Having not seen the original to this remake, I can't remark on it's merits in that direction. However on it's own, it falls quite flat. The protagonists are "classically" horror movie stupid to a quite appalling and intensely frustrating degree and the dialogue wasn't much better. I mean, what bride waits until several days before the wedding to decide on and tell the girl who she wants to be her maid of honor? And at one point, after the you know what hits the fan, one character literally is in the clear and has the chance to call the police, but instead decides to listen to a voicemail. The conceit that they are stranded with no contact to the outside world is certainly not helped by that scene.The acting itself is decent and though the actresses do try valiantly, none of them are able to keep up a reliable American (USA) accent. The gore, the little there is, is decent. Perhaps with a better script (that didn't rely so heavily on the characters being profoundly stupid) this movie could have been a pretty good low budget horror movie, but as is I suggest taking a pass.
33 Reviews
Artistically flawless, logically stupid.
veritybingo7 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
As a director, Dan Allen has a bright future...as long as he & Scott Jeffrey steer well clear of screenwriting! This film is visually impressive,
from its colour palette, framing, shot choices, lighting, set design, camera movement, and also quite effective use of sound & music.
These aspects help to pull off quite a miracle in that the film, with all its unfathomable lapses of sense, still manages to have quite an eerie & rather frightening edge.
On the negative side... well... though the cast does its best with the given material (especially the strange woman in a remote country house), the script undermines all their efforts.
To begin with, for some unknown reason (probably to appeal to a wider audience), the main (clearly British) actors are cast as American, whose accents wane so often, it's clear at times they've forgotten they're supposed to be American.
Secondly, the characters' behaviour defies all logic, from their decision making, to their inability to react as any reasonable person would to many situations.
Just a few examples:
They decide after killing a guy in self defence to put him in their car's trunk (god knows why), where he remains for a couple of days, even leaving him there while staying in a very strange lady's house.
They don't flinch, freak out, or even seem phased after the woman aims her rifle right at them, or even make haste to leave after her extremely strange behavIour & hearing her conversation with some demonic sounding character in the woods.
They decide to dig a grave within clear view of a window.
They show very little concern or urgency to search for their friend after she goes missing & have no trouble being focused on other concerns and go right on to bed comfortably.
Let's not also forget that, unless I'm very much mistaken, the villain of the piece seems to be quite frequently in two places at once (with & without the mask).
The silly demonic voice effect doesn't help things much either.
The best bit of dialogue is in the very final sequence, giving it quite a nice ending.
What could have been...
These aspects help to pull off quite a miracle in that the film, with all its unfathomable lapses of sense, still manages to have quite an eerie & rather frightening edge.
On the negative side... well... though the cast does its best with the given material (especially the strange woman in a remote country house), the script undermines all their efforts.
To begin with, for some unknown reason (probably to appeal to a wider audience), the main (clearly British) actors are cast as American, whose accents wane so often, it's clear at times they've forgotten they're supposed to be American.
Secondly, the characters' behaviour defies all logic, from their decision making, to their inability to react as any reasonable person would to many situations.
Just a few examples:
They decide after killing a guy in self defence to put him in their car's trunk (god knows why), where he remains for a couple of days, even leaving him there while staying in a very strange lady's house.
They don't flinch, freak out, or even seem phased after the woman aims her rifle right at them, or even make haste to leave after her extremely strange behavIour & hearing her conversation with some demonic sounding character in the woods.
They decide to dig a grave within clear view of a window.
They show very little concern or urgency to search for their friend after she goes missing & have no trouble being focused on other concerns and go right on to bed comfortably.
Let's not also forget that, unless I'm very much mistaken, the villain of the piece seems to be quite frequently in two places at once (with & without the mask).
The silly demonic voice effect doesn't help things much either.
The best bit of dialogue is in the very final sequence, giving it quite a nice ending.
What could have been...
