Common is the horror genre today where logic & plot development take a backseat for special effects. The Seamstress is one such example of a film that chose to rush the development of a truly chilling story & replace it with a whole bunch of uninspiring supernatural backwash. I refer to this film being 'half baked' on a number of levels. First of all, this film is around 72 minutes long (don't believe IMDb's 85 minute version). It is barely feature length & most likely would of been more suitable not as a film but an episode of the TV show 'Supernatural'.
Not only this, but Jesse Miller's inexperience behind the camera as director is quite evident. His experience previously in the editing department shows up in this film as he seems better at cutting the film to pieces rather than effectively developing it. The premise of the film in hindsight is very simple yet due to the fact that the film is abysmal in its length the plot is consistently rushing through key points that may help the viewer unravel the mystery. I found myself as a critic needing to watch the film twice because many key points hidden in cryptic maps & slurred/low volume dialogue (especially Kevin McNulty's character in the later stages of the film) eluded me. The contextual matter in this film is important to the viewer because most of the time the dialogue is referring to the past.
From what I gather the film follows a young woman by the name of Allie Platt (Kailin See) looking to work out the mystery behind her father, Donny's (David Nykl) disappearance. The establishing scenes at the beginning of the film make no effort in trying to hide his horrible fate at the hands of a sadistic killer. We follow her as she goes on a cross country quest to discover his whereabouts all the while experiencing haunting visions of her dead father. In her childhood town, Sticks Creek she meets a creepy mechanic (Kevin McNulty) who gives her the address to a reclusive man by the name of Logan (Lance Henriksen). A man who seems vague in his responses when discussing just what happened to Donny.
After a heated debate Allie; who blames Logan on her father's disappearance confides in her friends. They discover the location of a remote island that her father talked about in his notes & decide to visit it. On this island is where the story begins to meet its conflict. As the teens snug around the fire talking about the tale of an innocent woman (AKA The Seamstress) brutally killed by a vigilante mob, Allie begins to wonder if the story is more than just a myth. As the hapless teens are slowly picked off & turned into grisly pieces of artwork, the mystery of Donny becomes ever so clear. Did he somehow play a role in the events that occurred on that island 20 years ago? A question that comes begging for an answer as the final act draws to its climax.
The 'campy' side to this film is somewhat the greatest redeeming factor to it. Not only does it cater for your horror/gore fanatics who take delight in watching teens get sliced open but it also has a solid ensemble of actors such as Kailin See & Lance Henriksen, who alone add to the tension as well as general atmospherics of the piece. In my opinion that whole 'campy' feel overrides my general dislike for this film which could of been in a whole new ball park if for 10 minutes the viewer had time to understand the fundamental concepts of everything. This in my opinion is a film not worthy of a cinematic release & will probably pass you a thousand times on your way down the horror isle when it is eventually released on DVD.
1.5/5
Not only this, but Jesse Miller's inexperience behind the camera as director is quite evident. His experience previously in the editing department shows up in this film as he seems better at cutting the film to pieces rather than effectively developing it. The premise of the film in hindsight is very simple yet due to the fact that the film is abysmal in its length the plot is consistently rushing through key points that may help the viewer unravel the mystery. I found myself as a critic needing to watch the film twice because many key points hidden in cryptic maps & slurred/low volume dialogue (especially Kevin McNulty's character in the later stages of the film) eluded me. The contextual matter in this film is important to the viewer because most of the time the dialogue is referring to the past.
From what I gather the film follows a young woman by the name of Allie Platt (Kailin See) looking to work out the mystery behind her father, Donny's (David Nykl) disappearance. The establishing scenes at the beginning of the film make no effort in trying to hide his horrible fate at the hands of a sadistic killer. We follow her as she goes on a cross country quest to discover his whereabouts all the while experiencing haunting visions of her dead father. In her childhood town, Sticks Creek she meets a creepy mechanic (Kevin McNulty) who gives her the address to a reclusive man by the name of Logan (Lance Henriksen). A man who seems vague in his responses when discussing just what happened to Donny.
After a heated debate Allie; who blames Logan on her father's disappearance confides in her friends. They discover the location of a remote island that her father talked about in his notes & decide to visit it. On this island is where the story begins to meet its conflict. As the teens snug around the fire talking about the tale of an innocent woman (AKA The Seamstress) brutally killed by a vigilante mob, Allie begins to wonder if the story is more than just a myth. As the hapless teens are slowly picked off & turned into grisly pieces of artwork, the mystery of Donny becomes ever so clear. Did he somehow play a role in the events that occurred on that island 20 years ago? A question that comes begging for an answer as the final act draws to its climax.
The 'campy' side to this film is somewhat the greatest redeeming factor to it. Not only does it cater for your horror/gore fanatics who take delight in watching teens get sliced open but it also has a solid ensemble of actors such as Kailin See & Lance Henriksen, who alone add to the tension as well as general atmospherics of the piece. In my opinion that whole 'campy' feel overrides my general dislike for this film which could of been in a whole new ball park if for 10 minutes the viewer had time to understand the fundamental concepts of everything. This in my opinion is a film not worthy of a cinematic release & will probably pass you a thousand times on your way down the horror isle when it is eventually released on DVD.
1.5/5