Can They Be Stopped?
Very effective horror. Lots of gore, but that is the least of it. It's the masterful use of suspense that is so gruelling. This comes from the script / direction / camerawork, giving us just the right POV at any time. I was on the edge of my seat, or had my face in a fixed grimace of apprehension for most of the running time.
The budget must have been tiny ($350,000 according to IMDB), but the film-makers maximize what they've got. Very minimal setting: essentially just a house and its immediate surroundings for almost all the film.
Was keen to see this film because of Sam Raimi's great work in Spider-Man, particularly Spider-Man 2, and his frequent use of Bruce Campbell, who surely merits a much higher profile than he has had. Campbell is terrific in the central role. Went to see Raimi's recent "Drag Me To Hell" for the same reason.
Haliwell's Film Guide is missing the point: "Semi-professional horror rubbish, blown up from 16mm and looking it." Quality of image does not a good film make. Other aspects (script, direction/editing, performance) are far more important. Witness my appreciation of this even watched streamed from LoveFilm, in poor visual quality, but really gripping even so.
- Rating: Full price
- When seen: 9 Oct 2010
- Where seen: Home (LoveFilm Online)
- More information: IMDB | RottenTomatoes | Wikipedia
Amendments: Added actor tags: "Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker, Hal Delrich, Sarah York". Removed link to Wikipedia-sourced image. Added ranking image.
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