Definitely low budget. Some good thought out ideas for scenes but overall bad acting and effects. Not much else to say
15 Reviews
What was that?
TheFUC_Larry9 February 2021
Cheesy independent filmmaking
Floated217 January 2024
Arguably a unique, offbeat and different type of film. Caroushell is a low budget independent film that mixes supernatural horror, teen humor and goofy silly comedy in one.
The effects aren't great especially that of talking toy caroushell. We never actually see it moving and it all doesn't exactly make sense (a unicorn caroushell coming to life talking). What is bizarre is at first we didn't know the caroushell was talking aloud, as it seemed like it was speaking his thoughts in his head.
The acting is very amateurish and many characters overreact (especially those at the party scene). There is a funny explicit scene with one character and the caroushell showing skin, which was well shot and showed good lighting.
This movie is relatively short in runtime and it is quite unpredictable which does make things more watchable. Overall this is just slightly cheesy to truly be something more than what it is. Perhaps watching the sequels may change the rating of this original.
The effects aren't great especially that of talking toy caroushell. We never actually see it moving and it all doesn't exactly make sense (a unicorn caroushell coming to life talking). What is bizarre is at first we didn't know the caroushell was talking aloud, as it seemed like it was speaking his thoughts in his head.
The acting is very amateurish and many characters overreact (especially those at the party scene). There is a funny explicit scene with one character and the caroushell showing skin, which was well shot and showed good lighting.
This movie is relatively short in runtime and it is quite unpredictable which does make things more watchable. Overall this is just slightly cheesy to truly be something more than what it is. Perhaps watching the sequels may change the rating of this original.
My second favourite killer unicorn film.
BA_Harrison1 November 2020
After being ridden by obnoxious child Lunchbox (Teague Shaw), sentient carousel unicorn Duke (voiced by Steve Rimpici) loses his cool and embarks on a bloody rampage. Can amusement park mascot Cowboy Cool (Frank Sidebottom's relation from across the pond?) save the day?
Sounds dumb, eh? And it is. Very, very dumb. And writer/director Steve Rudzinski clearly knows this. He doesn't allow dreadful acting and terrible humour stop him from committing his crazy vision to digital video. He doesn't let a budget amounting to little more than most films' toilet paper allowance to stop the fun. And I don't believe he gives two hoots what amateur reviewers like me think of the results. He's having fun with his fellow film-makers and that's all that matters to Steve.
I watched just to see how Rudzinski would bring his unicorn to life. The short answer is 'he doesn't', the thing remaining inanimate the whole time. I guess that's part of the joke. Sadly, the sheer stupidity of the basic premise can only go so far, and the rest of the film, which focuses on a group of friends having a party, unaware that the gaily-painted wooden unicorn poses a threat, is pretty tiresome, comedy not exactly being Rudzinski's forte. The humour is grating and the characters -- Preston (Chris Proud), a cut-rate Stifler wannabe; Lunchbox's social-media obsessed sister Laurie (Sé Marie); an incestuous Canadian brother and sister; and pizza delivery guy Joe (Rudzinski himself), who would rather be paid than have sex with Laurie -- are annoying.
The film is at its most fun when it's being gloriously trashy, the best bits being the laughably OTT kills and a spot of brief but welcome nudity: I particularly enjoyed the part where a guy gets the top of his head knocked off by a well-aimed unicorn kick, the juicy throat ripping, the melting head scene, and indie horror cutie Haley Madison, as unicorn obsessed Sarah, taking off her top to have sex with Duke. I wish that Rudzinski had given us more gore and T&A and less comedy; that said, I did giggle at the sight of the killer unicorn successfully disguising itself as a lamp.
My rating: 3/10. Not a very high score, I grant you, but that still makes it my second favourite killer unicorn film after The Cabin In The Woods.
Sounds dumb, eh? And it is. Very, very dumb. And writer/director Steve Rudzinski clearly knows this. He doesn't allow dreadful acting and terrible humour stop him from committing his crazy vision to digital video. He doesn't let a budget amounting to little more than most films' toilet paper allowance to stop the fun. And I don't believe he gives two hoots what amateur reviewers like me think of the results. He's having fun with his fellow film-makers and that's all that matters to Steve.
I watched just to see how Rudzinski would bring his unicorn to life. The short answer is 'he doesn't', the thing remaining inanimate the whole time. I guess that's part of the joke. Sadly, the sheer stupidity of the basic premise can only go so far, and the rest of the film, which focuses on a group of friends having a party, unaware that the gaily-painted wooden unicorn poses a threat, is pretty tiresome, comedy not exactly being Rudzinski's forte. The humour is grating and the characters -- Preston (Chris Proud), a cut-rate Stifler wannabe; Lunchbox's social-media obsessed sister Laurie (Sé Marie); an incestuous Canadian brother and sister; and pizza delivery guy Joe (Rudzinski himself), who would rather be paid than have sex with Laurie -- are annoying.
