My God this was bad!! The acting and directing is so very very bad. The plot (if there is one) is close to nothing. The few (2) persons giving this movie 10, must be involved in making it. I can not believe that any 'normal' movie going person could like this sh**. The effects is so homemade, and it really shows. I have seen a lot of horror / thrillers /slashers, but this is the worst i have seen. Not that the other movies had so much better effects, but the acting and directing was miles better then this. Hi hi... It's so bad you will start laughing at all the faults and stupid moments. Use your time on something better to do and not on this crap.
29 Reviews
Indescribable Diabolical Crud!
silverrain-419 July 2006
OK, so some teens stole daddy's video camera and went next door that night to make a film about . . . well, I think it's about someone, somewhere killing teens? I swear, my 6 year old kids could do better with special effects from the kitchen, i.e. some ketchup and the script from "Clifford, The Big Red Dog", except Clifford is better. The script is, well, if anyone ever finds it, do let me know so I can line my parrot's cage with it. The 'actors' must be rejects from the local grade school pantomime. The plot is as follows: ZIP. What amazes me is that they managed to get someone to draw a cover for the DVD. It is very annoying that the public will be screwed out of $4.00 at the video store to watch this pile of festering crud. It is an insult to any form of movie making and should be struck from the records. The 'actors', no doubt will spend eternity trying to get their names removed from the credits as it will for ever more completely destroy any hopes they have of becoming actors in any real sense of the word. There was not a single aspect of this flick that warrants any form of credit. Well, maybe one: the 'director' did not use stupid jerky camera techniques designed to cause headaches to viewers. Other than this, spend your dollars on a burger and fries and read the packaging for a much better script. I also realized that the English language lacks the adjectives required to describe this movie. There just are not any words to describe how bad it is, without using expletives. Try it and see. What is really, really scary though, and I mean this, is that there are some people here on IMDb that actually thought this was a good movie. Wha'? Who are these people? Is it possible that these lunatics may be living in my neighborhood, disguised as normal people? What if my kids go over there to play? One of the comments here said that the script was 'original'! Huh? Hello? Earth? The mind absolutely boggles. Einstein was right: stupidity is infinite. I would normally just trash this junk, but I felt I had to write something just to try and save this complete crap from infiltrating the market under the guise of 'entertainment' or, Lord forbid, a 'movie'. We can only hope that the morons who fabricated this swill will stay at school and not ever, ever make any more of this stuff or try to get into the real movies. Please, for all our sakes', just quietly go away and we'll forgive you this transgression. Once. We appreciate you had some bad E or some dodgy pork, but please, slip gently into the night and never, never return.
terrible
mcbeef23 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
There is nothing here for those wanting , gore , sex or a good thriller/slasher film . The film feels cheap and is extremely short with much of the films 75 minutes having pointless filler . There is nothing original or anything that could possibly give this film any points . I only give it two stars because the camera work is acceptable .
The film could be compared to any modern teen slasher film just replace the already bad actors with even worse actors , take away any special effects budget so every death scene is virtually the same . No sex even though the female actors look they were recruited from a strip club . The same old teen slasher plot .
The film markets itself as having a mystery but there is no real plot and the basic mystery is so predictable that the ending will be a surprise to very few . The film has no impact due to its lack of clear story and more importantly unrealistic wooden script .
This film really isn't worth watching for any reason.
The film could be compared to any modern teen slasher film just replace the already bad actors with even worse actors , take away any special effects budget so every death scene is virtually the same . No sex even though the female actors look they were recruited from a strip club . The same old teen slasher plot .
The film markets itself as having a mystery but there is no real plot and the basic mystery is so predictable that the ending will be a surprise to very few . The film has no impact due to its lack of clear story and more importantly unrealistic wooden script .
This film really isn't worth watching for any reason.
Yet another stupid movie...
woodygreve22 June 2006
No Spoilers...
This is just another useless movie in the "teen massacre" category. There is absolutely NO plot. The story happens completely "bacause I say so"...there is no cause nor reason to the events in the movie; even the sad attempt to "suggest" an old trauma using some confused flashbacks is of no real use if you want to find a MEANING in this plot.
The characters are just the same old cliché-students "the Hot, the Slut and the Moron between" with a supporting cast of rich-but-punk friends. Oh...and a totally unrelated Spooky-Neighbor!
