When the Screaming Starts

This movie is sort of like a 90 minute rogue comedy skit with a group of fair-to-middling comedians. I did laugh at a few scenes and I thought Amy was well-played. I thought as a whole the film relied far too much on worn stereotypes; for example, the "after party" was just stupid with balloons, little kids party hats, cookies and chips, and champagne. They could have made it much funnier by taking it to an extreme of making it like a child's birthday party gone horribly wrong but it just comes across as a weak throng of basics toasting their college friends' third wedding anniversary. The end does get quite dark and the amorality of the attitude towards murder is creepy, I will give it that much. I also thought presenting one of the main characters as a LARPing nerd in over his head and demanding all the credit as a white man for doing very little was a nice touch.

Very obviously written, acted, and directed by local theater types, whose desire to act and be on stage or in film surpasses anyone's entertainment needs. The characters are cliche from conception to execution. Performances are competent, but nothing special. Very weak concept and the comedy is half hearted and middling. Hits every British sitcom comedy trope like knocking down bowling pins or checking boxes one at a time. Musical score is canned and intrusive. Just not funny or original. Works best at keeping the participants busy with their just barely on the right side of competent theater group aspirations, and worst at being engaging or entertaining, much less surprising or challenging an audience. Some of the ideas are not bad, and even get close to being interesting or clever, but the concept is so silly and underwhelming it gets in the way of scenes which on their own might be lightly amusing if not presented as part of such a weak, absurd and goofy concept.

Saw this at Fright Fest (at the premiere!) and really enjoyed it. It's fun, light on its feet and right from the start the credits were awesome and I knew it was going to be good! The mockumentary format really worked here - star Ed Hartland has great comedic timing and the rest of the ensemble cast worked really well too (enjoyed the hapless guy there for yoga). It does get a bit darker and bloodier near the end but I think the balance between humour and gore was well established. (I'm more into comedy than genre stuff and very much enjoyed it). The script was great and the look of the film in general very sharp and slick, with fluid movement through the film. A great watch, highly recommend.

source: When the Screaming Starts

To wait a long while before the first scream appears, and after that it becomes so off the chart considering calling it good entertainment, wether you like horrorcomedies or not. Absurdities can be fun but not this british made, professional amateur driven mocumentary style horror movie about how to become a serial killer, orlearn to be a serial killer by joining a film about it. Ive seen this ensemble mocking around in a few other flicks, selfmade them too, and there aint much progression of the production talent. The acts are within reach, but the plot story and filmatographical presence, tells the essens of it all right from the start, so save your quids for something better than this, it made purely for the black gory horror comedy -lover geeks out there, and the grumpy old man aint onetathem.

Octavia Gilmore gives an absolutely stellar performance as Amy. The film is razor sharp (if you'll pardon the pun) and is the very best of dark British comedy. With laugh out loud one liners and moments where you'll be on the edge of your seat... it's a must-see. The plot is twisty and unpredictable. Not every character is as they seem and the development of Norman in particular is clever. Particularly enjoyed the short reflections on the character's back stories. This enables the audience to very quickly get a handle on each character. The plot cleverly makes you question your support and affection of some of the darker characters and their motivations. FANTASTIC!!!!!

Didn't go into the film with much expectations but I was extremely surprised. It starts mostly as a comedy but has enough horror elements in it to keep most horror fans satisfied. Personal highlight was the heavy metal sequence in the middle, it really made me laugh. And annoyingly enough the song was stuck in my head for a few days afterwards. I was surprised to find it was largely a debut performance and direction from the cast and crew. I'd be interested to see what they do in the future and if they decide to make a sequel. There's enough legs in the story and enough interesting characters to suggest there might be more. I'd love to know more about Mickey.

I loved the quirkiness of When the Screaming Starts and the juxtaposition of witty/dry humour with depraved human behaviour. Although I don't often watch this sort of film genre I felt the plot, quality of acting and the way it was filmed was atmospheric and held everything together really well. Additionally, and unlike many other films, I thought the length of the film was well matched to the storyline and so it progressed at a good pace and kept my attention and interest throughout. I really enjoyed it and thought it was very entertaining and so would definitely recommend this film to others.

There is one scene I love above all others. It caught me by surprise and I've watched it over and over again. I hope you love it too. It is set in a park and was totally unexpected. Yet, it provides the motivation for what preceded it. Yes, this next comment is out of context but I enjoyed the film's soundtrack. See the film and the forgoing will make sense. The film starts out as a documentary. Aidan is the subject of Norman Graysmith's documentary. Graysmith explores the world of Aidan. Aidan is the man who approaches you in a pub and chats and you think ... I'll make an excuse and leave, with a mixture of pity and fear. The film follows the adventures of Aidan and his girlfriend and his 'family'. They form an eclectic mixture of the loveable through to the frighteningly scary. Okay, I thought the acting was superb. I imagine this was not the easiest film to direct with such a mixture of comedy and horror, yet, it is done masterfully. One moment I was captivated by the humour of the interaction within the group ... the next hands shielding my face in terror. Get your popcorn and your choice of beverage, turn off the phone - this is a treat.

Good jokes. That's ALL a good comedy needs. And this comedy has tons of it. Typical British humor, with lots of terrific plot turns, silly situations that keep on getting sillier. Any bad? Well, it aint horror (ofcourse not) but anyone watching this movie for a mere 2 minutes will recoginze the charming, comical nature of this movie. I was really impressed by the many totally unknown actors that were perfect at making this silly comedy about a friendly couple who think about starting an alternative serial killer family and who start doing interviews in order to find those who would be the best at killing others. Wacky. Silly. Original.