I too, was taken in by the packaging into thinking this was going to be a real film; a good "horror" movie to watch during Halloween. I figured it was going to be either really good or really bad. Unfortunately it leaned towards the latter.But we still found it mildly entertaining and good for a couple of laughs. It was obvious from the start that it was not real footage, as the lines were delivered in a deliberate manner. I still have yet to know whether these incidents really happened and this was a dramatized recreation of the events, or if the whole storyline was made up for the sake of the movie. I am now curious to see the Murder in the Heartland "documentary" to see what that is like.
11 Reviews
craptacular
carnivoracle10 August 2006
while this film was a crapjob from hell, it was at least entertaining for the 0$ i spent on renting it. thank God for free mail offers. also, having watched it with someone who has actually seen people shot, the effects were also dis-satisfactory. when choosing a horror flick at a rental place, one looks at the title and the cover, as these usually tell a good bit about the quality of film you will be viewing. video x has a very convincing cover, title, and plot line and "disclaimer" on the back. it seems very real until a few scenes in when the hick poor acting starts to show through, and deaths are unbelievably poorly done. this movie is too reminiscent of blair witch, wrong turn, and has a strong stench of a wannabe bonnie and clyde. its a good watch if you know what you're in for.
dawn of the dead was more real than this...
razorpill16 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
wow i am so glad i rented this movie instead of buying it like i planned. Reading the back of the case makes it seem like "real" crimes were documented on a video camera by "real" people during a "real" crime spree. Yet so much went wrong. First, the camera they acquired was stolen, so it could hardly contain enough battery power to fuel an entire movie of footage. Second, out of all their belongings that where stolen, Darla jeans guitar was one of them, yet when Dwayne gets their things back he does not take the guitar with him, but in a few scenes later Darla mysteriously has her guitar, playing and singing. And all the visible crimes that took place (such as retrieving belongings from trailer thieves, and the convenience store robbery) Dwayne seemed to place the camera in such a way that all the action is caught perfectly. And if u look carefully you'll notice not a single moment of focus blur. For some trailer park huckle bucks they sure know how to work a camera perfectly. In all i think this was a horrible movie and advise anyone with half a brain to steer clear of this wreck of a film.
I hope this isn't real......
brandomcgregor2426 March 2005
I bought this movie. It was only 2.99 at this little shop that sold bootlegs and small little indie films. I've never regretted spending three dollars on something until now. It was almost as bad as Pray For Dawn. Haven't heard of it either? Consider yourself lucky.
Completely unoriginal concept. We're supposed to believe that this tape is real a la the Blair Witch Project? At least those kids could act a little. I am so sick of Blair Witch rip offs. Please, move on. that was 1996. Or something. yeah it was a long time ago. It's not cool or original anymore. Try writing something for a change. You know something with lines for the actors to memorize because they do a horrible job of making them up themselves.
Unbelievable. In every sense of the word. A flaming piece of crap.
Completely unoriginal concept. We're supposed to believe that this tape is real a la the Blair Witch Project? At least those kids could act a little. I am so sick of Blair Witch rip offs. Please, move on. that was 1996. Or something. yeah it was a long time ago. It's not cool or original anymore. Try writing something for a change. You know something with lines for the actors to memorize because they do a horrible job of making them up themselves.
Unbelievable. In every sense of the word. A flaming piece of crap.
hmm.... poor girl
portlandcowgirl9 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I too was tricked by the clever cover and the inserted video of the party. my mother-in-law sent it to me after she watched it (thinking it was real as well) it wasn't till i researched that i discovered the truth. i am glad its not real because Billy Epp's face looked familiar to me. hmm i wonder why. the only part i laughed at during the movie (when i still thought it was real) was the sex scene because it takes him 1 minute to finish and the whole time she looks like she is faking it. well now i know the truth she was. So if you are looking for a movie to watch your better off watching something else. my daughters Cinderella 2 has more plot twists. Anyway like the Blair witch project I think i will chuck this in the trash. glad I didn't buy it.
Great film-making! Good Movie.
