Marla (2018) User Reviews

HORRIBLE

[lifelinespublishing · 3/10 · 19 November 2019]

Well, the acting was horrible for starters, the lead actress who was also the director could not act to save her life., all the other actors in the story also did not act to par, the story was alright, it had potential and the gore was good, it's what got me to watch in the first place, a must avoid if you're looking for a good movie.,

I have watched unknown films where there were good acting, and this was not one of them.

How do you know Jenna?

[nogodnomasters · 3/10 · 13 November 2019]

Marla Mae (Lisa van Dam-Bates) is a cocktail waitress at "The Valley" bar and grill, perhaps a metaphor. She lives with her boyfriend Jake (Travis Johnny Ware). We know there is a serial rapist-killer (Samuel Mikolon) on the loose. Marla is given a free I.U.D. by an old family friend (Jason Stange) who comes across as a bit creepy. As it turns out, it is a killer I.U.D.

Not as good the "Teeth." They could have made this into a fun comedy, except they went for melancholy drama, which didn't work out as well. Too many slow scenes. Marla just wasn't likable, characters lacked charisma.

Guide: F-word. Sex. Nudity (Lisa van Dam-Bates)

Woof

[BandSAboutMovies · 2/10 · 29 November 2019]

Marla is the frightening story of a woman (Lisa van-dam Bates, who also does special effects and makeup on other movies) who gets an IUD implanted by a family friend turned doctor - not a great idea, huh? - who then commits a deranged act, which has deadly implications for those close to her.

I kind of love that Becca walked in during a sex scene in this film where the killer IUD ended up murdering Marla's boyfriend Jake. I mean, it sprayed blood all over the place and pretty much tore him to bits. She said, "What are you watching?" And then she sat and watched much of the rest of the film in between kissing our dog Cubby. She misses most of the exploding men and wall to wall blood.

Jason Strange, who plays the doctor who inserts the IUD, has a story that might be more insane than this mocie. He was a fugitive during filming, having walked away from the halfway house which he was living in on probation for a 2006 armed robbery. Shortly after filming ended, a local newspaper ran a story about the film with photos of Strange on set. U.S. Marshalls saw that article and shortly afterward, they arrested him.

Horrendous - Leaves viewers with MANY unaswered questions.

[Markyajv · 1/10 · 8 November 2019]

If you are in a miserable mood do not watch this, and if you're in a happy mood DON'T watch this. nobody smiles at all in this film?? and everyone speaks in monotone. Nothing makes sense. The gyno is missing some front teeth, I think they hired him from skid row. So basically this boring unhappy girl gets an IUD for free from a friend of a friend. The Friend supposedly slips something he's been working on in her instead of a real IUD which makes her kill men she sleeps with, with her vagina. Turning them to mush. Yeah there's lots of blood but nothing is even gross, just stupid. Eventually she get caught by a detective (Who, in 1 shot, has some HUGE man boobs) She goes to prison and the prison Dr. goes to remove the IUD and guess what, she has no IUD in her. The End. No explanation whatsoever. I wish people who made movies like this spent the money on cleaning up the planet. Seriously, I am warning you this is a joke.

So THAT'S how this trash got made.

[maverickz-33-530388 · 1/10 · 16 December 2019]

So apparently I had a brain aneurysm and decided to watch this absolute waste of film. The dialog was bad and many lines didn't even make sense in the situation. The performances were bad all around but the lead "actress" (I use the term loosely here) was by far the worst. She would have made a better zombie in an episode of The Walking Dead than she did playing a real person. Many scenes were slow and overly drawn out with very slow lines and long pauses as if the actors were trying to remember their lines. The effects were anything but special. Just a lot of thin red blood with some black spots in it. The plot concept wasn't too bad, but in the end we are left with zero closure or answers.

The whole time I was watching this dumpster fire of a movie, I was wondering how such an abysmal script could get a green light like and who in their right mind would hire such talent-less actors....then the credits rolled. Turns out the lead actress, was also the writer, the director, and the special effects person. I wouldn't doubt that she also had a lot to do with casting as well. It became obvious as the title of this review suggests: So THAT'S how this trash got made.

Bottom line this wasn't worth the film that was wasted recording it, and it certainly isn't worth your time.

PSA Warning: This one is so awful it scores below my minimum imdb rating of 3...

[mariusar · 1/10 · 10 November 2019]

I am a confirmed movie freak, one who equally enjoys watching films from across all genres, from Corman to Wells, Nolan to Scorsese, Tarantino to Troma, Carpenter to Aster, Kurosawa to Miike, Russo Brothers to Spielberg - you get the picture.

Rarely, if ever, have I witnessed a film with a combination of such pathetic writing and insufferably un-charismatic, beyond-wooden acting.

I can't decide which was worse - the writing or the so-called acting. I really, really hate to be so harsh, but the lead actress here gave a performance that was simply the most uninteresting, least engaging and most profoundly awful that I have ever had the displeasure to witness in my life. Honestly. Again, to be fair, this car wreck of a performance extends to everyone in the cast and likely the blame is equally due to the so-called writing.

There simply is not a single redeeming aspect to be found anywhere in this travesty.

I just changed my mind - this film doesn't even deserve a 2. It gets a 1 from me, a rating that in more than 15 years on imdb I may never have actually awarded to any film.

This one is just that terrible. Sorry again to be so very harsh - but I call 'em as I see 'em.

