Customer Reviews

Red Velvet

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

 

 

The people behind "Red Velvet" have claimed the movie as being a "sexy stylish horror film." The first time watching the trailer and going through the image gallery on the movie's official web site, you could definitely tell that this really was going to be a movie with style. What else are you suppose to think when one of the images that you see for a movie has a guy in a ski mask with a lit candle on his head and melted wax running down it? Given that, I knew this was a movie I had to see since what it looked like was a horror movie taking place inside the head of an eclectic artist.

As odd as it may seem, that's actually what "Red Velvet" is, or at least part of the story is anyway. You are essentially given two movies: one is about two people who live in the same apartment building, running into each other at a laundromat, while the other is about a killer crashing a birthday party out in the woods. Our main characters, Aaron (Henry Thomas) and Linda (Kelli Garner), end up having to spend the day together because of dirty laundry, and instead of continuing to annoy one-another, Aaron tells Linda a story. A horror story about a group of young-adults getting together at an isolated cabin in the woods to celebrate the birthday of one of their friends, based around a real party and real friends that Linda was suppose to meet but couldn't.

So, while there are two different movies going on, each movie is in its own genre. The story that Aaron is telling, of a typical 80's slasher of a masked killer picking off party goers while they delve deeper into their acts of debauchery. Naturally, that covers the horror part of "Red Velvet". The other part, of Aaron and Linda interacting with each other, cover's the comedy aspect. Of course there is comedy included in the horror portion, but really a lot of the humor comes from Aaron (an obvious recluse who doesn't like people) and the general interaction he and Linda have. Thankfully there is a great chemistry between the actors really helps to sell this situation and allows for their beginning relationship of petulant sarcasm to be highly amusing and entertaining.

The other side of "Red Velvet", the horror part, is what really won me over and is what will definitely win over most of the audience. Not simply because it's the horror part of the movie and it's being watched by horror fans, it's because of how stylized they were able to make it and pull it off. The setup is very much in the style of any 80's slasher movie, which is understandable since it's only suppose to be a story within a story. So it actually gives "Red Velvet" free reign to do what it wants to and get away with what wouldn't normally sit well in a standard horror movie. It also allows the characters telling the story to rib the horror genre in general. Which may or may not break it for some people, as it's not a direct spoof of horror movies, but it does parody them a bit that not only helps the story but the humor as well. As for the actual style itself; god was this movie refreshing. Instead of just going with typical color filter slapped on the lens of a steady-cam. The people behind the camera actually take things back a bit and draw inspiration from Italian movies, not just with something like "Suspiria", but the older Italian gothic movies from the 70's. It uses colors like red, blue, and green to light the scenes, or in some cases uses all three at the same time. Match that with some really dynamic camera work and what you get is a movie that becomes a real treat for the eyes, and not only that but a visually unique piece of work as well. While some of the inspirations are obvious, the fact remains that nobody makes movies like this anymore and that's what really helps to give "Red Velvet" its presence and really stand out in the crowd of a genre that is filled with bland filmmaking.

While "Red Velvet" is a horror movie, it isn't looking to scare the audience, it accepts the fact that because of how desensitized the audience is it is harder to scare them. So it approaches at being more of an entertaining horror movie rather than going for cheap jump scares, and it works. Which is good, because it makes it easier to go back in for repeated viewings, which is what you need to do too fully appreciate the movie. Because of how clever the overall story is and how well it's pulled off, your first viewing will be a completely different experience from your second. Since the movie is about a character telling a story, you'll begin to notice and catch things going on within the movie that give subtle hints to the characters and both stories, that will go unnoticed from the first time you watch it.

Overall, "Red Velvet" was a great viewing experience because of everything it brought to the table, and manages to make it all work. With it's story that doesn't try to outsmart the audience with ridiculous plot twists, but doesn't think they're so dumb that everything needs to be explained, rather it allows the audience to put the pieces together as the movie progresses. It's a movie that doesn't take it's self too seriously, but doesn't get to silly with it's parody elements, but does have it's tongue planted firmly in it's cheek. It isn't even afraid to go over-the-top with it's gory death scenes of severed heads flying, high blood spray, and even having a person getting sawn in half (vertically) with one of those old fashion tree logging saws. Even though it's over-the-top, it still works quite well with the rest of the movie, and if anything, it helps make it that much more entertaining. Essentially, the best way I can describe "Red Velvet" is artistic madness; combining an entertaining blood filled horror tale with a visually stunning presence. While "Red Velvet" is definitely not for everyone and their will undoubtedly be those who don't like it, I say take the chance and give it a shot. Just in case.

Even the stylish opening credits made me smile! With gorgeous intense color from the beginning, the credits' partially "animated" characters fascinated me. Some letters are not so much letters as they are exotic figures, changing before your eyes. Perhaps a hint of what's to come, and what is to come is more than a little magical plot shifting, stories unfolding and changing before your eyes!

