Stitches (2001 Video) User Reviews

Stupid guests succumb to an evil entity!

[Aaron1375 · 4/10 · 26 June 2020]

A movie by Full Moon Studios so everyone who knows their work will know what will take place and that is a film that is short, a film that tries to be funny at times and a film that is usually bad, but still entertaining too. We get that from this film as it does not quite do enough to be good, but it still does not fail to entertain. That is why I never mind watching a film that is done by Full Moon because once and a while you get a good film, but if not, there is no loss because the film can still be enjoyable.

The story of this one is an evil demon in hell takes the guise of an elderly lady and becomes a guest at a bed and breakfast full of people discussing philosophy. She observes the guests and plans on her course of attack as she begins to take their souls one by one. One man is suspicious, the only halfway smart person of the bunch, but is he smart enough to leave the house with his soul intact?

The characters are all quite stupid as the demon does not really had what she is all that well. One person could have easily turned her down and just left the room because all she offered was a chance to discover if demons were real. Then there is the stupid girl who seems like she is innocent, but she has a seething hatred for anyone she thinks is smart. The married couple where the husband hates the wife yet she loves him. The strange woman with a secret and the owner of the bed and breakfast. Interesting enough characters, but not really a likable one in the bunch.

So, the film passed the time and so it is fun enough to watch, just not very good. Just could have used a better ending, yet I was glad what happened to the stupid girl. The film takes place in the past I guess, but it is a bit hard to pinpoint what year it is supposed to, I am going to guess 1930's maybe? Though I guess it does not matter because the lesson of a film like this is do not bargain with the devil or it will cost you!

BORING!!!

[huggy_bear · 3/10 · 1 September 2003]

This really could have been a lot better. Instead, it turned out to be one boring as hell movie, with absolutely no thrilling moments at all in it. NONE!! Come on, at least TRY to scare us when billing a movie as a horror. Please!! I passed on watching "Godzilla vs. Mothra" to watch this. I should have watched Godzilla, at least there would have been some action!!

A good Full Moon!

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 24 August 2021]

Mrs. Albright (Elizabeth Ince, Grandmother Regina from Demon Wind and Mrs. Denton in Vice Academy 5) seems like such a sweet lady when she arrives to stay at a boarding house. However, it turns out that she's a demon who uses desire against the other people staying there, stealing their skin to continue to build her skin suit and trapping their bodies inside a book as if they were paper dolls.

That's because she's made a bet with the devil that she can destroy the entire world. As the film ends, it seems like she's going to make good on that claim.

Written and directed by Neal Marshall Stevens (who has forty-five writing credits at the time this was viewed, including Thir13en Ghosts, Head of the Family and Puppet Master: Axis Termination; he also was a creative consultant on the TV show Monsters), this was the original script for Witchouse, but that changed after the producers decided that they wanted to make a movie closer to Night of the Demons. Also, in true Full Moon style, this was shot on the same set as Ragdoll.

It has plenty of unsettling images - and sound design - in it, the least of which is when Mrs. Albright asks a man to unstitch the skin on her back to reveal her demonic form.

Stitches also is on the Full Moon compilation film Possessed under the title "Witches' Dolls."

Amateur

[pangurban44 · 2/10 · 9 November 2023]

Poor production values. Terrible script. Amateur acting. If I hadn't seen this on Rifftrax, I would have never watched it.

I have so many questions.

Full Moon features, why?

Why, in the movie, does everyone treat the maid so poorly? Why is it so hard to figure out what year it is? Why is there no tension or suspense? Was it poor filmmaking, or was it lack of experience, or maybe a lack of understanding of the craft of filmmaking? Who was in charge of costumes, and were they drunk? Why is the screenplay so terrible?

If you have gotten this far in the review, I encourage you to watch the movie for yourself. Is it really as terrible as all that?

The Best Full Moon Production Ever!