Poor remake of a non classic
Stevieboy6668 October 2017
Four hot "American" girls travel across the English countryside only to be offered refuge by a strange spinster when they run into difficulties. Three of these actresses are English, the other an Aussie, none of them can do a convincing American accent so right from the off things are bad. The voice of the killer sounds like a demon from some cheesy 80's horror movie & there are many plot holes, it's pretty dumb at times. On the plus side the musical score is pretty creepy, there's some girl on girl action (brief) and a bit of torture porn thrown in. Overall it's a poor remake of a film that wasn't very good in the first place, but seek out the original instead.
Earn that title! Or try, at least.
Coventry15 March 2018
Sometimes it can be most useful to analyze something small and seemingly insignificant like, for example, a film's title! My mother tongue isn't English, but I've always been impressed by the number of synonyms that exist in this language for practically every single word. Some of these synonyms are truly cool and powerful words. As an example, I love the word "unhinged". I never heard of that word until I watched the 1982 original film and found out, via the awesome website thesaurus.com that it's a synonym for insane, berserk, manic etc. It's now one of my favorite words, and I also happen to be one of the few people who thinks that the original "Unhinged" is a uniquely grim and massively underrated 80s slasher! That film, with its demented storyline and notable moments of nauseating gore, truly deserved to be named "Unhinged". This 2017 remake shamelessly copies the title, but the atmosphere, the violence, the characters and simply the film in general are not "unhinged". In fact, it's weak and unremarkable horror fodder with a dumb and totally implausible plot, spineless lead characters and a nearly unforgivable shortage of blood, savagery and overall weirdness. Four American girls take an enormous detour through the English countryside to go to the wedding of one of them. That's where the story goes wrong already. A bachelorette-party in the backwoods, seriously? Why would any girl want to drive through a completely unknown region where there's absolutely nothing to see? They are not lost, or at least not at first, but deliberately avoid the main roads. Why, exactly is that? They clearly never listened to any basic traveling safety advise or even watched a horror movie in their lives, because they are surprised when they run into crazy people. How they then handle their problems is, if possible, even more stupid and unbelievable. "Unhinged" features all the irritating clichés and predictable plot twists you can think of. These girls take the dumbest decisions imaginable (like not calling the police when their mobiles still have signal) and do the most idiotic things that even my 5-year-old wouldn't do (like running off into the woods after a banal argument). All this might have been acceptable in the early 80s, but not now. The killings are tame, bloodless and not at all unhinged. The performances are very poor and unconvincing, especially from Michelle Archer as the odd lady and Lorena Andrea & Becca Hirana as the supposed tough chicks. I'm sorry, but there's absolutely nothing to recommend here.
Boring
gavinfitton27 October 2020
Don't bother. Missed chances to do something different. Lame and tame "kill" scenes, literally you see nothing. Acting was unconvincing. And the plot, seriously? Don't bother, skip it or prepare to be seriously underwhelmed. You've been warned.
Not even bad in an entertaining way - just BAD
truss0071 September 2020
I love all types and quality of horror movies. This movie just has nothing amicable about it - lowest level acting, laughable special effects, loose plot riddled with more than normal poor decision making, uninteresting characters, yada yada yada.
There are lots of "bad" horror movies that provide plenty of entertainment - this is not one of them.
There are lots of "bad" horror movies that provide plenty of entertainment - this is not one of them.
Every bit as bad as the original.
BA_Harrison18 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Unhinged is a remake of sorts of the 1982 'video nasty' of the same name, and, like the original movie, it's an extremely dull watch, suffering from a predictable script, pedestrian direction and weak acting (it's four protagonists—three British women and one Australian—struggling with their American accents), whilst also failing to deliver those two staples of the genre: gory kills and female nudity.
The film stars Kate Lister as American bride-to-be Melissa, who is travelling with her sister and two friends through the English countryside en route to her wedding. On a deserted back-road, the girls encounter a local loony who tries to attack them, but who winds up dead, brained with a rock by Melissa's sister Lisa (Lucy-Jane Quinlan). Rather than report the incident, the girls stash the body in the boot of their car and go on their merry way. Their plans go further awry when their car runs out of petrol and they are forced to accept the hospitality of Miss Perkins (Michelle Archer), sole occupier of a remote country cottage, until her gardener comes to visit in a couple of day's time. While they are waiting for help to arrive, the foursome try to dispose of the dead guy in their car, but find themselves being stalked and killed by a maniac in a wedding dress and a rubber mask.
