Choker (2005)

User Rating:

2.8/10   

Director:

Nick Vallelonga

Writer:

Nick Vallelonga (writer)

Release Date:

10 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

They are here...

Plot:

A serial killer is let loose to hunt down and kill alien beings who can only survive by inhabiting human bodies |

Cast

Paul Sloan	...	Hud Masters
Colleen Porch	...	Logan
Hayley DuMond	...	Leader
Nick Vallelonga	...	Frank Russo
Anthony John Denison	...	Lt. Murcer
Susse Budde	...	Stacy Russo
Robert R. Shafer	...	Lt. Clark (as Bobby Ray Shafer)
James Quattrochi	...	Detective Rourke
Katrina Law	...	Santo
Jesse Corti	...	Interviewer / Mr. Carter
Kimberly Estrada	...	Kat (Opening Fight)
Ella Thomas	...	Godiva
Paula Miranda	...	Kitten
Arthur Lupetti	...	John
Nina Kaczorowski	...	Nina (Sexy Woman in motel)

Also Known As:

B.E.I.N.G. (UK) (DVD box title)
Disturbance (USA) (DVD box title)

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing sci-fi action and violence.

Runtime:

USA:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Choker Films

Trivia:

Official Selection: Silver Lake Film Festival 2006

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Stiletto (2008/I)

They are among us

Choker is an interesting creature, much like the surprisingly sympathetic characters that are presented to us in the film itself.

Seeing the film projected in vivid HD on a big screen probably helped the illusion of being dunked into this "sci-fi/noir" world and being told that the film was conceived and developed over a six week period prior to a twelve day shoot definitely got a raised eyebrow from me.

The cast elevated this thing immensely. Even the director, who was at this screening, said that without his cast, the material could easily have been reduced to the mediocre. I must remark on this. Based on what I saw and knew of the film, I would have scored this film smack in the middle of a 1-10 scale. Having said that, and given the singular performance of actress Hayley DuMond (playing the lead villain), I must score this film at least one or two points higher - her performance does not deserve to be in a film ranked as a "5" and it elevates the film without question.

Solid performances from all, including leads Paul Sloan and Colleen Porch aside, I felt quite disappointed, not because I wasn't engaged...the story demands you keep paying attention - but because with minuscule budgets and no time, a project's true potential can be undermined. Some sequences were gorgeous, well acted and moving - others were muddy and looked rushed or dragged out. To be expected yes, but still a mark against.

I expected more horror, but got more of a thriller. Expected more gore; got more creepiness and social commentary. Kind of a cool surprise - I left with the feeling that I had still gotten a little bit of entertainment from a film that seemed to have been made on sheer determination on the part of a gung-ho cast and crew.

The film itself is not what I would technically ever call a great film, but the energy behind it seemed to want so badly to contradict that.