Not to mention that the "twist" of this story becomes quite obvious after the first 30 seconds of the movie...this "special" idea is being totally ABUSED in recent movies, so it doesn't sort any effect unless the movie is made with a bit of skill...which this movie is NOT :P
The only reason I watched through the whole film is because the girls are damn HOT...and there are LOTS of 'em! All this beautiful almost-25-years old girls pretending to be innocent seventeen students. Yummy. Yes...THAT is the only positive thing in the whole movie...oh, and the poster too! The poster picture is cool...too bad it is UNRELATED to the movie, save perhaps the last 15 seconds :P
This is just another useless movie in the "teen massacre" category. There is absolutely NO plot. The story happens completely "bacause I say so"...there is no cause nor reason to the events in the movie; even the sad attempt to "suggest" an old trauma using some confused flashbacks is of no real use if you want to find a MEANING in this plot.
The characters are just the same old cliché-students "the Hot, the Slut and the Moron between" with a supporting cast of rich-but-punk friends. Oh...and a totally unrelated Spooky-Neighbor!
Not to mention that the "twist" of this story becomes quite obvious after the first 30 seconds of the movie...this "special" idea is being totally ABUSED in recent movies, so it doesn't sort any effect unless the movie is made with a bit of skill...which this movie is NOT :P
The only reason I watched through the whole film is because the girls are damn HOT...and there are LOTS of 'em! All this beautiful almost-25-years old girls pretending to be innocent seventeen students. Yummy. Yes...THAT is the only positive thing in the whole movie...oh, and the poster too! The poster picture is cool...too bad it is UNRELATED to the movie, save perhaps the last 15 seconds :P
terrible, Terrible, TERRIBLE movie
Horrorible_Horror_Films5 February 2007
Oh man, this movie was so freakin bad it astounds me that all the people time and money it must have taken to make could have went to such better places. Like so many other reviewers - where to start in describing this craptacular? The sound in this movie was terrible, most people might overlook this becuz the acting, script and directing is so bad too. But the songs are WAY too loud, the dialouge too quiet, some of it obviouslt re-recorded in post production and atmosphere sounds were badly mixed too, sounded too loud and separate. This "film" has the be the best example of the WORST DELIVERY OF DIALOGUE EVER. The director did such a terrible job casting and using his actors, and the actors were astoundingly terrible - who the hell would ever act/say half the things the main female lead does? Oh, and then there's the ending - which has been done many times before, much better. The main female lead gave such a bad performance the final 'twsit' (which you can see a mile away becuz its been done so often now) is STUPID!
Horrible, horrible
alexuschoi25 June 2006
This was indeed a horrible movie. I don't know who to blame, the actors, the script, or the director? Maybe I should blame them all. First of all, the script was done poorly. Secondly, the actors were horrible, lack of talent is apparent. I congratulate the director for filming such an awful movie. I congratulate him because he has astounded me his ability to make such a horrible, horrible movie. People, run away from this movie. Awful plot, poor acting and directing. Your time is better spent just sleeping. At least you wake up feeling refreshed. I want my 1 and a half hours back after watching this excuse of a movie. :-(
Terrible confused muddle of a film
sfwitkowski1 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I really don't know where to begin to describe this muddled psychological thriller, so I won't even try. Suffice it to say that lots of people get killed, there's a lame twist ending and you don't care about any of the twenty-something but playing 18 y.o. high school kids. Oh, and the soundtrack is full of that horrible soft rock drivel that filmmakers think American kids like. In addition the soundtrack on the UK DVD is all over the place with music often louder than the dialogue. To pad the movie's running time the final credits take an age to scroll through and are tailed by "amusing" 'out-takes' from the making of the film. Not really worth your time.
one of worst, low budget, no activity, dull, uneventful
HEFILM29 June 2006
Though shot on video, but that means so little now as a praise or knock, it's decently shot though looks like video,actors look pleasant but cannot act. Big problem here is that very little happens and there is no excitement ever generated. Listen to the director commentary and you'll see perhaps why, as the things he chooses to talk about as being interesting are the least interesting aspects of uninteresting scenes. Very few deaths in the film, only one of these is even convincing to any degree, no nudity--though it teases you in this regard which is a total cheat. If you are telling a story without nudity, good, great even, but don't play the game of being sleazy and then not deliver. But this thing does not deliver on any level ever. Technically there have been worse things released by bigger companies and by MTI who did in fact unleash this talk fest, but what makes this so bad is it is lifeless. There is no effort to do anything of interest with the camera. There is no sense of how to tell a story or get performances out of "actors" It all seems to be done in a industrial film level of competence but who cares? The central idea, if you can even say it has one, so let's say the gimmick isn't convincing. It just plods along to a short running time that seems far far away as the pointless scenes follow one another. Why release this movie? Just don't bother watching it there is no reason. That's why I say it's bad, it's just so pointless, so meaningless, so so so dull.
