A Blind Bargain – FrightFest 2025 Movie Review
First Reaction – A Blind Bargain is an odd styled movie.
Director: Paul Bunnell
Writer: John Falotico, Paul Bunnell (Screenplay)
Writer: Bing Bailey (Story)
Cast
- Crispin Glover (Back to the Future)
- Jake Horowitz (Bones and All)
- Lucy Loken
- Annalisa Cochrane (Apparition)
- Amy Wright (Breaking Away)
Plot: 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.
Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: A Blind Bargain starts when Dominic (Horowitz) struggles to adjust to life after his time in Vietnam. His mother Joy (Wright) keeps him safe but sets rules. Dominic is forced to enter a spa program to overcome his addictions, where Dr Gruder (Glover) has a certain way of doing things.
Once Dr Gruber gets Joy into the spa, he begins his project. Elsewhere, Dominic returns to his life of addiction. but his lifestyle gains the attention of other people.
Verdict on A Blind Bargain
Recap
The movie follows a soldier struggling with addition after returning from Vietnam. He turns to a specialist spa to help with his problems, and they take in his mother. However, his new life causes bigger problems in his life and leaves him rushing to fix the changes he never expected.
Best Parts
The idea of exploring addiction in the aftermath of Vietnam is an important subject. It shows the downward spiral our character has been through. Elsewhere, the idea of a doctor performing experiments is interesting too, showing how they offer bigger and better lives. The performances are good throughout the movie too.
Worst Parts
This is a style that doesn’t connect on the same level as it would like too. It has an odd style and a story that doesn’t give enough shock value for what the doctor is up to. There seems to be a lot more planned but not everything comes through.
Final Thoughts – A Blind Bargain is an odd story with a few lost shock moments.
