An American Terror

This movie is a great tribute to some of the best classic horror films with a new and surprising spin. It is not just a violent movie but one that has a solid core that causes reflection on its content. For fans of classic horror or Rob Zombie films, this is for you. I am amazed what this group could do with a low budget. There are dark moments and some terrifying sequences wrapped up in pure frustration by the characters. I would highly recommend this movie to any true fan of the genre. It is hard to stop watching this heart pounding ride through a labyrinth of fear and excitement. It has a similar feel to House of 1000 Corpses with a modern twist with plausible realities. It is almost two great horror films in one taken the viewer to a new level of thrill.

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!

Not really my cup of tea, but not nearly as bad as some reviews suggest. Yes, the lighting (or lack thereof) is an issue, but gaffers tend to inflate the budgets of zero-budget productions, so . .

Anyway, Garcia appears to have aimed for the Roth/Zombie market and this one is pretty decent if that is your thing (though I would add that most of the gore is suggested here rather than depicted). The acting is decent. And while most aspects of the plot are hardly original, the subordinate plot-line involving the homecoming is a bit different than anything I can remember seeing (though it is wrapped-up a bit too conveniently).

Finally, Garcia appears to have tried, somewhat unevenly, to include some art-house style camera work here and there. For example, there are a few vignettes toward the end that, while straining credulity as a story, do work as atmosphere. Oh, and the ending is a bit of a throw-back to a different era. I actually liked that aspect of the film.

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

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.