The Town That Dreaded Sundown – 7

Director – Charles B. Pierce

Cast – Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine, Dawn Wells, Jimmy Clem, Jim Citty, Charles B. Pierce, Robert Aquino, Cindy Butler, Christine Ellsworth, Earl E. Smith, Bud Davis, Vern Stierman(narrator)

Release Year – 1976

Reviewed by John of the Dead

The Town That Dreaded Sundown remains one of the most under-appreciated horror films of all time. Most who know of it know that it is great, so it is not necessarily underrated, but not enough horror fans have viewed this atmospheric mid-70s slasher despite the truly haunting experience it delivers. Based on a true story that took place in Texarkana back in 1946, The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a film that will live on for the rest of time as both a great slasher film predating Halloween and Friday the 13th, and one of the creepiest films to never receive the attention it deserves.

Texarkana, a duo town bordering Texas and Arkansas, is under siege by a hooded killer deemed the “Phantom Killer”, terrorizing the townsfolk who venture out at night. When Texas Ranger J.D. Morales is brought in to bag the killer, dead or alive, the town sees promise in authorities apprehending this savage killer, but they have no idea the craft this killer possesses.

Aside from having one of the coolest titles in the genre, The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a perfect example of the awesomeness that was (and still is) 70s horror. Shown in pseudo-documentary fashion via a narrator, this is basically The Lengend of Boggy Creek(both by the same director) for the slasher sub-genre, which has me licking my lips every time I view this piece.

While based on true events, the storyline is tight and wastes little time on anything but horror that is made even creepier by this film actually being one of the most factually correct of the numerous “based on true events”/”inspired by true events” films we find infesting the genre. This was definitely not the first time we were given a masked slasher (Blood and Black Lace did it 12 years prior), but this was the first time I had seen the usage of a sack over someone’s head, which is just about as eerie as it gets. The storyline is a very simple one that focuses on the killer’s torment of the townsfolk and their social reactions to his carnage, forcing them to take up arms and brace themselves on the possibility that they could be the next victim. This left the tension high throughout the film and the numerous sequences involving the Phantom Killer (both killing and non-killing) plus the eventual addition of a solid-mannered Texas Ranger kept things interesting and the pacing tight. Surprisingly enough, there was a fair comedic element thrown into this piece, mostly at the hands of a doofus sheriff’s deputy, showing that despite the serious nature there is a bit of intentional cheesiness involved in this piece, although the rest of the cheese provided is of the favorable unintentional variety.

Director Charles B. Pierce(RIP – 2010), who also gave us The Legend of Boggy Creek and The Evictors, did an awesome job delivering this film to us, with loads of creepy atmosphere and superb execution of the horror. The sets used were amazing, giving us a quiet town surrounded by creepy wooded areas that provided the perfect hiding spots for our killer to utilize in his torment of the town. This also made for quick crafty getaways for him to employ in this cat and mouse game with the wayward authorities who were also a step behind him. Pierce’s execution of this killer was simple yet amazing, giving us a truly haunting antagonist thanks to his attire (especially the sack) and his mannerisms, expertly delivered by actor and hall of fame stuntman Bud Davis. It takes a lot for an actor to give us a truly creepy performance for a non-speaking character, and he did so with awesome results. The look in the Phantom Killer’s eyes as he hacked and slashed away at his victims was truly epic and will remain engrained in my memory as long as I live – and THAT is a sign of a truly superb horror film. While most of the kill sequences were simple they were highly effective in delivering good horror ot the viewer, but do not underestimate the Phantom Killer, Charles B. Pierce, or writer Earl E. Smith as we are given the coolest kill involving a trombone that I have ever seen – just another reason I will forever remember this awesome piece of horror history.

Overall, The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a superb 70s slasher film that gives us one of the first portrayals of a masked killer stalking the woods of a quiet town and wreaking havoc on those unfortunate enough to cross his path. One of the few horror films to actually be based on real events, the level of creepiness to this film is far above average, and director Charles B. Pierce achieves the same atmospheric success that he often attained during his career. The killer is fantastic and superbly executed, making for one of the most enjoyable slasher experiences I have ever come across.

