Six friends are pitched against each other when they are sent via email and text message, a chain letter, which if not passed on, sends a psycho-killer after them. Their loyalties to each other are tested when they must pass the letter to each other, or not at all, and if they break the chain, they lose their life.
The film and its directing are very stylistic. From the introduction, we are shown a lot of short shots, close-ups, blood, and color. Unlike the "torture porn" craze, the focus is not on the gore, despite how easy it would be to do so. I give them a lot of credit for making the decision to leave a little bit to our imaginations.
Even the opening credits sets a tone with its overview of modern technology and how frightening it may be for some people with the Unabomber, Y2K, cell phones with GPS and more. Technology is our friend, an extension of our very bodies... but it can both help and harm, keep us safe or spy on us menacingly. There is a trade off -- added technology means less privacy.
The film features a really great cast of horror veterans. Keith David ("They Live") is Detective Jim Crenshaw. Nikki Reed ("Twilight") is Jessie Campbell. Brad Dourif ("Child's Play") is Mr. Smirker, a paranoid neo-Luddite who carries the opening credit theme a step further into the film. Dourif has never failed to excel, and this is no exception. And Betsy Russell ("Saw") is Sergeant Hamill.
There seems to be some debate among viewers whether this is a remake of the Japanese film "Chain". And while there are many American remakes of Japanese films, this time it seems debatable. The writers do not want to tell you it is, so it may just be a coincidence... or a conspiracy. Who knows?
The DVD from Image Entertainment is bare bones. The film comes in either R-rated or unrated (with an extra two minutes), but that is all you get. No commentary, no featurettes. It does not even have alternate languages or subtitles (sorry, deaf people). So if you want more from this film, it will not happen... you will have to track down those involved and let them know how you feel.
The film is really pretty good, and much better than you would expect from something that went under our radar. And if the gore and humor are not enough for you, there is even a sexy bathtub scene... I think this is one of the better horror films of 2010, and it is a shame it was overlooked.
The film and its directing are very stylistic. From the introduction, we are shown a lot of short shots, close-ups, blood, and color. Unlike the "torture porn" craze, the focus is not on the gore, despite how easy it would be to do so. I give them a lot of credit for making the decision to leave a little bit to our imaginations.
Even the opening credits sets a tone with its overview of modern technology and how frightening it may be for some people with the Unabomber, Y2K, cell phones with GPS and more. Technology is our friend, an extension of our very bodies... but it can both help and harm, keep us safe or spy on us menacingly. There is a trade off -- added technology means less privacy.
The film features a really great cast of horror veterans. Keith David ("They Live") is Detective Jim Crenshaw. Nikki Reed ("Twilight") is Jessie Campbell. Brad Dourif ("Child's Play") is Mr. Smirker, a paranoid neo-Luddite who carries the opening credit theme a step further into the film. Dourif has never failed to excel, and this is no exception. And Betsy Russell ("Saw") is Sergeant Hamill.
There seems to be some debate among viewers whether this is a remake of the Japanese film "Chain". And while there are many American remakes of Japanese films, this time it seems debatable. The writers do not want to tell you it is, so it may just be a coincidence... or a conspiracy. Who knows?
The DVD from Image Entertainment is bare bones. The film comes in either R-rated or unrated (with an extra two minutes), but that is all you get. No commentary, no featurettes. It does not even have alternate languages or subtitles (sorry, deaf people). So if you want more from this film, it will not happen... you will have to track down those involved and let them know how you feel.
The film is really pretty good, and much better than you would expect from something that went under our radar. And if the gore and humor are not enough for you, there is even a sexy bathtub scene... I think this is one of the better horror films of 2010, and it is a shame it was overlooked.