Penny Dreadful is not a great horror film, I've seen better. But what it is is an amazingly brilliant psychological thriller , Penny dreadful is a well made and well acted horror film that will satisfy any horror lovers urge for a good time. After surviving a horrible automobile accident that killed both her parents Penny Dearborn has an unstable and perpetual fear of cars, her therapists suggest that they confront her fear head on. So they take a road trip to cure Penny's fear, but it has dangerous and disastrous results when they pick up a psychotic hitchhiker. Penny Dreadful is a dark and gritty psychological thriller that takes you into the mind and soul of a frightened and traumatized young girl and her fight to say alive. This film explore three main themes, 1. terror and what it can do to you if you let it control you. 2: What certain events in your life can do to change who you are and what you are. 3: What the darkness of a quiet woods can do to turn your worst fears into a reality. Penny Dreadful is a psychological thriller that is right up there with the best and will continue to shock and scare you for a long time to come.
125 Reviews
I won't die this way!
lastliberal19 March 2008
Now, this had all the elements of good horror - suspense, screams, breasts, and slashing. Not too bad for a film that takes place in the woods at night.
Penny (Rachel Miner) is traveling with her therapist (Mimi Rogers) to overcome her fear of cars after an auto accident as a child. Now, everyone knows not to pick up hitchhikers, and you should especially know not to take them into the woods, but hey, there wouldn't be a movie if they did the smart thing.
She, with a fear of cars, ends up stuck in a car with her dead therapist, and thus begins a night of horror. Dead bodies are piling up all over as she screams to get out.
I won't spoil it except to say that I really liked the ending.
And, I sure want to see some more of Tammy Filor.
Penny (Rachel Miner) is traveling with her therapist (Mimi Rogers) to overcome her fear of cars after an auto accident as a child. Now, everyone knows not to pick up hitchhikers, and you should especially know not to take them into the woods, but hey, there wouldn't be a movie if they did the smart thing.
She, with a fear of cars, ends up stuck in a car with her dead therapist, and thus begins a night of horror. Dead bodies are piling up all over as she screams to get out.
I won't spoil it except to say that I really liked the ending.
And, I sure want to see some more of Tammy Filor.
Can the vision of a car really strike fear?
michaelRokeefe7 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
From After Dark Films, a simple little story of terror. Penny(Rachel Miner)has been traumatized severely by witnessing her parents die in an auto accident. Her therapist Orianna Volkes(Mimi Rogers) takes her on a road trip as part of her therapy to overcome the fear of cars. It is pretty rough going; and gets rougher when they almost rundown a hitchhiker(Liz Davies)on a long lonesome mountain highway. Of course at the expense of knowing a hell of a lot better, Orianna decides to give the shaken hitchhiker a ride down a dirt road not much better than a hiking trail. Letting their passenger out, it is discovered a knife is stuck in one of the tires rendering a flat. Cell phones are useless; so the therapist takes a walk looking for help. Is there not a killer lurking in the woods in a flick like this? A dreadful detour for sure. Also in the cast: Chad Todhunter, Mickey Jones, Tammy Filor and Michael Berryman.
Kebab, anyone?
Coventry12 November 2007
Quite a large number of people recommended "Penny Dreadful" to me recently, and even though it's definitely not a terrible little film, I sure wished the descriptions of the story would have been a bit more accurate and the film itself would have been a tiny bit better. It's really not a horrific thriller in the tradition of "The Hitcher" simply because it features a maniacal hitch-hiker and it's definitely not reminiscent of "Wrong Turn" because it is set in the woods. "Penny Dreadful" is not much more than a simplistic backwoods slasher with a couple of ambitious themes (like the childhood traumas & phobias) and a couple clever and effective low-budget cinema tricks, like a minimum of filming locations. Adorable young Penny witnessed her parents dying in a car crash at young age. Ever since that day she's petrified of cars and that phobia prevents her from building up a normal life, for example dating the hunk in her apartment block. When the movie starts, she and her psychiatrist (Mimi Rogers) are driving towards the place where the accident happened, to get therapeutic closure once and for all. But Penny's fear for cars will get a lot worse before it gets better, because the two women pick up a sinister and uncanny hitch-hiker. The individual behaves odd but harmless at first, even offering the ladies a tasty-looking kebab, but pretty soon Penny is locked inside the car and trapped between two trees, and with her phobia of cars that is really not a nice place to hang out. "Penny Dreadful" benefices from an overall unsettling atmosphere and a couple of nail-biting suspense sequences, but the film is too long and it's impossible for director Richard Brandes to hold the viewer's attention throughout the entire playtime. Perhaps the film, and particularly the scares, would have worked better in a short format, like an episode of "Masters of Horror" or something. Now several scenes feel dragged and tedious. The denouement is rather stupid and only confirms that "Penny Dreadful" is just an average by-the-numbers slasher, because all the mystery surrounding the murderous hitcher has suddenly vanished. It's not a very gory movie, but the few make-up effects are competently achieved and quite freaky. The cinematography is probably the best aspect of the entire movie, as Joplin Wu's camera makes the ominous woods at night look even more menacing and inescapable than they already are.
I liked this as it was the first film I saw from the After Dark Films Horrorfest series
badgrrlkane4 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I don't understand why so many people hated this.I loved it! Granted the plot was a little waning after an hour of Rachel Miner's whining & crying but she is terrified of being in a car, since as a child her Mom was killed in a car wreck. And,Mimi Rogers as her doctor decides to take her back to the spot it happened at to help her relive the memories & see if it helps her overcome her phobia.And considering most people would cry & scream if they to were locked in with their worst fear I thought it added to the psychological intensity & horror of the film.Especially once Mimi Rogers gets murdered & Penny realizes she's alone, w/h her Dr's body in a car that has been placed between 2 trees so she can't get out.And the killer does terrorize her mentally.My favorite part was when the killer goes through the trunk & slits the backseat open enough to get his/her (?) hand through & grab the unsuspecting Penny's hair for a good scare as I wasn't expecting that at all. The ending lacked a bit as I wanted to know who & why the killer was & why they were attacking Penny but all in all i WAS VERY HAPPY W/H THE END RESULT. *** OUT OF *****
It's okay
fdlockhart26 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Penny Dreadful has some suspenseful moments in it. I don't hate the film, but I'm not crazy about it either. The acting by the 2 female leads, Rachel Miner and Mimi Rogers, are well done. The direction is also decent. My main problem is the pacing. The movie feels longer than it is. At some points it's stressfully uninteresting. I found myself on the edge of my seat wanting them to come on and get going. I do admire the film for not being your cookie-cutter teenage horror flick. It does have some by-the-book horror foundations, such as: darkness, isolation, shadowed lighting, etc. However, those can be forgiven. I was delighted by the fact that the killer was a woman. That was unexpected, and surprisingly different. All in all, it's not a bad movie, but it could have been better.
