The Task

The Task_720p(480P)

Trailer—The Task

source: The Task

When a group of reality show contestants arrive to participate in a horror reality show at an abandoned prison, a series of gruesome accidents has them believing that the site's resident ghosts might be the ones responsible and not the show's fear-based antics. This one here manages to become somewhat watchable as there are several really good points on display. As is usually necessary in such situations, the film's best elements are found with the atmosphere and location which are just incredible, giving off such a foreboding sense of suspense and creepiness that by doing nothing, it still gives off a rather tense vibe, especially when it starts with the guidelines of the show being filmed. The opening walk-through here is perfect for that as the utterly dark hall-ways hearing only the sounds of their footsteps echoing off the walls that sets up the big chase through the facility with the howling dog sounds which set this off really nicely, while the rest of the big suspense comes from the cleaver and admittedly chilling show premise. Several of them are rather freaky and definitely enjoyable, especially the first one in the chapel as the activity required here to raise the spirit inside the utter darkness is truly chilling, the later player being forced into the tank of sludge that signals the first of the ghostly activities and the team trapped in the gas chamber are incredibly fun scenes that utilize the prison's layout effectively while being extra creepy for how they're woven into the game, and the biggest part here is the finale where he's finally been uncovered and allowed to really focus on the ghostly figure running loose interfering with the show as these are really fun moments. The last plus here is the concept of the show and how it deals with fear, since it tends to skip over some when it comes to going wrong so that there's a lot of anticipation as to when it'll go sour, which is a great feeling and keeps it interesting. These here make it good enough to hold out its flaws, which aren't bad but are noticeable. The biggest factor here is the last half, which is where the film gets a little off-track since it tends to pile on twist after twist in attempt to try something new, but gets way too overblown thinking there's a rather big reveal to its twists. That leads into the other problem, as it may start off as being somewhat clichéd and rather familiar being a haunted prison film with still-alive ghosts haunting it, which is rather uninspired and not all that original. While it's still really enjoyable these flaws do stick out enough to hold it down. Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

THE TASK is another piece of nonsense from After Dark productions, a movie that feels like it should have been made as a found footage if anything. A group of mixed contestants head into an old abandoned prison as part of a game show - a tired old plot that gets a very boring run-out here. The villains are the usual weirdos from muscle skinheads lurking in the shadows to annoying Pennywise-imitating clowns. With boring, exchangeable characters and performances that never rise above the tedious, this is the kind of budget horror production we can all do without.

The movie starts out with a young male, Dixon, (Texas Battle) strolling down the street and then he becomes abducted. He is one of several people who have been abducted and forced to wear pig head mask. As it turns out, all those who were abducted (interesting that they could get them all in one afternoon) have tried out for a reality TV show. The characters are all introduced by playing a portion of their interview tape. They will split $20,000 if they spend the night in abandoned Benneville Prison with tasks and scares provided by the producers...and oh yes- 20 homeless people have died there recently. The cast are hand cuffed, like a chain gang, girl, boy, girl, boy, girl, boy with the black man at the end. There is an Indian(subcontinent)girl (Amara Karan) who is super intelligent and a blond (Ashley Mulheron as Shoe)who isn't. Antonia Campbell-Hughes is delightful as Angel who is a contestant who enjoys frightening the other contestants. The story goes that the warden, in order to cut costs killed 85 inmates and then later was sentenced to death himself. His soul roams the prison. Or that is at least the story they were told... Contestants randomly select a chess piece to represent them. Tasks are assigned by a prerecorded tape based on the chess piece...first up the white queen. While the tasks seemed to be at random, they are actually based on the interviews where the contestants disclosed their biggest fear. As it turns out there are things in the prison the producers didn't count on...and the producers think it is just their network playing a game with them. Good acting for a B movie. The soundtrack is not overpowering, but it is effective with drum rhythms inconspicuously mimicking heart beats. The horror is mostly psychological and not blood and guts. Yes, we've seen this type of movie before, and I don't mind watching them again when they are done right. F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

