Needle (2010)

A killer uses an 18th century machine with supernatural powers to terrorize students at a college.

Director:

John V. Soto

Writers:

Anthony Egan, John V. Soto

Stars:

Travis Fimmel, Ben Mendelsohn, Nathaniel Buzolic

4 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Travis Fimmel	...	Marcus Rutherford
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Detective Meares
Nathaniel Buzolic	...	Ryan
Jessica Marais	...	Kandi
Murray Bartlett	...	Tony Martin
Jane Badler	...	Professor Banyon
Tahyna Tozzi	...	Mary Matthews
John Jarratt	...	Paul the Coroner
Michael Dorman	...	Ben Rutherford
Khan Chittenden	...	Jed
Trilby Glover	...	Isabel Du Pont
Malcolm Kennard	...	Detective Reddick
Chanel Marriott	...	Lucy
Luke Carroll	...	Nelson
Zaydah-lee	...	Uni Student

Storyline

After the death of his father, archaeology student Ben Rutherford inherits an 18th century mechanical device known as "Le Vaudo Mort". At a college party he flaunts the machine in front of a group of his closest friends and later discovers that the machine has a sinister past and may harbor supernatural powers. After class he returns to his dorm room to find that the contraption has been stolen. One by one, Ben's friends begin to die in strange and horrific circumstances. Now he must reunite with his estranged half-brother, Marcus, a forensic photographer, and delve deeper into their father's past to work out who is behind the grisly murders. As the terror mounts and the clues seem to suggest the unthinkable, a surprising twist will reveal the true identity of the killer...

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Taglines:

Ten Suspects. Six Clues. One Killer...

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bloody horror and violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 2011 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

Agujas

Filming Locations:

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmscope Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Dirty Harry (1971)

User Reviews

From Cool to Ho-hum in Record Time

Part of what makes us indulge in horror movies is to see death presented to us in a different manner, through a story that compels us. NEEDLE had a wonderful premise with a wonderful little mystery that screenwriters Anthony Egan and John V. Soto (who also directed) could not bring to light.

And that really bothers the heck out of me.

If the pair had really invested in a riveting narrative, this could have comprised the mystery element of the United States based version of THE RING with Clive Barkers HELLRAISER for one potent and unforgettable horror. Instead, after coming up with a wild idea, Egan and Soto clearly didn't know what to do with it. Instead, it became hack-and-slice cinema that offered little stimulation to the senses. By movie's end, the tale had become so old and lame, the climax was abysmal and unsatisfactory. In fact, it cheats the audience and sets up a sequel, though I doubt they'll ever have the chance – unless an intelligent producer with deep pockets comes along and shows them how to do it the right way.

At first, when the lame commercial-hard rock commenced as Ben (Michael Dorman) ran across a college campus, I thought this was going to be typical teen fair. Then the premise was revealed and intrigue set in – only to collapse into typical teen fair. Worst still, Travis Fimmel, who played Ben's older brother, came off as being creepy in one scene, and a determined guy out to solve the mystery in another. Now, this did not leave the audience with an enigmatic character (such as Stellan Skarsgård in INSOMNIA or Ji-tae Yu in NATURAL CITY) but a confusing one. However, seeing how the story imploded into mediocrity, I have little doubt the director had told me to act in this manner. Think of George Lucas directing kids (unless they're stuffed into ewok costumes) and you'll get the idea.

Revenge horrors have become a "give me a break" kind of subgenre, that is a simple and clichéd plot device for writers and directors to use as an excuse to slaughter. NEEDLE reminds us filmmakers need to deliver so much more. And this movie is only worth watching to see how a couple of writers came up with a great idea and didn't know how to make it work.