A Blind Bargain (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

A psychedelic and intentionally fractured journey through the 70s, A Blind Bargain follows a Vietnam Veteran willing to do whatever it takes to make an extra buck. As Doctor Gruder (Crispin Glover) experiments on humans, those around him begin to question his methods and their own reality. 

My first exposure to Glover (even before Back to the Future) was his performance in the 2000 iteration of Charlie’s Angels. A strange, creepy performance is what Glover brought to the table—and for the longest time that was my perception of who and what he was as an actor. A Blind Bargain throws him back into a role eerily similar to the Thin Man of Charlie’s Angels. He fits into the role nicely, and effectively acts as the cornerstone of the ongoing oddities that exist in A Blind Bargain. 

Inspired by a Lon Chaney silent film of the same name, A Blind Bargain effectively utilizes components of films from decades before. A Blind Bargain is a time capsule, one that blends both the 1970s (when the film takes place), and the 1920s when Chaney was approaching the height of his Hollywood stardom. To be able to effectively capture both the 20s and 70s with near perfection is a feat that cannot go unrecognized—and it’s clear the research that Writer-Director Paul Bunnell put in while developing this film. 

The dialogue is so brilliantly 1970s, assisting in transporting viewers back in time—to a place which saw wonky, but intentional dialogue grace the big screen time and time again. The comedy is often just slightly off, seemingly missing the mark throughout; however, it’s clear that Writer-Director Paul Bunnell and Co-Writers John Falotico and Bing Bailey (what a name!) are purposeful in presenting their film in this fashion. 

A Blind Bargain walks the line between a legitimate horror film and comedy, and as it blends the two genres, viewers are forced to question the intent as well as the execution. What helps to blur this line (or at least blur viewers’ vision) is the intellectual nature of what Bunnell and his team produce. He plays on real fears: financial struggle, growing old, etc., and he uses those as a way to antagonize viewers and allow them to see the honesty present within the film. With that, it begins not to matter what the intention was, or whether A Blind Bargain was meant to be horror, comedy, or both. The intellectuality of the film proves that it is well executed, and, ultimately, that’s what matters. 

With all of that said, there’s something about A Blind Bargain that causes it to be difficult to remain focused. The thing that comes to mind is the fact that it’s a bit disjointed. It sometimes feels as if there is too much happening, and it can’t always give every character or storyline the right amount of attention. Some of what should have been more of a focal point falls to the wayside and is overshadowed by less-important ones. 

All in all, A Blind Bargain is a strong reexamination of Chaney’s silent film and of mid-twentieth century America. While there are some clunky bits in terms of its structural balance, the film is ultimately successful in transporting viewers back to a different time, through a blend of horror and comedy, and a strong 1970’s aesthetic. 

Directed by Paul Bunnell. 

Written by John Falotico, Paul Bunnell, & Bing Bailey. 

Starring Crispin Glover, Jake Horowitz, Lucy Loken, Annalisa Cochrane, Amy Wright, etc. 

7.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING