I have heard quite a lot about this movie and I've been wanting to watch for quite some time. Finally, it was released on dvd in Greece and when I saw it on the self of the dvd store I rented it. I was eager to see what all the fuss was about and I put the disc in the dvd player, sat comfortably on the couch and prepared myself to be blown away. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed. Not so much from the movie itself, but from the fact that the version I watched must be the most heavily cut version in existence. It was totally butchered, almost every scene was cut. I was left feeling I didn't watch the actual movie, just some selected parts. So, I don't really think I can properly review this movie, but I'll try to anyway.
It is obvious that the budget was very tight and that Craven and Cunningham were not very experienced. The script is sometimes corny and even stupid, the direction and editing fail to impress and the music (composed by D. Hess who plays Krug, the main bad guy) is average at best. The acting, with the exception of D. Hess, is typical B-movie acting, although at some points the 2 girls look really scared. The main story is rather good - as far as revenge flicks go - but it could be better if some more attention was given to it. The cops, obviously meant as a comic relief detract from the movie. On top of all this, the version I watched was deprived of anything shocking, at least visually.
So, with the main attraction of the movie gone, was it any good? Well, I can only speak for myself, but I'd have to say yes. Admittedly it's a badly made film, but I liked it. Even though the version I watched had almost none shocking or violent scenes, I still found it disturbing. Mostly because all the violence comes not from monsters, zombies, or super strong mutated killers, but from real people (from Krug's gang or from the parents). Krug and company do what they do without any motive, just because the can - just for fun, and the parents turn to killers for revenge. It was a strong movie and it stays with you for a while.
As a conclusion, this movie has some flaws and it is definitely not a masterpiece, but as Craven's debut I think it's decent enough. Worth watching at least once, if only to see why it earned cult status.
P.S. I cannot believe that in 2004 a movie gets released in such a heavily censored form. I feel cheated and insulted.
It is obvious that the budget was very tight and that Craven and Cunningham were not very experienced. The script is sometimes corny and even stupid, the direction and editing fail to impress and the music (composed by D. Hess who plays Krug, the main bad guy) is average at best. The acting, with the exception of D. Hess, is typical B-movie acting, although at some points the 2 girls look really scared. The main story is rather good - as far as revenge flicks go - but it could be better if some more attention was given to it. The cops, obviously meant as a comic relief detract from the movie. On top of all this, the version I watched was deprived of anything shocking, at least visually.
So, with the main attraction of the movie gone, was it any good? Well, I can only speak for myself, but I'd have to say yes. Admittedly it's a badly made film, but I liked it. Even though the version I watched had almost none shocking or violent scenes, I still found it disturbing. Mostly because all the violence comes not from monsters, zombies, or super strong mutated killers, but from real people (from Krug's gang or from the parents). Krug and company do what they do without any motive, just because the can - just for fun, and the parents turn to killers for revenge. It was a strong movie and it stays with you for a while.
As a conclusion, this movie has some flaws and it is definitely not a masterpiece, but as Craven's debut I think it's decent enough. Worth watching at least once, if only to see why it earned cult status.
P.S. I cannot believe that in 2004 a movie gets released in such a heavily censored form. I feel cheated and insulted.