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98 comments in total

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66 out of 83 people found the following comment useful :-
horrorfest, 19 November 2006

Author: rivertam26 from United States

Penny Dreadful is an interesting film. It's simplistic and executed for most of it's 98 minute running time intensely. But it drops the ball so drastically in it last quarter that the film almost falters completely. No doubt the most entertaining of the three it tells the story of a young girl named Penny whom witnessed her parents dying in a car accident. Growing up some years later she has a fear of cars and is taken by her psychiatrist up to the mountains to confront this fear head on at the place it happened. However upon reaching their destination they accidentally hit a grotesque hitchhiker and upon dropping him off are left stranded in the middle of nowhere after he attacks the car. With a blown off tire, no cell phone reception and a busted ankle Penny is left to fend for herself against the homicidal maniac. The concept is simple and scary imagined being entrapped in such a small space and terrorized. People of course come to help and are brutally slain. Some of the suspense sequences work wonderfully well from the camouflaging of the killer, to noises and sounds in the night. Rachael Miner's performance as Penny is multi layered and award worthy. The film has some nice supporting nods to from Mimi Rogers and others. The Direction is decent and promising while the score and cinematography are top notch and quite impressive. The films problems are simple pacing, it gets a little long in places, the killer he should never be aloud to speak and the final act. What seems to be racing towards a crazy finale ends up reaching it boiling point early and never erupts. The finale is weak and predictable and because this is such a simplistic movie it's hard to understand why they couldn't have executed a standard finale with the same intense gusto they had been demonstrating throughout. In the end Penny Dreadful is engaging, entertaining and delightfully creepy but with further tweaking we could've had a horror classic on our hands.

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58 out of 81 people found the following comment useful :-
Horro happens, 19 November 2006

Author: maya-murphy from United States

Horror happens always at night, in abandoned places, when no one is around to help, to see, to witness. Horror happens to only a few of us, the ones who are innocent already, the ones who are weak, the ones who are helpless. It seems that evil is a coward-entity, chickens out on places with many people and strong people and real adversaries. Evil is simply afraid, mushy, and has no integrity whatsoever. May that be how it is, Penny Dreadful is a film where this happens exactly by the book. By this I don't mean to put the film down. In the contrary. PD is an awesome story about to helpless women caught in the darkness, alone, and exposed to evil, or en evil entity. I had a great time watching this film and it scared the crap out of me. I love Mimi Rogers and felt the whole cast was doing a great job. I recommend this film to anyone and hopefully it will come out on DVD and I'll get me a copy of it. Go see it, it is scary!

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30 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
The most ungrateful hitchhiker EVER!., 24 May 2007

Author: Francisco Rotondi from Argentina

Every now and then, it is by some means necessary for all horror fans to see a film that bears a few similarities to some of the finest and yet simple gems from the 1970s, such as "When a Stranger Calls". While I'm not comparing "Penny Dreadful" to the previously mentioned film, I can still connect both movies for their simplicity and yet effectiveness. Honestly, it is hard to believe why this film got so many negative reviews. It seems like "Penny Dreadful" somehow turned out to be a disappointment for the young audiences who looked forward to a movie that would desperately try to imitate "Haute Tension". These are the paradoxes of life, I suppose. While I support "Penny Dreadful" for being one of the few horror movies that came out throughout the "twists in the end" fever and managed to avoid the obvious, it seems like many people are somehow disappointed about the fact that this film had an ending that wasn't complex or surprising enough. As the film was coming to an end, I kept saying to myself "Please, avoid the stupid twist. Just make it simple, that's all". I'm extremely fed up with films that exhaustively try to shock the audience by pulling out a stupid resource.

In "Penny Dreadful", a young girl named Penny develops a very severe fear of cars, as a result of a traumatic accident she went trough when she was a teenager, in which both her parents were killed. Determined to work on her problem, Penny goes on a road trip with her psychologist, Orianna, in order to overcome her phobia and learn how to deal with her disturbance. As the night falls, Penny, who is already having a hard time with the ride alone, has to deal with something even worse. In the middle of an argument, Orianna hits a mysterious hitchhiker with a hood, as he is walking in the middle of the road. When they realize that the traveler is actually in perfect conditions, Orianna decides to give him a ride to a campsite as a modest way of apologizing for the unfortunate accident. Unfortunately, the hitchhiker, far from being unaided or in need of a helping hand, is actually a raging murderer who will turn the psychotherapeutic experience into hell on earth for both of them. This way, the thing that Penny fears the most, becomes her only saving shelter from the psychopath who lurks outside.

