Red Hook

Wow...just...wow. I don't even know where to start with this movie. It was just so, so bad. Have you even sat down and thought to yourself "I like the idea of slasher movies, but can't they make one that impossibly boring and pointless?". If you have, this is your lucky day. Then again, you also might consider professional help.

Nothing about this movie stands out as good. The acting is fine, but that's about it. Stalker movies are a dime a dozen so to make yours stand out you should probably add something at least slightly original to it. Or at least make the kills cool. Or do something...ANYTHING...to keep me from nodding off during it. Alas, Red Hook does not do any of these things. The story is horribly put together and boring and there's nothing original going on. Hell, even the kills are extremely lame. Also, I know it's not the movie's fault, but why in the world does IMDb have this listed as a comedy first and a horror second? It's not really either, but definitely not a comedy. It's just plain awful.

This film takes a whole lot of time to get started. There is a lot of talking, and nothing else in the first hour.

It isn't until the end that we see the slasher. Anyone looking for displays of flesh that is typical of slasher films in the past are going to be sorely disappointed. Despite numerous opportunities, the film is as chaste as a nunnery.

Lots of blood and a predictable ending.

The acting is pretty good throughout, so it will keep you interested enough to stay the course and find out who the killer is, if you haven't guessed before.

Agreeing to participate in a scavenger-hunt game for her college, a troubled woman learns that her and her friends are being targeted by a vicious maniac who may or may not be responsible for her past and try to figure out his connection to the game to save the others.

This is an incredibly bland and uninteresting slasher, if it really could be called one as this one is just a rather dull and agonizingly slow thriller masquerading as a horror film. By making the kills all pop up in the last half-hour, that forces us into the boring game for the first hour, and it's not in the slightest bit interesting to watch as this one just tends to wander around to each of the contestants not doing anything to hold our interest, as there's no unfurling mystery to be found in the clues, they just so happen to get along with the game and overall it just comes off as weak, uninteresting and even misses several prime moments of excitement (messing up a couple screwing in the woods being the prime example) before it gets to a rather lame, bland finale that's imminently predictable and not in the least bit interesting. The kills are bloodier than expected (yet don't deviate from a brandished knife as the weapon) and the central premise has some legs, but this one just isn't worth it.

Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

I liked this low-budget film, but it wasn't what I expected. From the package, you're expecting a slasher, but this is more like Scream. I'm a New Yorker, and they really got the feel of the city, from the mundane to the scary (beware: there are lots of "in jokes" for the New Yorkers). The story is a bit uneven, but some of the acting is really good. Brucato plays that strange creepy introverted "girl with a past" with grating accuracy. What's crazy is that I think lots of the actors are really musical theater types - I mean Terrence Mann is on Broadway in the Addams Family right now. Not your typical horror cast. I guess you don't often see horror films directed by women, but that surely accounts for some of what makes the vibe of this film unique. Not gross scary. More like go-on-a-date scary. If you're willing to take it on its own terms, I'd recommend it. Bring your girl friend.

An agoraphobic freshman in New York City must join a scavenger hunt to save her boyfriend from a murderous game master.

Right now (October 2012) this film is sitting on a rating of 3.2, which is among the lowest ratings possible (you rarely see anything under a 2.7). Can this film really be so bad? I mean, yeah, it is kind of bad, but not that bad.

I actually liked the concept of a college scavenger hunt. The actual hunt did not start until 34 minutes into the film (the first half hour had mostly annoying character development of characters I had no interest in being developed). But, once it got going, it seemed cool and I really loved the scavenger map with the strings and pins.

Ultimately, though, too little action and not enough reason for me to care.