Crap
tbranson-223 June 2006
I guess I was duped by the reviews the cast & crew posted. I swear I haven't seen a worse film in years. Pure junk. They didn't even try. It was SO bad, in fact, that I actually bothered to register here at IMDb to warn others.
Totally predictable. A generic hum for dialogue. Cute girls that don't show a thing (even in a hot tub). Just pure crap. I'm shocked they even bothered to make this flick. I really wish I could say something good about it but I can't. There's no point going into details because the filmmakers didn't care enough to bother with that stuff either. Just pure crap.
Totally predictable. A generic hum for dialogue. Cute girls that don't show a thing (even in a hot tub). Just pure crap. I'm shocked they even bothered to make this flick. I really wish I could say something good about it but I can't. There's no point going into details because the filmmakers didn't care enough to bother with that stuff either. Just pure crap.
If you are going to watch this...
herrima63 December 2006
Please look out for these parts...
1. when Stacey is yelling to her brunette friend (dont know her name) "we gotta get out of here NOW!" let me just tell you I laughed so hard I cried. 2. when Stacy's headband goes from being over her eyes to perfect on her head in the garage fight scene. 3. the facials people make when they die and have sex 4. When the brunette was in the closet...why didn't she move out of the way of the gigantic drill that was SLOWLY approaching her stomach...
If you are planning on wasting your night and looking for some bad acting and such this is just the movie for you...
1. when Stacey is yelling to her brunette friend (dont know her name) "we gotta get out of here NOW!" let me just tell you I laughed so hard I cried. 2. when Stacy's headband goes from being over her eyes to perfect on her head in the garage fight scene. 3. the facials people make when they die and have sex 4. When the brunette was in the closet...why didn't she move out of the way of the gigantic drill that was SLOWLY approaching her stomach...
If you are planning on wasting your night and looking for some bad acting and such this is just the movie for you...
Terrifying
jcoopercutfilms12 May 2006
Eerie, spooky, scary, and truly disturbing, Sweet Insanity packs the punch! It is anything but your traditional narrative and will no doubt haunt you. Taking us back to the heyday of horror, the film takes risks and is smarter than so many other such indie projects that boast that they have something to offer. Glad the title is making it's way to DVD and horror fans as well as those who really like a challenge should take a look.
Title is about Stacey, a typical high school senior who sits through boring school classes during the week so she and her friends can party on the weekend. Except for a nightmare that has lately haunted her sleep, her life seems pleasantly routine until she meets Christina, the new girl in school. Christina's friendship with Stacey quickly grows, until it borders on the obsessive. And something from Christina's past has followed her to her new school - something dark and sinister.
Pure and simple Sweet is a refreshing, imaginative and unsettling tale with a bone-chilling climax!
Title is about Stacey, a typical high school senior who sits through boring school classes during the week so she and her friends can party on the weekend. Except for a nightmare that has lately haunted her sleep, her life seems pleasantly routine until she meets Christina, the new girl in school. Christina's friendship with Stacey quickly grows, until it borders on the obsessive. And something from Christina's past has followed her to her new school - something dark and sinister.
Pure and simple Sweet is a refreshing, imaginative and unsettling tale with a bone-chilling climax!
Why did I even bother?
CarlB19611 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
There is not a single good thing I can say about "Sweet Insanity". I can't say it's the absolute worst movie ever made, because, like natural disasters, there will always be something worse, but it's up on my own personal list of The 100 Worst Films Ever Made.
Let me summarize the plot thusly: Some guy kills some people somewhere for some reason. That's pretty much it. Seriously, that's as fleshed out and developed as the story gets.
The killer's motives are never explained, the story makes no sense AT ALL, and none of the characters are likable or sympathetic in the least. Some of them, in fact, are so obnoxious I was actually cheering for the killer while he did away with them.