A routine stalk 'n slash with too much stalk (and talk) and not nearly enough slash, Unhinged pads out the running time with lots of pointless guff: there's the lesbian relationship that adds nothing to the plot and provides zero gratuitous titillation; we get a spot of crap exposition as one of the girls finds a box of newspaper clippings that are intended to help explain the backstory, but which I found all the more confusing; and finally, we have the mystery of the disappearing body in the boot, which is intended to mislead the viewer into believing that the supposedly dead man is still alive and now seeking revenge. He's not. The real identity of the killer is far sillier.
2/10. I always thought that the prime purpose of a remake was to radically overhaul or improve upon the original. That's most definitely not the case here.
The film stars Kate Lister as American bride-to-be Melissa, who is travelling with her sister and two friends through the English countryside en route to her wedding. On a deserted back-road, the girls encounter a local loony who tries to attack them, but who winds up dead, brained with a rock by Melissa's sister Lisa (Lucy-Jane Quinlan). Rather than report the incident, the girls stash the body in the boot of their car and go on their merry way. Their plans go further awry when their car runs out of petrol and they are forced to accept the hospitality of Miss Perkins (Michelle Archer), sole occupier of a remote country cottage, until her gardener comes to visit in a couple of day's time. While they are waiting for help to arrive, the foursome try to dispose of the dead guy in their car, but find themselves being stalked and killed by a maniac in a wedding dress and a rubber mask.
A routine stalk 'n slash with too much stalk (and talk) and not nearly enough slash, Unhinged pads out the running time with lots of pointless guff: there's the lesbian relationship that adds nothing to the plot and provides zero gratuitous titillation; we get a spot of crap exposition as one of the girls finds a box of newspaper clippings that are intended to help explain the backstory, but which I found all the more confusing; and finally, we have the mystery of the disappearing body in the boot, which is intended to mislead the viewer into believing that the supposedly dead man is still alive and now seeking revenge. He's not. The real identity of the killer is far sillier.
2/10. I always thought that the prime purpose of a remake was to radically overhaul or improve upon the original. That's most definitely not the case here.
WORST MOVIE EVER
didac6229 November 2020
Stop now. Don't watch it.
revbel3 April 2020
Well Made, but Toothless Remake
evetilly1 October 2019
I'll give the remake of Unhinged this - it definitely does its own thing. Related only superficially to the little seen 80's slasher flick of the same name, Unhinged starts off on just the right foot with a group of friends heading to one of their weddings and being accosted by an angry man. They accidentally kill him and load his body in their trunk. They run out of gas, so they stop off in a small village where a spinster seems all too happy to take them in. As luck would have it, said spinster might have some demons of her own that will bring about their untimely demises.
For about 15 or 20 minutes, the only major fault I could find in Unhinged was the terrible American accents that the English actresses felt the need to use. If we're being truthful, it makes even less sense for them to be American than it would for them to keep their normal dialects. Besides that, things were rolling out at a nice pace, acting was decent, cinematography was pleasant, and the music score was above average for a film of this type. Heck, there was even a jump scare or two that actually worked.
Once the major incident incident happens, Unhinged starts to...well...unhinge. At least in the original film, the girls had an actual car accident, making their stay in this random house a little more sensible. In this film, this crazy woman just randomly offers to let them stay in her house even though she has no idea who they are. Shouldn't that have been a bigger red flag to the main girls?
Unhinged also trades stalk/slashing with surprise and torture sequences. It's not as effective although the killer's get up actually is. The first appearance of the killer on the stairs with that wedding dress billowing in the wind was a very striking image.
It should be applauded for going in a different direction and at least attempting some decent character development for the lead girls, but it's just not as memorable as it could have been. All the elements were in place, but a few things keep it from being as great a remake as one might have hoped.
For about 15 or 20 minutes, the only major fault I could find in Unhinged was the terrible American accents that the English actresses felt the need to use. If we're being truthful, it makes even less sense for them to be American than it would for them to keep their normal dialects. Besides that, things were rolling out at a nice pace, acting was decent, cinematography was pleasant, and the music score was above average for a film of this type. Heck, there was even a jump scare or two that actually worked.
