Customer Reviews

Death4told

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This anthology of 4 horror stories has the feeling of a student film project. The stories themselves play more like fragments of stories we've seen told a hundred times before: couple rents a house with a ghost in the attic; horny teens (one of whom is the required joker/loser) go camping and are attacked; group of videographers try to spend a few hours in a haunted asylum; a fortuneteller is surprised to find her Tarot cards accurately predicting fatal events. The stories all end abruptly in what are clearly supposed to be "shocker" endings, but are laughingly predictable because of their reliance on cliches. Tom Savini, who's given top billing in this film's promo, is in the film for about 5 or 6 minutes; Alicia "Lecy" Goranson ("Becky" from the Roseanne series) also has a small, unrewarding part. Margot Kidder's role is larger, and actually decently handled. The quality of the sound is atrocious -- background hiss and ambient noise cut in and out maddeningly. The quality of the video, in general, is so poor that I tried the disk on multiple players to make sure my DVD player wasn't to blame: at times murky, jumpy, blurry, or a combination of all three. My tolerance for bad horror films is high -- I enjoy a good campy horror film -- but this one does not come close to rising to the level of enjoyable camp.

Well, I sort of like this movie. Especially the last segment with Margot Kidder. Sure it is a little hoky at times, but it is still as good or better than 97% of what you will see on TV tonight. It's not a big budget project, despite the big names. Don't expect ALIENS or GHOST BUSTERS, delight in the thought, "Hey I could have done that if I'd just get away from E-Bay and Amazon all the time!" Compared to what I've seen on American Idol this season, this is an A+++ effort!

Folks, chances are that if you've stumbled onto this particular movie listing you're looking for something more than just your average "shocking" horror film.

If you've seen just about all of them out there, chances are you're already familiar with all the cliches, the stereotypes and the conventions of the "Anthology Horror Story" genre. What you want, no doubt, is one that will make you laugh as well as be scared, maybe yell at the screen a little, probably even do a little at-home MST3K-ing. Well, I can honestly tell you that "Death4Told" is the very movie you're looking for.

I played the part of "Pete" in the first segment of this anthology and, knowing the director (Bo Buckley) and other people on the film as I do, it should be obvious that everyone involved went all the way to provide an entertaining film for the b-movie horror fan at-large.

Sure, there's hokey moments and more than anyone's daily requirements of Vitamins B (for Blood), G (for Goofiness) and O (for Overacting). That's how it's supposed to be! Not every horror film can be a "Shining" or "Exorcist" and they shouldn't have to be. This is a film to watch when you have a big bowl of popcorn, a group of friends over and have watched a fair share of other horror movies. You'll have fun watching "Death4Told"; screaming at the unexpected and, yes, laughing at the inherent b-movieness of it all. This was made with love, people, and it shows.

Tom Savini and Margot Kidder go over the top, bless their hearts, and sure do look like they're having fun up there as they gnaw on every available piece of scenery within reach. They're great, and all four segments make the most of basic fears (strange sounds in a new house, dark forests, being locked in an abandoned asylum, beholding powers you don't understand), with just a hint of exaggeration...oh heck, with A LOT of exaggeration.

I was proud of my work in "Death4Told", as was everyone else involved. For as small a budget as was allowed, Bo created something that every fan of horror, "B"-movies and anthologies can (and should) appreciate.

Check out "Death4Told" for yourself. Then call over your friends and let the fun begin!