Rating: 7/10

Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt – 7

Director – Paco Plaza

Cast – Julian Sands, Elsa Pataky, John Sharian, Gary Piquer, David Gant, Maru Valdivielso, Luna McGill, Carlos Reig-Plaza, Reg Wilson, Ivana Baquero

Release Year – 2004

Reviewed by John of the Dead

Before co-writing/co-directing the fantastic REC, Paco Plaza, much like Jaume Balaguero, had already made a name for himself as a legitimate horror director with several positive efforts, one of them being Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt. Equal parts romance and horror, we are given a unique take on the werewolf sub-genre that despite heavy amounts of drama manages to deliver some good shock as well in this underrated sleeper from Paco Plaza.

The small town of Allariz is sent into uproar when the mutilated bodies of beautiful young women are found in the nearby forests, leading to a countryside manhunt for the heinous perpetrator. Little do they know, no man is committing these horrible murders, but in fact a beast in the body of a man. When Barbara falls in love with the man of her dreams, Manuel Romasanta, she sees him as the perfect fit to a happy life, but when clues arise that convince her that he is the man behind the murder of the women, some of whom were her sisters, she takes on a vengeful quest to put an end to the terror herself.

The first thing I noticed about this film, prior to actually watching it, was that it received a surprising amount of hate from horror fans. “It sucked.”, “Big disappointment!” were common remarks that I came across, and after seeing that these remarks came years after the debut of REC I see it safe to assume that those who went into this expecting the awesome execution we were given in REC were obviously unsatisfied, which is why I watched this flick with a complete open mind, and it worked for me.

This is not the first time that we have been given a werewolf film with a high love element, and it won’t be the last given we received one this year in Red Riding Hood, but I have no real problem with the idea given love can add good conflict to any story, and it does with this one. Based on the true story of Spanish serial killer Manuel Blanco Romasanta, who killed 13 people and later received a pardon from the queen after convincing her he suffered from a werewolf curse, the story is not an overly original one, but enough original elements are added to keep this from a bare bones ripoff of a historical event. The first half of the film contains a high mystery element that I enjoyed, as we are unsure who the killer is, and are thrown into the same fear and paranoia as the villagers who must go day by day knowing a savage and stealthy killer is on the loose. This was definitely the highest selling point of the story, but of course the tone had to change. The latter half of the film focuses on the manhunt and subsequent court case of Romasanta, and while the horror was almost completely abandoned during these scenes the film quality remained high and delivered an enjoyable output aided by the horror featured in the first half. I enjoyed the idea of Barbara acting on her own to catch Romasanta, which came entirely due to my love of anything involving vengeance. We do not see too much “vengeance” go on per say, but Barbara was driven by the strong emotion to take revenge, and that was good enough for me. I enjoyed the scientific element thrown into the film as well, which came into heavy effect during the chase for Romasanta and the subsequent court case, all due to the addition of a professor used to positively aid the story. Was Romasanta a man who would turn to beast, or a beast who would turn to man? The question is etched in history thanks to the case, and I was glad to see it put on screen.

Paco Plaza’s direction exceeded the film’s writing, as he expertly employed beautiful sets and superb cinematography, and when applicable: executed good horror. Most of the horror came in regards to the cadavers found, and certain fight scenes between man and wolf, and Plaza used great live-action FX and gore that aided in how well the horror hit me. We get great performances from all those involved, especially Julian Sands who has still to this day failed to be used to his true potential as an actor. In the end, Plaza executed every element to good potential, showing that he had great talent years before REC’s debut.

Overall, Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt is a positive effort from director Paco Plaza that has suffered an unfair bias in regards to the awesomeness of REC. The story is a positive one, and although it does not consist of horror throughout Plaza’s direction and great execution sell the film to the viewer, resulting in a positive experience.

Rating: 7/10

Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County – 6

Director – Dean Alioto

Cast – Kristian Ayre, Michael Buie, Aaron Pearl, Benz Antoine, Gillian Barber, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Katlyn Ducharme, Ingrid Kavelaars, Marya Delver

Release Year – 1998

Reviewed by John of the Dead

I came across this late 90s TV film while rummaging for a lesser-known film to watch, and after reading a little on this flick and the story behind it I went into this watch with high expectations, and while it wasn’t as incredible as I expected it to be it still gave me a mostly-positive experience that delivers some good chills as well.

After experiencing what appears to be a fixable electrical failure, three brothers leave a Thanksgiving party to investigate the matter. They witness strange occurrences going on outside the rural home, and as the youngest brother tests out his new video camera he captures something never before caught on video…aliens. When the aliens catch wind of what the brothers are up to, they follow the young men home and turn what was supposed to be a night of fun and thanksgiving into a night of true terror.

