You know how you’ve always wondered what it would be like if two French filmmakers working under the pseudonym Seth Ickerson wrote and directed an English language, ’80s inspired, sci-fi action movie with original score by French synthwave artist Carpenter Brut?

Ponder no more, because out today is Blood Machines, a Shudder Original Experience, presented as a movie in three chapters.

Okay, buckle up, let’s see if I can explain this.

Blood Machines is the sequel to Turbo Killer, which is a four-minute Carpenter Brut music video Seth Ickerson made. It sets the visual tone (retro future complete with old film scratches) and introduces us to Mima, a captured woman with a glowing, upside down cross on her forehead.

In Blood Machines, we follow Vascan and Lago, two mismatched bounty hunters whose focus is A.I. that’s gone rogue. I’m pretty sure. I spent a little time at BloodMachines.com to actually figure out what’s going on.

So Vascan, whose vague European accent reminds me of Tommy Wiseau and I love that, and Lago, the friendly grandpa type, track down the Mima (a spaceship), but before they can destroy it (I think) some kickass women scavengers show up to give them a hard time. Then Mima’s ghost explodes out of the ship, and she’s presented as naked but with the glowing upside down cross on her stomach and groin.

That’s all just in the first fifteen-minute chapter. It gets weirder. There’s philosophical questions about machines’ rights and synthwave music and coocoo bananas visuals. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I’ll say the climax itself is stunning and beautiful and worth watching alone. And filled with so many boobs, if that’s your thing.

Blood Machines is ultimately art over narrative. That’s not for everyone. The emotionality and music are more important than the audience necessarily knowing what’s going on. I can imagine watching this while high would be a terrible, terrible idea because of the extreme mind-bending weirdness, OR an incredibly good time.

Troy’s Takeaway: I’m glad Shudder found a unique way to present a fifty-minute story and I’d happily check out Seth Ickerson’s future content. If this were some bloated three-hour mess, I’d probably be wary of recommending it (although there’s more than enough story and world building for three hours), but at such a lean running time, I can’t help but say give it a shot.