A perfect example of just how incompetent this movie is can be found in a scene where the female lead finds the mutilated body of her boyfriend and screams in horror. Only problem is: she screams a good TWO SECONDS before she even spots the corpse! Maybe she's psychic?
Having watched this wretched excuse for a movie, let me tell you, there is nothing sweet about it.
Let me summarize the plot thusly: Some guy kills some people somewhere for some reason. That's pretty much it. Seriously, that's as fleshed out and developed as the story gets.
The killer's motives are never explained, the story makes no sense AT ALL, and none of the characters are likable or sympathetic in the least. Some of them, in fact, are so obnoxious I was actually cheering for the killer while he did away with them.
A perfect example of just how incompetent this movie is can be found in a scene where the female lead finds the mutilated body of her boyfriend and screams in horror. Only problem is: she screams a good TWO SECONDS before she even spots the corpse! Maybe she's psychic?
Having watched this wretched excuse for a movie, let me tell you, there is nothing sweet about it.
very predictable
shicutz14 August 2006
I don't quite agree with the plot summary that I read here, because in the end of the film... there is no surprise at all. Even from the beginning I already knew the ending because the movie made it very predictable. Maybe I've watched too much of this kind of movies or maybe it is because of the very, very bad acting.
Despite this, the film has an interesting idea which might have worked in an other situation, maybe with other actors and with more passion for acting.
I recommend this film only to those that simply want to watch this genre, no matter its quality (as happened to me). And maybe if you haven't seen so many movies like this one, it will seem nicer :)
Despite this, the film has an interesting idea which might have worked in an other situation, maybe with other actors and with more passion for acting.
I recommend this film only to those that simply want to watch this genre, no matter its quality (as happened to me). And maybe if you haven't seen so many movies like this one, it will seem nicer :)
I should have gone to bed early instead......
anthony-melvin24 July 2006
I love horror movies.... even cheesy ones.... This one was a gooey melting mass of moldy muenster. I really cant believe I wasted my time watching this thing. I should have known how horrible it was going to be by the first 15 minutes. The acting is horrible, the lines worse, and the plot non-existent. I kept hoping for it to redeem itself with a good twist or something freaky, but no such luck. Even the blood and gore factor was lacking. The sound track seemed like it was recorder with a pocket cassette recorder. If you have a choice between watching this movie, and getting your teeth cleaned at the dentist's, go for maintaining the pearly whites.
Maybe the worst film i've ever seen
addison12 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This film have one and only great thing: the DVD cover.
When i saw the cover, i've thought this could be interesting. But the movie, about a girl whose friends starts to get kill in his house while having a party, is nonsense, so awfully acted, non existing scripted... even the sound editing is a disaster....
I have seen thousand of films in my life, and i swear this maybe the worst thing i have watch in my life.
The fact that they tried to make this film a "serious" film is what really bugs me.
Low budget horror films, in my opinion have two alternatives: a) they must have a good script, or b) they can go bizarre. I've seen great low budget films, which are at least enjoyable for their bizarre style (Evil Dead). Well, this haven't gone either a or b.
If you'll decide to punish yourself with this crap, at least don't miss the very last scene.... that girl makes Pamela Anderson looks like Mery Streep.
When i saw the cover, i've thought this could be interesting. But the movie, about a girl whose friends starts to get kill in his house while having a party, is nonsense, so awfully acted, non existing scripted... even the sound editing is a disaster....
I have seen thousand of films in my life, and i swear this maybe the worst thing i have watch in my life.
The fact that they tried to make this film a "serious" film is what really bugs me.
Low budget horror films, in my opinion have two alternatives: a) they must have a good script, or b) they can go bizarre. I've seen great low budget films, which are at least enjoyable for their bizarre style (Evil Dead). Well, this haven't gone either a or b.
