Rot (II) (2019) User Reviews

Good until the end

[bananaspider · 5/10 · 19 September 2020]

Ok movie, but the ending sucked. If it had a different ending, I would have given it a 6. I am guessing the director ran out of ideas or was watching too much porn on his phone.

Basically an infected zombie movie.

I gave it 5 stars because......

[mammogramkid · 5/10 · 26 May 2022]

I've had trouble sleeping for weeks until I watched this movie. I start the movie about 11pm on Shudder and I am out cold by 11:20pm!! I simply pick up where I left off the previous evening, then I am lulled to sleep by the most boring acting I've ever seen. The characters are almost all on one monotone level. Plus none of them are likeable, scary, interesting or even a tiny bit entertaining. The positive side is that it's so incredibly uninteresting it helps lull me to sleep no matter what the day has brought me to think about, for that I am eternelly grateful. Who knew kvetching Jewish folks could induce such boredom:

Shivers without the slugs.

[sparkyhughes33 · 3/10 · 21 March 2023]

Awful, I'm being generous with a three, clearly inspired by David Cronanberg's low budget but classic 70s "video nasty".

I really don't get what the story is supposed to be, there doesn't appear to be a plot nor even a premice.

It just comes across as one of those movies made for the sake of making a movie simply because they could, with no apparent story.

There doesn't appear to be a cause for the violant behaviour nor an explanation why it passes from one person to another with a kiss.

At least in David Cronanberg's Shivers what was happening and why was clear.

I'd avoid this, you'll never get that time back.

Rot is what this movie will do on the movie shelf far, far in the back...

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 19 September 2020]

When I sat down to watch "Rot", I must admit that I had expected quite something else than what this movie turned out to be. And for a horror movie, I must say that "Rot" was a swing and a miss.

I am not really sure what writer and director Andrew Merrill tried to accomplish with the script and storyline for this movie, because it felt more like a collection of randomly shot sequences that were put into a pseudo-chronological fashion in order to make a movie. I can't claim to have been entertained by what the script turned out to be. In fact, I found it to be a random scrambled mess that lacked proper coherency.

The characters in the movie sort of faded into one another for me. I couldn't really differentiate between the characters, as they were lacking motivation, background, personality and traits. It just felt like I was watching a puppet show of people milling about randomly.

When I read the synopsis, I must admit that it sounded like this movie had the ingredients of being a movie that could be set in the early stages of a zombie outbreak. But turns out that it was nothing of the kind. In fact, I have honestly no clue what "Rot" turned out to be; aside from being a boring movie.

As for the acting performances in "Rot". Well, don't go expecting to be blown away by any up and coming grand performers here. This is by no means award-winning material. And I think that the actors and actresses were definitely hindered in performing properly given the fact that the script was just downright bad, and the characters were flaccid and lacking details.

I managed to sit through the entire ordeal up to the end, hoping that the movie would become better along the way. But it just never did that, and I was left unimpressed and unentertained. I am rating "Rot" a generous two out of ten stars, mostly because the production level of the movie was actually adequate.

How embarrassing.

[Sauntcht · 2/10 · 8 August 2021]

It's a shame such fantastic cover art was used on such a piss poor film. I'm convinced that all the good reviews about this film are throw away accounts of the director.

Don't bother watching - the acting is stiff, the dialogue is as hollow as holy hell, and plot is boring enough to make traffic seem fun. The climax is pretty funny although I don't think the intent was humor.

Crumby LA faux-horror that is a stinky smear on the resume of every person involved.

What did I just watch?

[sue-77 · 2/10 · 21 September 2021]

I was bored stupid for most of this movie. Waded through the continuity errors, endlessly boring dialogue and really bad acting. Then the last ten minutes I sat there with my mouth hanging open wondering if I'd wandered into a wannabe film student's Cronenberg nightmare. And the whole 'plot' makes about that much sense as well, which is to say, not at all.

One of the worst movies I've ever seen. Makes Troll2 look like a masterpiece. Although I did laugh at the end, kinda, in a where did this come from, are you kidding me, this is the cringiest thing I've ever seen kind of way.

Not recommended.

Oof

[taylermac · 2/10 · 27 March 2023]

Drab, unimaginative with forgetful characters...this movie could have at least earned 4/10 if it had a somewhat halfway decent ending.

Very little happens throughout and when something does occur, it's neither entertaining nor dread inducing.

However, this whole debacle really sealed its fate when the severed penis became animate and tried to kill the protagonist....

It's earned at least a 2/10 rating because for some reason I decided to finish it?

But to be frank, the entire movie barely managed to hold my attention in the first place - I was holding out for an ending that could possibly redeem the whole thing...

Alas, yet another lackluster venture to have crossed off my watch list.

well its a kind of horror...

