Serial Slayer

Rating:
Summary: very good thriller!
Review: I read an article on this movie(then called CLAUSTROPHOBIA)in FANGORIA and it sounded pretty cool.I was aware this movie is shot on dvr and that's fine with me.Well,now it's out on dvd under the horribly generic title SERIAL SLAYER with misleading cover art.3 women meet in a house for a failed party and a cross-bow wielding killer walks around on the roof who will kill anyone that steps outside.The 3 performances are good and there is a good sense of suspense going on.The dvd has a commentary track by the writer/producer/director and is interesting.Horror fans should give this a shot.
note:the old lady at the beginning is Judy O'Day,Barbara in the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Judge A Movie By Its Cover
Review: I was walking in the video store and I came across this film. I thought wow this sure does look stupid, by just looking at the cover. Well I decided to read the back, just to see what is was about. It sounded great! I also noticed Melanie Lynskey in it and she is a great actress. So I rented it and put it in my dvd player. The Camera work was okay even though it was shot on dvr. The plot of how the girls all came together in a house the one girl is watching sounded kind of corny. But then the movie got better! The ending was great. Maybe a sequel is in process? It is one of the greatest most original thrillers I have ever seen! I Loved It!

Rating:
Summary: don't judge a book...
Review: It is very important to note that the original title of this film was "Claustrophobia". Due to what I'm sure is the "genius" of marketing, the title was changed to the misleading "Serial Slayer" (for the American release, at least). While the film does have a mysterious antagonist who "slays" in a "serial" fashion, the new title deceives viewers into thinking they are about to watch a teenage slasher film. The original title did a much better job connoting the slow, quiet terror that the film actually imparts.

Three female colleagues, who are otherwise strangers, decide to have a slumber party as a bonding exercise. The actors do a fantastic job conveying the comical awkwardness that such an event presents, right down to the conversation steering toward office matters. Immediately, the script gives us a clear picture as to who each character is. Melanie Lynskey is especially capable as the quiet, well-meaning one who just wants everyone to have a good time. She conveys a plethora of emotions in one short close-up. Mary Lynn Raskjub (from TV's Mr. Show!) is first-rate as the awkward, nerdy one who only came to the party to be nice. And Sheeri Rappaport is excellent as the harsh one who always says exactly what's on her mind.

Our protagonists do not have much time to break the ice before they start hearing strange noises on the roof. Is it the psycho who the news informs them has been killing people with a cross bow in broad daylight? Or is it some jerk from their office playing a cruel trick on them? Writer/director Mark Tapio Kines masterfully unravels the plot bit by bit, with the deftness of Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby". Even though the news reporters confirm the existence of a killer on the loose, both the views and the characters second guess the legitimacy of
their fear. After all, it is broad daylight in their quiet, suburban neighborhood. Surely someone would have called the police if they were in any real danger!

If you are after a film with a high body count and gallons of spilled blood, this movie is probably not for you. However, if you are partial to interesting characters and a psychologically terrifying script, please check out "Claustrophobia".

Rating:
Summary: Plays like bad porn without the sex.
Review: Serial Slayer was described in an internet review as "a new horror classic". I'm not a devout horror film fan by nature, but a good movie is a good movie. And who doesn't like a good scare now and again? So based on the reviewer's remarks, I gave it a shot.

The basic premise of the movie is that there is a serial killer on the loose in a suburban California town. The killer strikes in broad daylight with no pattern, killing young and old, male and female alike using a handheld crossbow. The story eventually settles on a house where three 30 something females have gathered for a flopped slumber party. They soon realize that the "crossbow killer" has targeted their dwelling. The bulk of the film tediously depicts their attempt to avoid becoming the killer's next victims.

Now I understand the criteria that make a good horror film are quite different from those of other film genres. Cheese and cliches, for example are often considered a good thing to devoted schlock lovers. I can go along with that. But it occurs to me that any horror film worth its salt, regardless of cheese factor, still must at the very least be scary and suspenseful. Serial Slayer fails on those fronts among many others.

First, the film is shot entirely in video. Shooting in video is not necessarily a bad thing in the right hands, but here it is a mistake. Right from the beginning the movie feels like a high school project and prevents the viewer from becoming immersed in the illusion of the story. The lighting is abysmal, which is an even larger problem than it would normally be since the entire movie takes place during the day, thus further inhibiting the fear factor.

The dialogue is largely inane and does not drive the plot effectively. Believe me, that is being kind. The emotional responses of the main characters to events in the story are completely uneven and inappropriate, if not totally unrealistic. At one point a female character seems more upset that a certain female is invited to the slumber party than the fact that they are being hunted by a serial killer.

Perhaps the movie's worst sin is that the killer is barely represented in the story at all. We get a couple of momentary glances of someone wearing a ridiculous ninja outfit, but that's it. Virtually everything is depicted from the perspective of the three exceedingly annoying slumber party gals. As such, there is literally no payoff for what little suspense is mustered by the movie.

At a run time of 79 minutes, Serial Slayer seems to drone on twice as long as it actually is. Maybe I'm just not in the loop on what makes a good horror movie. But I know what a good movie is and I know what scares me. I just wish I could have that 79 minutes of my life back.