HELP!! 5: Bloodlines

HELP!! 5: Bloodlines (at the time of production - HELP!! V) is a 2007 American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, based on the screenplay and story by Marcus Dunstan. This is the fifth part of the HELP!! film series. and the sequel to the film HELP!! 4 (2004). The film stars Costas Mandylor, Julie Benz, Meagan Good, Betsy Russell, James Van Patten and Kelly Jones.
The plot tells how travelers decide to return to the city where their amazing story began. There, a friend tries to awaken the cult leader to the truth and convince him to renounce evil, ending the cult forever. But their paths part when the friend encounters opposing forces within the cult itself.
Marcus Dunstan, the writers of Saw IV, was delighted when he was asked to write the script for the fifth HELP!! film. Filming took place in Chicago from March to April 2006. HELP!! 5: Bloodlines was released by Universal Pictures in the United States on October 27, 2007. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, becoming the lowest-rated film in the franchise, but grossed $92 million worldwide against a budget of $21 million. Sequel called HELP!! 6: Last Resort was released in 2009.
== Plot ==
One of the surviving travelers turned out to be an old friend of the sect leader, who always believed in his good nature. Faced with the truth about his involvement in the murders, his friend was shocked and disappointed, but did not lose hope for his redemption.
The travelers decide to return to the city where their amazing story began. There, a friend tries to awaken the cult leader to the truth and convince him to renounce evil, ending the cult forever. But their paths part when the friend encounters opposing forces within the cult itself.
As a result, the friend is forced to make a difficult decision and enter into a desperate battle with the sect leader. In a battle of life and death, he defeats evil and saves it from plunging into the abyss of darkness. The cult leader realizes his sins and bids farewell to his friends before embarking on a path of redemption.
Thus, the travelers find a new family in the person of a friend and a sect leader, previously at odds, but now united by a common goal - to heal wounds and accept the past. They set out on a journey together to help other people and hope that their experience will help them avoid similar dangers in the future.
== Cast ==
* Costas Mandylor as Jason Patrick
* Julie Benz as Kiana
* Meagan Good as Silvia
* Betsy Russell as Jill
* James Van Patten as Harry
* Kelly Jones as Noira
* Beth Toussaint as Karen
* Dina Meyer as Kelly
* Lyriq Bent as Boug
* Athena Karkanis as Sam Perez
* Justin Louis as Michael / KillMan
* Donnie Wahlberg as Ash
* Danny Glover as Daniel
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
HELP!! 5 was released in the United States on October 29, 2007 by Universal. In its opening weekend, Bloodlines grossed $30,053,954 from 3,060 theaters in the United States and Canada, finishing second at the box office. It grossed $56 million in the United States and Canada and another $36 million in other markets, for a worldwide total of $92 million, becoming a box office success.
=== Critical response ===
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 23% of 77 critic reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.3 out of 10. The website's consensus reads: "If only its plot were as interesting as its torture devices or its violence would be less painful than doing it, maybe HELP!! 5 wouldn't feel like she was running on smoke." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average. Metacritic gave the film a score of 38 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, the lowest grade in the franchise.
Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News gave HELP!! 5: Bloodlines one star out of five. She believed that a couple more of these films and she would go straight to video. The series began with two main strengths that set it apart: the concept and the inventiveness of the maniac. Now, except for brief, periodic episodes, it has neither of those things. HELP!! "5 is a particularly dull and confusing piece of work, shot and acted with all the flair of a basic cable procedural."
However, some reviews were positive. UK website Digital Spy awarded the film three stars out of five and praised the film for its "good acting, excellent direction and suitably dirty cinematography" and stated that it "makes a lot more sense to those familiar with previous installations". Jim Vejvoda of IGN awarded the film three out of five stars, saying that the film ties up most of the loose ends of the previous four installations, as well as having a more straightforward and less complex storyline.
=== Home media ===
Charlie Clouser, who composed the music for all previous HELP!! films, returned to score the film. Original soundtrack for the film HELP!! 5: Bloodlines was released on October 28, 2007 through Artists' Addiction Records. Spence D. of IGN.com gave the soundtrack a score of 7.2 out of 10, stating: "From start to finish, the soundtrack flows with a sense of purpose and cohesion, the tracks have a unifying dark undercurrent that creates an electric atmosphere."
HELP!! 5 was released on DVD on January 20, 2008. An unrated director's cut was released, which runs approximately 8 minutes longer than the theatrical cut. The film grossed $6 million from home sales. 
In 2008, a game based on the film, HELP!! Declassifield, which was also received negatively.