Peopletoys

DEVIL TIMES FIVE suffers from barely-competent direction and editing so bad, you wonder if it was done by trained simians. What could have been a genuinely chilling movie about child psychotics victimizing a group of unsuspecting adults is sabotaged by some glaring continuity problems, most noticeably a minor character who is played by one actor in outdoor scenes and an entirely different actor in indoor scenes and Leif Garrett's famous goldy locks being natural in some scenes and a wig in others. Psycho children are scary, but we don't get any back stories to heighten our horror. Maybe that was the point. This flick has some pretty nihilistic adults, spouting soap opera exposition about failed marriages, infidelities, and non-committed relationships. It may be like trying to polish a cow pie, but it might be observed that the adults and their trashy grown-up "games" are a revolting counterpoint to the homicidal "games" of the junior wackos. Both are disgusting, but the adults and their "games" are socially sanctioned. I just wish some details were followed up on. Leif Garrett is shown engaging in some behavior that may have been filmed to establish a split personality element that the director abandoned or didn't explore. I won't detail what it is, but it's something that, given the theme of the movie and the fact that a pubescent boy is doing it, still serves to give viewers the creeps.

A few scenes go on for too long (that slow-mo beating scene could have been trimmed down a bit, couldn't it?), but all the adult characters are wonderfully unlikable and morally reprehensible which makes it fun to see these kids throw piranhas into their bathtubs and catch them on fire. It's a pretty dark and cynical film, so be sure you're in the right mood before you partake.

This movie is messed up. If you can get past the first 1/2 hour of cheap gratuitous sex and horrid seventies music this movie will really do a number on your fragile sensibilities. I really had to make sure the front door was securely locked about five minutes ago. Oh my God, it's just wrong. A movie like this would never be made today with all the codes that are in place. It's about as unwatchable as Faces of Death which is not entertainment at all but exploitation at humankind's worst. These kids never crack a smile except when they are bickering with each other over futile nonsense. Whoever said there was a hopeless feeling to this movie is right. This is some creepy stuff.

This is a good little quirky horror-thriller set in a snow-bound area. A family gather in a house for a winter break, while at the same time a bus carrying some kids crashes off the road. Five of the children escape unharmed but it turns out these are seriously disturbed kids and they are soon to come into contact with our friends in the holiday home.

Devil Times Five is a strange little movie. It sometimes gives off the relaxed and warm feel of a 70's TV movie but this is misleading as its subject matter of sociopathic children is not exactly a very cosy theme. This combination of TV-style melodrama with slasher movie subject matter is one of the things that makes for distinctive viewing. It's just a little bizarre. The snowy setting is good too and gives the flick a nice feel. The murders are all varied and occasionally quite inventive such as the bath tub demise replete with piranhas. Admittedly, the first murder is a pretty confusing affair – not only do we have trouble knowing what is going on but it's not even that clear who is even being attacked! But it's still a pleasingly weird scene with slow motion visuals and sound, and through a monochrome lens. Aside from all this, the movie is not above throwing in a totally unnecessary cat fight too. And what could be wrong with that? You could do a lot worse than this one. If you are a sucker for early 70's proto-slashers then this is one that should provide some entertainment.

Over the years, many writers as well as filmmakers discovered that seemly innocent and cherubic looking children make extra-creepy horror villains! Demonic kids almost form an entire sub genre of horror by themselves! There usually is an explanation for their abnormal and murderous behavior, though. Either it's the influence of a satanic cult ("Children of the Corn"), a nuclear meltdown ("The Children of Ravensbeck"), a temporary blackout caused by a comet ("Village of the Damned") or even an ordinary solar eclipse on the day of their birth ("Bloody Birthday"). The youthful maniacs in this film have no real excuse for what they do. They were just born evil. And when their bus to the mental institute crashes down atop some snowy mountains, they become youthful maniacs AT LARGE! They make it to a holiday resort where some wannabe godfather Corleone runs his crime syndicate and they start killing all the residents. "Devil Times Five" is not a very good movie, but that's mainly due to a lack of budget and a shortage of talented cast & crew members. There's very little going on in the first hour, apart from a spectacular bus crash and THE longest murder of an institute employee (filmed in slow-motion). When approaching the last third of the film, the creepy moments and gory murders begin to follow each other at fast pace and the atmosphere really gets morbid. The adults are all pitiful and uninteresting characters but the five kids have quite interesting backgrounds. The oldest girl pretends to be a young convent sister, another girl is obsessed with fire and the funny black kid constantly acts like he's in the army. Their incontrollable urge to slaughter unknown people is a bit difficult to believe at times, but overall these young actors do a terrific job. "Devil Times Five" is recommended 70's exploitation, with a fairly high cult-value and several unforgettable murder scenes (piranhas in the bathtub!!)