If you'll decide to punish yourself with this crap, at least don't miss the very last scene.... that girl makes Pamela Anderson looks like Mery Streep.
no need for spoilers, it spoilt itself
stfchnrx23 June 2006
this is pretty much your run of the mill teen slasher movie: complete with the beautiful people clique, the gratuitous sex, the stereotypical characters (btw did anyone else find them all really rude?), the drugs & booze... the whole package really... i'd also add that the PLOT IS THIN & UNORIGINAL.
i guess it's MILDLY ENTERTAINING, i've got nothing against light entertainment it boasts ALRIGHT SUSPENSE (we know what's going to happen from the start but not really why). it is also QUITE SCARY due to an ACHIEVED TENSION & UNSETTLING MOOD (although i think the director's use of "arty" shots didn't contribute that much). furthermore there are A FEW GOOD LINES in there (yet this may well be due to the fact they are cheesy and bring a whole other level to the film)... but the writing is greatly let down by the poor acting.
i'm aware that this is an independent movie (quite glossy and well "finished" i have to say in it's defence), so i guess you could try and justify this sort of thing... but THE ACTING WAS REALLY DIRE!(i mean jc vandamme/c. norris/c.bronson league, but to make it worst they seem like they're competing for the crown)... you know, the embarrassing & painful kind... the obvious guess is that their priority was the look of the cast (i've got nothing against a bit of eye candy & this was probably not such a bad choice considering the targeted & actual audiences for these sort of films but it really sabotaged the film).
i never leave comments (especially long ones & concerning films i didn't enjoy... they're never the "main" ones are they?... i smell a rat), but the current comment did not satisfy me. this film takes risks? please... this is the official recipe of a tried and tested genre. they clearly knew there is a market for it. the only risks this movie took was the risk of making a bad movie with even worse actors.
sorry if i put anyone off but this was kind of the point. i suggest that U SHOULD NOT PAY to see this film (i'm glad i didn't), BORROW IT off a mate who fell for the comments/rating.
i guess it's MILDLY ENTERTAINING, i've got nothing against light entertainment it boasts ALRIGHT SUSPENSE (we know what's going to happen from the start but not really why). it is also QUITE SCARY due to an ACHIEVED TENSION & UNSETTLING MOOD (although i think the director's use of "arty" shots didn't contribute that much). furthermore there are A FEW GOOD LINES in there (yet this may well be due to the fact they are cheesy and bring a whole other level to the film)... but the writing is greatly let down by the poor acting.
i'm aware that this is an independent movie (quite glossy and well "finished" i have to say in it's defence), so i guess you could try and justify this sort of thing... but THE ACTING WAS REALLY DIRE!(i mean jc vandamme/c. norris/c.bronson league, but to make it worst they seem like they're competing for the crown)... you know, the embarrassing & painful kind... the obvious guess is that their priority was the look of the cast (i've got nothing against a bit of eye candy & this was probably not such a bad choice considering the targeted & actual audiences for these sort of films but it really sabotaged the film).
i never leave comments (especially long ones & concerning films i didn't enjoy... they're never the "main" ones are they?... i smell a rat), but the current comment did not satisfy me. this film takes risks? please... this is the official recipe of a tried and tested genre. they clearly knew there is a market for it. the only risks this movie took was the risk of making a bad movie with even worse actors.
sorry if i put anyone off but this was kind of the point. i suggest that U SHOULD NOT PAY to see this film (i'm glad i didn't), BORROW IT off a mate who fell for the comments/rating.
The worst movie ever...
batjuh3 August 2006
I mean, I've seen some movies and some of them were pretty bad. But none of them compares to this one. This is from start to end one complete agony, total waste of time. I didn't see one scene which was good. The casting, screenplay, plot, action, come to think of it...everything in this movie is so badly done, it would be a complete insanity to watch the movie to the end. And yes guys, I have done it and I'm not proud of it. Better to watch reruns of old commercials than to watch this one. I'm glad my DVD player and TV made it out in one piece, cause if I was a DVD player, I wouldn't take this kind of crap. When you see the movie, leave it alone, run away from it as hard as you can and watch commercials instead. Trust me, you'll feel a lot better...
Unintentional Hilarity.
thadgarrison22 July 2006
The half-hearted attempt at movie-making that is "Sweet Insanity" is so full of witless storytelling and bad acting that I was practically rolling on the floor laughing from the moment it came on. If you can get a fun group of people together and sit around, eating popcorn and mocking this movie - you'll have a blast. If you try to actually WATCH "Sweet Insanity," the sheer lack of quality will put you into a coma.
It's important to note to anyone that is thinking of renting this film - this is NOT meant to be a great horror movie. This is a B-Horror movie made for direct release to video. Films like this are used as padding in the video stores to flesh out the new-release walls with what appears to be new horror movies. Some of the releases are just plain awful (see: "Beyond the Wall of Sleep) and some, like this film, can provide a good deal of laughter if you've got a good sense of humor and know how to poke fun.