And that's the joy of this dark red gem of a movie! I laughed, I puzzled, I doubted, I marveled. I even said "ooh" and "ahh" at some of it. Oh, those gorgeous color-washed walls and halls! Gorgeous Bava-esque color-drenched scenes! And the titular blood red color here and there, from tomato sauce to car to settee to cake (red velvet cake is not normally my first choice of flavor, but I was craving it by the end of this movie).

I made some notes as I watched--and then afterwards I watched the EXTRAS. I wanted to see what caught my eye without having anything called to my attention beforehand. It pleased me that I singled out a number of the very things the filmmakers chose to comment on in their EXTRAS section.

These are a few of my favorite things:
As I said before--the color, which often made me think of Bava. But I thought of David Hockney's L.A. paintings, too, and Argento's stylish dark scenes. RED VELVET is its own work of art, though, and I promise you, the sets and lighting won't fail to impress and delight!

Laundromat. Oh, now the fun begins, the wonderful dialogue that snips and snaps and twines in and out. Henry Thomas and Kelli Garner are wonderful, sounding each other out, poking and prodding and playing. And the look of the place! The folded laundry skull made me laugh. I love the place's cheesy painted window--WASH & FLUFF, BIG LOADS. And from the laundromat they move to the Thai restaurant (look for a sweet, small cameo shot of the late Forry Ackerman chatting up a pretty girl! Forry's last film appearance, I think?)--and Henry and Kelli--with surreal roach and wok images interspersed--caught up in the story-telling that becomes the film's plot.

There is a marvelous "family" story-within-story, a family group David Lynch would love--Oh, no, NOT the spilled sauce! NOT the marinara! My god, I have known families not too dissimilar from this one, families that shouldn't exist, but--do! The mom (with the eye! marvelous eye efx!) was a treat. And the little boy was excellent, looking more than a little like a young Henry Thomas.

Sex--a little here and there, and attractive bodies (something for everybody!), as required in every self-respecting slasher flick. Not too much--just enough!

The maniacal killer--his wonderful "body language", and the disguise--what a great bit of business, the polaroid camera recording last moments, and the other techno additions! The bunny ear look made me laugh--and creeped me out, too. I don't want to make any spoilers here--you KNOW this is a slasher movie, so you know there will be killing going on! Excellent killings...a double hammer bash, a wonderful lumberjack saw (and a musical saw solo!!)--and an alligator. I laughed out loud there, too! Funny, inventive takes on the slasher flicks of a couple decades back.

The movie never let me down--never dragged or bored. It was a treat to be jerked around a bit--to figure out what is going on, have the rug pulled out from under me, re-figure what's happening..a wonderful combo of suspense and comedy. A gleeful take on the old slasher flicks--this one, though, is a slasher flick for the intelligent! And again, the look of it--the camera work. Lovely, seamless cinematography!

And Henry Thomas, period--he was wonderful, and Kelli Garner was equally fine. Everyone's acting was excellent, as was direction, as were the mind-bending effects. Effects! Some brilliant things done by way of carnage efx in this movie! Nothing about the film said "first effort", nothing shoestring about it. It was witty, it was wonderfully off-kilter, it was fun. And it was GOOD!

Kudos to everyone involved. I highly recommend RED VELVET both to the casual thrill-flick fan and to the discriminating cinephile!

For a low budget slasher flick, it was fairly well written. The main actor and actress did a better job than you would expect making the characters believable and selling the storyline. However, this movie was hampered by several factors. The first was, at least it was obvious to me, that the "twist" in the end really wasn't much of a twist and you could tell it was coming about fifteen minutes into the movie. The second is that the "horror" part of this movie, akin to a Firday the 13th kind of slasher vibe on LSD, suffered from very low budget special effects. After watching it once, it made me wish I had rented it instead of bought it because I doubt I'll ever watch it again.

Red Velvet is a picture with visuals that get under your skin. Henry Thomas (Elliot from the 80s family film E. T.) is surprisingly creepy as Aaron, a screenwriter who can't concentrate on his work because of all the arguing between a couple in the apartment down the hall. He runs into the girl (Kelli Garner) in a laundromat down the block and they have an abrasive conversation about the hostile bickerings between her and her boyfriend which he cannot help but hear. Aaron is able to persuade her to go to lunch with him, and to try to get her interested in him, he attempts to entertain her by telling her terrifying stories about her friends meeting horrible deaths at the hands of a psychotic killer who dresses in a jumpsuit and takes Polaroid photos of his victims at the instant of their deaths. We know from his stories that there is a very disturbed side to his personality and we wonder about hers too, actually!

They decide to take an unplanned trip to the cabin in the countryside where her real life friends are at this very instant, assembled for a birthday party. Without giving away too much, I would like to just say that you will be guessing every minute as to what is lying in wait.

Forrest J Ackerman's 112th cameo is in this film. Watch for him!!

I am not typically a fan of the horror genre, although some of the spoofs have been amusing. I tend to be turned off by the violence and predictability of the mainstream horror films. That said, I enjoyed this film for its differences.

The cinematography is a departure from the norm on these films. I enjoyed the use of light and color, and unusual perspective to make the less intense scenes more interesting. There is a scene where the main characters are walking through their apartment complex that I particularly liked.