The film is at its most fun when it's being gloriously trashy, the best bits being the laughably OTT kills and a spot of brief but welcome nudity: I particularly enjoyed the part where a guy gets the top of his head knocked off by a well-aimed unicorn kick, the juicy throat ripping, the melting head scene, and indie horror cutie Haley Madison, as unicorn obsessed Sarah, taking off her top to have sex with Duke. I wish that Rudzinski had given us more gore and T&A and less comedy; that said, I did giggle at the sight of the killer unicorn successfully disguising itself as a lamp.
My rating: 3/10. Not a very high score, I grant you, but that still makes it my second favourite killer unicorn film after The Cabin In The Woods.
Horsey
BandSAboutMovies14 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Duke is a carousel unicorn who hates his job. One day, a fat child pushes him beyond the brink, bringing him to life and sending him on the path of revenge. Honestly, if you read that sentence and laughed, this movie is for you.
This was directed by Steve Rudinzki, who was also behind Red Christmas and makes Christmas movies like A Meowy Christmas because that's what else horror directors are known for in the 2020 world of video streaming.
Don't expect a budget. Do expect women to have sex with unicorns. See? You can't always get what you want, but when you try sometimes, you just may find a tusk in the meat locker.
This was directed by Steve Rudinzki, who was also behind Red Christmas and makes Christmas movies like A Meowy Christmas because that's what else horror directors are known for in the 2020 world of video streaming.
Don't expect a budget. Do expect women to have sex with unicorns. See? You can't always get what you want, but when you try sometimes, you just may find a tusk in the meat locker.
WORST. HORROR. EVER.
jaren-2799231 December 2021
I've watched this movie a year ago. Some people should say this movie is second to none, or should I say second to RUN? When I watched that stupid Unicorn come "alive", my excitement flew south for the winter. This was an extremely cheesy movie. I'd rather watch Dora the Explorer, and I'm a boy! The movie makes no sense, and the acting was just downright awful. I'd give this movie ZERO stars if I could, but alas, I cannot. Seriously, unless you like really cheesy movies, this one is not for you.
Just a ride
nogodnomasters15 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
A carousel unicorn decides he is tired of being abused by kids. He comes to life and seeks vengeance against "Lunchbox" a recent fat kid who rode him. Lunchbox (Teague Shaw) is with his sister Laurie (Sé Marie) at a teen party.
This is a low budget film with bad special effects. They created great characters and had some bad acting. I think their goal was to have fun and not really care about the quality of the film. Includes Bloopers, deleted scene, and director's commentary.
Guide: F-word, sex with the unicorn, nudity (Haley Jay Madison, Corella Waring)
This is a low budget film with bad special effects. They created great characters and had some bad acting. I think their goal was to have fun and not really care about the quality of the film. Includes Bloopers, deleted scene, and director's commentary.
Guide: F-word, sex with the unicorn, nudity (Haley Jay Madison, Corella Waring)
Too funny
mjart-8726723 January 2021
FANTASTIC!
TrustedReviewer0527 April 2021
Watched this film as a joke, and ended up LOVING IT!!!! The entire film was HILARIOUS and I couldn't stop laughing! Possible the best film EVER MADE!!! So amazing and just absolutely PERFECT!! Low budget horrors are amazing anyway, but this goes absolutely above and beyond! Love it and 100% recommend anyone and everyone to watch this MASTERPIECE!!!
"Some people have a strange sense of entertainment."
I_Ailurophile6 September 2022
In the grand tradition of zany, low-budget horror-comedy romps, has there ever been a concept this zany? Surely there have been few this low-budget. Surely there have been few this fabulously, unapologetically blunt, forthright, and deliberately overcooked in almost every way. Characters, dialogue, scene writing, narrative, acting, lighting, cinematography, pacing, direction, editing, effects, music, and all else are written and executed with astoundingly insincere bluster, conscious cockamamie baloney that throws all good sense out the window and dares us to hate it. There are dashes in 'CarousHell' of classic slasher vibes with an equine twist (get it? Because unicorn horns are usually depicted as a spiral?), and traces of supernatural horror, but the movie wantonly goes so far off the rails that any fragment of "horror" is relegated to no more than half the runtime. In its place we get extended referential humor, tongue-in-cheek mockery, plainly absurdist situational humor, exaggerated characters and scene writing, preposterous quips/one-liners/otherwise dialogue (including puns, naturally), sight gags, sex jokes - and, why not, gratuitous nudity. And it's a total blast!
