EDITOR’S NOTE: This movie was watched as part of Salem Horror Fest. You can still get a weekend pass for weekend two. Single tickets are also available. Here’s the program of what’s playing.

Based on true events — when has a movie ever lied to you, this one claims that something much like this happened in 1997 in a Brisbane, Australia recording studio — Bliss of Evil is about the band Prom Night as they practice at Elephant Studios. It’s a family-owned studio, with Uncle Michael (Wayne Bassett) as the boss and Isla (Sharnee Tones) as the recording engineer.

She’s also the girlfriend of the band’s leader Nic (Shanay De Marco). The band has a new guitarist named Lee (Jordan Schulte) as well as bassist Roy (Brendan R Burman-Bellenger) and drummer Rhea (Emily Rowbottom). Hey — they even have a groupie named Courtney (Chenaya Aston).

Things seem to be going fine. But then, why are they in a horror movie, right?

Then Lee kicks this movie into horror business by asking to play the band’s song “Bliss of Evil.” This causes Isla to freak out and undergo a panic attack, but she tells everyone that she can handle it. Obviously, there’s some trauma behind the music.

Enter Bloodface (Corrie Hinschen).

Directed by Josh Morris, who wrote it with Connie Hinschen, this is a movie long on both style and substance. Everything seems filled with dread from the very open, as we see the studio and everything in it covered in blood. We know something horrible is going to happen. We don’t know what, but that worry permeates every second.

Soon, everyone is locked inside with that killer. He just might be the dead guitarist of Prom Night — and the reason why Isla is so filled with nerves and trauma — and maybe, just maybe, this night of bloody horror means something to Isla more than it all seems.

I liked that the kills stay off-screen and that Morris made something pretty stylish for the budget and two weeks or less of shooting time. It’s definitely different than your typical by the numbers slasher.