Carver

Brutal. Scary. Filled with tension.

I rarely use those words to describe a movie, especially one that's Straight-to-Video, but they're fitting here. I rented the Unrated *grisly edition* from Netflix. Boy was I in for a surprise.

The premise is rather typical: A group of campers meets up with some nasty company in the woods. But it's the movie's delivery that's not so typical. This film was extremely gruesome. Some of the violence was so realistic and so graphic, that I had to turn my head away from the screen at times. I'm not really a huge fan of scenes of torture, but if they're well done, I can appreciate them. I think the level of brutality in Carver blows both Hostel films away by far.

The dialog was snappy and fresh. The acting was passable. I did however, think the cheap/grainy camera used to film the movie was a bit of a distraction. It looked really cheap. This movie could have been excellent on a bigger budget.

If you like movies like Wolf Creek, Hostel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or Wrong Turn -- and if you can appreciate independent horror made on a low budget -- you'll really love this.

I am a fan of anything horror so I gave this DTV torture/slasher a try. Its not bad, the acting is up and down and across the map, as one would expect.

The movie had a good pace and decent direction, shockingly for a low budget. The film production however wasn't too bad.

The real highlight here however, and the reason to watch it to begin with is the gore. Where it builds slowly, when we get there this one is strong stuff. Not the most realistic gore by any means, but combined with some rather strong editing, a twisted mentality, it really hits all the right buttons.

Not sure if there is an Unrated version or not. I watched a screener. I will say this though, the screener I watched would never get the R. It was much harder a rating than the R rating would ever allow, which is all good. And there is one scene in particular, that will have you wince and groan. I am not gonna spoil it.

So if you're looking for a low budget, DTV horror film, you can do better than this, and certainly worse. I give it a 7 because it kept me entertained and the violence quotient alone put it past a 5 or 6 which is what I would have given it if it was watered down like most main stream horror films. Give it a try.

Based on true events, Carver tells the tale of five friends on a short camping trip in the mountain town of Halcyon Ridge. When they take a small detour to an abandoned farm owned by the Carver family, they fumble onto a horror film they think is only a movie. As they explore their eerie surroundings, they discover the truth behind the film and the Carver family. They begin to open doors that should never have been opened. Soon, it becomes a matter of life imitating art and art imitating death. Witness one of the most terrifying killing sprees ever to splash on screen. As you scream and cringe, you'll wonder what the Carvers could possibly do next...

After watching the 8th plague, and being slightly disappointed I knew he was capable of more, fairly unique ending compared to other STV horrors, and a slightly fragmented but good story.

Carver however was a masterpiece in STV Horror. This film brings some of the most savage, gut wrenching brutality I've seen in a film. The brutality is up there with Audition, and it shames both Hostel films.

The tension is thick almost straight away, the industrial, metal grinding music is enough to make some people cringe alone, in it's entirety it's creative, strong disturbing and nasty.

after watching this, and comparing it's standards to the 8th plague I can safely say he's getting better with every movie he makes. Keep an eye on this Director.

Apart from in horror movies, is there EVER a willingness for teens to go on camping trips, in the middle of nowhere, these days? Because if there is, I'm not hearing about it. Nor do I see the appeal. You're submitting yourself to perhaps the most miserable vacation ever, with no modern amenities nearby other than a pub run by a weirdo who has a retarded serial killer as his assistant. Madness.

On arriving, our intrepid group discover a room filled with what they think are fake, old snuff movies. Anyone watching these horrific films on a projector for a few minutes would be able to tell you they're the Real McCoy. But being slasher flick teens, they discount all warnings... And end up paying for it in dismembering and torture. Serves them right for choosing The Great Boring Outdoors, when Florida was calling...

Carver is by no means a great film... In fact, it's almost as far from that status as is possible. But you HAVE to admire a movie which goes as far with it's gore as it does here... To the point where you're almost willing to discount the complete lack of plot or common sense of any of the characters (One of the girls traipses around outside AT NIGHT in literally, just her underwear to find her boyfriend. Seriously.) to revel in all the carnage.

ALMOST. But not quite. Still, as the old 'backhanded compliment' goes: I've seen worse... 4/10