Contracted (2013) Not Your Average STD Flick

Pegged as what "Jaws" did the beaches "Contracted" does for sex is a bit of the stretch when it comes to  Eric England's new lesbian/horror film. And what should of been a great horror film falls flat.

"Contracted" follows a heartbroken Samantha who has just had an argument with her girlfriend and is forced back to live with her ever hovering mother. Samantha attends a party thrown by her friend, Alice, whose sole purpose it seems is to get Samantha drunk.  Later she meets a man calling himself BJ who slips her a date-rape drug. The two end up in a car where BJ takes advantage of her drunkenness and that of being drugged. The next morning Samantha wakes up severely hungover in her own room not sure what happened the night before. As the day progresses, however, it becomes evident that what she thought was a hangover isn't normal as Samantha begins to have period-like symptoms, beginning with heavy bleeding when she uses the bathroom. Then at work Samantha finds it hard to concentrate and is forced to leave early and heads to the doctor who at first thinks that she has contracted a STD from her one-night stand. Later on Samantha talks to Alice about the party and learns that the police have come by looking for a man that might of possibly been there. Not only that, but if anyone had come in contact with him as well. But do to the drug that was slipped to her Samantha fails to make a connection. Over the next couple of days, what she believed as a normal sickness becomes clear that it isn't anything of the sort as things go from bad to worse.

 

While I thought that "Contracted" had a great idea and premise the film ends up becoming muddled rather quickly. Eric England's attempts to gross out the viewers falls short and fails to actually achieve any desired effect. Along with the that, there is an underlying subtext that is prevalent throughout of that we are all shallow and self absorbed that becomes increasingly annoying as simple things are never addressed. Case in point: Samantha has blood draining from both eyes and the only thing people have to say is: "you look like shit". Really? No kidding . Then when the doctor she sees thinks what she has is something viral, his advice for Samantha to go home and not come in contact with anyone until the blood work comes in. Come on. Even a half wit, inbred doctor would of called an ambulance and have rushed to the hospital.

By the end of the film Eric England ties it all together of what is happening. Unfortunately that point was painfully obvious fifteen minutes into the film. A fact that would of been fine if the characters that populate the film weren't so horribly annoying.

In the end, "Contracted" at best, gets 2 out 5 Severed Heads. And that's because I thought that there was a great idea that was just poorly executed.


 Until Next time...