Siren (I) (2016) User Reviews

not as scary as the original story on V/H/S/

[trashgang · 6/10 · 14 December 2016]

Is there one horror buff out there that hasn't seen the much acclaimed V/H/S/ franchise. Well if so you do know that there were some weird and gory tales to see. "Amatuer Nigh" was on the first part and let this full feature being an adaption of it.

When I did see the siren it immediately reminded me of Splice (2009). Did I like Siren, well, somehow it did remind me of the VHS segment but it didn't feed my hunger. There isn't that much of gore in it. Let me even say that there isn't that much of horror in it or even scary moments. What it did deliver was a lot of nudity at strip bars but after a while I thought, let's bring in the horror.

So many reviewers did like it somehow but for me it was rather weak. It do has a few good moments but face it, the hitting of ones knee to break it is done off-camera. And the biting of the siren in faces is also done off-camera. Siren looks to me as a flick made quickly to cash in on the VHS reputation.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 2/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5

Not the Most Enjoyable Movie, but Shows Hints of Excellence

[NDbportmanfan · 6/10 · 19 March 2017]

When I heard this spin-off was actually happening; I was at first surprised while also really excited at the possibilities for the story. I am a big fan of the V/H/S movie and Lily's segment was by far my favorite part. It had the right amount of mystery/suspense/gore to leave me infatuated and wanting more.

Fast-forward to the Siren movie and we are given a prequel story to Lily. Much like the segment, a few guys go out looking for a good time but eventually find themselves in a very dangerous situation.

This movie is for a very select demographic, that I just happened to belong.That demographic is the pro Lily demographic where when Lily appears in a movie I'm going to find something to like about it.The acting in this is mainly a miss with a couple of exceptions and the story does have its clichés. There were some other interesting concepts (mainly one) presented but were not fleshed out enough, sad to say. The main and only reason someone should watch this is for Lily. The story really drags without out her as the guys were not interesting in the least.The hints of excellence comes from the inclusion of a new creature that helps carry the story along. Lily's action scenes were also a plus and her characters overall direction throughout the movie. After a good chunk of time the story picks up and for the most part I can safely say I enjoyed what I saw.

I guess as a warning if you are considering giving this movie a try. If you are not a fan of sex and violence in your movies this is something you should stay far away from as that is 85% if not more of this movie. In the stories weak spots they seemed to crank up the those scenes to 11.

Great Potential, Shoddy Exectution

[hadbanglif · 5/10 · 6 December 2016]

As a fan of the first V/H/S, particularly the segment upon which this film is based, Amateur Night, this prequel-sequel does not do the series justice. What made the first film great was the romantic element, you just couldn't help but fall in love with Lily. She was the cute, quiet, shy girl who "likes you." (Of course, with quite the dark secret, but that's part of the appeal to us sick ones.) This film rushes every encounter with Lily, and does next to nothing when it comes to expanding any sort of story surrounding her. Not to mention, she seemed to change from a succubus to a siren somewhere in between these two films.

I will concede, however, that SiREN does add some interesting details. Take Mr. Nyx, for example. A "man" that appears not to age and owns a supernatural strip club? Again, my gripe is that the film did not expand much on the details. You're just expected to run with it, "A supernatural strip club with cult-like outfits and memory leech drinks? Of coooouuurrrse!"

In summation, if the film had focused just a tad more on the details, fleshed out the story a bit, amped up or added more romance/sexy demon scenes, this movie would've been exactly what the fans wanted. Damn shame it wasn't.

The movie trailer was better. The actual movie isn't

[lee-74017 · 2/10 · 8 December 2016]

First of all I'd say it's a B movie, so nothing blockbuster about it. I also don't think the title matches the 'creature' of the movie at all so it's misleading, well kind of.

Overall, the acting was average and with the bland background people made the movie seemed lifeless without the element of thriller or a horror. I mean there's no sense of danger of a creature lurking/ hunting it's victims nor is there gore or blood to make it a 'horror' and I'm not a blood person myself but I expected more.

Overall not a great movie, the plot seemed lacking, the acting was average for a B movie. I would not recommend this and as I said, the movie trailer was much better.

Actually not bad at all if you are a fan of segment 'Amateur Night' from V/H/S (2012).

[prolelol · 7/10 · 22 March 2017]

It's surprisingly great, fun movie! The actors were okay, but that "I like you." girl is always creepy, and she does a fine job. I love how they made this movie based on Greek mythology. I think it's a fine horror/fantasy movie. I was a fan of Hannah Fierman's character from segment 'Amateur Night', but after watching SiREN makes me love her even more.

I'd give it a solid 7/10.

V/H/S fan left wanting less!

