Parents

Interesting movie, but far from a total success. The director uses his camera cleverly and executes some fine visual tricks, but they don't lead anywhere, because the film has such an "one-joke" premise and a repetitive script. Great music score, astonishingly mature work by the boy who plays the central character, a few scares at the end, but the movie still rings hollow, and gets no more than a 6/10 from me.

Michael Laemle (Brian Madorsky) is a young boy living in a typical 1950s suburbanite home... except for his bizarre and horrific nightmares, and continued unease around his parents.

This film is well made, well acted and is a fun (yet creepy) idea. The only problem is that the game is given away from the very beginning. The "secret" of Michael's parents is known before the film even starts if you read the summary on Netflix. And then, where do you go with it?

Clearly, the writer did not know where to take it, because it never really goes anywhere. There are an endless series of strange scenes, but no real plot or story arc. I like watching Randy Quaid be weird for 90 minutes, but I also like knowing there is going to be a beginning and an end... here, we never really know where it is going and that just makes it hard to watch.

This film is a real treasure in modern horror! This was one of the first good american horror films to come out in a while, a real first class effort. The creators went to the limits of their budget to make this dark story work. The period settings are flawless in their interpretation of early suburban banality. The horror is understated but reveals itself just at the precise moments. The child who plays the emotionally assaulted protagonist is amazing. His speech at school during show and tell is one of my favorite horror scenes of all time and there isn't a single monster or drop of blood in it. This film should be on everyone's "to see" list.

Young Michael (Bryan Madorsky) notices his parents have a strange fondness for meat and wonders where all the meat they eat for dinner comes from. And what goes on after he goes to bed.

Exceptionally well acted and crafted horror-comedy that takes place in the 1950's. The sets, costumes, style, detail paid to flavor of the 50's, and the cars & houses will WOW you and give you a feeling of nostalgia. A nice change of pace for Randy Quaid and it is nice to see Sandy Dennis at work again.

Be forewarned though this is one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen in my entire life. There is absolutely no letup.

My rating: 9 out of 10.

It's been 13 years since I saw this movie, but it made such an impact on me that to this day I can close my eyes and visualize the characters, and feel the mood that make this film worth watching. Not too many movies scare me like this one did. It wasn't the use of vast quantities of blood, or the killings that scared me, as much as it was the Ward and June Cleaver-ness of the parents. What really did it for me was the mind twist the director built into this film, and the way it was pulled off by the actors. If you're squeamish then this probably isn't for you, but if you can watch a movie and appreciate it for the art it is, I recommend it.