Change Your Image
traderjo
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
Beauty Queen Butcher (1991)
Pure Camp
There's a lot to gripe about in Beauty Queen Butcher. It's shot on video and looks it. The characters are two dimensional and over the top. The soundtrack at times reeks of a 1980's infomercial. But at the same time, I just can't deny liking the movie. It's made "just" well enough to keep you watching. I smiled, a lot. It's pure camp, and I would venture to say the filmmakers knew it. Ultimately, it plays out like a zero budget Carrie with some so bad it's good bits of acting. Of the Camp Motion Picture releases thus far, I can honestly say I enjoyed this one the most.
Whether or not you chose to rent it all determines on one question. Do you enjoy cult movies? I do, and I enjoyed the hell out of it.
The Murder Game (2006)
Solid, entertaining, indie horror
I first found out about "the Murder Game" at the 2006 Terror Film Festival. I heard some pretty good things about and decided to check it out from Netflix. Truth be told, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Lower budget Friday the 13th ripoffs predominate the market so I expected more of the same. It's not. It's actually a pretty clever movie.
In general I'll give anything a shot. I like "A" movies, I like "B" movies. This plays off like a really good B movie. The script is pretty well thought out, the characters are simple but effective, there's a couple of nice twists, and most importantly, it's entertaining. I was also impressed with pacing of the film. Unlike most indies, it moves at just the right speed rather than dwelling on prolonged long shots that offer nothing to advance the story. There were some good comical flourishes, and the ending turned out to be more logical than I anticipated. In addition, the musical score is quite good, and the action scenes work. Truth be told, I found it to be a better film than some of the horrors big studios are releasing, ala Dead Silence. It's certainly better than the Friday the 13th movies that were thrown at us. And at a fraction of the budget to boot.
On the downside, some of the acting doesn't ring true, there's a handful of cheesy lines that make you eyes roll, and the budget does show occasionally. But in general, it's an entertaining horror. Worth watching. As a regular movie, I'd rate it a 6/10. As an indie film, I rate it a 9/10.
Final assessment: 7/10