[ops-52535 · 4/10 · 18 September 2020]

Made by i guess semipros and civilian amateurism actors. its a kind of 1,2,3,4, every step in a row film about a sinister disorder made by a fungobacterivirus that has erupted within the walls of a senior care center, its spread via direct contact, e.g. kissing and biting, and the first spreader is a male nurse(its me???, kissed by a little ol lady.

its also the story about a adult group of adults that are somewhat connected to it all, and the crazy outrage starts spinning of, a bit original take i would say, its without any special effects, and use scream and sound as best as it can. musically its not much to tell, its a big minus the way the music has been edited.

but the humongous problem with the edition i saw was the sound quality, that appeared like two youghurt and a mile of fishing line to talk to one another with, like living in a box, a metal box, terribel and double terribel.

but if you are lucky they might work that out later, the filmographic impression are good, the acting are what i did expect considering economy, and the story do have some tense moments.

and if you are extremely patient you will be able to experience some sexual horror too!!! when and where i shall not say other than my adhd relative got the eyes wide open and making me start howling, so its a small recommend from the grumpy old man

Human horror

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 28 January 2021]

Rot taught me something. I never, ever want to be a graduate student. Seriously, this movie makes it seem like the kind of living hell that I'd rail against.

Madison (Kris Alexandrea) is one of those under pressue grad students, so part of the life of academics that the one thing she can leave behind is her boyfriend Jesse (Johnny Kostrey). But once he goes missing, someone or something else has taken his body over. And being busy with the demands of a doctorate will be easy compared to this.

Writer/director/editor Andrew Merrill has put together a story that could be a possession film or something akin to a body snatcher movie, but it never really explains much about the evil force that is inside Jesse. What's more important is how his rage explodes and how it impacts everyone in his life.

The how is quite simple: Jesse is injured by an attack by one of the patients in the nursing home where he works. At first, he seems fine, but before long, he assaults both his roommate Aaron (Johnny Uhorchuk) and girlfriend Nora (Sara Young Chandler) and then disappears.

The virus, if you will, has begun to spread all over town, with the very center of it being the nursing home. Wth a title like Rot, you can rest assured that things will get messy.

if your IQ is more than double digits, you can skip it.

[absinthia · 1/10 · 3 August 2021]

This movie is stupid as hell.

Geez. "your review is too short." it's just bad.

Dope.

[bearhardtdesign · 8/10 · 2 September 2021]

I don't really understand were all the hate is coming from in these comments, because I thought this film was super dope, and genuinely unsettling ( in the best of ways) That whole birthday party scene where that posessed douche bro was making that speech...."goodbye has come, he has come to collect". If I had to be critical, the very end scene may have jumped the shark a little but not in a bad way. I thought it was a good take on the proverbial "demonic posession " genre. I like the idea of a single consciousness possessing people, and then they are part of a singular hive mind. If the filmmakers are reading this, don't listen to these other people......well done.

A slow burn, which unfortunately burns out during the second act

[AJ_Nel · 6/10 · 25 September 2021]

Given Andrew Merril's extremely well-received short film with the same title, expectations were very high and it even received a special DVD release spot from TeatroVideo (with Mai-Chan's Daily Life and Vore Gore). That said, the nod to Cronnenberg is welcome. Acting and directing both above average. Character development is very good, esp for the genre. First act has a nice slow burn with good paranoia. Second act is basically just there. Wrong tempo, confined setting and very little hapening. Third act is okay as it has a couple of crazy scenes. Not a Cronnenberg homage and definitely not over the top violent (sans the cutting off of the penis and beating it to death with a hammer). 6/10.

Ummm... Made me uncomfortable

[gsosings · 5/10 · 15 August 2021]

I'll keep it short - this movie was very stylishly filmed and directed and the actors were actually very good. I'm not sure about the plot or the actual idea behind it, but any movie that makes me watch a man's manhood get cut off and beat to death with a freaking hammer makes me uncomfortable. Hope you enjoy!

SHIVERS meets BAD BIOLOGY

[NickKnack68 · 2/10 · 9 January 2022]

The only thing ROT has going for it is we never know just what exactly is causing people to act weird and eventually kill, which gives it its only sense of horror. The rest of the film is filled with absolutely irritating characters, atrocious acting, and a messy as hell script.

Both SHIVERS and BAD BIOLOGY come to mind, although ROT doesn't have the power or entertainment value of either. And when our protagonist finally faces the embodiment of the film's evil, chances are you'll laugh as hard as I did.

Swing and a miss..

No thank you

[umysak · 1/10 · 16 August 2021]

It's not worth it, save yourself the 1 and 1/2 and watch literally anything else.

Chaotic mess. Leaves much to be desired.

[frankblack-79961 · 3/10 · 15 September 2021]

First of all, its always hard to watch a bunch idiot children try to confront something they dont understand. Its actually a great representation of americas college educated sheeple. But seriously, it really is a chaotic story with sub par acting.