Not bad - except for it's ending

[mjsreg · 5/10 · 24 November 2019]

I think the super low reviews are unfair.

For a very low budget movie (under $8000) is is not a bad effort.

The story is interesting and unusual, and apart from some obvious glitches, the production isn't bad either.

The acting by Lisa van Dam-Bates - the main character - is one dimensional - but then she hasn't had much experience, and perhaps it didn't help with her being director as well. Perhaps a separate director may have been able to bring out her talent - which she obviously has and will hopefully shine through in the future.

On the other hand, Katie Hemming plays a perfect concerned friend.

Acting by other characters is a mixed bag, but passable.

However - there is one thing that really spoiled this movie. The ending. it is very, very weak and leaves a lot of unanswered questions and really doesn't stand up to the rest of the film.

It is watchable - but the ending left me disappointed.

awful movie

[Mody_Walid_2022 · 1/10 · 11 November 2019]

Awful movie , don't deserve wasting time to watching it

Disappointed

[enquries_2 · 2/10 · 9 November 2019]

I'm no expert on movies - as are a lot of guys on here - but personally, didn't enjoy the film. It was slow, and not much of a horror movie effects wise?

Nowadays, I judge a movie on whether it grabs my attention, and this didn't. I was confused as to why the main character had this reason for the horror part, but didn't get it? Even the end was a bit confusing. Maybe its me, and others will, so look forward to their enlightenments.

Wanted to enjoy it, but didn't 1/10

Terrible

[shannon-bill · 2/10 · 24 November 2019]

This no budget flick is marred by a lead actress whose character is so unlikeable it's impossible to get past. She's mopey, she's mumbly and nobody ever taught her manners. "Thank you" are two words she was never taught. To add insult to injury she's the worst actor in a cast of bad actors. A very disappointing movie all told.

I want one!

[wifeboris · 10/10 · 5 December 2023]

Creates a slow, dreamlike creepy vibe, gradually escalating to a living nightmare. This director doesn't shy away from gore & body-horror. I thought the acting was fine, portraying casually laconic characters gaining gradual awareness of their spooky predicament. I think the hateful reviews are from in cells who are threatened by the subject matter and the fact that it was written & directed by a woman (hashtag masculinity so fragile). The concept is inspirational. I wish this product existed in real life. I want one of these magical safety devices for women. This film will make a nice double-feature with Danny Perez's Antibirth. Six hundred characters seems a bit demanding.

Decent but leaves you hanging

[johnhsmith-00056 · 6/10 · 28 March 2020]

People around here are too hard on extreme low budget movies like this. This story was original and I give it praise for that. But the ending didn't make sense and leaves you questioning what the whole film was about.

People complain the lead actress was "mopey" but that made perfect sense considering her situation. Also this actress/director strips nude for the film so I can appreciate that.

Nah, not worth the effort...

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 13 August 2020]

Sometimes you just got to stop and look at a movie's rating on IMDb, and save yourself some time, money and effort. And I should have done that prior to sitting down to watch the 2018 horror movie "Marla".

And why is that? Well, simply put, the movie was atrociously boring and uneventful. Seriously, the storyline spanned over one and a half hour and told next to nothing in terms of a proper storyline. It was so mundane and sleep-inducing that it was a struggle to sit through. I did manage to, as I hoped the movie would pick up somehow and that writer and director Lisa van Dam-Bates would improved on it. But that just never happened.

I was initially lured in by the movie's cover. Sadly, the movie's cover was actually a lot better than the entire movie put together.

You have shoddy and questionable acting performances in a movie that struggled with having next to no working storyline, and it didn't help much that the thing going on in the movie wasn't really properly explained or shown.

Sure, the movie had gore. But since you don't get to see the cause of it or anything even remotely hinting of it, aside from excessive amounts of blood spraying, it just made for some lousy horror movie.

Ultimately, "Marla" is not worth the effort. I am rating it a mere two out of ten stars. You might want to stay well clear of this one. Some of us suffered through this so you don't have to.

My Review Of "Marla"

[ASouthernHorrorFan · 5/10 · 28 November 2019]

The story is intriguing and weird with some intense subject matter and riddled with metaphor. It maintains a steady and hypnotic flow that keeps many elements of the story engaging enough to make you wanna see how things end. There is a suspense and almost hopelessness hanging over the film. At times it amplifies the darkness and at other moments the atmosphere feels too weighted.

The cast giving strong performances for the most part, there are a few times the dialog gets clumsy. A couple of the actors seem a bit disconnected from the story and their character. Still"Marla" has some quality moments where you see the talent shine. Namely the lead actress and her ill-fated boyfriend (spoiler- kind of). Between the acting and the truly unique story idea it will be up to the individual to decide if it all worked for this movie.

The special effects are really cool. Practical choices were made and there is an almost delightful celebration of gore inspired deaths. The film is no where near the notion of realism. It is unapologetically expressionist fantasy and it extends to the horror elements as well. The death sequences were my favorite moments in the movie.

Overall "Marla" will leave just as many fans disappointed and confused. There are some wholes that linger in the story. I got a vibe that was more viral nightmare than implanted mad science. Still Lisa van Dam-Bates creates n evocative and affecting horror story that will speak to a lot of horror fans. I think this is a film worth checking out.

fun to watch

[zoomamk · 10/10 · 13 November 2019]

Not bad at all entertaining & new idea.................................................................................