After reading a lot of the negative reviews here for the movie, I wasn't expecting much. However, I was interested in seeing what the young Romero could offer, and this is one of my favorite subgenres of horror, so I decided to rent it from Netflix. I was happy with the rental.
I watch a lot of low budget, direct-to-DVD horror films, and many are painfully bad. This wasn't one of those. Even though it had a low budget, the film looked good for the most part (the setting was beautiful), the acting was very good for this type of movie, and it had a few good gore scenes. I'm guessing those who gave it such a bad review don't watch a lot of B-grade horror. Because, this stands out from the rest of the pack in a positive way.
Now to the film's weaknesses -- Let's start off with the major problem: the script. We get absolutely nothing new here. This story has been told countless times, and sometimes much better (Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Although, if you're a fan of the "demented country family preys on innocent folks" subgenre, you'll definitely want to check this out because Romero gives us a competent picture that's nice to look at.
Apart from being derivative, the script has a few more weaknesses too. Character development was lacking here in a major way. We learn woefully little about everyone involved. It would have been nice to know a little bit more about the characters so we could care more about them.
Also, the driving force behind the family's motives wasn't explained well. While most watchers will be able to get a rudimentary understanding of what's going on, a more fleshed out explanation would have been welcome.
And, the twist ending wasn't twisty at all for anyone who's seen more than a handful of horror films. That was poorly done.
Still, though, comparing this movie against other direct-to-DVD, low-budget horror flicks, I've gotta recommend it. It's worth watching when you've got nothing else to do.
I'm interested to see what Romero Jr. does next, and that's a compliment.
I watch a lot of low budget, direct-to-DVD horror films, and many are painfully bad. This wasn't one of those. Even though it had a low budget, the film looked good for the most part (the setting was beautiful), the acting was very good for this type of movie, and it had a few good gore scenes. I'm guessing those who gave it such a bad review don't watch a lot of B-grade horror. Because, this stands out from the rest of the pack in a positive way.
Now to the film's weaknesses -- Let's start off with the major problem: the script. We get absolutely nothing new here. This story has been told countless times, and sometimes much better (Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Although, if you're a fan of the "demented country family preys on innocent folks" subgenre, you'll definitely want to check this out because Romero gives us a competent picture that's nice to look at.
Apart from being derivative, the script has a few more weaknesses too. Character development was lacking here in a major way. We learn woefully little about everyone involved. It would have been nice to know a little bit more about the characters so we could care more about them.
Also, the driving force behind the family's motives wasn't explained well. While most watchers will be able to get a rudimentary understanding of what's going on, a more fleshed out explanation would have been welcome.
And, the twist ending wasn't twisty at all for anyone who's seen more than a handful of horror films. That was poorly done.
Still, though, comparing this movie against other direct-to-DVD, low-budget horror flicks, I've gotta recommend it. It's worth watching when you've got nothing else to do.
I'm interested to see what Romero Jr. does next, and that's a compliment.
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