Hobbs End

As the film opens recently widowed Lacey is desperately trying to insist to her friend, Cindy, that she doesn't need another man in her life. However later that same day when she accidentally runs into someone she believes to be the new handyman, she invites him into her house to make amends to this guy who reminds her so much of her husband somehow. Meanwhile the radio is issuing an urgent message about a dangerous convict on the loose. Are these two events linked somehow? You bet your sweet ass they are.

Oh where do I even begin to tell you what was wrong with this film. OK, right off the bat, the whole issue with the cover being so VERY misleading (there's no chainsaw, the population is a bit higher then depicted) has been said over and over so I won't repeat it here (oops just did). Then there's another character that's in the film skulking around Lacey's property that's never really explained. The sheer lack of chemistry between the two leads makes the first 20 minutes are so supremely implausible at best, and a big F you to the intelligence of the audience at worst. Also later in the film when a certain character is portrayed as crazy, the whole film turns into a (unintentional) comedy of errs. To round things off, I hated the soundtrack and the person who did the editing for the movie must have been legally blind.

My Grade: D

Where i saw it: Instant Netflix via Xbox 360

Hi. I just purchased the "Hobbs End" DVD this morning and I love it! The movie is some what a normal who done it with a little twist. You have to watch the movie to fine out what I mean. But what I love about the movie is color scheme for the inside of the house. This is my forth viewing of the movie just to see how the shades of greens, browns, and earth tones colors are coordinate throughout the house.

There's more to learn from a movie than just the plot. There is the sitting and visual art just to name a few. Watch the movie to fine out what happens to the two main charters in this isolated cabin located in a forest of snow.

The first half of this movie is like a big black hole. It left no impression on me at all. It's neither bad nor good, but exists eternally in a sort of quality limbo.

Fortunately, the second half picks up, and it gets bad enough to provide a few laughs.

Another problem is that the effect of the film's first big surprise is somewhat mitigated by the fact that the copy on the DVD box gives it away completely. On the other hand, it was a pretty lame attempt at a surprise anyway.

One can see why this one sat in the can for over a year (copyright 2000, released 2002) before finally being dumped to video.

It's hard to express sometimes just how bad a motion picture is. I mean after all, haven't we ALL had someone come up to us and say, "It's the WORST motion picture I've ever seen?" After a while, the term really doesn't have much meaning anymore.

While I can't quite say that this is the worst horror film I've ever seen (after seeing literally thousands of them, that honor I give to "Rat Man" with "Beast in the Cellar" ranking a close runner up), it certainly does rank up there in the top bracket of lameness which I usually reserve for older films (for some reason I expect modern day direct-to-video horror movies to suck).

So what's wrong with it? Well, first of all it fails a usually sturdy horror movie concept (self-reliant woman fights for her life in an isolated rural setting against one or multiple assilaints). Here we get an endless 100 minutes of an unappealing actor trying to hide he's a psychopath (a character as supposedly smart as the woman in this movie should have been able to tell after her first conversation with him, but like the rest of the movie, she remains stone still with a concerned look on her face while he has any number of freak outs), mixed with clumsily directed murder scenes, and an ridiculously repetitive and drawn-out final twenty minutes.

oh yeah, and there's some stuff about this guy being a shape shifting, mind-reading serial killer who may be possessed by the spirit of some kind of dead prospector who has cursed the valley. Oh man...

For better entries in this sub-genera (I'm picking more obscure ones) try, "Death Weekend," "Fortress," or even "Rituals" even though that last one is more of a "Deliverance" copy than anything else.

Lacey Cole,a beautiful young widow living in an isolated cabin in the forest of the great American Northwest,is forced to fight for her very survival when she lets a stranger into her life.Michael Bodine,an escaped serial killer and demented genius with bizarre psychic powers takes on the personality of Lacey's dead husband,lulling her into a state of open trust and romance.When Michael reveals his true identity,a life and death struggle begins,pitting Lacey's ingenuity against a consummate evil genius.The above synopsis of "Hobbs End" sounded pretty good for me,unfortunately the film itself was quite mediocre.There are some nice visuals and the snowy location sets provide a little bit of atmosphere,but "Hobbs End" is too long and quickly becomes dull.The acting is surprisingly passable with a beautiful Catarina Conti giving a likable performance as the lonely widow.Not a great amount of blood either.Give it a look,if you have nearly 2 hours to waste.6 out of 10.