(2001)
Dir - Alex Chandon
Overall: WOOF
A shot-on-video anthology splatter film from the guy who made Drillbit and starring the Midian-era line-up of Cradle of Filth all sounds like it would be worth putting on to point and laugh at but alas, the resulting crapfest Cradle of Fear is more bloated and embarrassing than unintentionally hilarious. To be fair, the performances are surprisingly committed, with everyone who is granted actual dialog delivering it in a straight-faced manner and Danni Filth making no more or less of a fool of himself than he has on stage throughout his career with his ridiculous vocal prowess. Still, the D-rent, jacked-up heavy metal presentation is endlessly juvenile as if all creative parties involved were tapping into the mindset of a twelve-year old boy who has discovered gore movies and pornography for the first time. This is no doubt part of its intended, moronic charm, as are the piss-pour special effects and the home movie aesthetic of the whole thing, but insult is added to injury due to the over two hour length which is unnecessary and borderline insulting. Still, if anyone wants to watch Mr. Filth rip one guy's throat out and another guy's head off within the first two minutes, as well as watch him gleefully murder a stuffed animal cat and poor the entrails into his mouth, you are in for a treat.
(2007)
Dir - Dom Rotheroe
Overall: WOOF
Yet another misguided found footage movie in the wake of many, Dom Rotheroe's Exhibit A tells a loathsome story of a clueless scumbag who ruins his family while the film's plotting desperately tries to find excuses for the camera to capture the events that are unfolding. An example of its heart being in the right place at least, the type if domestic horror on display here is rarely examined in so bluntly a manner in the sub-genre that Rotheroe has chosen to utilize. This is not to say that such material is inherently poorly-suited for such a sub-genre; it is just that this is a miserable watch already and one that is made worse by its aggravating presentation. The drama is poorly conveyed as well, since it takes forever to even realize what the big deal is that has gotten everyone so increasingly upset. Before things even get bad though, the son and especially the father are obnoxious assholes, so when the latter goes off the deep end, it is nearly torturous to tolerate the rest of his behavior. The finale is particularly wretched and pointless, pushing the whole thing into torture porn just to add insult to injury. In other words, avoid this one at all costs unless you are simply jonesin' to have your day ruined.
(2008)
Dir - Sean Ellis
Overall: MEH
Boasting an unorthodox stylistic approach that is heavy on drawn-out sequences set to pin-drop silence, writer/director Sean Ellis' The Broken deserves points for its suffocatingly chilled atmosphere, even if the narrative is flimsy in its construction. An Invasion of the Body Snatchers variation that also toys with motifs like amnesia and the primal concept that mirrors are used for supernaturally manipulative effect in many a horror film, Ellis' script clues every viewer in as to what transpired by the conclusion, except he does so without giving us any reason that it has transpired. This is not a faux pas in and of itself, but the movie is so deliberately low on action and high on mood-building that such a presentation feels miss-matched, as if Ellis was far more excited by how he wanted the movie to look, sound, and feel than in fleshing out whatever his story was trying to say. Lena Headey is of course most famous for her villainous portrayal in the entirety of Game of Thrones, so she can effortlessly deliver the chills when called for. Yet large sections go by here without any dialog and the plot is nebulous enough that her and the rest of the performers have no choice but to appear aloof most of the time. Yet for those who are intrigued enough by the heavy pacing and also wish to mine for gold, there may be hidden rewards here that are indecipherable on but one viewing.
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