PopHorror Let's Get Scared
An aspiring maniac musician takes center stage in director Klein Haley’s feature film, Bloodstained Ivory. Aspiring pianist Ross Bennet (Nick Skonberg, Disclosure Day 2026) has it all: a supportive girlfriend (Mackenna Shults, Bull Shark 3 2026), an excellent education, and talent to spare. The only thing that stands in his way of success is himself. After freezing at his senior recital, he is soon thrown into a downward spiral as he tries to fix his budding career. Will he get a chance at redemption, or will his obsession with perfection consume not only him but all those around him?
While there was an attempt to have Ross slowly devolve into an unlikable monster in the pursuit of success, his transformation is relatively short, as he was borderline insufferable from the start. Rather than an ever-increasing descent as a character loses their true self in pursuit of a fabricated id, we get a docile speedbump of negative character progression: going from worse to worse.
In an almost clever way, Ross’s line delivery is extremely wooden and flat during normal bouts of dialogue, but stands out during the mentally taxing scenes. Whether intentional mastery or a fluke, the lack of acting grace coincides with the film’s theme of parroting art for the sake of technicality without the passion that makes it compelling.
Apart from the main character, the rest of the cast felt believable in their pursuit of music. While he made Ross seethe with every syllable, Donovan (LaRonn Marzett, The House on Adams Drive 2024) was as charming as ever. LaRonn played the character by walking the finest line between charisma and arrogance flawlessly. It felt authentic that everyone sees his brilliance and wants him to succeed. Social media star Aurélien Froissart also makes a cameo appearance by starting the film off strong with a gorgeous recital.
Despite what the title implies, there isn’t much in terms of blood and gore. The little there is is used to great effect. Each strike of bodily harm further accentuates a character lost to their own delusion, leading up to a literal bloody crescendo.
The soundtrack to the film stands as the best supporting character. Classical is classic for a reason. As characters relay their fervor through music, the viewer is reminded of just how powerful classical music can be at conveying feelings through the use of sound. The musical set pieces are powerful at proving the point that emotion is needed to fuel the power behind the notes. Even if the audience has no interest in the genre, Haley’s integration of it as a major plot point allows it to feed life into the scenes, whether it’s played beautifully or as a cacophony of misplaced ego.
Apart from the occasional sour note, Bloodstained Ivory is an interesting take on the dangers of an overinflated sense of worth. With a solid premise and a mostly likeable cast, there’s enough to keep the audience interested for the nearly 2-hour runtime. At times, the movie may have a flair for the dramatic, but doesn’t all art?
Bloodstained Ivory is now available for streaming on all VOD platforms.
