Crush the Skull

If this were a straight up horror it could've been so good because the premise is great. But the comedy injected throughout the film fell flat and out of place each time and to the point where it became annoying. And the more the film went on the more absurd it became. Not recommended.

Moviecut—Crush the Skull

source: Crush the Skull

So this film is about a group of 4 finding the hidden underground lair of a serial killer while attempting a burglary. Not a new idea but when it is done well, the concept can prove to be an captivating thriller. This falls short but I am willing to give credit where credit is due. First my complaints. These are some of the most inept criminals ever. They don't do their homework. They try to be funny but just come off as stupid and they are some of the most out of breath people ever. (The heavy breathing really got old.) When you finally see the killer you have to stop and try to figure out why this type of character would be living in a house like this. They didn't fit each other. The acting left a lot to be desired and the special effects were cheesy. Where were all the other captives? What I liked was this genre of movie. I also liked that they tried (somewhat) to make the lair look like it had some ingenuity to it. I also appreciated that they made the house impenetrable from the inside. Getting in was easy but getting out wasn't. Look , this isn't a big budget blockbuster but I was able to sit through it. It needed some work and polish. I'm just trying to give the best review I can on a movie that doesn't have a lot to offer but it was a semi-good effort put forth.

Ollie (Chris Dinh) is a robber who can't tell a joke. His girlfriend Blair (Katie Savoy) is level headed and laughs when she is scared in addition to supplying us with "third reel" cleavage. Through a comedy of circumstances involving a robbery gone bad, our couple teams up with Connor (Chris Riedell), Blair's brother, who insists he has leadership skills. His assistant is the equally inept Riley (Tim Chiou) who has cased a house for two weeks before they decide to rob it. This just so happens to have been the house in an earlier scene that had locked rooms and a serial killer, Jack Taggard (Walter Michael Bost). They get trapped inside and run through the formula. The banter makes the film light and watchable. There are enough slasher elements in the production to classify it as horror in addition to comedy/thriller. Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity. Could be a keeper

I enjoy horror comedies(Cabin in the Woods, Babysitter,Very Bad Things, Evil Dead, Scary Movie).....while the premise was horror on-screen there was very little. Comedy, at no point did I laugh or chuckle. This was four inept criminals who in no way would be where they are making the decisions made in this movie. I started to turn movie off in first 15 minutes. If you are a thinker, take a pass.

Almost turned this off several times in the opening 15 or so minutes. Something told me to carry on. Glad I did. While the negatives up front stacked up, they, like the Jenga game, quickly fell down and the positives began to multiply. Beginning with Asian actors not only taking major roles, race, aside from a quick non-Asian, albeit racial joke, never was an issue. That was refreshing and progressive. Way to go, guys, not even bringing their heritage up and it was normal. Bravo. Second, such the strong female lead. For such an amateurish film, she 100% acted like a major Hollywood actress. I digress, let me back up. The movie is about "on-paper" good thieves who upon their last score inadvertently make that their second-to-last and their real last isn't a blast. They encounter a killer with a torture basement and no way out. The movie is mostly a comedy, though many ideas stem from many horror movies these filmmakers obviously admired. Unfortunately, for the film, the first third or so - when I wanted badly to call this a loss and find another Friday Night Fright, the "comedy" wasn't funny and the direction/camera work/flaws were so film-school reject, it's hard to believe the last two-thirds made up for it in spades. The jokes got funnier (I found myself actually laughing out loud a few times) and the acting improved as did the cinematography. In that first act, I admired these unknowns were making a movie - that's not an easy task even when most of the stars align, but I felt pity as barely any of jokes landed. Once the first third was over, I forgot this was all-but friends getting together to attempt to make a film and was actually watching a horror-comedy-homage. Plus, it was a huge plus this wasn't found footage as it hinted at in the beginning. Bravo, again, for not taking the easy and definitely stupid way out for making a real movie. Overall, while not 100% there and it still felt amateurish at times, once they got their grove and you can spot the dozens of references to subgenre horror movies, you'll probably enjoy this. And yes, references. I believe these people loved the many movies this jammed in and it wasn't about thief or unoriginality. This is an A for effort. I checked out your IMDb pages. Keep this up and grow more so we can see you get the box-office and praise you deserve. *** Final thoughts: Horribly, though, I coincidentally watched this as real-life torture and abuse from two "parents" upon their multiple children came out this week. Two Californian "parents," absolutely destroyed their many children with actual torture for their whole lives. Mercifully, one of the kids escaped to get help and hopefully, those "parents" will live long enough to know the evils they did. So, that all said, despite this movie being made LONG before this incident came to light, it was still kinda hard to watch torture rooms and devices immediately after a true story about the same kinds of malice.

All the characters are unlikeable. Also the main character, if you can call him that, is so annoying, complaining about everyone else messing up and if it wasn't for him in the first place they wouldn't even be in this mess. Maybe before he starts robbing houses he should learn to tell a joke too. Unfortunately in this movie I was rooting for the villain. Sorry for you and your crew.

Honestly, I found this very enjoyable and fun. Most horror comedies seem to place the comedy part on the exaggeration of gore (in my opinion), and that's just really never worked out for me. But this attempt - less of a focus on special effects and more of a focus on characterization - is already much better. The actors do a great job at portraying a range of emotions, even if those emotions seem like they would be rather conflicting. Some of the humor was a little corny, but mostly good (especially that pedicure scene)! I thought the pacing of the jokes overall was well thought out so that the flow remained uninterrupted for the most part. The horror was also pretty good. Enough tense moments to balance out the comedy. And I actually got worried enough for the main characters (because I really liked them and found the antagonists plausibly scary) that I had to check the last couple of seconds of the film to make sure they survived before I could continue watching. In regard to the review about the director using clichés without subverting them, I'm not quite sure I agree. Maybe I'm completely misunderstanding, but much of the film was not predictable in my eyes. The beginning set-up was not. The ~tense, emotional~ conversation between the love interests in the first climax was not. The ending was not. I found the acknowledgment and consequent deconstruction of certain horror tropes very noticeable (and appreciated). All in all, I feel like this film is 7.5 stars out of 10, but I bumped it up to an 8 because of the low budget. Certainly worth a watch.

This is a smart, well written comedy thriller with horror elements that emphasises the comedy over anything else. If you are expecting a tense splatter-fest then you might be disappointed as the main source of humour comes from the incredulity of the comedy placed in a serious situation, which works, but kills any tension that has been built. The effects aren't amazing but are made up for by good character development, the mains actually being likable, which is rare. There are some pacing issues, you get to know the characters and the situation and then you blink and the movie is nearly over, but it is still overall an entertaining and fun ride. This is a nice effort and could have benefited from a little more expansion but works for what it is. There are more laughs than scares but as long as you know that going in then you should have a good time with this one.