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When you become a parent, you suddenly realize that your world no longer revolves around you; it revolves around your child. There’s nothing you won’t do for your child. So in the thriller Aaron’s Blood, when a father is faced with a horrifying situation, he sets out to do whatever he can to care for his child.
Aaron’s Blood tells the story of devoted single dad Aaron (James Martinez), who struggles to care for his quiet 12-year-old son, Tate (Trevor Stovall), who’s still grieving the loss of his mother. Bullied at school, Tate eventually decides to fight back. Because he’s a hemophiliac, though, one small fight at school lands him in critical condition in the hospital. When Tate makes a miraculous recovery, Aaron is relieved—until Tate starts acting strangely. And he soon starts to fear that the blood Tate received in the hospital wasn’t normal blood; it was vampire blood.
Chilling and mysterious and often surprisingly dramatic, Aaron’s Blood isn’t really the typical vampire movie. Sure, it has a few bloody moments, courtesy of the blood-thirsty pre-teen. And Aaron’s quest to save Tate can sometimes get a little violent. But, really, the film isn’t especially terrifying.
Admittedly, Stovall’s performance as Tate is rather bland—but he doesn’t have a whole lot to work with. After all, the most compelling story here is actually Aaron’s. This devoted dad has already faced so much with his son. He’s dealt with Tate’s health issues, and he’s done his best to help them both through their grief. Then, after nearly losing his son, he faces yet another insurmountable challenge: Tate’s transformation into a vampire. And that possibility is just too much for him to accept.
It would be easy for all of this to come off as melodramatic or just plain corny, but Martinez sells it remarkably well. This isn’t just another cheesy vampire movie; it’s the story of a father who will do absolutely anything to save his son from the sickness that’s gradually taking over him. Fearing what Tate will become, he sets out to find any way to stop it—and he goes to some pretty serious extremes along the way. But any parent will understand the lengths he’s willing to go to protect his son.
If you’re looking for vampire action and gore, you’ll probably be disappointed by Aaron’s Blood—because it isn’t an especially horrifying horror movie. But you may be surprised by the emotional story of a father’s desperation to protect his child.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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