Above par
medwards-1429 October 2007
This is the first time I summarized a movie. I thought that this may have gone under the radar and I would be the first. Still, the movie made enough of an impression so that I would write a review anyway.
I think the better horror movies are those that are closer to reality and Penny Dreadful is much more real than most in the genre. I really liked the tension and suspense and cat-and-mouse game. I ran into this on the Sci-Fi channel and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't the run-of-the-mill shock schlock. I think the writer(s) should be applauded for a pretty original script rather than the pure gore we receive so much today. If you're a horror fan, I'm sure this would make your top 50 list, if not 40.
I think the better horror movies are those that are closer to reality and Penny Dreadful is much more real than most in the genre. I really liked the tension and suspense and cat-and-mouse game. I ran into this on the Sci-Fi channel and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't the run-of-the-mill shock schlock. I think the writer(s) should be applauded for a pretty original script rather than the pure gore we receive so much today. If you're a horror fan, I'm sure this would make your top 50 list, if not 40.
Car Sick
sol-kay8 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS***Very uneven thriller involving L.A teenager Penny Deerborn, Rachel Miner, who together with her therapist and good friend Orianna Volkes, Mimi Rogers, takes a trip into the great outdoors, in Northern California, to overcome her phobia in being scared to death of automobiles. This all stems back some time ago when Penny survived a car crash in which both her parents were killed, when the car exploded, right before her eyes.
Penny seemed to be taking the car ride pretty well until Orianna was distracted for a brief moment, talking to Penny about her use of anti-depression drugs, and hit a person out on the road at night. Being the Good Samaritan that she is Orianna offers the person, who didn't seem to be badly hurt, a ride only to later realize that he, or she, is a bit strange to say the least! That's when he offers Penny what looks like a barbecue rib for a bite to eat. As it later turns out it-the barbecue rib- was the remains of a person that he, the stranger, murdered and dismembered earlier that evening! As we soon find out, with a number of persons in the film getting slashed to death, the stranger is an escapee from a local mental institution for the criminally insane.***SPOILERS*** It's just a darn shame that both Penny and especially Orianna, who being trained in psychology, who should have known better didn't realize what they were dealing with. It would have save them a lot of headaches and in the case of Orianna her life!
Pretty decent horror thriller if you over look the many plot-holes in it "Penny Dreadful" also as in its cast in a cameo appearance as the creepy gas station attendant Michael Barryman of "The Hills have Eyes" fame. Oddly enough Barryman is one of the most sympathetic characters in the entire film. Barryman can't help how he looks, like something out of you worst nightmares, and when he scares the living sh*t out of Penny when he gentlemanly tells her where the washroom is located, at his gas station, you sympathize far more for him, in having his feelings hurt, then with her!
The 16 year-old Rachal Miner is by far the best reason to watch "Penny Dreadful" in how she as Penny Deerborn conveys fear and terror throughout the entire film as she's being stalked by the deranged masked or hooded killer. If anything the fact that Penny is a target of the escaped psycho makes her overcome her fear of cars which now he, in trying to murder Penny, replaced. As for Mimi Rogers as Orianna Volkes she was far more convincing in the movie as a corpse that a living person which she played-in the majority of scenes she was in the movie-to perfection.
Penny seemed to be taking the car ride pretty well until Orianna was distracted for a brief moment, talking to Penny about her use of anti-depression drugs, and hit a person out on the road at night. Being the Good Samaritan that she is Orianna offers the person, who didn't seem to be badly hurt, a ride only to later realize that he, or she, is a bit strange to say the least! That's when he offers Penny what looks like a barbecue rib for a bite to eat. As it later turns out it-the barbecue rib- was the remains of a person that he, the stranger, murdered and dismembered earlier that evening! As we soon find out, with a number of persons in the film getting slashed to death, the stranger is an escapee from a local mental institution for the criminally insane.***SPOILERS*** It's just a darn shame that both Penny and especially Orianna, who being trained in psychology, who should have known better didn't realize what they were dealing with. It would have save them a lot of headaches and in the case of Orianna her life!
Pretty decent horror thriller if you over look the many plot-holes in it "Penny Dreadful" also as in its cast in a cameo appearance as the creepy gas station attendant Michael Barryman of "The Hills have Eyes" fame. Oddly enough Barryman is one of the most sympathetic characters in the entire film. Barryman can't help how he looks, like something out of you worst nightmares, and when he scares the living sh*t out of Penny when he gentlemanly tells her where the washroom is located, at his gas station, you sympathize far more for him, in having his feelings hurt, then with her!
The 16 year-old Rachal Miner is by far the best reason to watch "Penny Dreadful" in how she as Penny Deerborn conveys fear and terror throughout the entire film as she's being stalked by the deranged masked or hooded killer. If anything the fact that Penny is a target of the escaped psycho makes her overcome her fear of cars which now he, in trying to murder Penny, replaced. As for Mimi Rogers as Orianna Volkes she was far more convincing in the movie as a corpse that a living person which she played-in the majority of scenes she was in the movie-to perfection.
The most ungrateful hitchhiker EVER!
Milo-Jeeder24 May 2007
Boy, am I glad to see an uncomplicated film that doesn't desperately try to follow the "twist in the end" trend. It appears that many horror flick these days try too hard to surprise the audience, even if that means offering a ridiculous ending and, thankfully, this was not the case.
In "Penny Dreadful", a young girl named Penny, who has a severe fear of cars, as a result of a traumatic accident, is willing to overcome her phobia, by going on a road trip with Orianna, her therapist. During an argument, Orianna accidentally hits a hitchhiker who was walking in the middle of the road and decides to stop to help. When she realizes that the traveler is actually in perfect conditions, Orianna decides to give the hitchhiker a ride as a modest way of apologizing. Unfortunately, the hitchhiker turns out to be a raging murderer who will turn the therapeutic experience into Hell on Earth. Given the circumstances, the thing that Penny fears the most, ends up becoming her only saving shelter from the psychopath who lurks outside.
Despite its simplicity, "Penny Dreadful" offers a small surprise that doesn't ruin the entire thing. I won't say it, of course... but there is one little surprise regarding the killer. I enjoyed this movie a lot, regardless of a few little things that appeared to be somewhat out of place and don't have any kind of connection to the story of Penny and Orianna. Regarding the characters, I was glad to actually felt compelled to root for the good guys. One of the biggest problems with recent horror flicks is that the 'villains' are sometimes more interesting and sympathetic than the good guys, which results in a lack of interest for the ones we're supposed to root for. Even though there were moments in which I felt like jumping into the screen and shake both Penny and Orianna for being so stupid, I felt empathy for our final girl during the entire time, because, stupidity aside, she's a nice girl who is trying to overcome her past. I can't deny that she was a very irritating, but at the same time, I could empathize with her and I wanted her to survive and even make the hitchhiker pay.