[Che Z. Scare · 2 June 2001]

I usually rent movies by Full Moon Productions,because their usually so bad their good.But,in this case it wasn't really cheesy and unintentionally funny.The story was a little bit dumb and a little bit typical of a demon movie.Never less an okay film for something for Universal,but for something like Full Moon its a master piece.The acting was a tiny bit flat,but hey I've seen ALOT worse in Full Moon movies.All in all I enjoyed it.

slow moving

[timhayes-1 · 4/10 · 19 June 2007]

In some ways, Stitches is typical Full Moon fare and in others it manages to break free of the mold. There are tiny dolls and they do some horrible things. Those expecting another Puppet Master or Demonic Toys, however, will be greatly disappointed. These are paper dolls and they hold the souls of victims. Mrs. Albright is an elderly woman who comes to a boarding house and proceeds to influence the patrons. Turns out this sweet old lady is really a demon in disguise and she's out to collect souls. Think Needful Things and you'll have an idea of where this is going. The main problem is that Stitches isn't as well written as Needful Things was and when in doubt Full Moon breaks out the killer dolls. Its a shame really because there are some good ideas in the script. Its just that nothing is capitalized on. What we get is a slow crawl from one soultaking to the next. Pity.

One stitch at a time.

[michaelRokeefe · 5/10 · 6 November 2005]

Low budget with some better than average special effects. Mrs. Lucy Albright is a sorceress that fashions her outer self out of stitching together skin and body parts of her victims. She checks into a quiet New England boarding house with the full intent of stealing the guest's souls and turning them into paper dolls for her book of memories. Don't expect any gore; some may say don't expect much at all...but STITCHES is really not all that bad for 81 minutes of straight to video. For a low budget flick this film is photographed rather well. There is some over-acting; but the story is kind of novel.Other cast members: Debra Mayer, Kaycee Shank, Marc Newburger and Robert Donovan.

yawn.......so boring

[KHayes666 · 4/10 · 2 March 2005]

This isn't the worst horror movie I've ever seen but it certainly was the most boring. In over 90 minutes there was one gun shot and hardly any action. Horror movies are supposed to scare people, and this wasn't scary at all. Nice storyline and cute females, but wow is this boring. I give this movie 4 out of 10 because its so boring you'll probably fall asleep, but at least 3 of the female characters are cute which is some eye candy for the guys, and the storyline of how the demon outsmarts the characters was kind of cool, but then again all those people were stupid to begin with.

4 of 10

Boarding house indie nonsense

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 30 November 2017]

STITCHES is an indie horror flick set in a boarding house run by a kindly old woman who turns out to be a demon in disguise. The story sees a bunch of boarders generally hanging out and chilling while their landlady occasionally kills them for dark purposes. Made on a zero budget, this has no real plot of note, although I did like the old-fashioned look of the thing which is a lot more impressive than the usual cruddy-looking indie nonsense. There are a few good ideas buried amid the tedium.

Mediocre horror offering from Full Moon.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 6/10 · 16 May 2006]

A charming old lady named Mrs.Albright guests at a New England Boarding House.She hides a dark secret,because beneath her stitched-on human skin lurks a demon from hell bent on capturing the souls of unsuspecting occupants and imprisoning them for all time in her hideous book of paper dolls.One by one,the residents receive Mrs.Albright's special attention and she is really effective at her job.Admittedly the premise of "Stitches" is quite good,unfortunately the performances are mostly mediocre and the special effects are lame.The lack of nudity is also disappointing.Still the film sustains a pretty creepy atmosphere and the script by frequent Full Moon scribe Benjamin Carr offers some surprises.Give it a look,just don't expect a masterpiece.6 out of 10.

ASMR Strangeness

[michle53 · 5/10 · 26 July 2021]

I actually enjoyed this movie, but the clickety-suckety noises directed into it were distracting. Not sure what the director was going for-maybe some sort of hypnosis effect? Interesting, but irritating nonetheless. The lead actress is very effective as the Queen of Darkness (and very good at punching "t"s).

The director and the cast/crew...