Once the major incident incident happens, Unhinged starts to...well...unhinge. At least in the original film, the girls had an actual car accident, making their stay in this random house a little more sensible. In this film, this crazy woman just randomly offers to let them stay in her house even though she has no idea who they are. Shouldn't that have been a bigger red flag to the main girls?
Unhinged also trades stalk/slashing with surprise and torture sequences. It's not as effective although the killer's get up actually is. The first appearance of the killer on the stairs with that wedding dress billowing in the wind was a very striking image.
It should be applauded for going in a different direction and at least attempting some decent character development for the lead girls, but it's just not as memorable as it could have been. All the elements were in place, but a few things keep it from being as great a remake as one might have hoped.
Dialogue and plot starvation
TheDonkadonk14 August 2020
It seems the writers lack any kind of realistic human behaviour in their writing, pieced together very poorly.
No back history to the characters, took me 30 minutes to figure out if the cast were American pretending to live in England???
The cinematic quality is good, but they severely need someone to link their writing/plot to make any sense at all.
No back history to the characters, took me 30 minutes to figure out if the cast were American pretending to live in England???
The cinematic quality is good, but they severely need someone to link their writing/plot to make any sense at all.
Don't ask.
nogodnomasters3 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Film opens with a chained up woman getting her head lopped off as per DVD cover. 35 years later apparent final girl Kate Lister and party end up stranded at the same remote house. Not to hard to figure out. Add a wedding plan and a stalker.
This is a me-too slasher/cabin-in-the -woods type of film, one that is at the low end and a remake.
Guide: F-word. FFsex. No nudity
This is a me-too slasher/cabin-in-the -woods type of film, one that is at the low end and a remake.
Guide: F-word. FFsex. No nudity
Make the most of it
devinwatson-663834 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Oh let's not get uptight! You didn't pick this movie for Shakespeare so make the most of it and take a shot of something Hard every time these ladies make an incomprehensible decision. Have a good supply ready.
Off the top of my head...
1 choosing to drive down a backwater road that has a large Private Road Do Not Enter sign to save a little time (wcgw, amirite?) 2 confronting a strange young man who has been following the group and now blocks the private lane 3 killing that man in self defense and then deciding to keep the body instead of calling the police (4 attractive womens word vs a dead guy who was a bit off) 4 not... Oh there's my timer, no more time to waste .... 7ish after outrunning a maniac (who is wearing a wedding dress) stop to hide in a dead end (the back of an abandoned van) instead of continuing to outpace said maniac 8ish you'll need a few shots for all the times no one grabs Any kind of weapon 9ish again after escaping the maniac and getting cell phone reception, check voicemail but don't bother finally calling the police now that you know at least two of your friends have suffered horrible fates - you got this handled, girl! 12ish heading back into the house of death with your wounded sister, naturally without a weapon.
Anyway at least by the end of it all you and your friends will be hammered.
Off the top of my head...
1 choosing to drive down a backwater road that has a large Private Road Do Not Enter sign to save a little time (wcgw, amirite?) 2 confronting a strange young man who has been following the group and now blocks the private lane 3 killing that man in self defense and then deciding to keep the body instead of calling the police (4 attractive womens word vs a dead guy who was a bit off) 4 not... Oh there's my timer, no more time to waste .... 7ish after outrunning a maniac (who is wearing a wedding dress) stop to hide in a dead end (the back of an abandoned van) instead of continuing to outpace said maniac 8ish you'll need a few shots for all the times no one grabs Any kind of weapon 9ish again after escaping the maniac and getting cell phone reception, check voicemail but don't bother finally calling the police now that you know at least two of your friends have suffered horrible fates - you got this handled, girl! 12ish heading back into the house of death with your wounded sister, naturally without a weapon.
Anyway at least by the end of it all you and your friends will be hammered.
