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muted

Nailbiter

4.2

/10

2233 rated

2013•1 h 22 m•United States

The Maguire family is forced to take sudden refuge from a deadly tornado in a seemingly-abandoned storm cellar.

Horror

Cast (18)

Jennifer Maguire

Michelle Davidson

Recommended

Reviews

Nigist Tadesse

22/11/2022 11:54

I really thought this movie had a chance. Good idea, bad execution. So, the acting was... I just don't have an adverb that adequately describes how bad it was. The supporting actors were especially stiff and unbelievable. There was no chemistry at all between... you know what? Never mind. It was just bad. The youngest sister was unconscious for most of the movie and it was still crappy acting. I didn't even know it was possible to poorly act unconscious. Baby Jesus in heaven! And the whole movie is just "The Hills Have Eyes"/any-werewolf-movie, but in a storm cellar. The "action" sequences were laughable. Wait, you'll like this! I swear to God, there's a part where one sister throws the other sister a gun and the slow-motion catch is an honest-to-God "6 million dollar man" ripoff. But baaaaaaaaaad. Just baaaaaaaaaad. shakes his head and walks away

renatamoussounda28

22/11/2022 11:54

Only a little kid would find this movie scary. This is not worth watching, don't waste your time. I only watched like 25 minutes of it and I felt stupid. Only a little kid would find this movie scary. This is not worth watching, don't waste your time. I only watched like 25 minutes of it and I felt stupid. Only a little kid would find this movie scary. This is not worth watching, don't waste your time. I only watched like 25 minutes of it and I felt stupid. Only a little kid would find this movie scary. This is not worth watching, don't waste your time. I only watched like 25 minutes of it and I felt stupid. Only a little kid would find this movie scary. This is not worth watching, don't waste your time. I only watched like 25 minutes of it and I felt stupid.

Initials & zodiacs❤️

22/11/2022 11:54

Wow. There's bad acting........and then there's this... I read another review where they said "really well acted" It's not possible that we're watching the same movie. In all honesty, this is, hands down, the worst attempt at film making I have ever had the extreme displeasure of suffering through. At the 38-minute mark I turned off my TV......I've never done that before.....that should tell you just how horrendous this movie is. On the bright side? Well, I now have a benchmark from which all really, really bad movies can be compared. I am wondering if this was the Director's first attempt? And the cast, writers and producers' first venture into cinema? If so, they get a mulligan.........if not, then they need to make it their last venture into cinema.

Catty Murray

22/11/2022 11:54

After spending a portion of my evening yesterday watching Nailbiter i knew my conclusions about independent films are right. It IS possible to make a decent film with a low budget if your plot is okay. i was kinda depressed when watching Cell Count (awful) a few days earlier and became even more depressed when I read the reviews that were stating over and over again that even though that film had such a small budget it was really okay..no it wasn't. Nailbiter on the other hand knows its limitations, it spends its money well to set up the scenery using some workable weather effects to imply impending doom for our 4 main characters ( instead of just using radio and television to say the weather is really bad and a storm is coming) so its easy to get the feeling for the film way in the beginning. Our four main characters ( all women,which is refreshing) are on the road to pick up dad who is coming back after doing a tour abroad. They have to flee for an upcoming hurricane and their hiding place gives them more then they bargained for. Although most of the events take place on 1 set; a cellar, the interaction between the mother and her three daughters is good enough to maintain a serviceable amount of tension and excitement, which is needed because it takes a while before something happens. The script uses this time wisely to gives the characters some ( not too much) meat on their bones so that you actually care what happens to them ( and yes not everyone is going to make it). Problems ( both for the survivors and the viewer) arise when they finally get out of the cellar, budget restrains kick in, the twists near the end don't really work and it all ends with a whisper instead of a bang. And you come to expect more because of the fact that the main characters are quite expendable. Good points; A lot thank god, decent acting from most of the actors. A decent story with a fair amount of tension and serviceable FX. Weak points, key actors like the mother don't always convince; the turnaround from one of the daughters from a rebel teenager to channeling Alice from Resident Evil or the godmother of monster fighting Ellen Rpley isn't that good. and the lazy plot device regarding a cellar that has all on its shelves to fight the monsters and survive the night is a bit too easy for its own good. all in all a nice little monster movie and a decent time waster, recommended.

