Tempting Fate Films and Bar G Moving Pictures are proud to announce the release of the official trailer for their independent film Blood Dried Hands. Following its upcoming festival circuit run, the thriller will be released in mid-2024.
Tapping into the vein of classic crime films like Silence of the Lambs, Zodiac, and Prisoners, Blood Dried Hands aims to deliver a dark, psychologically complex narrative through chilling performances.
Set in a small Texas town, Blood Dried Hands centers on a reluctant serial killer unable to control his violent urges and the haunted detective trying to stop his killing spree before more victims fall prey.
Lead actor Chance Gibbs dug deep to capture the psyche of his character, a local killer hiding sinister tendencies behind a harmless facade. Gibbs researched real-life convicted murderers, including one from his hometown of Olney, to ground his performance in a disturbing but realistic depiction of a seemingly ordinary citizen privately struggling with homicidal compulsions.
Complementing Gibbs is lead actress Micha Marie Stevens as the detective tormented by her past yet determined to end the killer’s reign of terror. Stevens extensively prepared for her role through police ride-along, consulting with homicide detectives, and embracing the daily sacrifice and trauma of those who protect the innocent from evil.
Helming Blood Dried Hands is director Jason Vandygriff, who drew on fifteen years of real-life law enforcement experience to craft his authentic, tense thriller. Vandygriff even steps into a small supporting role as the fictional yet realistically chilling Finley Rawls. The character was developed through Vandygriff’s exposure to mentally ill prisoners and their delusional justifications for violence during his time working in a county jail’s solitary housing unit.
To further increase authenticity, Vandygriff gave a crash course to the actors playing law enforcement roles and utilized authentic uniforms and locations for filming, including actual offices, interview rooms, and a retired county jail. This comprehensive approach adds a level of realism lacking in most low-budget and major film productions.
With its talented leads pulling from exhaustive preparation and life experience, expert cinematography from Anthony Gutierrez, and Vandygriff steering the ship using his background in law enforcement, Blood Dried Hands brings an air of gritty realism and psychological tension to the thriller genre.
‘Blood Dried Hands’ is shaping up to be the dark, raw dive into the criminal mind that true crime enthusiasts like me are always searching for. The fact that Gibbs researched actual murderers for the role is exactly the level of commitment needed to make a character believable. And real-life crime scenes for sets? That’s the attention to detail I’m talking about. This could be the next big thing in true crime thrillers.
Here we go, another ‘gritty’ thriller promising to be the next ‘Silence of the Lambs.’ I’ve seen too many of these indie films fall short, but I’ll give ‘Blood Dried Hands’ a chance. The actors’ prep work sounds promising, but it’ll take more than ride-alongs and old uniforms to impress me. If Vandygriff can bring something truly fresh to the table, I might just become a believer. But until then, I’m keeping my expectations in check.
I hope it’s not all hype. A lot of movies promise that ‘gritty realism,’ but few deliver. Gibbs and Stevens seem to have put in the work, so I’m cautiously optimistic.