[Kerriecarlisle · 1/10 · 13 December 2018]

I loved the first 2 VHS movies and The Siren being one of the greatest scenes in both of them I was super excited to see it extended in to a movie. The main character was terrifying I VHS with her slowly splitting forehand and crazy bitch gaze but she can definitely not stand alone in a movie revolving around her.

The acting and storyline are absolutely terrible. The direction is very amateur and flat.

Instead of being a super creepy women of the night the film is a joke.

A film that makes good use of its limited resources

[Doomy330 · 7/10 · 6 December 2016]

The plot has no obvious continuity issues, and the scenes are carefully thought out, if a bit naive - but in a positive, honest way. It could even be called a spiritual sequel to the 'episode' with the demon girl in V/H/S, the influences are clearly there but the story is constructed separately, in a neat narrative. The actors are refreshingly on par, nice chemistry between the cast shows through which is always good. The movie is not a huge production, and it does not try to be. This is a good thing because it shows focus on what can work. And it is not lazy or jaded, nor does it look 'poor'. The few downsides it does have come naturally from a lack of budget, but they are not distracting. Other than that, it manages to feel like a properly engaging movie.

I am certainly not sorry for spending the time to watch it.

Medicore Spin-off to V/H/S

[HorrorDisasterGuy-90617 · 4/10 · 12 June 2023]

I like the idea that a segment gets turned into its own movie, but the execution is pretty bad. There's not that much to the story other than the main character makes a mistake on letting Lily out and now after him. The movie does bring some interesting things to it, like an underground moving club that has something dark to it and some other things I won't spoiler. But it doesn't use it for its advantage, and it barely brought up. My biggest problem is that the movie feels like it rushing itself because things happen way too quickly to have tension to it and lack any suspense in it. Even the action scenes aren't that enjoyable due to how it happened pretty quickly. And I didn't like how the movie ended.

Clever Innovative and Fun

[A_Different_Drummer · 7/10 · 8 December 2016]

If you are reading this review you have probably seen a few dozen slasher films where over-ripe teens are treated like the main course at a Korean BBQ.

This is NOT one of those films.

Fresh and innovative (and based on a short subject which was extended to full length) this film introduces us to a new class of victim -- namely smug and cocky young males out to show off their swag at a bachelor party.

And it works. It is much more fun watching these guys get eviscerated when trying to pretend they are who they are not (like for example "rescuing" a girl at a sex club in a swamp without realizing she is some sort of demon) than watching teens gets hunted at Camp Runamuck.

Great dialog, interesting and fun.

And contains what could be one of the best throwaway lines in horror -- when the demon finally catches up with the brave soul who unknowingly risked his life (and the lives of his friends) to rescue her, she pins him down on the floor like an appetizer, grins with demonic eyes, and proclaims, "I like you." And I like the movie too.

So bad in every way

[rodrigoalderete · 1/10 · 22 June 2018]

Bachelor party boys go to celebrate and they went to a lousy strip club. Then, there is a mystery guy who approaches and recommends a better place (So wwhy he is doing here in the firstb place?) Then , they go to the brothel and bum! Whores, whores, whores, and more whores. The dialogues are fulled with sex crap and the acting is even worse, so amateurish. The production is A-OK, but the cast is awful.

I get really bored.

Loved it

[hilljos1976 · 9/10 · 6 December 2016]

I am a horror fan but have been disappointed lately with all the retold stories out there. When I saw this movie on redbox I checked IMD and read the first review. When I read demon girl from VHS I was sold. I really enjoyed that episode so I headed off to the box and I am glad I did. Really I think this is a prequel to the VHS story. I thought the acting was good and special effects. I like how it brought out a sense of endless nightmare, like those dreams you can't wake up from. These folks have stepped in it and there's no going home for you Dorothy. But seriously, I would recommend this movie to anyone, horror buff or not. Good times to the end.

A zany creepy tale of unrequited monster love......

[s3276169 · 7/10 · 12 December 2016]

Siren is a spin off from the VHS films, which of course mixes up a variety of horror tales, in new and amusing ways.

There's bloody bucket loads of black humour on offer here, alongside a few "sort of" creepy zany scares all bundled up with a weird tale of unrequited monster love. Its a good mix that's calculatedly camp and, in my view, all the better for it.

As you might expect, given this flicks VHS pedigree, there's a lot of mixing of familiar horror themes and a few moments that feel like tributes to other horror film's. Most notably and without giving too much away, this films ending is somewhat reminiscent of the closing scenes in the first Jeepers Creepers film.

If you like your horror a little "way out" and "off beat" Siren is definitely worth a look. Seven out of ten from me.

