Bloody Tennis

Bloody Tennis

A sports horror set on the tennis court

A young tennis player enters an elite academy where a demonic headmistress and ruthless competition turn training into a fight for survival. A bloody, grotesque horror in the tradition of Dario Argento, about players willing to kill to win.

Sophie is a young American with huge ambitions and a killer serve. She has just arrived in southern Europe to attend an elite school for female tennis players. The school is run by a demonic headmistress, and something strange is happening both on the court and in the corridors. The tennis players have suspicious injuries all over their bodies, the headmistress introduces a bizarre diet, and there is no room for fair play in this kind of competition. Blood, broken bones, and decapitations. Here, sport has very little to do with health.

“Bloody Tennis” is a grotesque horror film, a twisted take on Dario Argento’s “Suspiria” and “Phenomena.” The film arrives at a particularly perfect moment, when Polish female tennis players are making waves on the international circuit. But above all, “Bloody Tennis” is a brutal story about athletic competition warped by the expectations and ambitions of young players. It is exaggerated, drenched in blood to an almost ridiculous degree, yet strangely truthful and remarkably sharp in its exploration of the desire to win. The heroines of “Bloody Tennis” are ready to die or kill just to come out on top. The screen is drenched in blood, but beneath all the carnage lies a question: how far are you willing to go to become the best?

“Bloody Tennis” is a girls’ horror film directed by Nikias Chryssos, a German filmmaker whose work has been recognized at prestigious festivals including Berlinale and Tribeca. Sandra Guldberg Kampp, known among other things for the series “Foundation,” stars as Sophie. Elina Löwensohn, the cult star of the vampire classic “Nadja,” plays the teacher and tormentor, while Helena Zengel, one of the most exciting European acting discoveries of recent years and a standout in the acclaimed “System Crasher,” appears in a supporting role.

The producers of “Bloody Tennis” are the same people behind “7500,” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and “Mother Mary,” starring Anne Hathaway. Pull up your socks, tighten your grip on the racket, and get ready for one brutally violent match. After this screening, tennis may never look quite so elegant again.