An American Terror

I'll admit I didn't have high expectations of this going in. The story sounded like your generic torture porn fare. What we got instead was a movie that was surprisingly better, and more engaging than expected.

The story revolves around a trio of teens who are routinely bullied by the popular kids. Filled with pent up anger they plot a mass shooting of the Homecoming Dance after being inspired by Columbine and other mass shootings. The one planning the whole thing is the clear psychopath while the others are following his lead. It's when they go to steal guns from a redneck that the torture porn elements kick in.

So let's start with the negatives. First the acting isn't the strongest, it's about as average as it can get. The second is the color scheme of the film just felt, off. It just didn't do it for me. Lastly the killer was unremarkable. I didn't even know it was Brian Thompson until I saw him listed here.

The positives is simply the story. It was really the strongest aspect of the movie. The characters, especially for those who were outcasts were relatable, and while you may not fully understand the need to kill, you can understand the anger caused by being bullied. It's really the slasher elements that feel almost out of place in this movie, but it does serve a purpose to the overarching theme of the movie. I was quite pleased with this one, and definitely recommend giving it a watch.

This movie is really two stories in one. It has the cool, slasher side, which can be brutal at times and the even more prevalent story of bullying in high school. I feel it very realistically shows how even seemingly tough kids can't handle bullying. As a parent, I feel all kids need to be taught how to treat each other. I felt for these kids and could understand why they wanted to do what they did. The acting was amazing. Even though the majority of the cast is younger actors, their range is wonderful! This movie hits you in all the right spots getting it's point across. It makes you think back to your high school days...did you witness anyone being treated this way, did you treat anyone this way, or were you the one being bullied. I love that it took a horror film to so brutally show us how painful bullying can be. It's gritty, gross, tense, and disturbing...everything you want in a horror/thriller!

Absolutely without a doubt, make no mistake about it, terrible.

Ohhhhhhh my GAWD! How could ANYONE sit thru this movie and call it a ONE? I give it a good SOLID 8 for Costume and Acting alone!

The "Sets"? In a word INCREDIBLE! I was on the edge of my seat, (once it got rolling lol) from the time those boys went down the ladder, then WHAM! S**t starts rolling from there to the end!

GREAT "Hack em Up", Weirda$$ Bird Nose Man! Flick! Lol , but no BS, this is a Very Entertaining Flick, with a lot of what you watch a Flick like this for!

SAW! The leader in Mechanized Torture Meets "WeirdoA$$" BirdNose Man in a showdown! I can't wait for "AAT" TWO!!! They said it was comin, and I'll be RIGHT Here waitin on ya Baby!

BRING IT!

Yer ol Pal Harry.

While this isn't the best horror/slasher movie in history, it is a very pleasant surprise. The "Evil" in this movie is more than just some demented freak in a junk yard, it's the evil that we do to each other to make ourselves feel better. The underlying themes of bullying and kids struggling just to make it through high school are pretty effectively presented and you find yourself understanding where the frustration and anger comes from, even if you don't agree with their extreme methods. In addition, the film even tackles complex ideas like redemption and equality, not something you routinely see in a slasher flick.

I was very pleasantly surprised, the movie had a creepy villain and some characters you can root for in earnest. Not the best movie out there, but there are way worse movies to watch on something like Amazon instant video or netflix.