Absurdly Idiotic Film
eabra4846320 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I do not remember the original "Unhinged" from the 1980s, however, if it is anything like this one there was no reason to remake it. A willing suspension of disbelief is required for many horror movies, but this film demands something that goes way beyond that. Four young ladies are taking a drive through the deep woods on the way to one of their weddings. Why exactly are they choosing to drive off-road through the woods? Who knows, because like much of this film it makes no sense. The entire movie is an excuse to have disjointed "scary" scenes with nothing to tie them together.
Beyond the initial premise, the plot relies upon the most ridiculous decisions by the ladies to keep it moving. They encounter a man on a back road, who proceeds to attack them and threaten their lives. They end up killing the guy in self-defense. What do they do then? Call the police? Get help and explain what happened, which was clearly a justified killing? No, these ladies decide it is best to put the body in their trunk and drive around with it for a while, keeping the whole incident a secret. Then, they encounter a creepy lady living alone in the middle of nowhere. The ladies are now out of gasoline and need some to continue their purposeless journey with the dead body in their trunk. The best solution they have is to move in with the creepy lady for a few days. Really, all they need is a little gasoline and, instead of trying to procure some fuel, their best solution is to move in to a weird home and wait until some unknown person comes back who can get them some gas. Aside from this absurdity, the creepy lady seems to have unlimited supply of fresh food for five people, even though she lives alone and never has guests. When one of the four ladie disappears in the woods, the rest carry on like it never happened. They then get the brilliant idea of burying the body in the nearby woods and proceed to start digging a hole about 100 yards from the creepy lady's home, in full view of the windows! It never occurs to them that creepy lady might wonder why her new houseguests are digging a hole in what is basically her back yard. What is also funny is how casual the ladies are about carting a dead body around. Two of the ladies argue, very loudly, about the body without a care of who might hear them. At times, they act more like they're unloading some recyclables than hiding a dead body. Some more stuff happens, but it is equally ridiculous.
Make no mistake, "Unhinged" has some scary scenes; however, they are not tied together in a meaningful way. The premise and set-up are so ridiculous, it is hard to be scared by the rest. The acting and dialogue are about eighth-grade level. What really takes the cake, though, is the absurd actions of the cast, which make no sense whatsoever.
Beyond the initial premise, the plot relies upon the most ridiculous decisions by the ladies to keep it moving. They encounter a man on a back road, who proceeds to attack them and threaten their lives. They end up killing the guy in self-defense. What do they do then? Call the police? Get help and explain what happened, which was clearly a justified killing? No, these ladies decide it is best to put the body in their trunk and drive around with it for a while, keeping the whole incident a secret. Then, they encounter a creepy lady living alone in the middle of nowhere. The ladies are now out of gasoline and need some to continue their purposeless journey with the dead body in their trunk. The best solution they have is to move in with the creepy lady for a few days. Really, all they need is a little gasoline and, instead of trying to procure some fuel, their best solution is to move in to a weird home and wait until some unknown person comes back who can get them some gas. Aside from this absurdity, the creepy lady seems to have unlimited supply of fresh food for five people, even though she lives alone and never has guests. When one of the four ladie disappears in the woods, the rest carry on like it never happened. They then get the brilliant idea of burying the body in the nearby woods and proceed to start digging a hole about 100 yards from the creepy lady's home, in full view of the windows! It never occurs to them that creepy lady might wonder why her new houseguests are digging a hole in what is basically her back yard. What is also funny is how casual the ladies are about carting a dead body around. Two of the ladies argue, very loudly, about the body without a care of who might hear them. At times, they act more like they're unloading some recyclables than hiding a dead body. Some more stuff happens, but it is equally ridiculous.
Make no mistake, "Unhinged" has some scary scenes; however, they are not tied together in a meaningful way. The premise and set-up are so ridiculous, it is hard to be scared by the rest. The acting and dialogue are about eighth-grade level. What really takes the cake, though, is the absurd actions of the cast, which make no sense whatsoever.
Non-unhinged lurking
TheLittleSongbird9 June 2018
'Unhinged' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster/cover, an slightly intriguing premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.
It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films have are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'Unhinged' is terrible, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There is next to nothing to recommend and it is a sleeper.
Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky. The music is creepy
Unfortunately, the scenery is not done justice by the rather direct to video schlocky way it's shot and edited, it was very clear that the film was made in a rush with no care or enthusiasm.
Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates.
Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the uniformly lumbering and histrionic acting. Even the killer looks goofy and the way they speak is more unintentionally funny than unnerving.
Dialogue, which is far too exposition-heavy, can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever, while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags on forever with very little going on worth caring about and useless padding, never recovering. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Would not have minded the lack of originality (the film is extremely derivative and in a dumbed and watered down way) if the story and atmosphere were at least alright in execution, in reality they were both very poorly done.
A lot of 'Unhinged' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending makes the film finish on an incomplete and confused whimper.
There is not enough threat, and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative and more odd than creepy, completely failing to show any sense of horror or creativity. The kills are not enough and are neither creative, suspenseful or nail-biting. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden and like their heart was not in it or ill at ease. Some elements are gratuitous to overused and abused effect, further adding to the cheapness.
Altogether, another very bad film. 2/10 Bethany Cox
It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films have are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'Unhinged' is terrible, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There is next to nothing to recommend and it is a sleeper.
Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky. The music is creepy
Unfortunately, the scenery is not done justice by the rather direct to video schlocky way it's shot and edited, it was very clear that the film was made in a rush with no care or enthusiasm.
Going on further to the negatives, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates.
Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the uniformly lumbering and histrionic acting. Even the killer looks goofy and the way they speak is more unintentionally funny than unnerving.
Dialogue, which is far too exposition-heavy, can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever, while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags on forever with very little going on worth caring about and useless padding, never recovering. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Would not have minded the lack of originality (the film is extremely derivative and in a dumbed and watered down way) if the story and atmosphere were at least alright in execution, in reality they were both very poorly done.
A lot of 'Unhinged' has underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending makes the film finish on an incomplete and confused whimper.
There is not enough threat, and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative and more odd than creepy, completely failing to show any sense of horror or creativity. The kills are not enough and are neither creative, suspenseful or nail-biting. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden and like their heart was not in it or ill at ease. Some elements are gratuitous to overused and abused effect, further adding to the cheapness.
Altogether, another very bad film. 2/10 Bethany Cox
Don't watch this film
mrsmus23 June 2018
Two hours I'll never get back
gypsyjmillar12 January 2021
Actually pretty good.
WillowUndergroundStudios6 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Despite not actually seeing the original, not many remakes can catch my eye. This one did though the plan about seeing the original is still in affect. But here's what I have;
One of the key points that seemed clinched but ended up being a total twist was with the dead guy in the car. When they accidentally kill the guy in self defense, they end up thinking he's the second person after finding the trunk empty. Cliche until the guy is revealed to still be dead. I was like, that is such a twist. Coupled with the fact that the whole backstory is being explained throughout the film itself in ways not many films can do, is great. Most movies either give too much away or don't elaborate. This one was nicely done.
Lastly, I find the torture scene humorous. Even Freddy Krueger would have smiled. And even though the scene between the two sisters letting the audience know the older sister ran away "last time", and it's not elaborated on-- it doesn't need to be. It's satsifying to know a film knows that the past is the past when it comes to the important things. I really liked this film.
One of the key points that seemed clinched but ended up being a total twist was with the dead guy in the car. When they accidentally kill the guy in self defense, they end up thinking he's the second person after finding the trunk empty. Cliche until the guy is revealed to still be dead. I was like, that is such a twist. Coupled with the fact that the whole backstory is being explained throughout the film itself in ways not many films can do, is great. Most movies either give too much away or don't elaborate. This one was nicely done.
Lastly, I find the torture scene humorous. Even Freddy Krueger would have smiled. And even though the scene between the two sisters letting the audience know the older sister ran away "last time", and it's not elaborated on-- it doesn't need to be. It's satsifying to know a film knows that the past is the past when it comes to the important things. I really liked this film.