It's important to note to anyone that is thinking of renting this film - this is NOT meant to be a great horror movie. This is a B-Horror movie made for direct release to video. Films like this are used as padding in the video stores to flesh out the new-release walls with what appears to be new horror movies. Some of the releases are just plain awful (see: "Beyond the Wall of Sleep) and some, like this film, can provide a good deal of laughter if you've got a good sense of humor and know how to poke fun.
Waste of time
captainzoom22 June 2006
None of the actors is even close to convincing. Bad editor, bad director, bad plot... i wish i had checked the amount of votes before seeing a move that scores a 7 out of 8 votes. Probably all the actors voted.... If this is a scary movie i think Pixar will be there biggest competition! I don't understand how movies like this can be made, there must have been a lot of time and effort gone to waste. Maybe it's time to publish some of my webcam movies, then they'll at least have some competition. Almost two hours of my life wasted on this piece of crap. If this all sounds a little to drastic, watch it yourself and come to the exact same conclusion.
If crap could only be polished
mugginslu4 July 2006
Take out a jar of shoe shine, grab the nearest piece of dog crap and start polishing until you get a finish that glistens in the sun like the angels at the pearly gates. Trying to watch this film with a straight face is as hard as coming to terms with the fact that you are investing your time in the story. Sweet Insanity makes Leprechaun 4 look like an Oscar contender. Holy great heaps of cow dung, does this movie suck and for all the right reasons. Dan Hess has created a new genre of entertainment which consists of accidental comedy. The scariest part of Sweet Insanity is the time people have already invested in watching it. Shame on you Dan Hess. Shame on you for subjecting the world to your attempt to direct a feature like this. May god and the film community have some compassion for your future endeavors in movie production.
A second-rate, film student's attempt at horror (SPOILER!)
rander312724 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Cobbled together from the ideas of too many equally bad teen horrors. This thing turned up on various torrent sites, obviously seeded by the hack who directed it to drum up some kind of publicity (better to be a known hack a la Uwe Bole than an unknown?). Given the quality we've seen from up and coming horror film directors, it amazes me someone would be willing to put this out. But DVDs generate income, even when they stink because there is generally no word of mouth to kill their potential. All you need is an interesting looking jacket for it to gain a rental at Blockbuster. There is no real talent in this thing. The only actor in it to display even modestly interesting personality dies early. The killings are mediocre, the director tried to go for some gore, but didn't have two dimes to rub together to afford it. The dialog is unreal. To the director/writer; Don't quit your day job at McDonald's.
Laziest Film You Are Likely to Ever See
aimless-465 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Think "Toolbox Murders" (2004) meets "Sixth Sense" (1999); with a lot of embarrassing self-reflexive stuff randomly inserted by a homage-frenzied writer/director.
"Sweet Insanity" (2006) is currently nursing a lowly 2.2 rating on the IMDb and a lot of "worst movie ever" comments. I bought DVD's of 400+ marginal (mostly horror) movies last summer when our local video store went out of business, and it is safe to say that this film is nowhere near the worst of that group. "Sweet Insanity" has great DVD cover art, excellent lighting, quality cinematography, and three great looking actresses who actually look young enough to be believable in their parts. A lot of those other movies don't have nearly this much going for them.
So the question is why did this film generate by far the most viewer hatred of these 400+ marginal releases? I think that aspiring screenwriters would be well-served to examine where this thing went wrong.
Caution: Spoilers ahead!! Here is how the DVD cover summarizes the story: "Stacey is a typical senior; she sits through boring classes during the week so she and her friends can party on the weekend. Then she meets Christina, the new girl in school. Christina's friendship with Stacey quickly grows, until it borders on the obsessive. And something from Christina's past has followed her to her new school - something dark and sinister. Suddenly, a popular classmate disappears and a chain of deadly events is set in motion leaving Stacey to confront an impossible evil".
But what really happens is just your basic multiple-personality slasher dynamic, where the writer/director spends the entire running length attempting to misdirect the viewer and no time providing background motivation or character development. You can't figure anything out when the director provides no useful information.
Of course the twist at the end is the most obvious one and one that everyone familiar with the genre saw coming before the title sequence even hit the screen. As you watch and think ahead, you wonder if the writer will somehow pull this all together into a satisfying resolution. But deep down you know that it will end with a lazy "deus ex machina" cop-out; whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new character, ability, or object.