[Filmmaker777 · 10/10 · 26 July 2007]

I believe, yes, this movie turned out a little slow. However, it still got shot and completed and on shelves, which is a much more difficult task than it may seem to all you non-filmmakers. I don't know, I worked my best on it, but I had some difficulties. I was the Production Designer. I was simply overworked. I was working for peanuts for J.R. Bookwalter, straight out of Screen writing school at LMU, and I lucked out getting a Production Design position on two feature films for Full Moon and J.R. Bookwalter. But I was simply overworked and overloaded. I think I did an amazing job on getting a huge load of props for the film, nearly every prop seen on camera besides the special effects make-up. It was a difficult task within the time constraints, and it was a great learning experience for everyone on board. I have no qualms with the director of this movie, I would just like to apologize if there were any differences. These tiny budget movies get crazy sometimes, I think it is amazing this film got done, and I think J.R. Bookwalter is to thank, and also a dedicated crew. I wish who worked on and acted in this movie the BEST of success. And check out my two new feature films, Crazy Animal and The Vampires of Zanzibar. The latter will blow you away, it is hilarious. Just go to Crazyanimalmovie.com or zanzibarmovie.com or Johnbirmingham.com.

Surprisingly decent

[takato0524 · 7/10 · 4 February 2021]

I didn't know what to expect from this film, but from the first 10 minutes I knew I'd enjoy it. Funny, the only characters I liked were the two that survived until the end. I do enjoy a movie where the "bad guy" wins. Each of the victims were bad in their own way, and it was only natural that they would end up in the situations they did. A pleasant surprise from the trash horror films I've been seeing on Amazon lately.

Boring

[ashtonlc · 5/10 · 17 September 2023]

Some of the themes were intriguing, but the characters are too one-dimensional and most of the dialogue is stupid. The special effects are dumb.

The plot is that a group of people are renting rooms where Satan is renting a room. Satan manipulates all of them to gain their souls so they will do her bidding. Each person has a different compulsion that can be manipulated. One is a philanderer, one is desperate for her husband's love, one is greedy, one is vengeful... the person I watched this with agrees that we didn't feel like we wasted a little over an hour but we definitely wouldn't watch it again.

Surprisingly Good

[pawned79 · 7/10 · 3 December 2002]

My friends and I watch a lot of movies, good and bad. Stitches is one of the diamonds in the rough kinda films. I thought it was surprisingly good. Obviously not the highest budget film, but I think the makers did a really great job with what they had. The movie had a really nice old school creepiness that I haven't seen since the computer game: The Seventh Guest. Honestly, I think this is a nice film to have in ones collection. Would make a very good Halloween party movie among friends.

Patrick

Stay stitched to your seats--there's a good movie here!!

[Mitchmuse · 8/10 · 5 November 2003]

Watch this one! The writer, casting person, director & actors delivered. Great idea for a film. Manipulation is an art as one will see. You won't be disappointed. This may well become a cult horror classic.

Evil Is Only Skin Deep!

[rogerchameleon · 9 January 2001]

Another surprisingly good effort from Full Moon Pictures and specifically director Neal Stevens and producer J.R. Bookwalter, who is the creator of the classic horror movie "The Dead Next Door."

Elizabeth Ince is very funny and scary as Mrs. Albright and newcomer Maggie Rose Fleck is very good as the mysterious Kathryn. It will be interesting to see what projects will come her way after this juicy role.

A good time all around.

Enjoyable morality tale from Full Moon

[voliveri · 6/10 · 16 July 2023]

Full Moon features used to excel at these movies: small morality tales with good performances and captivating stories on a budget. And puppets. HIDEOUS and HEAD OF THE FAMILY always come to mind when I think of their best offerings, but I think OBLIVION is also worth including in this list. I'm pleased to say that STITCHES is another worthy film to add to the list.

If you enjoy Rod Serling's TWILIGHT ZONE and other classic science-fiction/fantasy programs, I think you'll like this.