If you're in the mood for an enjoyable film that doesn't desperately try to shock the audience with a twist, give "Penny Dreadful" a chance. But most of all....brace yourself, put on your seat-belt and don't forget your breathing exercises, because this is going to be one hell of a ride!
In "Penny Dreadful", a young girl named Penny, who has a severe fear of cars, as a result of a traumatic accident, is willing to overcome her phobia, by going on a road trip with Orianna, her therapist. During an argument, Orianna accidentally hits a hitchhiker who was walking in the middle of the road and decides to stop to help. When she realizes that the traveler is actually in perfect conditions, Orianna decides to give the hitchhiker a ride as a modest way of apologizing. Unfortunately, the hitchhiker turns out to be a raging murderer who will turn the therapeutic experience into Hell on Earth. Given the circumstances, the thing that Penny fears the most, ends up becoming her only saving shelter from the psychopath who lurks outside.
Despite its simplicity, "Penny Dreadful" offers a small surprise that doesn't ruin the entire thing. I won't say it, of course... but there is one little surprise regarding the killer. I enjoyed this movie a lot, regardless of a few little things that appeared to be somewhat out of place and don't have any kind of connection to the story of Penny and Orianna. Regarding the characters, I was glad to actually felt compelled to root for the good guys. One of the biggest problems with recent horror flicks is that the 'villains' are sometimes more interesting and sympathetic than the good guys, which results in a lack of interest for the ones we're supposed to root for. Even though there were moments in which I felt like jumping into the screen and shake both Penny and Orianna for being so stupid, I felt empathy for our final girl during the entire time, because, stupidity aside, she's a nice girl who is trying to overcome her past. I can't deny that she was a very irritating, but at the same time, I could empathize with her and I wanted her to survive and even make the hitchhiker pay.
If you're in the mood for an enjoyable film that doesn't desperately try to shock the audience with a twist, give "Penny Dreadful" a chance. But most of all....brace yourself, put on your seat-belt and don't forget your breathing exercises, because this is going to be one hell of a ride!
Penny Dreadful
Scarecrow-8828 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Penny Deerborn(Rachel Miner, in a great performance)suffers from a deep, penetrating fear of cars stemming from a devastating wreck which took the lives of her parents. To tackle this fear head on, her therapist Orianna(Mimi Rogers)wishes to take Penny to the location of which the wreck occurred. But, along the way, they pick up a hitchhiker who is actually an escaped lunatic who murdered several people at a diner. Releasing the hitcher at a closed campsite for the winter, Orianna wishes to get the hell out of dodge, but her tire is torn by a large pin..the hitcher has them where he/she wants them. With it getting colder and colder and a storm a brewing, Orianna walks away from the car hoping to get a signal on her cell phone, but the hitcher has other plans. Penny suffered a twisted ankle when Orianna was teaching her a lesson(Penny would not return to the car so Orianna pretended to leave her which had the frightened young phobic running for it with the end result being a twisted ankle)and when trying to get away from the killer hits her head on a stone. Awakening inside her car, Penny finds the recording of Orianna's murder on a camcorder in her lap and even worse the car pinned between large trees with no escape route possible! So Penny is at the mercy of a psychopath bent on toying with her inner fear of cars. There are various characters in the flick merely fodder for the hitcher to sneak up behind with his/her knife such as two camp groundskeepers pulling night shift duty, Eddie(Mickey Jones)and Alvin(Chad Todhunter). Also, Alvin's adulterous lover, Mary(Tammy Filor)is another addition to the hitcher's death list.
Cliché ridden horror flick is surprisingly intense thanks to the effective multiple dilemmas facing our heroine Penny. Miner's virtuoso performance as the tormented Penny helps anchor this exercise somewhat. Having Mimi Rogers' corpse in the car with Penny ratchets up the macabre situation not to mention the blood scattered all over the car windows bringing a vibrant color red splashed on Miner's face as she constantly looks for the appearance of her captor or possible help from somebody outside. The knowledge of a sicko killer somewhere out of the car as we watch poor Penny inside adds dimension to the thriller. But, when we are introduced to the killer in all his/her glory..the screeching, hammy, over-the-top villainy is laughable instead of frightening and ruins the sharp build-up of suspense from director Richard Brandes. And, the cliché-ridden script is also hard to overcome considering this is still a hitch-hiker psycho-thriller that has been done before. This flick's damn lucky Miner is as good as she is and that her mental plight is so interesting because it almost makes this little creeper a success. I will say Brandes is quite talented with a keen ability to squeeze every bit of tension out of this rather-predictable flick. It's also quite attractive visually..good production values, it's most certainly a good-looking film even if it's rather derivative. Horror icon Michael Berryman has a cameo as a Gas Station Attendant.
Cliché ridden horror flick is surprisingly intense thanks to the effective multiple dilemmas facing our heroine Penny. Miner's virtuoso performance as the tormented Penny helps anchor this exercise somewhat. Having Mimi Rogers' corpse in the car with Penny ratchets up the macabre situation not to mention the blood scattered all over the car windows bringing a vibrant color red splashed on Miner's face as she constantly looks for the appearance of her captor or possible help from somebody outside. The knowledge of a sicko killer somewhere out of the car as we watch poor Penny inside adds dimension to the thriller. But, when we are introduced to the killer in all his/her glory..the screeching, hammy, over-the-top villainy is laughable instead of frightening and ruins the sharp build-up of suspense from director Richard Brandes. And, the cliché-ridden script is also hard to overcome considering this is still a hitch-hiker psycho-thriller that has been done before. This flick's damn lucky Miner is as good as she is and that her mental plight is so interesting because it almost makes this little creeper a success. I will say Brandes is quite talented with a keen ability to squeeze every bit of tension out of this rather-predictable flick. It's also quite attractive visually..good production values, it's most certainly a good-looking film even if it's rather derivative. Horror icon Michael Berryman has a cameo as a Gas Station Attendant.
Highly effective horror movie, with a terrific performance by Rachel Miner
misbegotten26 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Rachel Miner plays Penny, a young woman who's had a phobia about cars ever since surviving the childhood road accident in which both her parents were killed. Her therapist (Mimi Rogers, always welcome) suggests a road trip to the remote stretch of highway where the incident occurred. Poor Penny soon finds herself trapped inside her therapist's wrecked vehicle with a dead body for company, miles from anywhere on a freezing cold night, with a hooded psychopath lurking outside in the darkness, tormenting her.