Evie🍫

22/11/2022 11:54

Okay, I really honestly think that Hollywood thinks the flyover country between New York and Los Angeles is entirely occupied by inbred mutant monsters, and that's why they pretty much have contempt for the rest of the country. So we have a recovering alcoholic mom who is going to drive through tornadoes with her three daughters to meet her returning veteran husband at the Kansas City Airport. Incidentally, the whole plot point of her being a recovering alcoholic is introduced, and other than having a few scenes where she encounters alcohol, nothing is done with it. Equally introduced and goes nowhere is the boyfriend of one of the daughters who just wants to have sex with her, but she's playing with him. Why was this in the movie? No reason. Well, they eventually get trapped in the storm cellar of a town where the whole population is some kind of shape-shifters who turn into monsters when there is a storm. The payoff is nihilistic garbage where the people you are supposed to like are killed by the monsters. Honestly, it's garbage where I guess some technical people were trying to build their resumes... I'm really sorry I invested any time into it.

Sayed Hameed

22/11/2022 11:54

Nailbiter is one of those rare gems that spark from a truly made independent film. For a film done with a miniscule budget and no major stars, it delivers a good story with good effects. It's an award winning film that is worth your time. Nailbiter tells the story of a mother(Alice Maguire) and her three daughters(Sally, Alice and Jennifer)that are en route to the airport to meet her husband returning from Iraq. There is definite tension within the home due to the as the mother's problem with alcohol, the oldest teenage daughter's rebellious behavior, and the quiet middle daughter that appears to be getting lost in the shuffle. Amidst the awkwardness of the long drive a tornado threatens to interrupt the family's reunion. As they try to find shelter it's apparent that the danger of the weather is a real threat. After they are forced to take refuge in a storm shelter in the middle of nowhere, events take an immediate dangerous turn; they are now trapped in the cellar by a fallen tree. The house nor the storm shelter beneath it is empty and it's soon apparent that someone or something is intent of keeping the ladies in trapped. An escape attempt leaves the youngest daughter attacked and bitten by some type of creature that is fast on it's feet and has razor sharp teeth. With no way to contact anyone for help the ladies are alone to try to survive. The story moves along at a steady pace and the setting of the dark, dank cellar makes their plight even scarier. Patrick Rea does a great job of bringing the viewer into the storm and it's aftermath. So many times we don't care about characters in movies. As a viewer you want to see them escape. You want to see their realization and understanding of what madness they stumbled into. Nailbiter works with some great elements to make the viewer feel the terror of being trapped. The camera angles are intentionally sharp and short to give the illusion of an enclosed space while also showing the space as dark and absent of light. And without light, you can't see the dangers around you. The occupant of the home are an elderly lady whose son happens to be Sheriff and is full aware of their visitor. Although it's not clear what they plan to do with their captors, it's evident that they are aware of the creature on the loose. It seems they know and are expecting worse things to come. In a twist that is highly original, the creatures and their behavior are affected by the storms. The worse the storm the worse the aggression. A tale of small town secrets unfolds into an unique new horror sub genre that has the potential to be an Indie cult favorite. It's obvious that Nailbiter is a "no budget" film and thus there will be things that are not perfect. I would have liked to see the creature have more screen time and the characters do a little more in way of escape attempts. I also would have like to see more by way of the towns people toward the end of the movie. Nailbiter ends with a bang and there are rumors that a second film will definitely be made. I hope that Mr. Rea has all the tools at his disposal to make his film exactly how he wants. He will def be a major player in horror. He has over a half dozen of short films under his belt that are excellent. Nailbiter is his first feature film and it's a solid debut worth checking out. There is a big difference between Independent and no budget film. Independent/low budget films are what Scy-fy shows.