Boring and low budget

[Draysan-Jennings · 3/10 · 26 March 2020]

I really can't think of one good thing to say about this movie. Watched it for about an hour then turned it off. Corny and low budget. 3 stars

Garbage

[geordieswin · 2/10 · 31 May 2019]

Turned it of after 45 mins. Need i say more. Pathetic

A good concept and good choice in source material

[GreyHunter · 7/10 · 25 February 2020]

Let's get the bad out of the way first, in part because the movie did exactly that. The writing, especially in the first part of the movie, could be pretty bad. Whoever wrote the banter needs a lot more practice at that particular art. That plus some pretty bad acting was almost enough to make me turn the movie off. Luckily, just as I was deciding not to throw good time after bad, they reached the supernatural strip club (brothel? general sin palace? hard to tell) and that idea was itself intriguing enough to keep me watching. From there, with the exception of a bit of hammy acting (and persistently bad acting from the bachelor party guys), things improved a bit, not in the least bit because the opportunities for "banter" grew more infrequent.

But the central conceit -- the Lily figure from V/H/S -- was a good one to choose. It had potential, and provided a complexity to the standard slice-n-dice that most killer films don't have the room to explore. Mind you, this isn't a deep engrossing character study or anything -- we never learn much about the backgrounds of most of the characters (and Mr. Nyx absolutely could use a movie of his very own) -- but the basic premise and the complications provided by the nature of the titular Siren are solid enough to carry the film. The low budget shows (not in the least in the aforementioned poor writing and acting as much as the more visible products of low budgets) but the film is absolutely solid for the budget it does have. Since this is a standard film rather than found footage, the filmmakers couldn't operate on a microbudget but did manage to get their money's worth from the $300k IMDb says they had. I bumped my rating up a solid point in acknowledgement of managing to do so.

As with the V/H/S segment this movie came from, Hannah Fierman does the most with what little personalization is allowed to a character like hers. She certainly commits, and presents a compelling dichotomy between the Beauty and the Beast aspects of her character.

Horrible

[jp-15748 · 1/10 · 2 January 2020]

Very poorly thought-out low budget. Things just didn't make any sense or weren't explained. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

A Solid Seven Horror Movie

[tabuno · 7/10 · 11 January 2019]

20 May 2017. Siren is one of those horror movies that might have been better, but really how could it? Too often other movies become so simplistically, stereotypical. The PBS television movie Dracula (1997) had similar polished authentic focus. Here the Siren is depicted quite well considering, without either the romanticized nor the glorified monster portrayal. Like in the Keanu Reeve's cult horror Constantine (2005) or perhaps even more like the more recent depictions of eerie characters like Anya Taylor-Joy's Morgan (2016) or Scarlett Johansson's Under the Skin (2013). In the lower budget tradition of Stanley Kubrick's last movie classic Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Siren really wasn't so much scary as it is absurdist horror with a more human inhuman twist. So really this movie while it isn't superb and a great classic, it is a solid horror movie that stands out from most other for its creepy factor, its more all American plot outline, and its more somber rather than typical gross out ending.

Check Your Mythology

[dcarsonhagy · 5/10 · 10 December 2016]

"SiREN" is the latest venture into the bachelor-party-gone-wrong vein of horror. Two brothers and two other guys (all friends) venture out into the night for a little debauchery since it is one brother's last night of freedom, so to speak. They are guided to a rather opulent home--in the middle of nowhere--where there every wish is promised to be granted. However, they should know better to open Pandora's box (in a manner of speaking). The movie overall was not that bad. The acting was better than expected, the colors used while filming the guys trips on mushrooms was very interesting, and there were some very different camera angles used.

That's the good. Now here's the bad. If you are going to make a movie about creatures from Greek mythology, I suggest you at least do a little reading before you start filming. Sirens were mythical creatures whose songs were so beautiful they were able to lure sailors and their ships onto the rocks causing imminent death. Some researchers say they had the bodies of birds with the head of a women or vice-versa. They did NOT have demon tails. I also found out they were cannibals, something I did not know!

The movie really never knew where to go. It started out muddled and it ended muddled. I don't know if the producers of the film had a knock-down, drag-out fight with the censors but it appeared to me the siren's nude body was (at times) blurred out of vision. I don't know what that was all about, but it was very distracting. Also, no explanation was given as to the attraction of the girl to that one particular man.

Rated R for horror violence and nudity, The SiREN's song here is a little off-key.

A sexy and brutal love story.

[solodre · 7/10 · 13 April 2017]

I can understand people expecting a "run of the mill" horror are disappointed with this movie. It's more of a fairy tale kinda movie, a blood and gore love story, which at times reminded me of "The Beauty and The Beast", or "The Phantom of The Opera". Except this creature is a female demon from hell, a Lilith, who sings songs of captivation, hence the title.