This is a wonderfully suspenseful, well written & directed movie, with a tour-de-force performance from Miner. She spends almost the entire film either terrified, having panic attacks and hyperventilating, hallucinating, having one-sided conversations with the corpse, and even babbling semi-coherently to herself. The script also impresses by addressing the realities of being trapped in an enclosed space for several hours (which most films would either ignore or forget), with Penny having to matter-of-factly pee into a cup. Towards the end of the movie, pushed way past her breaking point, the young girl is eyeing the bottle of sleeping pills she's carrying and contemplating suicide.
Penny Dreadful reminded me of several recent movies, such as Reeker, Rest Stop, Black Cadillac, Dead End and Wind Chill. It's as good as any of those films, and better than some of them. Highly recommended.
This is a wonderfully suspenseful, well written & directed movie, with a tour-de-force performance from Miner. She spends almost the entire film either terrified, having panic attacks and hyperventilating, hallucinating, having one-sided conversations with the corpse, and even babbling semi-coherently to herself. The script also impresses by addressing the realities of being trapped in an enclosed space for several hours (which most films would either ignore or forget), with Penny having to matter-of-factly pee into a cup. Towards the end of the movie, pushed way past her breaking point, the young girl is eyeing the bottle of sleeping pills she's carrying and contemplating suicide.
Penny Dreadful reminded me of several recent movies, such as Reeker, Rest Stop, Black Cadillac, Dead End and Wind Chill. It's as good as any of those films, and better than some of them. Highly recommended.
Claustrophobic And Creepy, But Not Perfect.
drownsoda9031 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
"Penny Dreadful" (another one of the eight horror films in the After Dark Horror Film Festival that took place in November 2006) is a surprisingly spooky and enjoyable horror film. The story follows Penny Deerborn (Rachel Miner, "The Black Dahlia"), a college-aged woman who is petrified of cars, her fear rooting to a grisly childhood car wreck that killed her parents. Her therapist and friend Orianna (Mimi Rogers) decides it is time for Penny to confront her fear of automobiles, and takes her on a road trip up into the mountains. When night falls, Orianna accidentally hits a hitchhiker, who ends up surviving just fine, and offers him a ride. An already panicked Penny is even more nervous, and the mysterious hooded hitchhiker ends up poking a skewer into their tires after they drop him off. Trying to get a cell phone signal, Orianna ends up dead, and Penny awakens in the car with Orianna's lifeless body in the driver's seat. The hitchhiker has pinned the car in between a row of trees, making it impossible for Penny to escape, as he taunts her and plays numerous games. Now, the place that Penny feared most is the only safe place for her to keep away from the maniac.
Another worthy indie-horror movie, "Penny Dreadful" is fairly original story wise. Take some elements from "Cujo" (mainly the idea of being trapped inside of a car), throw in a maniacal hitchhiker with murderous intent, and a girl who is petrified of cars, and you get a nice little horror film. The entire film essentially takes place within a two-door car, so one would think that it would be difficult to make an exciting horror flick when the setting is so limited, but this film made it work. The script is well written and it still manages to be interesting and entertaining without ever coming off as yawn-some - I was interested with the film the entire time and was curious to see what would happen next, never a bad thing. I will say that the film does begin to drag a little bit in the middle, mainly with Penny's endless hysteria, but it made sense with her character (correlating with her extreme fear of cars and her panicky personality), and it begins to pick up with the hitchhiker's antics to terrorize poor Penny. There are some neat shots used in the film as well, and the forest setting is made use of, with plenty of spooky shots of the trees looming over the car. Most of the film also has an almost blue tint to it (which later turns red), and is a nice touch.
Acting wise, the film is decent. Rachel Miner's performance was wonderful. She played the character very well, as a likable and innocent girl with an extreme phobia. You can't help but feel sorry for her, and she pulls off that sympathy. Mimi Rogers plays her therapist (and almost a motherly figure), and I have to admit I wasn't too impressed with her. Her lines were a little flat and she wasn't believable enough - I'm not sure if it was just me, but that's how a felt about it. Not that it matters a whole lot anyway, because her character spends the majority of the film dead in the back seat of the car. There was also a neat cameo from Michael Berryman (most noted for playing one of the main cannibals in Wes Craven's 1977 horror film "The Hills Have Eyes") as a gas station attendant, which was nice to see. I was a bit confused with the film as it neared the end, and I thought the resolution could have been improved on (especially in relation to the hitchhikers identity). Like I said though, this film does have it's problems.
Overall, "Penny Dreadful" is definitely worth a rental if you like claustrophobic horror films. As far as the story goes, the movie is pretty original and has a decent amount of shocks and spooky moments, and Miner's performance was really good. It needs some work in a few places, but considering the budget, this is a pretty high-quality movie. Out of the four films from the After Dark Horrorfest that I've seen so far, this one is near the top of the list. All in all, I liked it. 7/10.
Another worthy indie-horror movie, "Penny Dreadful" is fairly original story wise. Take some elements from "Cujo" (mainly the idea of being trapped inside of a car), throw in a maniacal hitchhiker with murderous intent, and a girl who is petrified of cars, and you get a nice little horror film. The entire film essentially takes place within a two-door car, so one would think that it would be difficult to make an exciting horror flick when the setting is so limited, but this film made it work. The script is well written and it still manages to be interesting and entertaining without ever coming off as yawn-some - I was interested with the film the entire time and was curious to see what would happen next, never a bad thing. I will say that the film does begin to drag a little bit in the middle, mainly with Penny's endless hysteria, but it made sense with her character (correlating with her extreme fear of cars and her panicky personality), and it begins to pick up with the hitchhiker's antics to terrorize poor Penny. There are some neat shots used in the film as well, and the forest setting is made use of, with plenty of spooky shots of the trees looming over the car. Most of the film also has an almost blue tint to it (which later turns red), and is a nice touch.
Acting wise, the film is decent. Rachel Miner's performance was wonderful. She played the character very well, as a likable and innocent girl with an extreme phobia. You can't help but feel sorry for her, and she pulls off that sympathy. Mimi Rogers plays her therapist (and almost a motherly figure), and I have to admit I wasn't too impressed with her. Her lines were a little flat and she wasn't believable enough - I'm not sure if it was just me, but that's how a felt about it. Not that it matters a whole lot anyway, because her character spends the majority of the film dead in the back seat of the car. There was also a neat cameo from Michael Berryman (most noted for playing one of the main cannibals in Wes Craven's 1977 horror film "The Hills Have Eyes") as a gas station attendant, which was nice to see. I was a bit confused with the film as it neared the end, and I thought the resolution could have been improved on (especially in relation to the hitchhikers identity). Like I said though, this film does have it's problems.
Overall, "Penny Dreadful" is definitely worth a rental if you like claustrophobic horror films. As far as the story goes, the movie is pretty original and has a decent amount of shocks and spooky moments, and Miner's performance was really good. It needs some work in a few places, but considering the budget, this is a pretty high-quality movie. Out of the four films from the After Dark Horrorfest that I've seen so far, this one is near the top of the list. All in all, I liked it. 7/10.