MBunge29 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Video X is a fine demonstration of the fact that being the best is not quite as important as being the first.
In 1999, The Blair Witch Project exploded into the public consciousness as a brilliant marketing scheme actually had some people wondering if the story of film footage from a missing trio of college students was real or not. The film and hand-held video was shot by the supposed students themselves as they encountered a mysterious evil in the woods and was recovered after they disappeared. It took the concept of the mockumentary and applied it to deadly serious horror.
In 2003, Video X came along claiming to be the hand-held video shot by a white trash loser and his underage girlfriend as they embarked on a cross country killing spree. And it's better than The Blair Witch Project. But its very excellence only emphasizes the limitations of this new genre.
When I say Video X is better than The Blair Witch Project, I don't necessarily mean it's more entertaining. I mean it does a better job of abiding by and fulfilling the concept of "real video" storytelling. While Blair Witch was obviously edited together, Video X looks exactly like someone taping things with a single video camera over the course of several days. The camera gets turned on and off, it gets passed from one person to another, often the camera isn't even shooting the people who are speaking. If Blair Witch was the idea, Video X is the realization.
And even with the restrictions of making the footage look and sound and feel as close to reality as possible, Video X does a better job of storytelling. Dwayne (Joey Graham) and Darla Jean (Michelle Moretti) aren't pawns moved through the film by the plot. They start out with a simple foolish dream, to run away and make a new life for themselves, but they make the worst possible choices running after that dream. Through it all, as the killings move from accidental to intentional, as the none-too-bright lovebirds hook-up with an older ex-con who sends them further down into the darkness without realizing what he's truly doing, Dwayne and Darla Jean remain real people who think and act and feel in real ways. Video X asks us to consider that, sometimes, the worst sorts of evil can start out with relatively harmless stupidity and one terrible mistake.
It's impossible to know if Video X would have become the same sort of box office phenomenon as The Blair Witch Project. Its true-to-life crime drama might not have resonated with the public like supernatural terror did. But if Video X had come first, it would have definitely caused at least a minor sensation as a bold new direction in film-making. But it didn't come first, which means the audience has already seen the whole "is this real or not" angle. No matter how genuine the video footage seems, you can't give the film the full suspension of disbelief it needs. Even though in most respects it's a better film and a better story, the conceit of making you wonder if it might be real is so central to the appeal of the film that is can't completely work without it. It's like buying a used car. The first time you do it, the salesman can seem awfully convincing. But the second time you buy a used car, no matter how persuasive the salesmen is, you just can't believe him like you did the first guy.
I don't mean to sell Video X short. It is still entertaining, though like all these hand held video films, those with motion sickness should beware before watching. But it proves that no matter how well made one of these movies is, it will never be able to recapture the "is it or isn't it" doubt that this genre needs to be completely successful as art.
In 1999, The Blair Witch Project exploded into the public consciousness as a brilliant marketing scheme actually had some people wondering if the story of film footage from a missing trio of college students was real or not. The film and hand-held video was shot by the supposed students themselves as they encountered a mysterious evil in the woods and was recovered after they disappeared. It took the concept of the mockumentary and applied it to deadly serious horror.
In 2003, Video X came along claiming to be the hand-held video shot by a white trash loser and his underage girlfriend as they embarked on a cross country killing spree. And it's better than The Blair Witch Project. But its very excellence only emphasizes the limitations of this new genre.
When I say Video X is better than The Blair Witch Project, I don't necessarily mean it's more entertaining. I mean it does a better job of abiding by and fulfilling the concept of "real video" storytelling. While Blair Witch was obviously edited together, Video X looks exactly like someone taping things with a single video camera over the course of several days. The camera gets turned on and off, it gets passed from one person to another, often the camera isn't even shooting the people who are speaking. If Blair Witch was the idea, Video X is the realization.
