This is a disappointing film that has a really annoying denouement.
I saw this movie because a list of graphic horror films brought it to my attention and the DVD extras also suggested it had a certain "extra" that might also make it a bit of a cult classic.
It started well. The movie gives us a "deep message" (a bit forced, but I'll allow it) by having our hero suffer a major trauma. We later find out that by chance it is connected to what will come. It provides him with some issues, while suggests a reason why he wears a razor blade around his neck like a charm.
We learn less about our quiet psycho who ask him to the prom, gets turned down and well, has daddy invite him to a "special prom," let's say. Again, the set up is fine. The film btw takes place in Australia, so it has a certain foreign flavor, which adds a nice touch. There is also a bit of early gratuitous nudity. Female, of course.
So, the film goes along nicely here, including some gross out stuff when our teen hero is kidnapped by psycho dad for his daughter. There is some gross out stuff here done fairly well. Then, it basically putters out. Part of the problem is that there is a parallel story, that takes a decent amount of an already short (under 90m) running time about some stoner who takes a Goth chick to the prom. It adds little to the proceedings. It seems like a time waster to me. Is it supposed to be a comparison of the psycho prom? Sort of a drugged out prom? It ends about as lamely.
Then, basically the film doesn't know how to reach a climax and end things. I found how things went there pretty lame. I spoiler alerted so ... okay, so the guy has a knife rammed thru his foot to keep him in place. His head was drilled. He previously fell out of a tree. Basically, he should be pretty hurt and worn out. He manages to untie himself (they don't realize he has that razor blade) and kill the dad, but falls down into the cellar. Looks pretty deep. But, he still manages to kill four (it looks like) crazed zombies. Then, somehow he stacks bodies up to climb out. How does he manage that exactly, even putting aside the bones in his foot much be broken among other things. This is a sort of reverse of the never dead killer -- Indiana Jones wasn't this durable.
This isn't even the last of it. Still, our crazed prom queen wants to gain revenge. You know, by this point, we are sort of on her side. The hero should be dead or incapacitated by now. His mom looks like something out of a Poe poem -- worn out x 3. His oversexed gf with her nice perky breasts also is not someone really worth rooting for. And, going mano-o-mano against our crazed prom queen, who has the element of surprise AND a knife, who gets the best of the situation? Oh come on.
And, our never die hero comes zooming along and hits the RIGHT person this time. But, she isn't quite dead. All we get out of this however is one last shot of her crippled, trying to crawl in the middle of the road. She's hit again ... payback of sorts for the first accident. Still, it is a pretty lame ending.
I think the film had potential to be a gross out horror film with certain dramatic overtones, but about half-way thru, it lost its way. It got a bit dull and then just unbelievable as well as unsatisfying. In fact, the ending really annoyed me. The beginning and some good performances (though the good guys get to be a bit tiresome) provide the four stars. It really could have been much better. Disappointing.
I saw this movie because a list of graphic horror films brought it to my attention and the DVD extras also suggested it had a certain "extra" that might also make it a bit of a cult classic.
It started well. The movie gives us a "deep message" (a bit forced, but I'll allow it) by having our hero suffer a major trauma. We later find out that by chance it is connected to what will come. It provides him with some issues, while suggests a reason why he wears a razor blade around his neck like a charm.
We learn less about our quiet psycho who ask him to the prom, gets turned down and well, has daddy invite him to a "special prom," let's say. Again, the set up is fine. The film btw takes place in Australia, so it has a certain foreign flavor, which adds a nice touch. There is also a bit of early gratuitous nudity. Female, of course.
So, the film goes along nicely here, including some gross out stuff when our teen hero is kidnapped by psycho dad for his daughter. There is some gross out stuff here done fairly well. Then, it basically putters out. Part of the problem is that there is a parallel story, that takes a decent amount of an already short (under 90m) running time about some stoner who takes a Goth chick to the prom. It adds little to the proceedings. It seems like a time waster to me. Is it supposed to be a comparison of the psycho prom? Sort of a drugged out prom? It ends about as lamely.
Then, basically the film doesn't know how to reach a climax and end things. I found how things went there pretty lame. I spoiler alerted so ... okay, so the guy has a knife rammed thru his foot to keep him in place. His head was drilled. He previously fell out of a tree. Basically, he should be pretty hurt and worn out. He manages to untie himself (they don't realize he has that razor blade) and kill the dad, but falls down into the cellar. Looks pretty deep. But, he still manages to kill four (it looks like) crazed zombies. Then, somehow he stacks bodies up to climb out. How does he manage that exactly, even putting aside the bones in his foot much be broken among other things. This is a sort of reverse of the never dead killer -- Indiana Jones wasn't this durable.
This isn't even the last of it. Still, our crazed prom queen wants to gain revenge. You know, by this point, we are sort of on her side. The hero should be dead or incapacitated by now. His mom looks like something out of a Poe poem -- worn out x 3. His oversexed gf with her nice perky breasts also is not someone really worth rooting for. And, going mano-o-mano against our crazed prom queen, who has the element of surprise AND a knife, who gets the best of the situation? Oh come on.
And, our never die hero comes zooming along and hits the RIGHT person this time. But, she isn't quite dead. All we get out of this however is one last shot of her crippled, trying to crawl in the middle of the road. She's hit again ... payback of sorts for the first accident. Still, it is a pretty lame ending.
I think the film had potential to be a gross out horror film with certain dramatic overtones, but about half-way thru, it lost its way. It got a bit dull and then just unbelievable as well as unsatisfying. In fact, the ending really annoyed me. The beginning and some good performances (though the good guys get to be a bit tiresome) provide the four stars. It really could have been much better. Disappointing.