Queen Taaooma

22/11/2022 11:54

What to say about this movie... well, it was a total let down. The idea was a good one but it didn't come out well in the movie. It lacked substance and it kind of lacked a good plot too. There were some laughable scenes and the effects were almost laughable also. I've seen better student made movies than this. The story doesn't explain how or why these things have evolved the way they have, and it has some cliché horror movie plot prompts (eg. finding newspaper clippings telling you what's happened in the past). Yet again it's one of those horror films that could have been a better film in the right hands. In the end I couldn't wait until it was over so I could write this review to warn people to keep away from this movie. So I give it a 1 out of 10.

Kinaatress ❤️

22/11/2022 11:54

This movie is about a mother (Alice Maguire) and her three daughters who are trying to get to the airport to pick up Mr Maguire, the daughter's father. But on the way there is a tornado warning and the trip starts to get too dangerous so they stop on the highway and run to a house to take shelter. Nobody answers the door so they all get in to the cellar to wait out the storm. But then they discover that there is somebody in the house above them, and then they become trapped in the cellar. But there's more to worry about than the impending storm, and their lives become endangered, by something that's not normal. What can I say? The acting was terrible, the script was cringe-worthy, and the plot is very overused; people trapped in a small area, getting bothered by some unusual presence. I think it could have been okay, but the way it was presented just made it very boring. There were no scary moments, which can be fine if the movie has an interesting plot that will keep you entertained without being scared every 10 minutes, but there was nothing. Nothing that intrigued me to keep watching, or put me on the edge of my seat, or made me want to see a sequel. In my opinion it was just a very,very badly produced movie.

Maroon 5

22/11/2022 11:54

A mother and her three daughters are going on a weekend trip when they soon find themselves caught in the middle of a storm. A tornado heads directly for their car so they seek shelter in an abandoned wine cellar. They discover they are trapped and whoever owns the house wants to keep it that way. Within the shadows something begins to stir. They are not alone in the darkness... I give it a B- because although predictable, it offers good acting and the feeling of claustrophobia. The characters are also likable and more three dimensional then cereal box creature features. The creatures themselves wouldn't make a five year old wet their pants, but it's the idea that suppose to be scary. Check this movie out if you are a horror fan. It's at least entertaining.

RAGHDA.K

22/11/2022 11:54

I would never begrudge anyone's opinion but who are these people who didn't like this movie at all? For the record I'm not affiliated in any way to this movie or the company that produced it. I'm just a fan who knows a good movie when he sees one and "NAILBITER" is a damn good movie! The story is of a mom and her three daughters who are seeking shelter from a tornado that is bearing down on them. They are in their car headed to the airport to pick up dad from the airport (He's returning home from the war). Unfortunately the cellar they end up in is the worst possible place they could be because something unnatural is lurking above ground. Something that isn't human, and it's hungry... "NAILBITER" doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is, a good thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout it's running time. I saw it last year at the NYC Horror Film Festival & I can attest to the very positive reaction it received from the crowd. What really sealed the deal for me was the vagueness of the creatures and their origin. Are they werewolves? Zombies? Vampires? Something never seen before in a film of this ilk? You'd have to watch for yourself and decide but they are effective & scary to boot! Director Patrick Rea has a way with the camera that lets the audience in but only so much...that way the film remains tense & eerie. The actors all did a fine job with the taut & mysterious aspects of the script and the look of the film belies in meager budget, it's a seriously good looking movie. The title fits the film just right as I am currently growing myself some really long nails so I can chew em' to the nub when the promised "NAILBITER 2" reaches the screen! Again, if you didn't like it then you didn't like it but tell the truth...didja really see it?