Like I stated before, one of the things that I praise the most about "Penny Dreadful", is the fact that there were so many ways to turn the whole thing upside down and shock the audience with an ending that would make a villain out of the least expected character or something of that sort. While I intend to keep this review free from spoilers, I have to make a subtle remark and suggest this film to all horror fans out there who are simply fed up with these really superfluous endings that seem to be so trendy these days. "Penny Dreadful" is a very simple and yet compelling little film with an uncomplicated ending that despite of its simplicity, it still contains a small surprise that doesn't ruin the entire thing. I enjoyed this movie a lot, regardless of a few little things that I didn't quite get. For instance, I would have to point out the meaningless background story about a young folk having extramarital sex with a married woman and the old man who is aware of this act of adultery. It doesn't have any kind of connection to the story of Penny and Orianna and I think the only reason why these three secondary characters appear in the first place, it's because otherwise, it would be somehow overwhelming and ultimately boring to see the hitchhiker and Penny throughout the entire film. Besides, I believe it's just like the old saying: The more, the gorier…or something like that. The point is: the more characters there are, the more victims we'll see. Leaving aside the fact that there were moments in which I felt like jumping into the screen and smacking both Penny and Orianna for being so goddamn impractical and moronic, this is one of those films in which you actually root for the good guys the whole time. There are some horror movies where the bad guys make us feel sorry for them in a way and the good guys earn our lack of respect. Oppositely to that, "Penny Dreadful" is one of those films in which the victims were already wounded in the first place and you really want them to triumph over the crooks, regardless of how moronic they can be all the way through the entire film. So if you're in the mood for an enjoyable film that doesn't desperately try to shock the audience with a "wonderful twist", give "Penny Dreadful" a chance. But most of all....brace yourself, put on your seat-belt and don't forget your breathing exercises.

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58 out of 93 people found the following comment useful :-
Loved this movie, 5 November 2006

Author: betty blacksmith from United States

Saw Penny Dreadful at Shriekfest 2006 and was completely terrified. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I was looking forward to seeing Rachel MIner whose work I have followed back in New York, she is a total thespian and her performance as Penny was particularly unforgettable. I thought the directing was very polished and the film had a great style especially the color choices which makes it extremely haunting. The girls I went to see it with were completely freaked out and we all decided the director is coming back with a sequel which we thought would be great since we're dying to know what really happens at the end. It reminded us of Hitchcock and Stephen King only edgier. Not surprised its going out in theaters, it deserves to be seen by a wide audience especially the director's skillful choices and the fabulous performance of Rachel Miner, we think she is going to be huge!

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36 out of 50 people found the following comment useful :-
Penny is good; but not nearly dreadful enough, 19 November 2006

Author: Act2action from United States

PD misses a lot of opportunities to scare or even freak you out. It has a great set-up, a devilishly simple set (mostly one car) and a bad guy who likes people-ka-bobs... so the scares are a sure thing...right? Nope. Unfortunately for the stellar cast, the movie makes every necessary effort to ruin surprises, cut to the wrong camera shot at the climactic moment, and follow every scary movie cliché there is. We have the "anybody there" moments, the "is that you" line every time the character speaks, the lovers doing it in the back and the great supporting cast that has no use but to fill body bags. Horror for horror sake is a good thing, but this film doesn't capitalize on its confined claustrophobic space, nor does it keep the tension that it could have. Camera shots are cool, but over used and usually not in the right spaces. Even the final scary sequence fails to deliver, ending mid-scene as if the writer forgot to finish it. There is no bang. Mimi Rogers is wasted, as is most of the cast. The main character Penny does a good job, reacts wonderfully... even when there is nothing scary even going on. Without any offense to the actors, or movies in which are set in one location (I love those) this movie is not worth the full price. I saw it to support the Horror fest national film festival... a suggestion for next year... how about a group rate (all 8 movies for one admission?).

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47 out of 75 people found the following comment useful :-
Great!!, 19 November 2006

Author: maria-gunder from United States

Strikingly entertaining and first-rate in most all cinematic categories, Penny Dreadful is a smart horror film that works due to a convincing titled character (Mimi Rogers). A terrifying story of getting lost in the nightly wilderness of unknown territory and then being abandoned in the night alone out there with nothing that sheds any hope on your survival, is pretty scary stuff. I love the acting and thought that Mimi should be featured in bigger productions, simply because she has the stuff to be a great actress. However she adds greatly to this lo-budget horror film and creates a realness to it that surpasses all the other films shown at this festival. But it's not only Mimi who make this film great. The rest of the cast is convincing and delivers a great performance!

