The Hamiltons (2006)

Directors:

Mitchell Altieri
Phil Flores

Writers:

Mitchell Altieri (writer)
Phil Flores (writer)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Every Family Has Its Secrets

Plot:

Four young adult siblings try to fend for themselves after the mysterious death of their parents. But...

Plot Keywords:

Death | Misfit | Video Camera | Homosexual | Torture

Cast

Cory Knauf	...	Francis Hamilton
Samuel Child	...	David Hamilton
Joseph McKelheer	...	Wendell Hamilton
Mackenzie Firgens	...	Darlene Hamilton
Rebekah Hoyle	...	Samantha Teal
Brittany Daniel	...	Dani Cummings
Al Liner	...	Paul Glenn
Jena Hunt	...	Kitty Davies (as Jenna Hunt)
Tara Glass	...	Jenna Smith
Larry Laverty	...	Larry Davies
Joe Egender	...	Allen Davies
Nicholas Fanella	...	Lenny Hamilton
Jackie Honea	...	Mrs. Hamilton
John Krause	...	Mr. Hamilton
Nathan Parker	...	Hot Pants

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:R21 | Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Petaluma, California, USA

Company:

San Francisco Independent Cinema

Goofs:

Continuity: When Wendell and David are carrying the blond girl; she has a denim miniskirt, then denim pants and different shoes, then back to the denim miniskirt and original shoes. When "she" has long pants, this is obviously the camera operator they are carrying to get the point of view of the person being carried.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Francis Hamilton: What does it mean to be happy? To be content in the world around you? Mom used to say it was family. That family was the heart of everything, even existence. Without it, there's nothing. She would always have these simple answers that somehow would sound so brilliant...

"The Hamiltons" Brings A Whole New Meaning To The Term 'Dysfunctional Family'.

Another one of the eight films that was part of After Dark's Horror Film Festival, "The Hamiltons" is an intriguing little horror film/twisted family drama that will have you interested and disgusted at the same time. This independent horror film focuses around a family of four, consisting of three brothers and a sister, their parents both deceased. Francis is the youngest, who is withdrawn and spends most of his time filming his unconventional life with his camcorder. Darlene is a wild goth girl with an attitude, and her twin brother, Wendell is a bit of a tough guy and a ladies man. David is the oldest, the "man of the house", who is struggling to take care of his siblings and deal with being a homosexual. The Hamilton family may seem like a basically normal bunch on the surface - but little does anyone know, they also kidnap innocent people and tie them under their house and proceed to murder them.

Interesting premise, eh? I thought so myself. Far from your conventional horror flick, "The Hamiltons" contains one of the most twisted suburban families you'll see on screen. The story itself is pretty original - well, at least I can say I've never seen a film quite like this before. The film balances itself out, teetering on the brink between a horror/crime film and a psycho family drama. Script-wise, the film is really quite impressive. It has a few faults here and there (this would mainly be the trouble finding any sympathy for a couple of the characters of the family, when it seems the writers were poking at that), but overall the writing is clever and keeps a couple of important plot-twists pretty well hidden until the appropriate time to reveal them. It does drag it's feet a little during the middle of the film, which could have been a problem - luckily it isn't necessarily uninteresting because the character interaction is really compelling.

The acting here is surprisingly good, the leading actors are mostly unknown (besides Brittany Daniel of "Club Dread" and "Joe Dirt", who has a small role in the opening scene of the film), but I thought everyone performed well and the characters were pretty believable. The film is shot in a strange fashion, and it gives it an almost documentary style, which puts the audience in the moment. The picture is very bright and clear - it captures a realistic effect. There are a few shaky, jittery camera movements, and while I felt they were over used in some areas, they add a nice effect to the film. The big revelation near the end of the film was near genius, and the conclusion is almost perfect. I won't spoil it for you, because it would essentially ruin the biggest plot twist of the movie.

Overall, this is an interesting little flick with some great things to offer. It's not your typical horror movie at all, so don't expect one - but if you want to see a different type of horror film (a little slow moving, but heavy on character development), check it out. It's not a perfect movie, but I thought it was pretty good. If you thought your family was different, wait until you see "The Hamiltons". 7/10.