And herein lies the source of the incredible viewer hostility to this movie. This director violates the language of film and he lies multiple times to his audience. This is very different than fooling the viewer. For example, early in the movie Stacey gets into a car, as it drives away the camera pans slowly up the now deserted sidewalk and the scene goes out on an unknown character (named Lex in the credits). In this scene the character is shown from the point-of-view of the audience, and according to the language of film a situation like this means that the director is confiding to you (the viewer) about something of which the characters are not yet aware; violating this confidence is cheating and a lazy brain dead misdirection.
The viewer eventually learns that they could never have seen Lex on the sidewalk because he and Christina are figments of Stacey's imagination; a low budget multiple personality thing as she does not dress up like them. Accordingly, each time they make an appearance it is because the viewer is seeing them from Stacey's point of view. On the commentary feature the director refers to scenes where Stacey's three persona's appear at the same time and interact with each other as "metaphorical constructs" during which her personalities wrestle each other for dominance, unfortunately this is shown to the audience with the same realism of the rest of the movie.
The director would do well to check the definition of "metaphor" next time. And if he felt the need to insert some expressionism into the movie (a dream, vision, or hallucination is the only way they could appear together) it must be identifiable as something other than realism. He can't use expressionism disguised as realism for his misdirection; or at least he can't use it and expect viewers to delight in how cleverly they were fooled; it was not clever - it was cheating.
When the motivational elements of the story are finally and vaguely revealed, they don't explain what has occurred. Friends, enemies, and neutrals are all sliced and diced. The director's commentary is full of rationalizations and explanations for the many sequences that failed in their intended purpose and did not adequately communicate the story to the audience. The director claims to have viewed many films in his chosen genre, but somehow he failed to grasp even the most basic elements of film language or to gain an understanding of how a viewer reads a film. For the screenplay/storytelling reasons noted, this is a weak effort but it could be a useful "what not to do" example for a film student.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
"Sweet Insanity" (2006) is currently nursing a lowly 2.2 rating on the IMDb and a lot of "worst movie ever" comments. I bought DVD's of 400+ marginal (mostly horror) movies last summer when our local video store went out of business, and it is safe to say that this film is nowhere near the worst of that group. "Sweet Insanity" has great DVD cover art, excellent lighting, quality cinematography, and three great looking actresses who actually look young enough to be believable in their parts. A lot of those other movies don't have nearly this much going for them.
So the question is why did this film generate by far the most viewer hatred of these 400+ marginal releases? I think that aspiring screenwriters would be well-served to examine where this thing went wrong.
Caution: Spoilers ahead!! Here is how the DVD cover summarizes the story: "Stacey is a typical senior; she sits through boring classes during the week so she and her friends can party on the weekend. Then she meets Christina, the new girl in school. Christina's friendship with Stacey quickly grows, until it borders on the obsessive. And something from Christina's past has followed her to her new school - something dark and sinister. Suddenly, a popular classmate disappears and a chain of deadly events is set in motion leaving Stacey to confront an impossible evil".
But what really happens is just your basic multiple-personality slasher dynamic, where the writer/director spends the entire running length attempting to misdirect the viewer and no time providing background motivation or character development. You can't figure anything out when the director provides no useful information.
Of course the twist at the end is the most obvious one and one that everyone familiar with the genre saw coming before the title sequence even hit the screen. As you watch and think ahead, you wonder if the writer will somehow pull this all together into a satisfying resolution. But deep down you know that it will end with a lazy "deus ex machina" cop-out; whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new character, ability, or object.
And herein lies the source of the incredible viewer hostility to this movie. This director violates the language of film and he lies multiple times to his audience. This is very different than fooling the viewer. For example, early in the movie Stacey gets into a car, as it drives away the camera pans slowly up the now deserted sidewalk and the scene goes out on an unknown character (named Lex in the credits). In this scene the character is shown from the point-of-view of the audience, and according to the language of film a situation like this means that the director is confiding to you (the viewer) about something of which the characters are not yet aware; violating this confidence is cheating and a lazy brain dead misdirection.