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19 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
I won't die this way!, 19 March 2008

Author: lastliberal from Florida

Now, this had all the elements of good horror - suspense, screams, breasts, and slashing. Not too bad for a film that takes place in the woods at night.

Penny (Rachel Miner) is traveling with her therapist (Mimi Rogers) to overcome her fear of cars after an auto accident as a child. Now, everyone knows not to pick up hitchhikers, and you should especially know not to take them into the woods, but hey, there wouldn't be a movie if they did the smart thing.

She, with a fear of cars, ends up stuck in a car with her dead therapist, and thus begins a night of horror. Dead bodies are piling up all over as she screams to get out.

I won't spoil it except to say that I really liked the ending.

And, I sure want to see some more of Tammy Filor.

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23 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
Perhaps An Acquired Taste, But I Liked It, 6 June 2007

Author: Gavin Schmitt (gavin6942@yahoo.com) from Kaukauna, Wisconsin

Penny Deerborn (Rachel Miner) and her therapist, Orianna Volkes (Mimi Rogers) take a trip to help Penny overcome her fear of cars. But as with any horror film, things go wrong and the car they are traveling in ends up becoming a prison for Penny (wedged between two trees). Oh, and there's also a serial killer loose in the woods.

What is going to be the real deal-maker (or breaker) for this film is if the audience can relate to Penny's fear of cars. Roughly an hour of the film has her in the car by herself being scared. Not much of a plot, or much dialog -- just the actress and her expressions of fear. Many viewers will find this intensely boring. I, however, could relate quite well with this (as someone with anxiety, I often experience attacks in cars and can put myself in her shoes -- if I had been Penny, I would have been much less brave).

Rachel Miner deserves full credit for being amazing. I was not really familiar with her before this, though her name was somewhat known. She seems to have a very solid range, if this movie is any example -- she was asked to carry a film all on her own with no characters to talk to. And in my opinion, she did it.

Mimi Rogers (the former Mrs. Tom Cruise) also plays a unique role. As a corpse. I think that deserves some credit, too, as even acting dead must take some skills -- never really moving or breathing on camera. Definitely a new direction for Rogers.

Secondary characters were nice, if for no other reason than to round out the film... and I loved the visuals... the colors of the dark, snowy mountains. I don't know much about cameras, but I like the way the light was filtered to give it this dark, lonely look. Very good move.

I say check this one out. It may not be for you -- it might bore you to tears. So if you think you're one of those, don't watch it late at night when you're about to take a nap. If you have any sort of anxiety or claustrophobia, I think you'll get a lot more out of this one. And as long as everyone just ignores how conveniently coincidental the whole plot is, we'll be fine.

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53 out of 88 people found the following comment useful :-
Loved it!, 28 October 2006

Author: nvrenufffunme from United States

I caught this movie at a screening at Shriekfest in LA and gotta tell you it scared the hell outta me! Really well done. Very edgy and creepy! I was hooked just off the opening titles which were way cool. Rachel Miner kicked ass! She's a really good actress. I've been a fan of Rachel's since Bully and just wish I could see her in more stuff. Mimi Rogers was really good too. So was the rest of the cast. Even had that guy from the original The Hills Have Eyes. I see every horror movie that comes out and this one has a great original hook. It's no wonder it's in Horrorfest because it really is pretty disturbing and way intense. Is this going into more theaters after Horrorfest?

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46 out of 77 people found the following comment useful :-
Brilliantly, 19 November 2006

Author: martha-morgan from United States

Brilliantly directed and inspiring horror drama about the truly extraordinary two women, of which one is portrayed by Mimi Rogers, a simple, and honest film whose suspense will be altering your movie going experiences and scare the living b-Jesus out of you. Lost in the woods and left to themselves, two women (an older and a younger one) are stranded in the middle of the night in the middle of the woods in the middle of absolute terror. Great performances form both actresses and a great story of suspense, horror, scare, and some gore. Just when you thought it's all good now, that's when the poop hits the fan and horror is spread all over the place. You'll enjoy a ride of scares and unsuspected events, even though the whole film can be considered a classic horror tale. You are in for a treat and look forward to getting dreadfully, dreadfully horrified.

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