Decent remake of a video nasty.
parry_na9 January 2021
This is a remake of an early 1980s 'video nasty', and features four girls travelling to a wedding. Instead of making their way through American wilderness as in the original, the location is shifted to picturesque England - so why the girls should still be American, especially as the actresses are clearly not native Americans, is a mystery. The accents aren't too bad, but they're noticeably not genuine, and that's to a UK ear. This is a shame as it is the first thing to grab the viewer, which masks the fact that the performances of the four leads are very good indeed, getting even stronger once they find themselves in jeopardy.
However, while it is a given that characters in horror films, especially horror slashers, make illogical, ill-advised decisions, this bunch just keep making nonsensical choices.
The glimpses of the killer are interesting, although the voice is rather silly. There's inventive use of a rake in one attempted killing, bringing back fond memories of Brigitte Lahaie in Jean Rollin's classic Euro-horror 'Fascination (1979)'. Director Dan Allen makes good use of the small budget available - the results are far from ground-breaking, but enjoyable.
My score is 6 out of 10.
However, while it is a given that characters in horror films, especially horror slashers, make illogical, ill-advised decisions, this bunch just keep making nonsensical choices.
The glimpses of the killer are interesting, although the voice is rather silly. There's inventive use of a rake in one attempted killing, bringing back fond memories of Brigitte Lahaie in Jean Rollin's classic Euro-horror 'Fascination (1979)'. Director Dan Allen makes good use of the small budget available - the results are far from ground-breaking, but enjoyable.
My score is 6 out of 10.
So bad it's bad
Schtaeve30 October 2022
Horrible direction: every shot somehow seems poorly framed. Sound is terrible and the acting is poor. This production screams amateurish in every way.
The pacing was exceptionally poor. This film felt like six hours, not one and a half. The script is rubbish and the character decisions are so frustrating.
From the ground up, everything about this film is bad. There's really nothing redeemable. It's not an exciting poor watch. Yes, there are films so bad they're good. This is not one of them. It's just poor and not fun.
We watched as a party and were bored to tears. It really killed the mood. I absolutely cannot recommend.
The pacing was exceptionally poor. This film felt like six hours, not one and a half. The script is rubbish and the character decisions are so frustrating.
From the ground up, everything about this film is bad. There's really nothing redeemable. It's not an exciting poor watch. Yes, there are films so bad they're good. This is not one of them. It's just poor and not fun.
We watched as a party and were bored to tears. It really killed the mood. I absolutely cannot recommend.
A decent enough yet really troubling effort
kannibalcorpsegrinder6 December 2017
Traveling through the English countryside, a group of friends heading to a wedding get stranded at a remote house in the wilderness with a lone woman who lives in the house and when they start disappearing come to realize something monstrous lives there with her and must escape alive.
This here was quite the decent and problematic remake effort. One of the few more enjoyable elements is the rather intriguing slow-burn style of setup this one takes which follows along the original rather nicely. From the initial abduction point that gives them a fine reason for being stranded as well as a tense sequence on it's own, to their arrival at the abandoned house and the strange customs imposed on them by the owner which starts off as somewhat unnecessary but soon comes to have far more significance with the later revelations given here which is revealed with the stellar scene of them overhearing the conversation out in the backyard with the unseen force wanting them out. That this one ties that in with the fine backstory that takes place in beginning which features rather prominently in the middle where not only is it fully revealed what happened but it plays into the incredibly tense and chilling sequence of her being subjected to a series of intense tortures where he engages in all sorts of brutal measures which are quite fun to see. The other fun part here is the fine stalking at the end from the chase through the woods and the battle in the house to brawl around the outside of the house which has some fun energy to it that is helped off with a rather creepy look to the killer. These here manage to hold this one up over somewhat prominent and rather obvious flaws. The main factor here is the rather bland and banal pacing that really makes for an extremely uneventful first half here. The exploits of the group getting stranded at the countryside inn and finding their accommodations to be quite unappealing aren't that exciting and really makes this one feel so dreary and sluggish that it's hard to be interested. The other problem with the utterly dragging and detrimental pacing that comes up here is that hardly anything happens that resemble horror sequences for large stretches of time, meaning too much is featured with them engaging in those extracurricular activities that don't mean anything for this one to have any kind of momentum or energy at all and rendering it quite a dull time. The other big issue here is the problematic and truly troublesome stalking scenes at the forefront of this one, as the vast majority of it's supposed horror scenes are completely inept, with non-suspenseful scenes in the woods when you don't see anything behind her to just bland moments with the killer interacting with the victims or just being so dark as to make it virtually impossible to tell what actually happened. Combined with the obvious low-budget that renders a lot of the scenes as being cheaply done, these here really hold this one down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and Brief Nudity.