For all the self-indulgent excess and bare-faced inauthenticity, however, nothing in 'CarousHell' is sloppy or accidental. Shoestring silliness is exactly what filmmaker Steve Rudzinski does, and there's stupendous wit and intelligence underlying every iota of indecent inanity. The root concept is brazen; the horror elements are secondary in execution and as ingenuine as they could be; the comedy is outrageous and overdone - yet all of it is totally by intent, and delightfully sharp. It's not especially often that a feature makes me laugh this much, but from start to finish I had such a fantastic time watching. Putting aside personal preferences - I completely understand how this won't appeal to everyone - the real criticisms that come to mind are very few. Even for folks like me who love what they see, I think 'CarousHell' struggles a bit at first to find its tone as early scenes establish the characters and scenario and set up the remainder; a title that's already an acquired taste initially comes off even more so. More substantively, some of the humor doesn't actually land; as funny as the film is for the most part, some attempted jokes are too indelicate to work, or border on outright offensive. Even for a picture so ludicrously off the wall, a few instances just don't pan out.
Yet when all is said and done these shortcomings are nothing compared to the riotous entertainment 'CarousHell' has to offer. Much careful thought and hard work went into making this nonsense a reality, and the payoff is tremendous. Why, for as over the top as many of the visual effects are, a particular few examples are unexpectedly great; one can't help but wonder if that's where most of the budget ended up going. Throw in some fun music, spirited and committed performances, and swell looks for each character that seem to have been devised among the contributors themselves, and this is just such a joy. I had mixed expectations from the outset, not just on the basis of this title alone but also formed from (limited) prior experience with Rudzinski's films (not all are equal), and they have been handily blown away. This will hardly be a feature that appeals to genre purists or broad audiences, yet for those open to all the wide, weird, wild possibilities that cinema has to offer, I think 'CarousHell' is marvelously enjoyable and well worth a mere 70 minutes of our time!
For all the self-indulgent excess and bare-faced inauthenticity, however, nothing in 'CarousHell' is sloppy or accidental. Shoestring silliness is exactly what filmmaker Steve Rudzinski does, and there's stupendous wit and intelligence underlying every iota of indecent inanity. The root concept is brazen; the horror elements are secondary in execution and as ingenuine as they could be; the comedy is outrageous and overdone - yet all of it is totally by intent, and delightfully sharp. It's not especially often that a feature makes me laugh this much, but from start to finish I had such a fantastic time watching. Putting aside personal preferences - I completely understand how this won't appeal to everyone - the real criticisms that come to mind are very few. Even for folks like me who love what they see, I think 'CarousHell' struggles a bit at first to find its tone as early scenes establish the characters and scenario and set up the remainder; a title that's already an acquired taste initially comes off even more so. More substantively, some of the humor doesn't actually land; as funny as the film is for the most part, some attempted jokes are too indelicate to work, or border on outright offensive. Even for a picture so ludicrously off the wall, a few instances just don't pan out.
Yet when all is said and done these shortcomings are nothing compared to the riotous entertainment 'CarousHell' has to offer. Much careful thought and hard work went into making this nonsense a reality, and the payoff is tremendous. Why, for as over the top as many of the visual effects are, a particular few examples are unexpectedly great; one can't help but wonder if that's where most of the budget ended up going. Throw in some fun music, spirited and committed performances, and swell looks for each character that seem to have been devised among the contributors themselves, and this is just such a joy. I had mixed expectations from the outset, not just on the basis of this title alone but also formed from (limited) prior experience with Rudzinski's films (not all are equal), and they have been handily blown away. This will hardly be a feature that appeals to genre purists or broad audiences, yet for those open to all the wide, weird, wild possibilities that cinema has to offer, I think 'CarousHell' is marvelously enjoyable and well worth a mere 70 minutes of our time!
If you're looking for something unique this is it.
DarylJGittings13 November 2023
I actually watched CarousHELL 3 first because I am a fan of a couple of members of the cast. I wasn't sure what to think of it, so I decided to watch the first movie to get a better understanding of things.
Tired of being abused and mistreated by children, a carousel unicorn awakens and leaves the ride to look for the child who took him to his limit.
CarousHELL is a unique mix of horror and humor. It delivers the goods in both departments, as well as having some cool gory scenes.
Duke the unicorn crashes a house party and goes on a killing spree to get to the child that set him off.