Alien films are some of my favorite films of all time, partly because of the chills they bring us, and partly because of the possibility that aliens do exist outside of our Earthly realm. To make this film even more chilling, it is told in the POV style of filming made popular by The Blair Witch Project, although this film debuted BEFORE the popular and slightly overrated Eduardo Sanchez/Daniel Myrick debut film.

The story is an interesting one, and while stories like this are all-too-common nowadays you must admit that for its time Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County came with a pretty darn original storyline from writer Paul Chitlik. I loved the idea of the brothers incidentally stumbling on the aliens, made more interesting with the fact that they got the aliens on video, and then the aliens seeking damage control was even sweeter. The setting for the film is perfect, and the lonely home provides a nice nowhere-to-run scenario when the vehicles outside are disabled by the aliens, forcing them family to hole up inside the home and pray they make it out alive. As you can imagine, the aliens eventually make their way into the home, and this simple film with a simple setting delivers some great chills after that.

Director Dean Alioto did a good job executing this low-budget TV film, making the most of the POV filming style by using its shady camera angles to his advantage. The atmosphere and low-lighting at just the right time made the scare scenes memorable and even goosebump-inducing at times, showing that simple yet proper execution is all that is needed to deliver the horror we seek in these films. For a TV movie I was surprised with how believable the film came off, and while these are all mainly no-name actors they did a fair job at giving us fear and chaos. The look of the aliens was the usual look, short and big-headed(literally), and their simplistic design worked for me.

Overall, Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County is a mostly-positive watch that gives us a sweet tale and proves to be one of the better TV horror movies out there. Possibly the first horror film to be shown in the POV filmmaking style, we get some truly awesome scare sequences that left me surprised at how under-appreciated this film is.

Rating: 6/10

Fire in the Sky – 8

Director – Robert Lieberman

Cast – Robert Patrick, D.B. Sweeney, Craig Sheffer, Peter Berg, Henry Thomas, Bradley Gregg, Noble Willingham, Kathleen Wilhoite, James Garner, Georgia Emelin, Scott MacDonald, Wayne Grace

Release Year – 1993

Reviewed by John of the Dead

Fire in the Sky is a film I had been dying to watch ever since I first read about the film and the story behind it, and thanks to Netflix I did not have to try hard to get my hands on this one. Most of us balk at low-budget 90s horror films such as this one, but its amazing story and positive execution make Fire in the Sky one of the creepiest films that I have ever seen and a new addition to my favorites list.

When a group of five men return home from clearing brush for the federal government at a nearby state park, they claim one of the men, Travis Walton, was abducted by aliens on their way home. This story is wishy washy to the local authorities, and they bring in seasoned investigator Frank Watters(James Garner; The Great Escape) to find out what really happened. Watters believes the men are lying about the aliens in a cheap attempt to cover up the murder/disappearance of Travis Walton, and the local media does little to help the men, riling up the townsfolk to believe a group of murderers reside among them. As the men’s stories begin to prove true yet the authorities refuse to believe that aliens really abducted Walton, Walton mysteriously shows up five days later…and with one hell of a story to tell.

I would rather say this now than later: I loved this movie. Alien films have always intrigued me due to my fascination with the possibility of life outside of our planet, and when you throw in the abduction element it only makes things sweeter and creepier. The film claims to be based on “true events”, and is an adaptation of a book written by the actual Travis Walton titled “The Walton Experience”. Most of you all know that films claiming to be based on true events are only 10% true at the most, but this film experience has me convinced that this could be one of the more factual of the “true events” films, that is of course if you believe Mr. Walton was actually abducted.

The storyline is an awesome one, and is told in awesome fashion. We are left in the dark over what is going on at first, and the backstory is given to us multiple times in flashbacks as the men tell their story over what happened to Travis Walton. Each of the characters provides their own conflict to the story, and while some contributed more than others we were not given any worthless characters, which is always a plus to me when it comes to film writing. The horror is not always prevalent given this film is mostly about the character trials our protagonists are forced to endure as they try and clear their names, and a fair amount of drama is thrown in as a result of this. Thankfully, when the horror is brought into the film it is incredible, and complimented with the well-written drama we get a 109 minute effort that paces very well. Constant developments are thrown in, with the biggest and most shocking one coming when Travis Walton makes his appearance after disappearing without a trace for five days, a scene that gave me goosebumps and chills up my spine.

