Blind Bargain | Official Trailer | Crispin Glover
Set in 1970, A BLIND BARGAIN reimagines the lost 1922 Lon Chaney silent film of the same name. A desperate young man strikes a dark deal with an unhinged doctor, offering his mother as a subject for the physician’s twisted experiments.