I wasn't sure if I would like this, but it was pretty good.
The cast is relatively unknown. Haley J. Madison is the only cast member that I'm familiar with.
Tired of being abused and mistreated by children, a carousel unicorn awakens and leaves the ride to look for the child who took him to his limit.
CarousHELL is a unique mix of horror and humor. It delivers the goods in both departments, as well as having some cool gory scenes.
Duke the unicorn crashes a house party and goes on a killing spree to get to the child that set him off.
I wasn't sure if I would like this, but it was pretty good.
The cast is relatively unknown. Haley J. Madison is the only cast member that I'm familiar with.
Rudzinski does it again!
danpanik-795-3914187 October 2016
As a long time fan of Mr. Rudzinski's work I must say that this is is finest hour! The film is funnier than hell and absolutely kills on every level! You get hot naked punk chick banging a carousel unicorn! Steve, himself, as a hilarious pizza guy, ignoring the advances of a beautiful woman in order to collect his fare. And of course Duke, the most hilarious sentient unicorn i've ever seen. The gore was top notch (especially the melting scene at the end) and every kill is more unique than the last. Seriously have to give it up to the sheer number of unicorn related kills that this crew came up with. Definitely one of the years best indie films if not best horror films in general of 2016! Loved every second of this film and can't wait for the further adventures of Duke!
Balanced hilarity and horror
corygreer10 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I wont give away any spoilers here so I'm not going to say exactly how this happens, but there will be ninja stars, and when you see it, you're going to laugh!
Caroushell is another great indie film out on WildEye Releasing which consistently puts out great TRUE indie films. The camera work was great as well as the audio, editing and all mechanical aspects of the film were done in a professional level of quality (proper focus, recording with a boom mic, proper editing and so on. The practical effects were very well done and comparable to a movie with a higher budget.
"As of 2014, Sundance reported that the average independent film budget was $750,000" (per a 2018 article found on eleven04) To me, "indie" means a group of friends get together, take time off of their day jobs, work off of their own saved funds/run up some credit cards for props, crew, equipment and so on. They do the best film they can in a LIMITED TIME WITH A LIMITED BUDGET, as in they haven't broken into the mainstream of achieved the ability to do filmmaking as their day jobs yet. Films produced for 20 to 30k (or less) seems truer indie in that context. While I did not see any budget information for CarousHell on imdb, it would seem that this film was created somewhere along those lines.
Caroushell is another great indie film out on WildEye Releasing which consistently puts out great TRUE indie films. The camera work was great as well as the audio, editing and all mechanical aspects of the film were done in a professional level of quality (proper focus, recording with a boom mic, proper editing and so on. The practical effects were very well done and comparable to a movie with a higher budget.
"As of 2014, Sundance reported that the average independent film budget was $750,000" (per a 2018 article found on eleven04) To me, "indie" means a group of friends get together, take time off of their day jobs, work off of their own saved funds/run up some credit cards for props, crew, equipment and so on. They do the best film they can in a LIMITED TIME WITH A LIMITED BUDGET, as in they haven't broken into the mainstream of achieved the ability to do filmmaking as their day jobs yet. Films produced for 20 to 30k (or less) seems truer indie in that context. While I did not see any budget information for CarousHell on imdb, it would seem that this film was created somewhere along those lines.
Hilarious and funny genre comedy
kannibalcorpsegrinder28 April 2020
Upset about being a child's carousel unicorn, a special figure breaks out of his bondage and sets out to seek revenge on the kid who angered him where he finally tracks him down at a party with his sister and her friends forcing him to take them out to get to him and relying on a special hunter to stop the rampage.