Director Robert Lieberman did a fantastic job with every element of the film, using a slew of actors lead by Robert Patrick(Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond, Autopsy) to deliver positive performances and great conflict/drama, as well as giving us superb horror when the film called for it. For such a simple PG-13 90s film to come with superb horror Lieberman had to do many things right, and he did by giving us superb atmosphere that came with every possible idea used to provide good scares such as dark shadows, numerous places to hide(forest), and intense visuals as well. All of this however pales in comparison to the scene consisting of Travis Walton reliving the experience he suffered at the hands of the aliens, which has to be one of the scariest sequences I have ever seen. The entire flashback consists of at least 10 minutes of runtime, and while taking its time to draw out scenes and raise the tension we get some truly scary alien action shown in a brash and full-frontal aspect that is sure to leave the viewer with scenes he/she will never forget. As I mentioned earlier, the horror is not overly prevalent int his watch in comparison to other horror films, but when the horror is brought in it hits very hard and left me with one of my favorite horror experiences of all time.

Overall, Fire in the Sky is a fantastic film that gives us a harrowing adaptation of one of the scariest experiences someone can face, and does so with great writing and superb direction. While the film is not an outright horror film and gives us lots of character drama, the horror in the film is some of the best that I have ever seen, making this a highly recommended watch for all horror fans, especially those with an interest in aliens.

Rating: 8/10

The Exorcism of Emily Rose – 7.5

Director – Scott Derrickson

Cast – Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott, Jennifer Carpenter, Colm Feore, Joshua Close, Kenneth Welsh

Release Year – 2005

Reviewed by John of the Dead

Based on the “true events” that happened to the young German girl, Anneliese Michel, who’s parents and two priests were successfully convicted of manslaughter for her death during an exorcism, this flick happens to be one of the more “factual” of the “true event” horror flicks that have plagued movie screens for years. This flick effectively combines both elements of “horror” and “law” in what I like to refer as “the horror version of Law & Order”, and if you know me…you know that I love both “horror” and “law”. Hehe.

The film follows actress Laura Linney as up-and-coming defense attorney Erin Bruner, who has been given the task of defending Father Moore(Tom Wilkinson), a priest on trial for the “negligent” death of a young girl named Emily Rose whom apparently died as a result of his exorcisms. Lead prosecutor Ethan Thomas (Campbell Scott) is our with a vengeance to send Father Moore to prison, but the modest Father Moore has no fear of prison, and simply wants to tell Emily Rose’s story, as a staple to those who do not “believe”.

I really enjoyed this film and as I mentioned earlier…this flick effectively combines to different genres(horror and law) thanks to co-writer/director Scott Derrickson’s management of these two elements. The film takes place in both the past and present, keeping the viewer up to date with Father Moore’s trial and using the flashback scenes to paint the story of what happened to poor Emily. I also really enjoyed the fact that this film opens the door to whether or not “God” and “Faith” can be used in the courtroom, because how do you “prove” that a person is possessed by a demon when some of the symptoms fall directly under the diagnosis for multiple-personality disorder and/or schizophrenia? Exactly my point. Time after time we are given what seems to be definite proof that Emily is in fact “possessed”, only to be thrown in the opposite direction with new evidence that contradicts her “possession” scientifically. Genius huh? If you are into legal dramas…then this is a film for you, regardless of it’s horror elements.

How are the performances? Laura Linney does the “attorney” act pretty well, equally as well as her role as a prosecutor in the film Primal Fear(Edward Norton’s first film). Tom Wilkinson and Campbell Scott nail their roles as well, but I must say it is little-known actress(at the time of the film) Jennifer Carpenter who takes the film’s “Best Actor/Actress” award. Although nearly half of her dialogue comes in the form of blood-curling screams, Jennifer Carpenter really impressed me with her facial expression and aura in this film and debatably puts Linda Blair to shame. Haha! Judging from what we see Jennifer’s character go through, she must have gone through hell during the filming of this flick. Her body is put into all kinds of sick looking contortions(luckily she is double-jointed) during her possession scenes and her use of Latin and Archaic as the demon inside her “battles” Father Moore comes off effective and believable(not fake, like Christian Bale’s North Carolinian accent in Public Enemies).

The pacing for this film is pretty good as well, thanks in part to the back and forth action between past and present tense keeping you hooked on the story. When the “horror” action kicks in, it is pretty good and definitely enough to give chills to most horror buffs.