As some other reviewers have said already, this movie actually has a fairly original plot idea. The basic premise is that a group of people signed up for a reality game show, and are "kidnapped", and then taken to a deserted prison with a nasty history. If they stay the night and complete the tasks given to them by the show producers, they walk away with $20,000 each. The way the idea is portrayed, it actually would make a good "reality" TV show. Strange things begin to happen, of course, but are they supernatural, or part of the show? Seems like it would be pretty predictable, but it has a few unexpected twists. Basically this movie uses tension and atmosphere to drive it for the most part, although there is some occasional blood. As for that, let me just say that in some cases there is a lot of gore, in others there is not. The reason for this becomes clear later in the movie. At least to anyone who paid attention. I have to say it surprises me how many people will crap on a decent horror movie just because it doesn't have tons of blood and violence happening every ten minutes. This movie is not a gorror movie, nor is it designed to make you jump. As I said above, it is mostly about tension and atmosphere. To be fair, I have to say the cover for the DVD is very misleading. It also has decent acting. No Oscar winners here, but neither would any of them get razzie awards. The characters are believable, and I disagree that any of the dialogue was stupid - in the sense that it is perfectly believable dialogue you would expect from the types of characters portrayed. Your average reality show contestant isn't exactly a shakespearean player or professional speaker you know. They say exactly the sorts of things you would expect your average person to say. On the flip side I will say that there are a few things about it that are kind of lame, but I think some of them fit. The game show uses a clown video to deliver the tasks to the participants, and its pretty stupid, but hey blame that on the game show producers, not on the movie. It isn't intended to be scary, it's just the type of lame crap a reality game show would use. Some of the tasks are kind of stupid too, but again just what you'd expect from a reality game show. I also do have to say that some of the characters in this movie do seem kind of dumb, although that's par for the course for most horror movies. The story could have been a bit more detailed, and more history given on the characters, particularly the antagonist. Finally, I agree that the ending wasn't very satisfying. In summary, if you are looking for a horror movie with lots of gore and/or jumps, this is not it. If you are looking for a story where everything gets explained, and you learn all about the characters to the point where you know their family history (exaggeration), this isn't it either. But if you are looking for a movie with a decent plot, and some tension and atmosphere, don't let the negative reviews put you off. This movie isn't terrible, it just isn't great either.

Yes, a good mystery keeps your mind going while you're watching a film. However, the main mystery about The Task is why a cast, made up of 99% British actors, were putting on American accents for the entire movie? The Task is about a reality TV show where the producers kidnap (yes, kidnap) six contestants (all supposedly American, but frequently use the term "torch" instead of "flashlight" and shout "Bl**dy hell!" when there's danger). Anyway, the producers (of which there are four of them - apparently you only need four people to stage a TV show - Big Brother must waste loads of money on runners and editors etc) lock these six English-American teenagers in an abandoned prison and tell them they'll get paid if they stay the night. Well, you probably already know it's a horror film, so, guess what, they start getting picked off one by one. However, anyone hoping that this happens soon will be sorely disappointed. This film is the very definition of slooooow. The first hour and four minutes is made up of the six teens wandering round darkened corridors completing (completely non-lethal) tasks. I guess the main trouble is that this is too much like real reality TV. By this I mean they've picked central characters who I really would like to see get murdered painfully (a viewpoint I also take when I accidentally tune into X-Factor, American Idol and that one in the jungle where people stop doing pantomime in order to eat bugs in front of Ant and Dec). I couldn't wait for the main characters to die - at least it meant they could stop pretending to be from the deep south of Arizona (as opposed to West Kensington). It also says a lot about the movie when the person you recognise the most is 'Jack' from the eighties sit-com 'Bread' (now, Nellie Boswell - she was truly scary - The Task just isn't).

The concept of this film is mildly promising, but the execution leaves a little to be desired. It just takes a little too long to get going, however when it does can be moderately entertaining. This film is definitely not going to win any awards. Nonetheless, it does manage to just about hold your attention long enough to see the twist near the end, which surprisingly wasn't as predictable as is standard with these cheap horror films. I wouldn't rush out to buy/watch this one, but if you have a spare hour and a half and a group of friends that fancy a laugh it is worth a go. Just don't expect anything spectacular and you won't be disappointed.

Seven youngsters are abducted on the streets and brought to an abandoned prison in a van. They learn that they have been selected to participate in a reality show promoted by the ambitious TV producer Connie Salomon (Alexandra Staden). One of them gives up, but the gay Randall (Marc Pickering); the nerd Toni (Amara Karan); the blonde Shoe (Ashley Mulheron); the strong Dixon (Texas Battle); and the siblings Stanton (Tom Payne) and Angel (Antonia Campbell-Hughes) accept the invitation expecting to receive US$ 20,000.00 each. The six contestants also learn that the former warden had killed eighty-five inmates many years ago, and they are assigned to accomplish with tasks that explore the fear of each one of them that they had confessed in the interview. However, the warden attacks them along the night. Connie is following the contestants through the cameras and feels that something is wrong; but her team believes that the warden is a joke from the senior management of the show. Is it? "The Task" is a horror film with a good acting but a silly screenplay, with an unbelievable plot point. The idea of the warden attacking the contestants is OK, but the first twist with Connie lured is not convincing. After this scene, the conclusion is totally predictable. My vote is four. Title (Brazil): "Reality da Morte" ("Reality of the Death")