Death on Demand (2008)

"Wealthy college student Richard Sachs arranges a web broadcast contest originating from a local haunted house. He entices three young couples to spend Halloween night in the abandoned ... See full summary »

Director:

Adam Matalon

Writers:

Adam Matalon, Kevin Burke,

Stars:

Jerry Broome, Suzannah Lawson Matalon, Bridget Megan Clark

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Broome	...	Sean McIntyre
Suzannah Lawson Matalon	...	Ruth Gordon
Bridget Megan Clark	...	Bridget (as Bridget Clark)
Daphne Ciccarelle	...	Daphne
Hilary Greer	...	Gretchen McIntyre
Elisabeth Jamison	...	Darla
Dan Falcone	...	Richard DeNola
Terron Jones	...	Peter
Joseph Pensabene	...	Cameraman
Sara Christal	...	Haydn
Josh Folan	...	Biff
Brandon Goins	...	Brad
Anne McDaniels	...	Tammy
Ralph Bernard	...	Larry DeNola
Irene Seton	...	Secretary

Storyline

"Wealthy college student Richard Sachs arranges a web broadcast contest originating from a local haunted house. He entices three young couples to spend Halloween night in the abandoned dwelling by offering $5,000 in prize money. The last owner of the house was deranged killer Sean McIntyre, who murdered his entire family 20 years prior on Thanksgiving Day before hanging himself. McIntyre was an amateur mountain climber who used his grappling hook to gruesome effect during his murder spree; we learn that his descent into madness began when he killed what he believed was a Yeti on a trek up the Himalayas. "Richard has mini-video cameras situated throughout the McIntyre house to capture the happenings for his Internet broadcast," O'Hara continues. "When subscriptions for the show lag, he hires a porn star to take the place of one of the contestants. The participants include two college football players, their girlfriends and a geeky student who is paired with the amorous Velvet Luv, the ...

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Plot Keywords:

porn star | mountain climber | football player | grappling hook | halloween | 

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Taglines:

Turn On. Log In. Watch Out.

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence/gore, sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 July 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Web of Horror

Filming Locations:

Peekskill, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Evil Twins (II), Chatsby Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Biff: Biff's on the ball and we're walking tall, you know what I'm sayin?

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Connections

References Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

User Reviews

Halloween: Resurrection, Part 2

Three college-aged couples are promised $5000 if they spend the night in a supposedly haunted house, where years earlier, a renowned mountain climber murdered his entirely family on Thanksgiving Day before doing himself in. The catch--their entire night will be broadcast over the Internet via strategically placed webcams. The group's first decided upon task is to hold a seance, which results in the spirit of the deranged mountain killer materializing, and he is none to happy about the intruders in his home. Armed with his trusty mountain climbing hook, be begins stalking and slaughtering the teens one by one.

"Death on Demand" certainly wins no points for originality, as fans of the genre will immediately be reminded of "Halloween: Resurrection," as well as some obscure entries into the genre such as "Dead Dudes in the House," and the more recently DTV release "The Slaughter." Still, that is not this films worst problem, as many slasher films have clichéd plots that they are able to rise above. First, the acting is atrocious, and though there are a few attractive cast members, none of the can act to save their lives. There is one particular character-Brad-who is great to look at, particularly during his sex scene, but is one of the most annoying characters I have ever witnessed in a horror film and the actor portraying him is...well.....not very good. In fact, there isn't one likable character in the whole movie, so when they do begin to die, we could care less. The whole premise of the film is based on the fact that the events are being broadcast over the web, but when the killing starts, that whole plot element is forgotten. Nobody anywhere watching the webcast apparently views the teens being mercily butchered, but only minutes before could see the sex that seems to happen every five minutes in the film. Basically, clichés and plot abound the plot and not an original bone is to be found in this film, except perhaps the weapon of choice of the killer. Even the ending, which the writer probably thought was oh-so-clever, has been done before in many films (see the ones I mentioned above) and could be seen coming two miles away.

The film does look good, though. It doesn't have the cheap look that so many DTV's have and the lighting is actually adequate during the dark scenes. Also, the gore effects are pretty decent and there are some nasty kills that would have been much more effective had the character being murdered been likable. Once the seance is held, the pace of the film picks up. I wasn't bored, per se, and actually smiled a few times because, despite its countless flaws, the film does manage some flashes of good film-making that reminded me of the glory days of the 80' slasher flicks. Bottom line is I didn't hate this film. Sure, I cringed at the acting and dialogue a few times, but when it was over and done with, I wasn't angry or upset or felt that I wasted my time. I have come to not over-estimate expectations of a DTV slasher and this one had a certain charm, albeit its cheesiness, and I definitely don't count it among the worst I have seen recently.

My Grade: C-