Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews
Movies / Music / Television Etc…
This is not a brilliant film. It’s a great film for its time, and it has a sobering message for those wondering how great entertainers have it when the limelight fades and the jealousy has time to grow.
Overall, this is an effectively creepy story that is more contained than his other stories of horror breaking out everywhere. The explanations behind it all are interesting enough. The gore is grotesque enough. Still, it’s only slightly better than an average film.
Absent the reputation this film has acquired, there is little reason for one to watch this film. I may stumble into Bad Lieutenant someday and think, perhaps I misunderstood all along. I won’t hold my breath while I wait to find out.
By the time we get to the last act, we are tired of the couple and find sympathy for anything that crosses their path, especially their dog
Crichton understands well enough how to keep the viewer involved, even if the story is compacted to get the viewer in and out in standard time.
If you want to see the state of low to mid-budget horror in the late 70’s, this is as good a place as any to start.
The film would be better if there were more characters like the dog The Beast. At least that character knows when to stay quiet and when to sneak up behind an idiot savage and push him off of a high place.
We’re supposed to connect dots that have since been shown to be tentative at best. It feels like an irresponsible stab at cheap entertainment.
It’s effective, for sure. Not my gig, even slightly, but it is not a bad film. It might even be considered good for the time.
If you ever enjoyed Vaughn and wondered where his comic chops have gone in the last decade, look here. His skill at evoking laughter from a mixture of intelligence and physical comedy is near top form.
This is a film for no one. Save your time by staring at the wall. It will feel less awkward than 95% of the dialogue of this film.
As it stands, there is no one that can take it’s cult status away. This will forever be a history making cinematic effort, even if it is almost as annoying as it is scary.
This film made impression enough on me that I started following Oldman, there and then, and I have never regretted it.
Weekes does an excellent job creating a situation that we can empathize with, even if it is not an experience we share.
Bob Clark is best known for directing A Christmas Story. This sorority slaughter fest is his 2nd most famous Christmas film.
Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist naturally lead to stuff like this crawling around in the sewer of entertainment. Having Warner produce just brings a nicer sheen to the turd.