Overall, this is a fulfilling film that is not only interesting, but a break from the typical horror films we get from Hollywood nowadays.

Rating: 7.5/10

– I listed this film as an “Honorable Mention” in my Top 50 Horror Movies of the Decade(31-40) post.

Stuck – 6

Director – Stuart Gordon

Cast – Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Russel Hornsby, Rukiya Bernard, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon

Release Year – 2007

Reviewed by John of the Dead

This film is the latest directoral effort from Stuart Gordon, who brought us the infamous Re-Animator, From Beyond, Castle Freak, and Dagon(to name a few). This film derives highly from a shocking event taking on October 26, 2001, receiving lots of mainstream news coverage and had many Americans thinking “Seriously???” (the news coverage did not begin until early 2002, when the details of the accident were discovered) What happened was a 25 year old woman named Chante Mallard was driving under the influence, hit a man, and actually DROVE HOME with the man still stuck in her windshield and still very much alive. She left the poor man in the garage, had sex with her boyfriend, and the next day her and some friends take his now dead body to a park and left it there. Chante Mallard was convicted of murder and sentenced to 50 years for the crime, plus 10 years to run concurrently for tampering with evidence(trying to burn her car).

Anywho, Stuart Gordon quickly jumped on the story and turned it into a full length feature-film, joining the likes of TV shows CSI and Law & Order whom also adapted the story to the screen. This film follows Thomas Bardo(Stephen Rea) as a man going through some hard times. A former project manager, he is jobless, out of unemployment money, and just recently evicted from his apartment. New to the streets, he is wandering around late at night looking for a place to stay when he is struck by a young girl(Mena Suvari) who is doped up, drunk, and ON A CELL PHONE. The young girl is a nurse with a bright future ahead of her. She is up for a promotion and is not going to let anyone ruin that, no matter how hard they bust through her windshield.

Although I already knew much about the Chante Mallard fiasco, I was still very interested in this film and was curios to see how Stuart Gordon would adapt it to film. As a fan of Re-Animator and From Beyond, I figured this film would at least come out decent, and well…it did. I really expected more from this film, but in the end I really did not feel like I had viewed anything special. My biggest knock against the film would be the characters. Mr. Gordon did a pretty decent job building up the Thomas Bardo character, showing us a bit of the frustration he must go through and how his life went from pretty good, to pretty bad. However I do not feel that we were given enough background on Bardo to force us to really feel and care for him. Not once was there any mention of family, we never know if he was previously married, if he has kids, or if he was ever married at all! The reason this bugged me is because it seems the film is set for us to feel really bad for him, and I did feel bad, however ultimately he did not have much to live for, or much to lose. That is probably the case for the real life story, due to the fact that the man Chante Mallard killed was in fact a homeless man, however this is a FILM and if I wanted an exact rundown of what happened I would simply Google the story, simple as that.

Continuing with the film’s characters…Mena Suvari’s character came off bitchy, and narcissistic, which I’m sure was required of her in order to paint the type of person Chante Mallard was. However I do have to ask…was director Stuart Gordon afraid to use an African American actress as the girl who hit the homeless man? Why do I ask? Well…for one, the woman this story is based on is in fact African American. I was thinking that maybe Mr. Gordon was afraid he would be labeled a racist if he did that although it would have made the story a lot more factual. Truth is truth my friend…the lady was African American, deal with it. We’ve seen this happen before with directors…such as the lashing Mel Gibson got from Jewish activists for his film The Passion of the Christ, which had Jews killing Jesus which in fact THEY DID DO! Anywho, I do feel that Mr. Gordon was directly hinting at the fact that the woman who hit the man was African American. First off, Mena Suvari, who is WHITE, has braided cornrows, an African American boyfriend, and African American best friend. Could it not be anymore obvious? It seems that either  Mr. Gordon was afraid of the backlash he would get, or he really admires Mena Suvari. Yes I said it, someone might actually admire Mena Suvari.

Is this a bad film? No, not really, it just could have been a lot better had the character development not been so lazy. The film does actually give us some pretty hard scenes to watch, involving Mr. Bardo trying to get out of the windshield and having to pull a piece of a windshield wiper out of his stomach. OUCH! The film actually did pace really well, and I never truly found myself bored with the film. There were some unneeded scenes here and there, but they were somewhat entertaining and did not slow down the film at all. My favorite aspect of the film would have to be the film’s ending sequence. It was better than I expected the film to end, and as you may have guessed…this film does not end the way the actual story ends, although I believe it ends the way the actual story SHOULD have ended! Hehe.