Penny is good; but not nearly dreadful enough
Act2action19 November 2006
PD misses a lot of opportunities to scare or even freak you out. It has a great set-up, a devilishly simple set (mostly one car) and a bad guy who likes people-ka-bobs... so the scares are a sure thing...right? Nope. Unfortunately for the stellar cast, the movie makes every necessary effort to ruin surprises, cut to the wrong camera shot at the climactic moment, and follow every scary movie cliché there is. We have the "anybody there" moments, the "is that you" line every time the character speaks, the lovers doing it in the back and the great supporting cast that has no use but to fill body bags. Horror for horror sake is a good thing, but this film doesn't capitalize on its confined claustrophobic space, nor does it keep the tension that it could have. Camera shots are cool, but over used and usually not in the right spaces. Even the final scary sequence fails to deliver, ending mid-scene as if the writer forgot to finish it. There is no bang. Mimi Rogers is wasted, as is most of the cast. The main character Penny does a good job, reacts wonderfully... even when there is nothing scary even going on. Without any offense to the actors, or movies in which are set in one location (I love those) this movie is not worth the full price. I saw it to support the Horror fest national film festival... a suggestion for next year... how about a group rate (all 8 movies for one admission?).
This movie was a frustrating waste of time
jujube101919 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Why does anyone like this movie? The heroine, Penny, is so pathetic and stupid that I was hoping that the hitchhiker would just kill her to make the movie decent. There are sooooo many things wrong with this movie!
1)Oh, we picked up a creepy hitchhiker in the middle of NOWHERE and he wants to be dropped off deep in the woods? SURE! We'll give you a ride! While we're driving you there, you won't speak a word to us but we'll volunteer our life history to you, including our deepest fear, just because why?!?!
2)We've just discovered that creepy hitchhiker pierced our tire and it is RAPIDLY losing air and we have a time limit to get back to the highway but Penny decides to be afraid of the car for that time. HMMM, a scary car that can CARRY YOU TO SAFETY or being stuck in the woods with some freak who just got you to drive into the middle of the woods and pierced your tire so that you would be stuck there? Did I mention that NOBODY KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE to come help you?!?!?! (Penny should have been punched in the face in this scene. I started hating her at this moment and she only got STUPIDER!!!!)
3)If you've been honking the horn of your car and screaming out the windows for help to no avail, but you suddenly hear the honking of another car,why do you only produce minimal efforts to get help NOW? Why do you scream only a couple times and then try to honk the horn and then sob in defeat? I had to watch you scream and pound the windows for five minutes for nothing, but when help is near your attempts to get help are meager? And why did the horn work SOOO well when your therapist's face fell on it, but all of a sudden you can't make it work at all?
4)When that guy came to help you, why did you guys try to unwedge the car instead of asking him to get a rock a break your windshield so you could get out?!?! AHHHHHHH! 5)I'm going to keep taking these pills because they "help" me, yet every time I take them, I pass out and when I wake up SOMETHING REALLY BAD ALWAYS HAPPENS TO ME, Hmmm....I think I'll take more pills.
These are the biggest issues I had, and they're are not tiny details that I nitpicked, these are big scenes that are obvious to anyone watching. I should have left after the scene where Penny wouldn't get back in the car. The acting was good, but overall this was a stupid, stupid movie. See it at your own risk!
1)Oh, we picked up a creepy hitchhiker in the middle of NOWHERE and he wants to be dropped off deep in the woods? SURE! We'll give you a ride! While we're driving you there, you won't speak a word to us but we'll volunteer our life history to you, including our deepest fear, just because why?!?!
2)We've just discovered that creepy hitchhiker pierced our tire and it is RAPIDLY losing air and we have a time limit to get back to the highway but Penny decides to be afraid of the car for that time. HMMM, a scary car that can CARRY YOU TO SAFETY or being stuck in the woods with some freak who just got you to drive into the middle of the woods and pierced your tire so that you would be stuck there? Did I mention that NOBODY KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE to come help you?!?!?! (Penny should have been punched in the face in this scene. I started hating her at this moment and she only got STUPIDER!!!!)
3)If you've been honking the horn of your car and screaming out the windows for help to no avail, but you suddenly hear the honking of another car,why do you only produce minimal efforts to get help NOW? Why do you scream only a couple times and then try to honk the horn and then sob in defeat? I had to watch you scream and pound the windows for five minutes for nothing, but when help is near your attempts to get help are meager? And why did the horn work SOOO well when your therapist's face fell on it, but all of a sudden you can't make it work at all?
4)When that guy came to help you, why did you guys try to unwedge the car instead of asking him to get a rock a break your windshield so you could get out?!?! AHHHHHHH! 5)I'm going to keep taking these pills because they "help" me, yet every time I take them, I pass out and when I wake up SOMETHING REALLY BAD ALWAYS HAPPENS TO ME, Hmmm....I think I'll take more pills.
These are the biggest issues I had, and they're are not tiny details that I nitpicked, these are big scenes that are obvious to anyone watching. I should have left after the scene where Penny wouldn't get back in the car. The acting was good, but overall this was a stupid, stupid movie. See it at your own risk!
Pretty Dreadful
Caustic Pulp19 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
The only reason this got a 2 is because the killer's appearance IS fairly chilling when he's actually revealed, and because it actually does a semi-effective job of conveying panic.
Of course, the movie itself is absolute dreck. What we have is a short film that has been extended to feature length for no discernible reason other than "hey, maybe we can make some money on this!" The main character, Penny, has a phobia of cars, something I'm sure we can all identify with. What? You can't? Well, there's your first problem.
The turning point of the film, as shown in the trailer, is when her therapist runs down a hitchhiker, so they pick him up. I'm sorry, but if I ran that guy over, I'd keep driving. He's really obviously creepy looking; well, more, he looks like Emperor Palpatine while he still has the hood on. Either way, when I saw him on the road, I thought, "Wow, I'd pick up Rutger Hauer before I'd pick up this guy." This was a stupid, stupid moment where no one, no matter how dumb, how intoxicated, would possibly think to pick this guy up. Since this scene is necessary to make the movie work, the whole thing just collapses.
There's a second plot thread involving other characters that exists entirely to pad running time and ultimately winds up having no discernible effect on the plot concerning Penny or even any relevance at all.
Most of the blame for the film can be placed squarely on the character of Penny, who is basically a futile, sniveling lightweight that seems actively afraid to do anything to help herself.
