Reaper

Went into this expecting very little but was quite surprised to discover that it was far less gory and way more interesting than initially suspected. I think the advertising here actually didn't do justice to the film because it comes off as a cliché slasher romp from the marketing but it's actually a twisty crime thriller with some supernatural shades. The cast really holds it together nicely, creating an ensemble of refreshingly flawed characters who are playing a dangerous game of survival of the fittest. Genre vets Trejo and Jones are always welcome additions to this kind of material, and they do as good a job as can be expected. Overall "Reaper" isn't quite what was expected, in a good way.

Given the fact that this 2014 movie titled "Reaper" was a horror movie, of sorts, that I hadn't already seen, and given my love of all things horror, of course I had to check out the movie. Sure, I had virtually no idea what I was in for here, so director Philip Wen-Han Shih had every opportunity to entertain and impress me.

Writers Mark James and James Jurdi didn't exactly put together an exciting or riveting storyline. 30 minutes into the ordeal and nothing interesting still had happened, and I have to admit that I was good and ready to call it quits. But I opted to endure, especially since Danny Trejo hadn't been in the movie yet at that point.

Now, I was under the impression that "Reaper" was a horror movie. But it was not, not unless you consider a boring script as being passable for horror.

There are a few familiar faces on the cast list, with the likes of Danny Trejo, Vinnie Jones and Jake Busey. The acting performances in the movie were fair, despite the fact that the script was a boring pile of rubbish.

This is most definitely not a movie that I would in any way recommend you to squander 88 minutes on watching. It just simply wasn't worth the effort. And it certainly is not a movie that will ever find its way back to my screen a second time.

My rating of director Philip Wen-Han Shih's 2014 movie "Reaper" lands on a generous three out of ten stars, and that is mostly because of the production value of the movie.

I enjoyed it for what it was and who really listens to the "intellectualized" critics these days any way - for horror or any other genre. Many times they critique to hear themselves talk or be relevant - not to really review the movie for its entertainment value. I can name so many movies that critics loved and movie goers hated.

Bottomline: Its about suspense and thrill which you will enjoy - if you are a Halloween Movie fan. Halloween movies weren't about the blood and horror. They were about the guy who hears a noise outside and decides to check it out when the audience knows there is a killer on the loose.

So from one movie lover to another: The Reaper is all that with good B Actors and unknown Actors. Was it entertaining? Yes. And that is all that matters. Go see it.

Boisterously entertaining, this low budget throwback slasher has bodacious hottie Natalie (Shayla Beesley) riskily hitch-hiking the dusty back roads scamming on lecherous creeps for their dough to dutifully pay mom's medical bills, and after she reluctantly accepts a ride with greasy sleazer salesman Bill (Jake Busey) they both fatefully end up at the ominously monikered 'Last Chance Hotel', a deliciously doomy locale, this heart-broken hotel amusingly replete with visibly disturbed, batso bonkers, bible-blathering, doom-auguring receptionist Caine (Justin Henry). The local news dramatically report the extraordinarily lurid details concerning the supernaturally revivified mass serial killer 'Reaper' allegedly continuing his murderous modus operandi of super-sanguineous sinner slaying from beyond the grave!

Director Philip Shih's splattery shocker provides electrifying scenes of sublime midnight movie madness as noble-hearted, machete-weilding drug mule Danny Trejo and the monstrously beleaguered guests of the bloodily besieged motel do desperate battle with the high-wattage, hell-fired 'Reaper'. Consistently compelling due to the engaging performances of a damn fine cast, with Trejo, Beesley, Henry, and Busey's boozy curb crawling creep all being far more nuanced protagonists than the usually drearily disposable knife fodder. 'Reaper' is one eminently diggable B-Horror, with pacey direction, a creepier-than-thou location, pluckier than average final girl, and this red-eyed, reprehensibly rampaging, riotously revenging Reaper is guaranteed to scythe his wanton way into the contemporary slasher pantheon! While I thoroughly enjoyed 'Reaper', I could have done without the ceaseless grimacing of ex-footie thug Vinnie Jones, a boorish amateur with all the subtlety of a sinkhole! 'Reaper' is a pleasingly gritty B-crime horror hybrid that references Renny Harlin's cult classic 'Prison'.

Great, fun movie!!! Reminding me of good action/sci-fi/thrillers from the 80's. But with a modern production in style of Rodriguez and such. Finally, after decades someone who can make these kind of movies exciting again. The cast is also great. Dialogues could have been better but not that important for what the movie represents and I guess it's not really a Big Budget movie so the picture and effects quality is pretty much up to today's standard. Considering it's a lower Budget movie, I'd say it deserves an 8...

Compliments!!!

Thumbs Up!!!