This here was quite the decent and problematic remake effort. One of the few more enjoyable elements is the rather intriguing slow-burn style of setup this one takes which follows along the original rather nicely. From the initial abduction point that gives them a fine reason for being stranded as well as a tense sequence on it's own, to their arrival at the abandoned house and the strange customs imposed on them by the owner which starts off as somewhat unnecessary but soon comes to have far more significance with the later revelations given here which is revealed with the stellar scene of them overhearing the conversation out in the backyard with the unseen force wanting them out. That this one ties that in with the fine backstory that takes place in beginning which features rather prominently in the middle where not only is it fully revealed what happened but it plays into the incredibly tense and chilling sequence of her being subjected to a series of intense tortures where he engages in all sorts of brutal measures which are quite fun to see. The other fun part here is the fine stalking at the end from the chase through the woods and the battle in the house to brawl around the outside of the house which has some fun energy to it that is helped off with a rather creepy look to the killer. These here manage to hold this one up over somewhat prominent and rather obvious flaws. The main factor here is the rather bland and banal pacing that really makes for an extremely uneventful first half here. The exploits of the group getting stranded at the countryside inn and finding their accommodations to be quite unappealing aren't that exciting and really makes this one feel so dreary and sluggish that it's hard to be interested. The other problem with the utterly dragging and detrimental pacing that comes up here is that hardly anything happens that resemble horror sequences for large stretches of time, meaning too much is featured with them engaging in those extracurricular activities that don't mean anything for this one to have any kind of momentum or energy at all and rendering it quite a dull time. The other big issue here is the problematic and truly troublesome stalking scenes at the forefront of this one, as the vast majority of it's supposed horror scenes are completely inept, with non-suspenseful scenes in the woods when you don't see anything behind her to just bland moments with the killer interacting with the victims or just being so dark as to make it virtually impossible to tell what actually happened. Combined with the obvious low-budget that renders a lot of the scenes as being cheaply done, these here really hold this one down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and Brief Nudity.
Pathetic Remake of Genre Masterpiece
Falconeer20 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
What today's filmmakers don't seem to realize, is that excellence can't be reproduced. Everything that makes the classics of the 70's and 80's so great, is attached to the fact that they were made in those decades; the style, the atmosphere, the retro feel and the nostalgia is a large part of what makes them so loved and admired today. The "Unhinged" remake is one of the worst, and most offensive examples of worthless, throwaway cinema. Ugly, artless, cheap, and snarky, four, one dimensional bimbos get stuck in the woods and wind up in a house plagued with a dark family secret. Predictably, they begin to get killed off one by one. and because the characters are so bland and unappealing, the audience is happy to see them dispatched. One of the biggest problems with "Unhinged" is that the original is so good, in every way, and that makes this one look even worse by comparison. The 1982 production is visually gorgeous. The Autumnal glow of the gold and brown leaves on the trees, the stark beauty of the landscape, and the castle-like mansion in which the story is filmed is stunning and mysterious in it's gothic austerity. That house is the perfect setting for an old school horror movie. Most importantly of all is the girls themselves. Each girl is beautiful, but not in a cheap, sexy way, but rather in an elegant, European model way. They are true eye candy, and so unusually gorgeous that they automatically become more sympathetic to the viewer. The original film thrives on atmosphere and Gothic imagery; this remake is completely devoid of every one of these qualities. it looks like a made for television movie. Who wants this garbage? This is an unwanted remake and it's no surprise that it completely flopped.
Terrible script. Terrible story. Terrible acting. Simply terrible.
scirceo13 April 2022
There is nothing redeeming about this film. It seemed as if the script and story were being improvised, and I truly believe that they ran out of budget before they finished shooting, so they simply chopped what they had together. Do not waste your time.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