Unfortunately, she's really the fatal flaw of the film. She has a phobia you can't identify with, and she spends the entire film in this heightened state of tension, from literally frame one. You have to build your film, you can't just start up there and expect the thing to stay there, people will get tired and bored. More than that, she spends most of the film crying, screaming, and just generally being useless. From the get go she behaves like this infantile individual even though she's a young adult, quickly robbing the audience of any patience or concern they might have had for her well-being. You WANT her to die.
You don't identify with her because you're not like her, because you're proactive. You'd be trying to survive. Penny is a liability to herself, to everyone around her, and to entertainment.
Avoid this movie at all costs.
Of course, the movie itself is absolute dreck. What we have is a short film that has been extended to feature length for no discernible reason other than "hey, maybe we can make some money on this!" The main character, Penny, has a phobia of cars, something I'm sure we can all identify with. What? You can't? Well, there's your first problem.
The turning point of the film, as shown in the trailer, is when her therapist runs down a hitchhiker, so they pick him up. I'm sorry, but if I ran that guy over, I'd keep driving. He's really obviously creepy looking; well, more, he looks like Emperor Palpatine while he still has the hood on. Either way, when I saw him on the road, I thought, "Wow, I'd pick up Rutger Hauer before I'd pick up this guy." This was a stupid, stupid moment where no one, no matter how dumb, how intoxicated, would possibly think to pick this guy up. Since this scene is necessary to make the movie work, the whole thing just collapses.
There's a second plot thread involving other characters that exists entirely to pad running time and ultimately winds up having no discernible effect on the plot concerning Penny or even any relevance at all.
Most of the blame for the film can be placed squarely on the character of Penny, who is basically a futile, sniveling lightweight that seems actively afraid to do anything to help herself.
Unfortunately, she's really the fatal flaw of the film. She has a phobia you can't identify with, and she spends the entire film in this heightened state of tension, from literally frame one. You have to build your film, you can't just start up there and expect the thing to stay there, people will get tired and bored. More than that, she spends most of the film crying, screaming, and just generally being useless. From the get go she behaves like this infantile individual even though she's a young adult, quickly robbing the audience of any patience or concern they might have had for her well-being. You WANT her to die.
You don't identify with her because you're not like her, because you're proactive. You'd be trying to survive. Penny is a liability to herself, to everyone around her, and to entertainment.
Avoid this movie at all costs.
terrible, terrible
rusty83154919 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the worst horror movies I've ever seen. It is the most cliché-filled horror film I've yet to see. It's filled with stupid characters who do exactly the opposite of what a real rational person would do in these situations. Pick up a hitchhiker in a menacing overcoat with a hood in the middle of night in the middle of nowhere? A guy who looks dead from the nose down? Why not? After he offers you raw meat on a skewer, do you try to get him out of the car? No, you keep on driving and trying to have pleasant conversation with him. After you find said meat skewer in the tire, do you pull it out, releasing all the air from the tire? Of course! Does the reputable therapist leave the emotionally scarred kid terrified of cars alone inside the car while she tries to get a signal from her cell phone? Why not? She'll be okay, right? Okay, you kind of get the point of how dumb this movie is. At one point the camp caretaker can't figure out how to get Penny out of the car. Hello! Grab a rock and smash the rear window in. A five-year-old is smarter than this guy. After he tries pushing on the car to get her out while she's in reverse, the car doesn't budge, but later on in the film Penny is able to move the car by sticking her leg out the window and pushing off of a tree. Totally ridiculous. Avoid this movie at all costs.
Perhaps An Acquired Taste, But I Liked It
gavin69426 June 2007
Penny Deerborn (Rachel Miner) and her therapist, Orianna Volkes (Mimi Rogers) take a trip to help Penny overcome her fear of cars. But as with any horror film, things go wrong and the car they are traveling in ends up becoming a prison for Penny (wedged between two trees). Oh, and there's also a serial killer loose in the woods.
What is going to be the real deal-maker (or breaker) for this film is if the audience can relate to Penny's fear of cars. Roughly an hour of the film has her in the car by herself being scared. Not much of a plot, or much dialog -- just the actress and her expressions of fear. Many viewers will find this intensely boring. I, however, could relate quite well with this (as someone with anxiety, I often experience attacks in cars and can put myself in her shoes -- if I had been Penny, I would have been much less brave).
Rachel Miner deserves full credit for being amazing. I was not really familiar with her before this, though her name was somewhat known. She seems to have a very solid range, if this movie is any example -- she was asked to carry a film all on her own with no characters to talk to. And in my opinion, she did it.
Mimi Rogers (the former Mrs. Tom Cruise) also plays a unique role. As a corpse. I think that deserves some credit, too, as even acting dead must take some skills -- never really moving or breathing on camera. Definitely a new direction for Rogers.
Secondary characters were nice, if for no other reason than to round out the film... and I loved the visuals... the colors of the dark, snowy mountains. I don't know much about cameras, but I like the way the light was filtered to give it this dark, lonely look. Very good move.
I say check this one out. It may not be for you -- it might bore you to tears. So if you think you're one of those, don't watch it late at night when you're about to take a nap. If you have any sort of anxiety or claustrophobia, I think you'll get a lot more out of this one. And as long as everyone just ignores how conveniently coincidental the whole plot is, we'll be fine.
What is going to be the real deal-maker (or breaker) for this film is if the audience can relate to Penny's fear of cars. Roughly an hour of the film has her in the car by herself being scared. Not much of a plot, or much dialog -- just the actress and her expressions of fear. Many viewers will find this intensely boring. I, however, could relate quite well with this (as someone with anxiety, I often experience attacks in cars and can put myself in her shoes -- if I had been Penny, I would have been much less brave).
Rachel Miner deserves full credit for being amazing. I was not really familiar with her before this, though her name was somewhat known. She seems to have a very solid range, if this movie is any example -- she was asked to carry a film all on her own with no characters to talk to. And in my opinion, she did it.
Mimi Rogers (the former Mrs. Tom Cruise) also plays a unique role. As a corpse. I think that deserves some credit, too, as even acting dead must take some skills -- never really moving or breathing on camera. Definitely a new direction for Rogers.
Secondary characters were nice, if for no other reason than to round out the film... and I loved the visuals... the colors of the dark, snowy mountains. I don't know much about cameras, but I like the way the light was filtered to give it this dark, lonely look. Very good move.
I say check this one out. It may not be for you -- it might bore you to tears. So if you think you're one of those, don't watch it late at night when you're about to take a nap. If you have any sort of anxiety or claustrophobia, I think you'll get a lot more out of this one. And as long as everyone just ignores how conveniently coincidental the whole plot is, we'll be fine.
Not worth a Penny and quite Dreadful
breakbeatninja18 November 2006
This movie was not worth the time it took to watch it. There was a very loose plot, the characters were very two dimensional and the dialogs were awful. I wouldn't classify this as a horror movie, either, because there's barely enough suspense, gore or fright to qualify it in to the horror genre.