The story feels a little like the telling of a ghost story around a campfire, although this is done in a restaurant and laundermat, and made up as the two characters go along, punishing the protagonist's friends for enjoying themselves without her. It doesn't follow the old tired progression of who gets killed when (such as teens having sex die first), so it's not as predictable, and I liked the switches in plot as additional details about the characters are revealed.

The special effects reminded me of the Kill Bill style, with the exagerated blood spray, albeit at a lower budget. They weren't going for the realistic gore factor, and aren't taking themeselves too seriously in this film, which was refreshing. I thought the dialog was good, with humor thrown in. I could easily see this film becoming a cult classic.

This is a very interesting movie being marketed in a non-traditional way. Amazon has the exclusive rights to it as I understand, and the DVDs are kind of made to order. Whatever the marketing and how well it works for them, this horror movie with a wink of the eye, needs to be seen, especially by fans of Dario Argento and the old school slasher films. Filmed in 35MM 1.85 A/R, the movie looks amazing. The colors are brilliant and definitely an homage to Argento, as are other aspects of the movie. The first time I watched it, I wasn't sure what to think, because I had read too much hype, and was expecting a dumbed down horror comedy making fan of slasher movies. In otherwords, I had low expectations, and after the first viewing, it left me a little confused. That's why I wanted to listen to the commentary on the second viewing, and this time, I found it to be a very good horror film even if it doesn't take itself too serious. The story is about Aaron (Henry Thomas) who has a problem with his noisy upstairs neighbor Linda (Kelli Garner). He manages to watch through his keyhole and meet her at a laundromat, where he comes off as a big jerk of a neighbor. But he does manage to get her to have lunch with him, where she tells him she is mad because she was invited to a birthday party in a cabin by a lake, and her boyfriend won't take her. So Aaron decides to tell her a story about taking revenge on those friends with a goofy looking stalking killer, that has a polaroid type camera on his head, and takes a picture of his victim before the slice and dice routine. Yea, the killer is pretty silly, but his killings in this story Aaron is telling, is not silly at all, and pretty gruesome. Linda gets a little fed up with creepy Aaron and leaves, but they both live in the same building, so they meet again, and then Aaron agrees to drive her to the cabin and the birthday party. That's probably as much of the story and plot I should tell, because this movie is basically a story within a story.

The technical aspects of the movie are brilliant with very vibrant colors and excellent camera work, and very good acting and direction. Listening to the commentary is important, because it is easy to miss all the homages on first viewing, and Joe Moe's producer commentary fills in all the blanks. On the gorehound level, there are two or maybe three good kills, and one excellent gore scene with a guy getting sawed in two head to belly. I definitely liked that one, and that along with at least one more would definitely eliminate an R rating, so it's good they didn't care about the rating. But outside of some pretty decent kills, I liked the whole idea of the setup and payoff, even though I pretty much had the whole thing figured out pretty early. It doesn't matter, because watching it all unfold is a lot of fun, especially with the excellent creepy performance by Henry Thomas. I would definitely recommend this movie, it delivers the goods, and is absolutely a delight to watch visually. You could say, it's a very pretty horror film, and even though it does make a little bit of fun of the slasher genre, it doesn't go too far and comes out being just plain silly. On second viewing, it came out much more to me as a good horror film, than a homage to the slasher genre. Give this one a try, it comes with some very good extras, and as I said, a very very good commentary. It's also the last time you'll see of the late Forrest J Ackerman in a brief cameo. Congrats to producer Joe Moe, and director Bruce Dickson for producing a rather unique horror film that is also a lot of fun.

I had been waiting for this movie to come out since I met a couple of the actors at WonderCom in 2008. I had almost forgotten about it when I received an email telling me that it was out. The movie definitely met my expectations and then some. Henry Thomas is briliant in his role as the lead and has a great chemistry with the Kelli Garner who is totally hot. The plot moved around nicely and I was glued to the TV to see how it would play out. The movie is not too short and not too long and has the right amount of gore. The dialog and character development is what really makes the movie. I definitly recommend the movi!

I have to admit I am not a huge fan of horror movies but this wasn't just that. This took it to a whole new level and took away the torture porn that's common these days in this genre. The film has a great story, great dialogue, great actors, and is beautifully shot! My favorite parts are in the story inside the story ( have to see it to understand). There is a girl I have never seen before, Cristen Coppen, who plays Pat. She has to be my favorite she is super funny, natural, and just gorgeous. Henry Thomas as always knocks it out of the park as usual. SO to all horror fans and people looking for a fun entertaining movie I suggest you get this its like nothing you have ever seen.

I had the pleasure of seeing "Red Velvet" about 2 years ago at a special screening and it impressed the butt off of me. It takes the typical slasher film and dissects it in a way that makes it fresh and new. This films is for those who say "there are no original horror films anymore". This one is very original, very unique, very well acted, written and directed. Most of all, it's fun. Highly recommended.

Got fooled again by reading reviews on Amazon.com. This is constant beware because these people have something to do with the production.
Well hope to save someone else stay far away...