And even with the restrictions of making the footage look and sound and feel as close to reality as possible, Video X does a better job of storytelling. Dwayne (Joey Graham) and Darla Jean (Michelle Moretti) aren't pawns moved through the film by the plot. They start out with a simple foolish dream, to run away and make a new life for themselves, but they make the worst possible choices running after that dream. Through it all, as the killings move from accidental to intentional, as the none-too-bright lovebirds hook-up with an older ex-con who sends them further down into the darkness without realizing what he's truly doing, Dwayne and Darla Jean remain real people who think and act and feel in real ways. Video X asks us to consider that, sometimes, the worst sorts of evil can start out with relatively harmless stupidity and one terrible mistake.
It's impossible to know if Video X would have become the same sort of box office phenomenon as The Blair Witch Project. Its true-to-life crime drama might not have resonated with the public like supernatural terror did. But if Video X had come first, it would have definitely caused at least a minor sensation as a bold new direction in film-making. But it didn't come first, which means the audience has already seen the whole "is this real or not" angle. No matter how genuine the video footage seems, you can't give the film the full suspension of disbelief it needs. Even though in most respects it's a better film and a better story, the conceit of making you wonder if it might be real is so central to the appeal of the film that is can't completely work without it. It's like buying a used car. The first time you do it, the salesman can seem awfully convincing. But the second time you buy a used car, no matter how persuasive the salesmen is, you just can't believe him like you did the first guy.
I don't mean to sell Video X short. It is still entertaining, though like all these hand held video films, those with motion sickness should beware before watching. But it proves that no matter how well made one of these movies is, it will never be able to recapture the "is it or isn't it" doubt that this genre needs to be completely successful as art.
This movie was great....
cteleven26 July 2006
I also picked this up pretty cheap, believing it was real thanks to the convincing packaging.... After watching Video X I was touched....No really, it was an awesome movie, and it shows how people can plan one thing and get another... In the beginning it was just two young lovers looking for a way out, then life got them twisted, thrown in circumstances that turned their lives around and made them what they became.....Stupidly I believed it was real, until I did my research and found it to be fake...I was upset at first, then happy for them it didn't go down like that... Good to see Darla-Jean is still alive and still very cute too.... LOL
The best movie of our times
bobo15833019 September 2006
This movie is impeccable. It does not come out claiming to be good, but if you watch it without hoping for that, then you can really get a lot out of it. Tons of wholesome morals and whatnot. Plus you get to see two crazy people go nuts across multiple states. In fact my girlfriend and I plan on following in their footsteps (not killing of course) but trying to find all of the places and live like they did, on our way to little river. IT IS A GOOD FLICK FOR ANYONE WHO LIKES CRAZY STUFF!!!! So if you like weird stuff, mullets, odd couples, strange people camping, horrible grammar, the names Darla-Jean or Dwayne mentioned at least a thousand times, the name Yum-Yum or just are really really bored and have nothing else to do, then this is the movie for you.
The Romeo and Juliet of our time...If your name is Bubba and you want to marry your sister.
qtpiepook26 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
My boyfriend and I rented this movie because we watch movies all the time and were looking for something different...well we certainly got that. You start out thinking that the story on the back of the box could potentially be true...you're skeptical but hopeful. Video tape evidence from an actual crime spree, come on that sounds awesome!!!! Yeah, it does but Bonnie and Clyde they are not. What occurs in this movie doesn't really qualify as a crime spree. It's more two hick kids running around with a stolen camera accidentally killing people for money on their way to Little River Campground.
I must say I was surprised to see that there were actual writers for this movie, because the movie left a lot to be desired in the way of plot and dialogue. The girl is actually a minor and they are going to live at a campground, hunt, fish, and then move to California so she can be a singing star...oh yeah that's good stuff. It's also kind of annoying how they constantly use each other's names sixty times in one sentence. A typical sentence runs "Dwaaaaayne where we going Dwayne. Tell me again about Little River Dwayne". It isn't like we don't know who they are talking to...for half the movie there are only two of them in the car. I must say though lines like "Yum-yum come get your dinner" and "He pulled a gun on me Darla Jean, you don't want me to defend myself, you want that I should die" make you laugh until you cry.
