Punch

Punch is a low budget British slasher horror set in a down-at-heal seaside town.

It's a nice try, but it wears its influences on its sleeve and suffers from an identity crisis as a result. Is this a social commentary on teenage life and subculture? Is this an 80s-style slasher flick with quips and gags and an amusing killer? Or is it a throwback to the more spiritual horror of the original Wicker Man?

The result is tonally incoherent; one minute deadly serious, the next seeking laughs. Characters act in odd ways with unclear motivations, designed to lead to a particularly obvious conclusion.

A main issue is the serious, family sub-plot that utilises suicide in an attempt to raise emotional stakes, but the jarring tonal shifts undermine this at every opportunity. But do we ever really care about Punch's victims? Not really. Attempting to crowbar in the morality rules of stalk-and-slash into a serious narrative just does not work.

The acting performances are fine for the most part, though the older cast often let the side down. And I'm not so sure the peculiarly British character of Punch will travel well; a horror involving a murderous morris dancer troupe, shin-kicking to the death, or cheese-rolling cult might be just as relatable.

Punch would have been a far better movie had it chosen a lane and then stuck to it.

Saw this today at the Bournemouth horror movie film festival "screams by the sea" Loved it. I wont spoil it other than to say it builds into a fantastic movie with some great twists along the way. I thought the cinematography was spot on, some great drone shot and performances by the actors. It showed a very bleak looking dying northern seaside town and the reality of living in a place like that. The killer was genuinely disturbing, my only negative, the way the audio was mixed (or maybe it was the speakers at the venue) you could only understand about 30% of what the protagonist was saying. Recommended.

Good evening, everyone! I'm Mr. C Reviewer, and tonight we'll be diving into the film Punch. I had the opportunity to watch the movie on Paramount. This movie originally premiered on August 24, 2023, and has a runtime of 1 hour and 21 minutes. It is rated for viewers aged 18 and older. Notably, parts of the film were filmed in East Sussex, England, UK. As someone on the autism spectrum, I found subtitles to be incredibly helpful, greatly enhancing my ability to follow the dialogue throughout the film. The film was both directed and written by Andy Edwards.

Summary: Frankie returns to her seaside hometown for a last night out with friends before heading to university, but their celebration is disrupted by Mr Punch, a menacing figure from local folklore, wielding a baseball bat.

Review: -The movie's opening was engaging; although the prologue was perplexing at first, its significance became clearer by the end of the film. The film effectively conveys a powerful commentary on the decline of seaside towns, the challenges faced by contemporary British society, and a scathing critique of authority, delving into the complex themes of domestic abuse and patriarchy, thus providing a thought-provoking narrative. Initial pacing felt somewhat sluggish, yet the narrative gained momentum as it unfolded. While the film presented some captivating sequences, it ultimately succumbed to a degree of repetitiveness and predictability towards its conclusion. The overall experience, though containing moments of genuine engagement, fell short of its full potential. The comedic aspects of the film felt somewhat contrived and lacking in humour, which was a missed opportunity for greater comedic impact. The movie does employ its humour through Mr. Punch's witty oneliners. The performances were a mixed bag, with Kierston delivering a compelling portrayal, fully embodying her character with remarkable authenticity and emotional depth. Alina also provided a strong performance, effectively conveying both terror and resilience. However, the supporting cast's performances were less impactful, which I found detracting somewhat from the overall experience. The dialogue presented a mixed experience; while occasionally engaging, it veered into the realm of the exaggerated and absurd, creating a noticeable disconnect between realistic conversation and the lines delivered. The narrative suffered from an overabundance of exposition, where information was explicitly stated rather than subtly revealed through action or context. Despite these shortcomings, the campy nature of the writing did offer a certain charm. The film's emotional resonance was significantly amplified by its score, which masterfully enhanced both the suspense and the overall tone; simultaneously, the sound design enriched the film's immersive qualities, establishing a palpable sense of place and atmosphere.

-The "Mr Punch" mask, while achieving a stark and unsettling visual, possessed a simplicity that, while effective, could have been amplified to heighten its unsettling nature. I found that the film's depiction of gore was somewhat realistic. I feel that by incorporating point-of-view shots from Mr. Punch's perspective, showcasing what he sees through the eye gaps in his mask, would heighten the tension and create a more immersive experience, making his presence feel more ominous and intense as he closes in on his targets. The cinematography played a pivotal role, with a diverse range of shots enhancing the storytelling and immersing the viewer. The film masterfully utilized its seaside location, leveraging the environment to cultivate a palpable sense of unease and amplify the narrative's impact. The gentle lighting established a nuanced atmosphere that I found appealing; however, while all the essential elements in each frame were distinctly visible, some parts could have benefited from additional brightness. Personally, I often adjust my screen's brightness for a better viewing experience, which proved particularly helpful during this film. The film's editing presents a generally positive experience, yet certain sequences could benefit from refinement, as some transitions feel somewhat abrupt. The impact of the party scenes could have been enhanced by a more judicious application of slow-motion techniques, which occasionally felt overused.