The viewer eventually learns that they could never have seen Lex on the sidewalk because he and Christina are figments of Stacey's imagination; a low budget multiple personality thing as she does not dress up like them. Accordingly, each time they make an appearance it is because the viewer is seeing them from Stacey's point of view. On the commentary feature the director refers to scenes where Stacey's three persona's appear at the same time and interact with each other as "metaphorical constructs" during which her personalities wrestle each other for dominance, unfortunately this is shown to the audience with the same realism of the rest of the movie.
The director would do well to check the definition of "metaphor" next time. And if he felt the need to insert some expressionism into the movie (a dream, vision, or hallucination is the only way they could appear together) it must be identifiable as something other than realism. He can't use expressionism disguised as realism for his misdirection; or at least he can't use it and expect viewers to delight in how cleverly they were fooled; it was not clever - it was cheating.
When the motivational elements of the story are finally and vaguely revealed, they don't explain what has occurred. Friends, enemies, and neutrals are all sliced and diced. The director's commentary is full of rationalizations and explanations for the many sequences that failed in their intended purpose and did not adequately communicate the story to the audience. The director claims to have viewed many films in his chosen genre, but somehow he failed to grasp even the most basic elements of film language or to gain an understanding of how a viewer reads a film. For the screenplay/storytelling reasons noted, this is a weak effort but it could be a useful "what not to do" example for a film student.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Very sweet indeed, and scary!
jcooper6205 July 2006
SWEET INSANITY is a very capable horror film that holds some genuinely disturbing ideas presented to us by a very confident attitude to narrative pacing and strong approach to imagery. It sets itself apart from other films in that instead of beginning 'cold', like too many low budget horrors these days, it eases us into the story and eventually taking us on a frightening ride. The film is a solid visual experience and occasionally startles us with well-placed images such as the numerous 'out of the box' killings. Director Dan Hess aptly knows horror and I hope to see more of his work in the future. You won't be disappointed by this chiller and you'll be glad you took a chance. SWEET is sweet indeed!
It is no sweet, but it will drive you insane
christian-pino31 October 2006
Mix up a porn, Suspiria and American Pie and you'll have "Sweet Insanity".
Why?
1.- No, it has no nudity, but it does has the low-bud look.
2.- The director tried to film something like Suspiria (movie that I love) but he has ended with a movie without sense.
3.- Awful acting, predictable and cliché.
I have to admit that I like to watch some awful movies like "Captain America", "Santa Claus conquers the Martians", "BloodRayne", just for fun. But with this one I ended with the feeling that I wasted my bed time. Don't watch this movie unless you like Uwe Boll and Ed Wood movies.
Why?
1.- No, it has no nudity, but it does has the low-bud look.
2.- The director tried to film something like Suspiria (movie that I love) but he has ended with a movie without sense.
3.- Awful acting, predictable and cliché.
I have to admit that I like to watch some awful movies like "Captain America", "Santa Claus conquers the Martians", "BloodRayne", just for fun. But with this one I ended with the feeling that I wasted my bed time. Don't watch this movie unless you like Uwe Boll and Ed Wood movies.
average
adam_mac5212 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
i've been watching this movie for 20 minutes and already every cliché' character in movie history has appeared ! and i mean it when i say that these characters are "cliche'". We have the 'loon' (who makes u think its him, some crazy homeless guy), we have the
jocks (fricken idiots), we've got the alternatives ( this Gothic chick who keeps seeing stuff), got cheerleaders ( who are hot ;)). also the guy that is A lot like the guy from scream (crazy guy) character and so on. the camera angles and shots are VERY awful. the only thing that is honestly keeping me here is the hope of some loving action.. because the girls on this film are hot. also another point is that the acting is a lot like a porn film... yea, seriously i'm turning this off right now.. i'm 35mins through.. i might just fast forward to the hopeful " sex scenes". peace ! p.s don't take out time to watch this movie.. this list could go on for ever !
jocks (fricken idiots), we've got the alternatives ( this Gothic chick who keeps seeing stuff), got cheerleaders ( who are hot ;)). also the guy that is A lot like the guy from scream (crazy guy) character and so on. the camera angles and shots are VERY awful. the only thing that is honestly keeping me here is the hope of some loving action.. because the girls on this film are hot. also another point is that the acting is a lot like a porn film... yea, seriously i'm turning this off right now.. i'm 35mins through.. i might just fast forward to the hopeful " sex scenes". peace ! p.s don't take out time to watch this movie.. this list could go on for ever !
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