That being said, I have a confession to make. I loved this movie...come on it has a dog named Yum-yum (or so we think, they kind of mumble a lot). We watched it twice just to make sure we had most of the lines down to randomly quote. If you love picking apart bad movies this is gold! It's so wonderful in its own lack of plot, realism, and production technique. The characters are so flat and unrealistic that you don't feel bad laughing at the troubles that they face and it makes their shooting people really funny. I will admit though that there seems to be some chemistry between the two main characters and the way that they respond to each other during non-killing portions of the movie borders on cute and believable.
If you are looking for a sneak-peek into the desperate, high-action world of a crime spree committed by two kids in love and just looking to get by...then walk out and make your own movie because this isn't it. If on the other hand you are like me and want to laugh your pants off at two hicks running around and conveniently setting their video camera in places where it can perfectly capture them killing/robbing some people then go ahead it's a hoot!
I must say I was surprised to see that there were actual writers for this movie, because the movie left a lot to be desired in the way of plot and dialogue. The girl is actually a minor and they are going to live at a campground, hunt, fish, and then move to California so she can be a singing star...oh yeah that's good stuff. It's also kind of annoying how they constantly use each other's names sixty times in one sentence. A typical sentence runs "Dwaaaaayne where we going Dwayne. Tell me again about Little River Dwayne". It isn't like we don't know who they are talking to...for half the movie there are only two of them in the car. I must say though lines like "Yum-yum come get your dinner" and "He pulled a gun on me Darla Jean, you don't want me to defend myself, you want that I should die" make you laugh until you cry.
That being said, I have a confession to make. I loved this movie...come on it has a dog named Yum-yum (or so we think, they kind of mumble a lot). We watched it twice just to make sure we had most of the lines down to randomly quote. If you love picking apart bad movies this is gold! It's so wonderful in its own lack of plot, realism, and production technique. The characters are so flat and unrealistic that you don't feel bad laughing at the troubles that they face and it makes their shooting people really funny. I will admit though that there seems to be some chemistry between the two main characters and the way that they respond to each other during non-killing portions of the movie borders on cute and believable.
If you are looking for a sneak-peek into the desperate, high-action world of a crime spree committed by two kids in love and just looking to get by...then walk out and make your own movie because this isn't it. If on the other hand you are like me and want to laugh your pants off at two hicks running around and conveniently setting their video camera in places where it can perfectly capture them killing/robbing some people then go ahead it's a hoot!
Excellent Movie! Starts slow but gets crazy!
ashsmash10923 February 2011
Don't believe these other reviews! I am gonna bet that they watched the first 10mins at the most and then turned it off. This movie is excellent. It is slow at first but it turns into an incredible crime spree based on a true story about Darla-Jean and Dwayne a couple that drove across six states, killed 11 people, preformed 17 robberies, and recorded it all on one camera.
There are plenty of crazy murders and a really funny hick love story. Once you get past the gorilla style shooting (Used in Clover Field) I am sure you will love this movie, don't give up on it because its kinda slow moving in the beginning but it is action packed and well worth it!
As for finding this movie I found on in a blockbuster once and could never find one to buy, I wish I knew the guy in the other review and have him send me his copy! I do know it is on Instant Watch on Netflix but I don't know how long it will be on there for. I hope you all watch this movie because it is wonderful!
There are plenty of crazy murders and a really funny hick love story. Once you get past the gorilla style shooting (Used in Clover Field) I am sure you will love this movie, don't give up on it because its kinda slow moving in the beginning but it is action packed and well worth it!
As for finding this movie I found on in a blockbuster once and could never find one to buy, I wish I knew the guy in the other review and have him send me his copy! I do know it is on Instant Watch on Netflix but I don't know how long it will be on there for. I hope you all watch this movie because it is wonderful!
Enjoyable
Bugeyed_dog5 July 2022
I really liked this found footage movie. It is by no means Natural Born Killers, but it was interesting. I found this before I watched Murder in the Heartland: The Search for
Video X. You can watch them in order or backwards it really doesn't matter, but seeing the same "story" by the two different view points was something I had never seen before.
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