Bereavement

Bereavement is a slasher movie with some strong points - good acting (Michael Biehn, Alexandra Daddario and the rest of the cast) and a good cinematography and production value. The weakest point: the behavior of the victims is so dumb like they never heard any news of serial killers and maniacs or never watched some horror movies. So watching them killed I always thought - well , that's survival of the fittest, baby ;)

In a teenie-slasher with some elements of comedy such "behavior" of course is part of the deal, in a "serious" slasher like Bereavement it is not. On top, there are some implausibility and issues with the story: many girls disappear but nobody checks on the weird guy living in a old slaughterhouse, is just one of them. Also the "twist" (no, I won't spoil) I saw miles ahead coming and is just a cliche that wants to shock but can't, at least not the "serious" horror audience.

Well, with a more refine and plausible plot this movie could be easy a really good slasher. So it is a solid one, that is in the end not in every aspect convincing.

Kudos to writer/director Stevan Mena for making Bereavement, his prequel to the impressive Malevolence, such a downbeat, mean-spirited and bloody little psycho flick, and also for casting delicious Alexandra Daddario in the lead, an actress who deservedly finds a place in my 'Big Breasted Babe In A Small Vest' Horror Hall of Fame. No such praise, however for Mena's woeful script, which is both incredibly clichéd at times and deeply flawed, making the film frustratingly mediocre as a whole.

First and foremost, why did Mena have his serial killer drive around in a truck that reveals his identity on the side? Loitering outside schools, driving slowly down suburban streets, and prowling round parking lots for victims are the kind of thing best done in an unmarked vehicle (or so I am lead to believe—ahem!); nut-job Sutter has his name painted on the door of his distinctive rusty heap and would surely have been the prime suspect for any local disappearance. Amazingly, though, he continues to abduct and kill with no interference from the police. And then there's the little matter of Sutter's lair, a dilapidated meat packing factory which sits next to a main highway and yet has never aroused the suspicion of anyone passing by, despite screams clearly being audible from the road; incredibly, the place even has power and a fully functional furnace!!!

Considering the sheer stupidity of this basic set-up, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to learn that the characters act as though they have sawdust for brains. Track star Alison (Daddario) has obviously never seen a horror film in her life, since she is happy to continue exploring the creepy meat factory even after finding pools of blood and a scrapbook full of newspaper cuttings about missing local women. Alison's boyfriend William suffers the ultimate price for displaying a similar lack of self preservation, as does a waitress who makes so much noise while attempting to escape from Sutter that it's not long before she's hanging from a meat-hook. Hell, it's almost as though people actually want to be killed by this guy.

Unfortunately, that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the idiocy on display in this film, with moments that will make you want to scream at the screen in frustration coming thick and fast, right up to the bleak and bloody finale that could have been avoided if only someone had just displayed a little common sense.

"Brought home a boy from the valley. He's young enough to learn the business my way."

This recent entry in the "small town psychopathic serial killer" genre isn't exactly a game-changer and it doesn't try to be that scary, but it is a tense, nasty affair that will probably appeal to some horror fans. 

We've got out deranged killer that preys on young women, a young boy he kidnaps to "assist" him, and a new arrival from out of town (Alexandra Dadarrio) that enjoys taking long runs alone that just happen to pass by a sinister looking and isolated rundown meat-packing plant. If you're guessing that's a recipe for blood, brutality and death, then you're right.

Bereavement is fine for what it is, but I doubt I'll be compelled to watch it more than once. There's nothing really exceptional about it, though some of the outdoor cinematography is beautiful, there's a concentrated effort to give depth and a back-story to most of the main characters, and Alexandra is undoubtedly nice eye candy (if there was an Academy Award for filling out a halter top, she'd have it in the bag). The bottom line, though, is that this is such a thoroughly bleak movie that it's almost too realistically grim and hopeless to find entertainment in. That's not necessarily a "flaw", but it's definitely something some viewers will respond less favorably to than others. 

Oh, and I don't think I've heard this much screaming in a film in quite a while. Have your ears prepared to be assaulted.

Where to start.... Well I read the reviews and as always went in with an open mind since I frequently like films with bad reviews (I obviously ignored the amazing reviews from cast and crew)

I was expecting a B-Movie slasher I guess. What I got was a film trying to punch far too much above it's weight. It wanted to be taken seriously but when the leading lady has obviously been picked for her ample bosoms and permanently larger than life nipples over her acting it just ain't gonna happen!

Then there's the blood.... Lots of it obviously but could they really not get the colour right? I think the effects dept must have popped to Asda for some cheap ketchup. Very poor effort.

I think F- Movie sums it up really. AVOID.

I was so bored while watching this movie. You just can't make a lame screenplay work by just using a bunch of people, put them in the countryside somewhere in the rural America, then put one or two families with young kids or teenagers just reach puberty, with one or two moms, some kind of a father figure always looked like so unhappy and angry almost anything, then a loner who as formulaic to be a psycho, like to kidnap kids, teenagers, cut them up, using lot of red dye and required all the kidnapped one kept screaming their head off and at the same time using some lame horrific sound track to give off the horror feelings. The screenplay is so lame and so hollow without any surprise or ingredients of horror. I was so bored during watching this movie, kept yawning all the time so uncontrollable that my eyes were tearing up.