Customer Reviews

Kolobos [VHS]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

This movie did what most horror films fail to do: it seriously creeped me out. I hear a lot of complaints about Kolobos being a low budget b-rated slasher film with horrible acting and it is, however, I didn't feel that that took away from any of the suspense, action, or horror that it elicits. Kolobos offers up a dish full of psychological terror, gore, creative ways of killing off the characters, plenty of squeamish scenes, and an unexpected ending.
Recommended to real fans of horror.

Rule #1 in marketing movies is always: Make it look appealing to anyone interested in the genre. Check out the slick design and glimmering color used on the front cover. Doesn't it scream "Choose me!"?
Having said that, I'd like to thank "Big Brother" for taking a seemingly mundane and made-for-horror-schlock idea and milking millions of dollars (and British currency) out of the premise.
"Kolobos" uses that premise as a way for the blood to start spurting. I enjoyed "Kolobos" for what it was. Not every movie made on a shoe-string budget is going to be sitting alongside Tarantino and Rodriguez for any awards come March/April.
The death scenes, especially the shower, was a great touch. As was the video that kept playing. Cutting is a big issue in some circles, in fact, I have seen quite a few chatrooms devoted to the subject. Trust me, Google it to find out how many cutters are out there.
Kolobos is essentailly a word meaning "cutter".
It's creepy in it's overall feel. But there definitely are some d-grade effects (like the death of the girl in front of the fridge).
For what it is, Kolobos is a good attempt at a now-tired premise, which seemed really novel at the time.

I'd recommend renting for a rain delay ballgame or for a night of "schlocky over the top horror".

of course this movie will never win any awards or anything and i would bet anything this movie was straight to video.the acting was kind of bad but the gore and good scares keeps this movie from being a total loss.i dont know why i loved this movie.at least it wasnt corny.i thought it would be but it wasnt at all.it was kind of scary!

For me, this is about as good as independent horror gets. Smart script, tight action, and a top-notch cast. Some viewers come down on the ending, but for me that's what made this film so perfect. Viewers may find themselves lost at times, but they'll just have to use their heads a bit. This is a thinking person's horror film where time and place are two concepts that rarely go hand in hand.

A Suspiria copy in everything from music to lighting effectsbut quite good of its kind. Plus Linnea Quigley's in it and she getsshoved on moose antlers for the first time since her almost identical demise in Silent Night Deadly Night. Top stuff.

Kolobos (Daniel Liatowisch and David Todd Ocvirk, 1999)

Silly, derivative late-nineties slasher fare with an ending you can see coming from a mile (or eighty minutes) away. Basic plot of young-and-beautifuls in a big spooky house getting offed one by one. Some inventive methods of doing the offing, not that anyone's liable to care given cardboard characters and stock setups. There are more than enough slasher films on the market that only the true obsessives will need to track this one down to complete a collection; the rest of you can find many, many better alternatives with which to spend your time. *

The premise of five young Americans gathered together in a house festooned with video cameras so that every moment of their terrifying experience can be recorded on VHS unavoidably brings to mind comparisons with "The Blair Witch Project". Sadly, their experience was considerably less terrifying than the 80 odd minutes of hell I had to endure whilst watching this disappointingly bad movie. However, it did suffice to propound my belief that well-crafted, suspense laden thrillers (a la "Blair Witch") are infinitely more frightening than this kind of standard gorefest nonsense. I cannot help but think that those responsible for the production of "Kolobos" were rather confused as to the difference between frightening and sickening. Admittedly the movie did make me cringe on several occasions....partly due to images of slicing, impaling and skin removal, but mostly due to moments of dreadful writing and acting to match. The cast consummately succeeded in murdering an already ailing script, which registered precious few instances of genuine suspense. But there were a couple of highspots....the first victim was cute as a button (until we got a closer look at her intestines) and the fact that some of our intrepid party were bored senseless whilst viewing a series of low budget slasher movies was a beautiful, albeit unintentional, piece of irony.

Now, I haven't seen the movie in awhile, so I can't really remember the ending that well. I seem to remember feeling as though the whole situation simply drove her over the already brittle edge, and possibly developed an obsession with her attacker (this is actually something that can happen in real life). I give the movie 5 stars, mostly because this movie actually genuinely creeped me out. I do not scare all that easily these days (though admittedly I first saw this movie when I was still only getting used to the genre after being mortally terrified by the first Child's Play when I was like, 11 and swearing off horror movies until my mid-teens), and that movie really did freak me out. I figure, who cares if the actors are bad (which they were) or if the script is bad (which it was), the directing, the atmosphere, the gore, and the storyline itself was enough to really get me on edge. Plus, it's a B-grade horror movie...OF COURSE the actors and script are going to lack...that's like...the rule. They're supposed to suck. That's what makes movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre as horrifying as it is...it's so gritty and dirty and bad, it might just be real!

There is always something fun about a "B" horror film. Weather you admire the solid actors making the best of a tight budget or a director knowing how "camp" his movie is and playing it out for fun. Sadly however there are B horror films that are made so badly that even for the absurdity of it, they are painful to watch even for lovers of the genre.
Kolobos is probably one of the worst. The script is practically non existant and full of unanswered questions that even a C movie would have. A group of people spend the night in a house (why?) only to be killed off (because?) by a killer who does it for (reason?). The set is mostly the interior of a house that looks like the one down the street from you. Nothing big and scary..just your average, slightly large suburban house. While I do give some effort to the actors for at least trying, most of the performances are over acted and their lines are childishly written.
So, how bad is it? Is it one of the worst? Probably. Notice how most of the actors NEVER did anything after this movie. One hit wonders. I wouldnt rent this even if I was curious. Check some of the "good" reviews and see how many other titles these people have written about. Suspicious? You bet. Stay away from the marketing people who are luring you to watch this truly pathetic film.

I thought Kolobos to be a highly entertaining and terrifying film. What do the first to guys above expect from a film with such a low budget? Take a look at recent "horror" pics with BIG budgets such as "Scream", "Urban Legend" or "I know what you did last Summer", these films are merely laughable whereas Kolobos delivered sheer horror and was actually quite disturbing. Watch it.......but not alone!