They did a very good job casting Hannah Fierman to play Lilith. Her big eyes and a pretty little face, weird and sexy. She played the part really well. I also liked that particular sex scene between her and Chase Williamson. Brutal and erotic.

Justin Welborn also did a good job playing the creepy/weird Mr. Nyx.

Concerning Lilith action, the camera and lighting could've been better, I'm not a fan of quick dark and flashy fight scenes, but I found it a decent movie in spite of that. Overall acting was good and the writing original, at least I've never seen a movie like it. As a pure heart stopping horror it should have a bad rating, but as a fantasy/horror/romance it deserves at least a 7.

10 stars minus 3 for bad camera/lighting.

So forgettable

[hellholehorror · 5/10 · 18 May 2019]

Technically the picture had flaws, the grading was a little haphazard and there was noticeable digital grain on some shots where they pushed the camera to far. Sound was mostly excellent but sadly let down by occasional bad dubbing, this was barely noticeable though. The special effects looked excellent, subtle and effective, never looking digital or fake. Sometimes it felt like some effects were missing and the main girl wearing a nude suit was quite off-putting. Pacing was fairly solid, it was short and never really got boring. The acting was mostly good, with the only notable exception being the main antagonist man who overplayed it to the point of annoyance. I was surprised how much I enjoyed Siren (2016), it reminded me of a lesser version of Jeepers Creepers (2001) but it just missed out because it's so forgettable.

A lot of fun!

[Hellmant · 9/10 · 7 December 2016]

'SIREN': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five) A feature adaptation of a short film segment (called 'AMATEUR NIGHT') from the 2012 anthology horror flick 'V/H/S'. It was directed by Gregg Bishop, who also directed a short segment of the 2014 sequel 'V/H/S VIRAL' (called 'DANTE THE GREAT'). The film was scripted by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (based on the short by David Bruckner and Nicholas Tecosky). It stars Chase Williamson (of 'JOHN DIES AT THE END' fame), Hannah Fierman (who also starred in the original short), Justin Welborn, Hayes Mercure, Michael Aaron Milligan and Randy McDowell. It tells the story of a group of guys out for a bachelor party, which goes horrifically wrong when one of them unleashes a man killing monster. The film is a lot of fun, and it's definitely in the same league as 'V/H/S' and it's sequels. Jonah (Williamson) is about to be married to his beautiful fiancé Eva (Lindsey Garrett). His brother (Milligan), and his two best friends (Mercure and McDowell), take him out for a good time before the big event. The strip clubs they go to are boring though, so they decide to check out a lesser known club; that another customer tells them about. Once there they realize the place is a lot different than anywhere else they've ever been to. When Jonah meets one of the girls, supposedly working there, he decides she needs his help and tries to rescue her. This turns out to be a deadly mistake. The movie has a great premise (taken from 'AMATEUR NIGHT' of course); it's well made and effectively creepy also. I think Bishop did a fantastic job stretching the short into a feature length film, and the cast is equally as impressive. Especially Williamson and Fierman in the leads, but Welborn makes a great bad guy too. There's even some touching romance to the story, in a very bizarre and creepy way, with a great horrific twist at the end. I really like this movie.

Did you like VHS Amateur Night?

[cliffordo-33234 · 6/10 · 27 December 2016]

This is a sequel to VHS Amateur Night, and it follows the same general script. Some young guys are out partying and all Hell breaks loose. The first film was more realistic. The acting was better. This one has better special effects and the plot is more complicated.

Hannah Fierman is great. In VHS Amateur Night she went from being a little spooky to OMG. This time, her character gets a little buried by all the other action. That's too bad because she really made the first film work.

Let's get it out in the open. The film is kinky. It is erotic horror. I like that. Not everybody does. So it appeals to a niche in that respect. It also has some good old-fashioned horror and a few plot twists to keep it suspenseful. So it's not Shakespeare, but it was fun. Enjoy.

This is another horror movie with a bad ending

[queentulawanda-07689 · 1/10 · 11 January 2019]

I'm so weary of this formula in films lately - where the ending is bad and answers nothing Gor the viewer. And for that, it deserves only a 1!

Reviews are fake, This is terrible

[jakerocks · 1/10 · 12 January 2020]

The reviews on this movie are garbage. This is one of the dumbest movies ever made. Low production quality. Zero story. Just watch Species again.

Wow. Disturbing.

[mattfrancis-03963 · 7/10 · 16 November 2021]

Fantastic work ethic and detail went into this movie. Disturbing isn't quite the word the creature who in a way stalks the lead because she likes him. He freed her from some sort of cult supernatural club. Okay some of the acting is lacklustre the editing does your head in, the horror was more sex gone wrong and gore, although surely a film to jumpy and weird enough for a an okay score.