The entire film is slow paced and could easily be condensed in to 30 minutes of mindless drivel. There's certainly a very good reason "Penny Dreadful" did not make it in to mainstream cinema and that's because it's not worthy.
You've been warned.
The entire film is slow paced and could easily be condensed in to 30 minutes of mindless drivel. There's certainly a very good reason "Penny Dreadful" did not make it in to mainstream cinema and that's because it's not worthy.
You've been warned.
Tense, chilling, but could've been better
Kezzizzle8 May 2007
I did like this film quite a lot (even though I have only given it 6/10). It's very tense and does send chills up your spine. The acting is very good, the storyline is imaginative but somehow I have this feeling, that it could've been so much better.
It's basically about a young girl who has a phobia of riding in cars (known as Amaxophobia) ever since her parents died tragically in a car accident when she was very young. Now, older, she must go back to where it happened with her psychiatrist to overcome her fears...this is her last step in her "program".
On route to this place, they hit a hitch-hiker and her psychiatrist feels so bad about this she decides to give them a lift, much to Penny's disapproval. They introduce themselves and Penny soon tells the hitch-hiker why they are travelling to the mountains (to overcome her fear of riding in cars).
When the hitch-hiker gets to their destination...thats when things start to go really bad. It's a tense and chilling roller-coaster from this point on and the acting from Penny is brilliant! However, there are times when you think to yourself "get on with it"...but in Penny's situation...you will understand why she doesn't! I would recommend seeing this as it is a good movie. But don't expect much gore, or horror. It's more of a thriller.
Always remember never tell a stranger ANYTHING about yourself ;)
It's basically about a young girl who has a phobia of riding in cars (known as Amaxophobia) ever since her parents died tragically in a car accident when she was very young. Now, older, she must go back to where it happened with her psychiatrist to overcome her fears...this is her last step in her "program".
On route to this place, they hit a hitch-hiker and her psychiatrist feels so bad about this she decides to give them a lift, much to Penny's disapproval. They introduce themselves and Penny soon tells the hitch-hiker why they are travelling to the mountains (to overcome her fear of riding in cars).
When the hitch-hiker gets to their destination...thats when things start to go really bad. It's a tense and chilling roller-coaster from this point on and the acting from Penny is brilliant! However, there are times when you think to yourself "get on with it"...but in Penny's situation...you will understand why she doesn't! I would recommend seeing this as it is a good movie. But don't expect much gore, or horror. It's more of a thriller.
Always remember never tell a stranger ANYTHING about yourself ;)
8 Films to Die For Horror Fest Reviews .6: Penny Dreadful
ChiefGoreMongral5 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Penny Dreadful starts us off with a girl named Penny (of course) and her therapist (played by Mimi Rodgers) going on a trip to overcome young Penny's fears of cars. Penny was in an accident as a youngster that killed her mom and dad and she now has a major phobia to the point that even getting in the passenger seat makes her panic to the point of hyperventilation. Penny is having a rough time with the ride and just as it seems she may start coming to grips her Therapist hits a stranger with her car as he is walking near the side of the road.
After she finds that the man is not dead she gives him a ride to a campsite and lets him out after some rather unbecoming behavior. Unfortunately (as in all movies of this kind) they have not seen the end of our finger shishkabob eating freak as he has took that said shishkabob and rammed it in their tire, so much for helping the guy huh. After a bunch of nonsense and the Therapist not returning after she begins looking for help Penny is left to deal with the nut case on her own as she is stuck in the vehicle.
If you watch the movie you will understand what I mean by the word stuck but unless you have watched "The Hitcher" 2 dozen times (heck might as well make it 25) and your in the mood for giving another crazed hitchhiker film a go do not bother. This movie, which had potential, fails to rise above mediocrity for pretty much most of its running time. First off the main character Penny was very very annoying and not a really good character mainly because as other films may have played off it's main characters fears and vices this film hammers us with the girls issues for far too long and makes for a tedious viewing.
Also for a movie that has a decent nut job killer he really doesn't get but a few moments to shine as there is really no fodder for him and the limited times we do have it it is rather unoriginal kills though some of the head games he plays with Penny are nice. Also the movie tries to play itself out as a sort of Alfred Hitchcock Lifeboat style movie except we only get 1 person with mental issues and phobias and no other interaction, except for a really dumb subplot with a guy, a work buddy and a lady who is cheating on her husband with the first guy. That whole side plot goes NOWHERE at all. Lastly the ending ties up "loose ends" on where the killer is from and is very unoriginal as well as lame.
Although I have severally beaten this film into submission I still fill the problem with the movie was 1) the story needed to be fleshed out a bit and 2) It was padded way to much just to make a 90 minute feature. I really believe there is a good story here but just not the way it was executed in this film. As a short I could see this movie being better. However with the way this film went and the annoying character study I think that it would still need a rewrite in areas.
In conclusion how bad is Penny Dreadful not utter garbage but 2 words could describe the film as a whole "upsetting" and "annoying". Upsetting as there is a story in here just not fleshed out to its potential and annoying for the main characters overlong, over drawn out character study. If you can get past all that you may find this to be slightly entertaining. With that being the case I give Penny Dreadful the Dreadful but not Devastating score of: 4/10: Below Average, Wasted potential and an annoying lead make for a viewing that may try your patients. If you can overlook this though there may be something in here for some horror fans,but not many. The key standout points are the killers sick playful games but they come too few and far in between to make for a higher score.
After she finds that the man is not dead she gives him a ride to a campsite and lets him out after some rather unbecoming behavior. Unfortunately (as in all movies of this kind) they have not seen the end of our finger shishkabob eating freak as he has took that said shishkabob and rammed it in their tire, so much for helping the guy huh. After a bunch of nonsense and the Therapist not returning after she begins looking for help Penny is left to deal with the nut case on her own as she is stuck in the vehicle.
If you watch the movie you will understand what I mean by the word stuck but unless you have watched "The Hitcher" 2 dozen times (heck might as well make it 25) and your in the mood for giving another crazed hitchhiker film a go do not bother. This movie, which had potential, fails to rise above mediocrity for pretty much most of its running time. First off the main character Penny was very very annoying and not a really good character mainly because as other films may have played off it's main characters fears and vices this film hammers us with the girls issues for far too long and makes for a tedious viewing.
Also for a movie that has a decent nut job killer he really doesn't get but a few moments to shine as there is really no fodder for him and the limited times we do have it it is rather unoriginal kills though some of the head games he plays with Penny are nice. Also the movie tries to play itself out as a sort of Alfred Hitchcock Lifeboat style movie except we only get 1 person with mental issues and phobias and no other interaction, except for a really dumb subplot with a guy, a work buddy and a lady who is cheating on her husband with the first guy. That whole side plot goes NOWHERE at all. Lastly the ending ties up "loose ends" on where the killer is from and is very unoriginal as well as lame.