Overall, this is a decent watch that I recommend you seeing if you know about the story it is based off of. Don’t expect it to be amazing, but you may in fact enjoy it more than I did.

Rating: 6/10

The Girl Next Door – 7




Director – Gregory Wilson

Cast – Blythe Auffarth, Daniel Manche, Blanche Baker, Grand Show, Graham Patrick Martin, Benjamin Ross Kaplan, Austin William, William Atherton

Release Year – 2007

Reviewed by John of the Dead

This is a film I had been reading on for quite some time, but could never get my hands on it reasonably.  I was finally able to view this film and all I can say after finishing this piece is “WOW.”.  Not an overly excited wow, but just a shocked and disbelieving “WOW.”.  Based on the novel by Jack Ketchum, which is based on true events I will explain later in the review, this flick is a shocker that is sure to leave itself imprinted on your mind for quite some time.

The Girl Next Door follows two sisters who recently lost their parents in an accident.  The older of the two sisters, Meg(Blythe Auffarth), came out of the accident with a few scars.  Her younger sister Susan(Madeline Taylor) unfortunately came out of the accident in a much more crippling condition, and has contracted polio.  The girls are sent to live in a quiet suburban country town with their Aunt Ruth(Blanche Baker) and her young sons.  The rest of the film tells the story of the unspeakable events and baseless punishments the aunt puts the two girls through and the struggle of a young boy who tries but cannot succeed at helping them.

I can honestly say that I have not seen a film this horrific in a very long time.  This film is like Cannibal Holocaust but without trying to be Cannibal Holocaust.  We don’t get immense gore in this film, and that is what really shocked me.  How is it that a film with very little gore can be so downright disturbing?  Easy, it is executed properly and is very well written.  Only his second film, director Gregory Wilson did an amazing job with this film and with the message it meant to convey.  Much like Frank Darabont’s The Mist, this film WILL PISS YOU OFF!  Now is that a good thing?  Not really, I don’t like being pissed off BUT I do have immense respect for films that move you that much.  This film’s intention is to anger you, and it succeeds greatly at what it sets out to do.  This is not one of  those hard-to-watch flicks that only throws in such horrific scenes simply to supply the viewer with baseless torture porn.  No, this flick uses such scenes to show just what the young girl went through at the hands of some of the cruelest people to make the silver screen.  I applaud this film’s director for having to guts to include what he did, and this film’s two writers Daniel Ferrands(who wrote Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers) and Philip Nutman also get credit for this film’s gutsy nature by including the acts that occurred in the novel and in real life.

Real life?  Yes, REAL LIFE.  The novel this film is based on is based on the true events that occurred in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1965.  16 year old Sylvia Likens was brutally assaulted and tortured to death by her caretaker and a few of her cohorts her parents had entrusted her with during their three month absence as traveling carnies.  I could go into more detail, but I’ll leave that up to you if you decide to look further into this case.  Here is the Wikipedia link, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Likens.

Is it surprising to you as it is to me that a horror film that claims to be “based on true events” is ACTUALLY based on true events?  Time and time again we get films that claim to be “based” or “inspired” by events that occurred somewhere in time, but this is usually just a marketing gimmick or AT THE VERY MOST the film is only based on 10 percent of the story it claims to be based on.  Example: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre claiming to be inspired by true events, particularly of the serial killer Ed Gein who would dig up corpses and use their skin and other body parts for various uses.  Gein never chased anyone with a chainsaw.  Never.

Now you will notice some differences between this film and the story it is based on, but the differences are small and are in fact needed in order to help the film appeal to the viewer.  As far as the actual plot is concerned, this film is dead accurate.  I really liked how the young boy named “David” was added to the story, and his conflict in the film is felt by the viewer.  You see the toll these events take on the young boy, and his struggles to betray his friends(who not only outnumber him but are mostly older than him as well) and get help from the young girls.

I have no major complaints for this flick, although I felt the film’s conclusion(in flashback mode) was not very satisfying.  Sure it did not follow the actual events that took place, but after all the torment and turmoil we were forced to sit though, I wanted to see some awesome vengeance and redemption.

Overall, this is a positive watch that I dare all horror fans to sit through and not squirm in their seats.  Not only is this flick not for the squeamish, but it sends  powerful message and shows just how savage some people can be.

Rating: 7/10