The Tenement (2003) User Reviews

Micro budget anthology film done well

[CorblimeyGuvnors · 4/10 · 6 March 2015]

This is an anthology film that ain't half bad. Not keen at all on the wrap around story as it does not really go anywhere.

However, there are four stories to get your teeth into.

Story one: Fade to black, about a young lad that is obsessed by horror films. He is hen pecked by his mother, who I thought was going to be similar to Mrs Bates from psycho !!!! Meets one of his horror idols and has the opportunity to audition, but it does not go well and he is ridiculed. He takes a bloody revenge.

Story 2: The sound of silence, this is about a mute girl who is raped by her neighbour. This all ends up in a bit of a supernatural nightmare.

Story 3: Full moon rising. A typical werewolf film.

Story 4: The taxi driver. The best of the bunch with the black rose serial killer prowling the streets in his taxi. He picks up one woman and finds a kindred spirit.

I would recommend this film to all those that love zero budget films. Kept me entertained throughout. Some decent scenarios with some gore, above average for this sort of thing

Go See This Movie!

[MicroCinemaMagazine · 23 September 2004]

This film is given a rating of 5 "little guys" (A perfect score)! What more can I say but go out and buy this movie. It is the perfect mix of horror and comedy all wrapped up into one dandy little film. The film's story line spans over two decades and includes four short stories plus an in between story that helps to tie everything together. In fact it is such a good film it won the "Achievement Award - Feature Horror" at the 2003 Putnam County Film & Video Festival. Here is the breakdown:

Story One (Fade to Black) Ethan Fernier (Joe Lauria) is a troubled young man who's only goals in life are to please his mother Eloise Fernier (Doreen Valdati) and watch horror movies from his favorite director Winston Korman (Michael Gingold). One day he gets a chance to meet his idol and audition for a part in his next movie. He blows the opportunity and instead gets ridiculed by Korman and his crew. This turn of events plus the constant nagging from his mother sets Ethan off on a killing spree which marks the beginning of the rain of terror from the "Black Rose Killer." Story One has kind of a "Psycho" feel to it but ends up morphing into a great little story.

Story Two (The Sound of Silence) This was our least favorite story of the film. It lacked the intensity of the other stories. Henry Wallace (John Studol) becomes strangely infatuated with Sarah (C.J. DiMarsico), a young mute girl, who loves to dance to her radio every night in her bedroom.

One day Sarah's mother Ginnie Weston (Victoria Miner) convinces her father George Weston (Floyd Gumble) to let down his guard and go out for the night, leaving Sarah alone for the first time. Almost immediately after they leave Henry comes knocking and all hell breaks loose.

Story Three (Full Moon Rising) Story three reminded us of the classic werewolf flicks of yesteryear. Jimmy Wayne Garrick (Mike Lane) is a social outcast who decides to go to an AA type support group to try to become more socially acceptable. That night after the meeting he is bitten by a strange dog. The next day he realizes that his wound is healing rather quickly and that he is also feeling more energetic. He goes to a strip club and after receiving a "stellar" lap dance decides to take matters into his own hands. We don't want to blow the ending to this story but we can tell you that it was masterfully put together.

Story Four (The Taxi Driver) This is a clever story with a great twist at the end. The scene opens with two white-trash prostitutes chatting about the different men they have picked up in the past. One of the prostitutes calls for a taxi cab and the fun begins. How was she to know that her life was in the hands of a mad man behind the wheel. The taxi driver (Ed Shelinksy) does a great job of playing this silent but deadly killer. For his next fare he picks up Chastity (Danielle Russo) who proves to be more then just a regular fare.

With the exception of one story this film is a solid piece of work with few disappointments. This is micro cinema at its best! Watch for great things from Light & Dark Productions in the future!

• 5/5 Little Guys -