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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
SOMEBODY HELP ME, December 31, 2003
This movie, obviously a labor of love from star/producer Catharina Conti, is one strangely crafted film. Visually, it's very beautiful with the real house, the surrounding woods and the naturally falling snow. It has a haunting ethereal balance that lends much suspense to the story. Basically, it's a two character story, starring Ms. Conti and Brennan Elliott. Now, I have to admit that it does seem long and there are some plot holes that are hard to justify. But I was extremely impressed with the acting. Ms. Conti has a vulnerability and a charm not usually seen in other actresses. She had an identity of her own; a woman still grieving over the death of her husband, unable to let him go, commenting at one point, she'd hold on until something really drastic happened. This happens when an escaped serial killer manages to worm his way into her home. Here's where Elliott comes in. His performance could have been taken overboard; after all, when you're playing multiple personalities, it's easy to go from mild to malevolent. Elliott does it convincingly, sometimes in a quiet look or an unexpected outburst. It's rare to see an actor with such smoldering sexuality bashfully peck a kiss on a woman in such a childish, adolescent way, without coming across as forced. His game of cat and mouse with Conti is suspenseful, if a little slowly dished out, but the performances are so good, I didn't mind staying with them. And in his last scene, Elliott gives one of the best speeches for a soon to be dead villain I can recall. He actually made me feel a little sorry for him. HOBB'S END is by no means a classic, but I would certainly enjoy seeing these two actors in future movies.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reasons to Embrace "Civility", January 28, 2003
After the death of her husband, Lacey finds herself living on the somewhat reclusive boundaries of the snowy town of Hobb's End, with her need for only a few personal touches (like running water and firewood to keep the wretched cold at bay) interfering with her solace. One of those happens to be a need for a handyman, something she fevently denies but that her friend decides to help her out with by setting her up with Tom; her handyman. Still, when Tom shows up out of the proverbial blue, things go from strange to eerie as someone comes calling from the depths of the 12 acres surrounding Lacey's home. Yes, sometimes anonymity and the removal of civilization can be a good thing, bring a person tranquility and the peace of mind many so desperately crave. Othertimes it can be reversal of this, a deep-seeded nightmare of sorts, especially with a serial killer named Micheal Bodine - nine-year menace of town after town and recent escapee from prison transport-on the loose. In the world of serial-stalker movies, Hobb's End accomplishing nothing groundbreaking, keeping everything that isn't already "by the books" well out of its reach. The characters are fairly predictable, with Micheal Bodine being a little off the "deep end" of the past-haunted spectrum and becoming the exception by providing a few entertaining spills to keep the storyline moving, leading to atypical interactions that you'd expect your predator/prey relationships to uphold. The storyline is also fairly common as well, with the presentation of reasoning perhaps a little warped and the path taken a bit twisted but still leading down to the same conclusive motivations that we've been the benefactors of a million times over. Still, that makes me question whether or not a movie has to be original to be enjoyable; and the answer I come up with is not always. Personally, I liked the persona of Bodine as he played his game of cat and mouse with his potential victim, toying with her psychologically before attempting to victimize the flesh in ways only sharp utensils can accomplish. The madness within him seemed wonderfully real in portions of the movie sometimes, too, and his singing of Christmas tunes made my mind dance with mistletoe and visions of merry mutilation for a few hours afterward. I also liked a little subplot running through the movie about the town and a curse that possessed it, making the movie and the menace all the madder as he seemingly took on the traits of something that demanded blood every twenty-five years. Together, these prodded through the sometimes monotonous "is he dead or isn't he" questionmarks posed by a character not willing to finish "the deed" in a mostly gore-free rendition of depravity. If you want something free of the burdens of civility and have close to two hours to burn, this showing works out pretty well. You simply need to remember that it isn't original, that the chases are long and the bloody renditions of the psychological dance aren't unique, and you've possibly already seen this movie. If these don't frighten you off, perhaps Mr. Bodine might be a fit that you can learn to love
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
What A Letdown......, February 25, 2006
This review is from: Hobbs End (DVD)
First of all, I must say that the box to this movie is very misleading! With statements like.... He's Watching, He's waiting, He's not alone and a picture of someone holding a chainsaw!!!, I thought wow, this will be a really good movie. Not the case. This moving is very boring. It takes place in an isolated cabin in the forest with a widowed woman living alone. She meets a man named Michael Bodine and eventually finds out that he is a serial killer on the loose. Before finding this out, Bodine cleverly tries to take on the personality of Lacey's late husband in hopes of gaining her trust and possibly start a romance. Once Lacey discovers who Bodine really is, she begins a fight for her life. This movie could have been worse but it is not a true horror movie for horror movie fans. I've learned not to let the box fool you!!!
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