-I found the ending quite compelling and would welcome the opportunity to see it developed into a franchise, as I would certainly watch any future instalments.

I rate each film I watch out of 10 and for this one, I give it a 6.4 Remember this was what I thought about the movie personally and I suggest that you give it a go for yourself.

If you can get past the atrocious script/dialogue and some wooden acting, you're still left with a film that isn't sure if it's a seaside-town drama or a horror film. The first 50 minutes is more of a seaside teen drama, not a horror.

It comes across like it was written by a 14-year-old for English homework, with an assumption that using a scattergun approach of throwing in out-of-place swearing, references to TikTok, Instagram, knife-possessing teens, wokeness, gentrication, hippie/hipsters, veganism, a male and female gay couple, and drug taking makes it relevant and cool.

Really it just makes it laughably forced and ridiculous, it's like they've gone down a checklist and thrown it all in for no reason.

Visually it's nicely shot but unfortunately that doesn't make up for the dull schizophrenic storyline, the hilarously bad dialogue and the ridiculousness of events and conversations that unfold.

Nobody seems to question why there's a guy walking around in a "scary" mask with a bloodied baseball bat, they're instead all super friendly with him and even recording him on their phones; at one point a girl watches her friend getting killed but instead of running away waits around to be next, another keeps shouting her boyfriend's name while trying to hide from the killer, to name just some of the eye-roll inducing script-writing.

There's a particularly comedic performance by two policeman, one of which doesn't seem to care that the girl has a massive bloody handprint on her hoodie, and his partner that after seeing him gets bludgeoned just gets back in his police car and drives the killer off in his passenger seat like nothing has happened.

The identity of the killer was obvious and the reason for all the killing was at least consistently stupid/ridiculous.

As a horror fan I'm adept at suspending my disbelief, but it's so ridiculous even that's not possible. Especially the hilariously stupid ending.

Give it a watch if you think I might be wrong, but don't be surprised if you come out of it wanting the 81 minutes of your life back.

Trying to move on with her life, a teen returning to a small town with her feuding family and old friends tries to catch up with them about what they've been doing since she's been away, but when the festivities are crashed by a masked killer has to find the reason for the rampage and stop him.

This was a fairly fun slasher that does have a few drawbacks. What works rather well here is the somewhat intriguing setup that provides a great small-town folklore for the resulting shenanigans. The initial story about the childhood interactions with the figure offers a touch of the local lore in the area with how they first encountered the story of the mythical figure offers a fine way to wrap this localized figure around the secondary story about the struggles of the family and meeting up with her old friends still in town. These are fine enough at presenting the traditional returning towns member who's trying to catch up with the comings and goings of her old crew about how much they've changed since she's been away storyline while still keeping just enough of a focus on the killer running around the outskirts of the situation to make the traditional slasher setup worthwhile. There's also a rather fun series of immensely fun encounters where the imposing killer takes to the random friends and townspeople she crosses paths with. The initial encounters here, whether the confrontation with the harbinger under the pier or the stellar confrontation with the drunken bride and bridesmaid out on the town, provide a strong starting point to get to know the brutality of the killer here. As it takes far more increasingly brutal and graphic confrontations later on such as the rampage in a neon-lit nightclub or a series of bashings that take place at a seaside gathering, the action here becomes incredibly fun with plenty of atmospheric stalking, brutal kills, and some enjoyable one-liners to add some comedy to the proceedings. Combined with the frantic finale where the reveal of the killer comes across rather nicely with a fleshed-out backstory alongside some standout chases, there's quite a lot to like here. The film doesn't have much wrong with it but there are some issues. One of the main detriments is the rather British context for what's going on here that can get lost in translation. This is quite important as it includes why the killer dons the specific mask or how it ties into the motivation for everything at the end which is a bit too localized to have much universal appeal or recognition. Those that will get it won't have an issue here, while an equally problematic and more accessible one is the irritating ability to always have the killer attack others in pairs which results in one standing around watching as the killer takes out one of them. It happens several times throughout here and is equally frustrating everytime it occurs here, and alongside the somewhat sluggish first half setting up the plotlines to come that are necessary for everything even in this context are what hold this down slightly.

Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, Brief Nudity, and drug use.