On the whole, this was a pretty solid cheesy genre effort. Among the better elements here is the fact that this one just goes all-in on the ludicrous nature and premise that's being utilized here. From the unicorns' remarks about the situation and his lifestyle working at the carnival directly to the camera, this one gives off a goofy atmosphere quite early on and tends to set an example of what's in store. That this carries on into the rest of of the film where the ludicrous nature of a talking carousel creation wandering around talking to everyone it comes across while not realizing what's going on until it's too late or the utterly wacky storyline about the mascot from the amusement park coming after him to stop the rampage makes for all sorts of cheesy, silly fun here. That the attacks are carried over with an actual stiff, practical horse-prop manipulated and filmed to appear as though it were a real being just adds to the goofiness present here. As well, there's plenty to like here about the antics of the killer creature out in the wilds which has a lot of outrageous gore gags and stalking to it. The idea of taking out the workers around the carnival and the couple on their date leading up to the assault on the party are great fun full of goofy puns and outrageous situations involving the creature performing the over-the-top actions. Once at the party, the idea of it going through the bestiality role with the admirer and turning that into a fun killing spree stalking through the various guests in fine form, as the confrontations in the living room, out in the kitchen and involving the mascot hunting it down at the end tend to go hand-in-hand with the tone and atmosphere created here. With the great gore involved in the multitude of kills, plenty of over-the-top comedy, and the right air of seriousness involved, these hold the film up quite well over its minor aspects. There isn't a whole lot to dislike with this one. Among the few issues is a rightly-acknowledged part in the first half where the unicorns' lines become repetitive and not that funny. Being variations on the same thing for every kill it commits, it would've been tiresome and annoying to keep going with the same setup and punchline which is then rightly called out before it gets to that point with a clever twist about doing so which saves it somewhat even though it still comes off irritating beforehand. As well, there's the ludicrous nature of what's going on, from a talking carnival carousel unicorn that doesn't have much in the way of explanation for how it's still alive or how it finds the kid at the party when it just seems to be going through the community taking them out as it comes across them that might be troublesome which goes hand-in-hand with the low-budget nature and outrageousness of the premise for some to handle. These are the only real issues here.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity and a scene of consensual bestiality.
On the whole, this was a pretty solid cheesy genre effort. Among the better elements here is the fact that this one just goes all-in on the ludicrous nature and premise that's being utilized here. From the unicorns' remarks about the situation and his lifestyle working at the carnival directly to the camera, this one gives off a goofy atmosphere quite early on and tends to set an example of what's in store. That this carries on into the rest of of the film where the ludicrous nature of a talking carousel creation wandering around talking to everyone it comes across while not realizing what's going on until it's too late or the utterly wacky storyline about the mascot from the amusement park coming after him to stop the rampage makes for all sorts of cheesy, silly fun here. That the attacks are carried over with an actual stiff, practical horse-prop manipulated and filmed to appear as though it were a real being just adds to the goofiness present here. As well, there's plenty to like here about the antics of the killer creature out in the wilds which has a lot of outrageous gore gags and stalking to it. The idea of taking out the workers around the carnival and the couple on their date leading up to the assault on the party are great fun full of goofy puns and outrageous situations involving the creature performing the over-the-top actions. Once at the party, the idea of it going through the bestiality role with the admirer and turning that into a fun killing spree stalking through the various guests in fine form, as the confrontations in the living room, out in the kitchen and involving the mascot hunting it down at the end tend to go hand-in-hand with the tone and atmosphere created here. With the great gore involved in the multitude of kills, plenty of over-the-top comedy, and the right air of seriousness involved, these hold the film up quite well over its minor aspects. There isn't a whole lot to dislike with this one. Among the few issues is a rightly-acknowledged part in the first half where the unicorns' lines become repetitive and not that funny. Being variations on the same thing for every kill it commits, it would've been tiresome and annoying to keep going with the same setup and punchline which is then rightly called out before it gets to that point with a clever twist about doing so which saves it somewhat even though it still comes off irritating beforehand. As well, there's the ludicrous nature of what's going on, from a talking carnival carousel unicorn that doesn't have much in the way of explanation for how it's still alive or how it finds the kid at the party when it just seems to be going through the community taking them out as it comes across them that might be troublesome which goes hand-in-hand with the low-budget nature and outrageousness of the premise for some to handle. These are the only real issues here.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity and a scene of consensual bestiality.
Small Budget, Massive Talent
JarenIsAnIdiot29 November 2022
This movie is utterly ridiculous in the best way. It kicks off quickly (no waiting half the movie for someone to die) and the hilarity just keeps coming. The people behind this work of art took a microbudget and made it into a mountain of glorious ridiculousness. There's love! There's sex (though less if you've only seen the Amazon Prime version)! There's murder and mayhem that leaves no one wanting! Unless, of course, you're an asshole who for some reason is obsessed with stalking the director and posting negative reviews whether you've seen the movies or not.
This is absolutely not for everyone, but you'll probably know in the first 5 minutes whether you'll love it or lump it.
This is absolutely not for everyone, but you'll probably know in the first 5 minutes whether you'll love it or lump it.
Pinnacle of human existence
davidcp-9572227 April 2021
Truly made me question the humanity of the world and put to test many of the the bigger questions that humankind will ever conceive.
A god level masterpiece to be enjoyed by the finer of society and to be reserved for special occasions.
Will watch again on my own accord.
A god level masterpiece to be enjoyed by the finer of society and to be reserved for special occasions.
Will watch again on my own accord.
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