What in the .....

[mkrhgty · 3/10 · 29 August 2022]

....did I just waste my time watching? Plot lines were weak and sparsely connected at first, not really connecting the nursing home storyline to the main characters, which they finally did. Once the actual story started, there was no explanation of how or what the "virus" was. Some guy's teeth turned green from it, while others went all invasion of the body snatchers and start recruiting others. Then there's this old guy, Tom, who can all of the sudden teleport into a locked car and make it back to his nursing home in time to grab a gang of seniors and jump-in an orderly to their weird cult-gang-virus.

As for the climax, let's just say the "Bobbit" was done purely for shock value and really made no sense at all. I applaud anyones efforts why try and then succeed to make a movie but did the director watch this after the editing was done and actually think this was ready to go?

Don't understand the hate

[wildblueyonder · 7/10 · 1 September 2021]

Its not gonna win an Oscar or anything but it kept my interest the whole way through and delivered some definite unexpected moments at the end.

The acting was not bad, the plot moves along... I thought there was a lot to like. People hating on the ending but for me it was a kinda 'wow, don't see that all the time' moment. Definitely a horror movie, give it a shot.

original and intense

[inon101 · 12 May 2021]

I never heard about the movie before but the poster and trailer made me curious to check it out... And wow. What a treat. An original and really intense piece of filmmaking that is visually inspired, thrilling and unpredictable. Unnerving sequences that are exceptionally visceral, and a great finale that will stay in memory for a long time. Feels like the type of a movie that would turn into a cult classic if only it had a studio behind it or a bigger budget. Highly recommended. Check it out!

Gripping

[natalieshamp · 10/10 · 12 May 2021]

I really enjoyed this movie for its unique premise and making us care about the characters. I was engaged throughout and also appreciated that it resisted cheap thrills. There's a subtle eariness that draws you in and pays off in the end. If you're looking for a classic horror movie definitely check out Rot!

Pretty damn good

[haskel-72951 · 7/10 · 27 July 2021]

This is a solid piece of low budget indie filmmaking. There's not much to fault. The ending could have been better. Saying any more would give too much away.

rot is a horror classic

[roger_2020 · 18 September 2020]

The acting, writing, and directing are all fantastic. The plot is very original and unique. rot isn't a typically Hollywood horror film that fills time with repetitive jump scares, it's a film about complex and believable characters you actually care about enduring tragedies that they don't fully understand.

10/10

Strange, almost naturalistic horror film never really explains what it's all about

[Bloomer · 7/10 · 22 July 2021]

The poster for Rot is a great exploitation poster but does not accurately convey the sense of the film at all. The title itself, in light of the film, is terrible! I'm surprised they switched to this as a choice at the last minute... but all this said, I found Rot to be a fairly effective venereal disease horror film, and at times, an extremely effective one.

The presentation is very unemphatic and naturalistic. Long takes, few cuts, lots of overlapping dialogue, low key performances. At times it reminds of a doco. It's set in a world of middle class twenty and thirtysomethings, burnt-out grad students clutching at academic straws for money. And into this world comes - it's hard to say. A living disease? A demonic force? It's something like early David Cronenberg: the disease makes you sexual and crazy. But there's also a bodysnatchers-like element in that the possessed join forces to grow their ranks. Some of the scenes where they overwhelm and trap unpossessed characters are very scary.

The director has a good eye for weird set pieces. A guy has a fit, wakes angrily, attacks his friends, and then they're left stumbling around in the broken glass from the bottle he smashed. One of them then spends the rest of the film hobbling.

Another quite nightmarish scene has no graphic horror at all. It just shows heroine trying to teach a class of bored students when she's out of her mind with worry, and everything's going wrong.

The film holds attention for a long time by never explaining the full nature of the attacking force, nor showing an attack. Often the incidents happen offscreen with a gross sound effect that makes you wonder what's actually being done to people.

The end of the film climbs into some preposterous new territory that's somehow unsatisfying. I wish it had pulled things together more instead of suddenly letting go of the focus it always threatened to offer. But the journey was worth it. Rot has a lot of creepiness and atmosphere. (Why that stupid title, though?)

Go in with an open mind

[tkell10 · 6/10 · 22 July 2022]

I didn't mind this movie. I watched this when I bought my annual subscription to Shudder. I actually like low budget/student film types. There's a few WTF moments...especially the end. It's not the greatest, but if you love all types of movies, not just blockbusters, than this one should be up your alley.

Interesting decent micro-cosmic horror

[jmbovan-47-160173 · 6/10 · 12 August 2022]

I'm calling this a micro-cosmic horror due to the nature of the plot and the takeover of the minds of characters. Slower paced but fitting for the overall movie. I appreciated the acting and the energy that everyone seemed to bring to it. Worth a watch.