Although I have severally beaten this film into submission I still fill the problem with the movie was 1) the story needed to be fleshed out a bit and 2) It was padded way to much just to make a 90 minute feature. I really believe there is a good story here but just not the way it was executed in this film. As a short I could see this movie being better. However with the way this film went and the annoying character study I think that it would still need a rewrite in areas.
In conclusion how bad is Penny Dreadful not utter garbage but 2 words could describe the film as a whole "upsetting" and "annoying". Upsetting as there is a story in here just not fleshed out to its potential and annoying for the main characters overlong, over drawn out character study. If you can get past all that you may find this to be slightly entertaining. With that being the case I give Penny Dreadful the Dreadful but not Devastating score of: 4/10: Below Average, Wasted potential and an annoying lead make for a viewing that may try your patients. If you can overlook this though there may be something in here for some horror fans,but not many. The key standout points are the killers sick playful games but they come too few and far in between to make for a higher score.
Modern Slasher Done RIGHT.
robrtman19 May 2010
The first time I saw this movie I didn't really care for it at all. I re-watched it a second time and I absolutely loved it. This movie has great suspense, terror and kills. Penny is a likable character, she is traumatized from a car accident, and is trying to get over her fears and is trying to be a regular person. Her therapist, Orianna, is taking Penny on a road-trip. It's to "Complete the Circle" and have Penny end her fears where they first began. The Hitchhiker is really creepy. He then traumatizes Penny even more throughout the film. The reason I liked this film is because first of all, it's a really good movie - if you're into this kind of film. And second because it shows how you don't a HUGE budget and big name stars in a movie for it to be good.
horrorfest
rivertam2619 November 2006
Penny Dreadful is an interesting film. It's simplistic and executed for most of it's 98 minute running time intensely. But it drops the ball so drastically in it last quarter that the film almost falters completely. No doubt the most entertaining of the three it tells the story of a young girl named Penny whom witnessed her parents dying in a car accident. Growing up some years later she has a fear of cars and is taken by her psychiatrist up to the mountains to confront this fear head on at the place it happened. However upon reaching their destination they accidentally hit a grotesque hitchhiker and upon dropping him off are left stranded in the middle of nowhere after he attacks the car. With a blown off tire, no cell phone reception and a busted ankle Penny is left to fend for herself against the homicidal maniac. The concept is simple and scary imagined being entrapped in such a small space and terrorized. People of course come to help and are brutally slain. Some of the suspense sequences work wonderfully well from the camouflaging of the killer, to noises and sounds in the night. Rachael Miner's performance as Penny is multi layered and award worthy. The film has some nice supporting nods to from Mimi Rogers and others. The Direction is decent and promising while the score and cinematography are top notch and quite impressive. The films problems are simple pacing, it gets a little long in places, the killer he should never be aloud to speak and the final act. What seems to be racing towards a crazy finale ends up reaching it boiling point early and never erupts. The finale is weak and predictable and because this is such a simplistic movie it's hard to understand why they couldn't have executed a standard finale with the same intense gusto they had been demonstrating throughout. In the end Penny Dreadful is engaging, entertaining and delightfully creepy but with further tweaking we could've had a horror classic on our hands.
Painfully Dreadful
almaric18 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
A movie that lives up to it's title, and man, oh man, was this one dreadful.
Racheal Miner and Mimi Rogers are two women out traveling who make the mistake of picking up a hitchhiker.....always a mistake in a horror film. That's not the only cliché this beautifully shot, but overall weak, effort employs...
Most of the action takes place in a parked car as the hitchhikers toys with Miner who is trapped inside. For well over an hour we're forced to listen to Miner cry, scream, and whine - a true waste of this woman's talent. After 5 minutes of her emotional breakdown, the audience at the AFTER DARK HORROR FEST were laughing in all the wrong places and yelling for the killer to either hurry up and kill Miner or put us out of our misery. Easily, the worst film of that particular festival.
Racheal Miner and Mimi Rogers are two women out traveling who make the mistake of picking up a hitchhiker.....always a mistake in a horror film. That's not the only cliché this beautifully shot, but overall weak, effort employs...
Most of the action takes place in a parked car as the hitchhikers toys with Miner who is trapped inside. For well over an hour we're forced to listen to Miner cry, scream, and whine - a true waste of this woman's talent. After 5 minutes of her emotional breakdown, the audience at the AFTER DARK HORROR FEST were laughing in all the wrong places and yelling for the killer to either hurry up and kill Miner or put us out of our misery. Easily, the worst film of that particular festival.
Dreadful is a good description
Sollus18 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I can't imagine a more annoying movie unless it was a purposely made schlock film. Why anyone would invest money in making this is beyond me. Don't they have screeners who aren't related to the cast? SPOILER - The movie concerns a girl, Penny Dearborn, who is afraid of cars and is taking a road trip with her psychiatrist to overcome it. They pick up a psycho hitchhiker who they take to a closed campground in the mountains where he kills the psychiatrist and traps Penny in the car with the body. The next 1 hr + is spent listening to Penny whine. For some reason I find very little entertainment in listening to someone be pathetic for that long. In between whining she takes sedatives even though I really can't see how anyone would think being held captive by a psycho killer is a reason to take drugs. The illogical points are things like banging on every window with her hands as if she could break the glass and the car wedged between trees so tight that gunning the engine in reverse wont free it, but opening the window and pushing against a tree with one foot does. Avoid this one unless you feel the need to be punished.
Retread Homage Slasher Stew
alansmithee0420 November 2006
As tempting as it is to work this film's title into the review, it's probably best that we forfeit that gag lest we dilute the rest of the review with it's cheap, albeit funny, humor. Sometimes it's better forsake the cheap shot so that we can forthrightly and courageously speak the truth, secure in the knowledge that we have given up only a small thing in pursuit of a higher and more noble principle: To see the truth plainly and communicate it so that all may understand.
Keeping this lofty goal in mind, let me state as unambiguously as I possibly can that this movie really really sucked. Penny Dreadful is the kind of movie that happens when you give a horror film fanboy a camera and a budget. The wheel is invented over (Unrest) and over (Dark Ride) again. So if you're into watching a generic psycho torment a nineteen year old girl for 80-odd minutes, this is the film for you. Knock yourself out.
Keeping this lofty goal in mind, let me state as unambiguously as I possibly can that this movie really really sucked. Penny Dreadful is the kind of movie that happens when you give a horror film fanboy a camera and a budget. The wheel is invented over (Unrest) and over (Dark Ride) again. So if you're into watching a generic psycho torment a nineteen year old girl for 80-odd minutes, this is the film for you. Knock yourself out.
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