Other reviews have complained about the pacing. The pacing is perfect for the story they're telling. This is NOT a thriller, nor a suspense movie. I was never bored--in fact, though I intended to have this on in the background, I couldn't help but get sucked in.

As for the performances, all are competent; however, Elizabeth Ince's performance stands out. She's a wonderful antagonist.

Full Moon has a reputation for eroticism and nudity, but there is none of that to be found here.

Finally, I wanted to comment on another review by the production designer. No one attached to this movie needs to apologize for anything or defend it. It's wonderfully made and very entertaining. The cast and crew should be proud of this film.

well, uh, it's Fullmoon alright...

[fryingpanx · 1 January 2003]

I have mixed feelings about this one......that and I'm not sure if the one I got was edited or not, I saw the casting for a monster.. but not the monster. Unfortunatly, this could very well be one of the best fullmoon films. The end was a little to much to take though. Watch it if you're into inflicting pain on yourself and the ones around you.

Nice Story

[blurnieghey · 7/10 · 12 September 2023]

Well, it isn't high art, but I'm surprised by the low rating this one has, as I thought it was pretty good. Cheap? Yes. A little slow? I suppose for the low attention span phone-gazers and mouse-clickers, yes. The acting is a little weak in some spots, but I liked this story, reminding me more of an episode of Tales From The Darkside or Twilight Zone than a full-length feature. It isn't gory, probably could have used a bit of nudity, no jumps and scares and it isn't action-packed, either, relying on a solid story and a timeless morality tale to carry it along and it worked for me. Elizabeth Ince did a good job as a demon, using skin as a thin veneer and a fake personality of a sweet old lady with and equally thin veneer, scarcely covering her contempt and cynicism. The concept as a whole is pretty fantastic, although I find the idea that someone would be fool enough to consign himself to hell for some dumb girl he barely knows to be even more fantastic, although it served the purpose of a nice, ironic ending. This sort of movie was a little old-fashioned in 2001, but that doesn't make it bad and it's worth watching if you like a nice story.

Stitches 2001 Movie Review

[ajrthefirst · 8/10 · 28 November 2014]

There are many things that make a movie good, One, is the creativity that goes into it to make it unique, in which I thought this movie did an EXCELLENT job on creativity. Second, the pace for the Genre of the movie and how well it flowed and kept audiences interested. This movie was a little slow paced but interesting. I would probably consider the pace one of the weakest points of the movie. You have other things that goes into movies as well. I think I liked the movie so much that I am really disappointed that it is not easier to buy or rent. Overall, I am thankful to my favorite movie store, that shut down (Movie Gallery also known as Video Update), for carrying this movie so I could be one of the lucky ones who got the chance to watch this because it is now very hard to find and that is to my biggest disappointment. I would recommend this movie to anyone. Especially those who like unique, creative, movies. This is a rare gem.

Full Moon's Turn Around is Alive with "Stitches"

[ministry13_99 · 8/10 · 6 July 2001]

In 1995, when then named Full Moon Entertainment broke away from their distribution deal with Paramount Pictures, they left what was a legacy of low-budget horror films behind them. When Full Moon re-surfaced they released Castle Freak, an excellent piece of horror. After that film, however, the company slowly went downhill.

With releases such as Talisman, Curse of the Puppet Master, Totem, and Prison of the Dead, you could tell Full Moon was missing out on a lot, and skipping more beats than an armless drummer. Then, earlier this year, Tempe Entertainment knew Full Moon needed help, and they gave the respectful horror film company A LOT.

Stitches has become the third Full Moon film to be released with the aid of Tempe Entertainment, and I must say, I have been most impressed with this union, including this film the most. It plays out like a horror film, but also as a psychological thriller, a new idea from Full Moon Pictures.

The evil Mrs. Albright (Probably named after line producer and one of Full Moon's leading women, Ariauna Albright) is actually a demon in disguise trying to take the souls of occupants of a home. After she takes their souls, she makes them into paper dolls who do anything she says. Sounds stupid, right? It might, but it's great.

I was really impressed with the films atmosphere, and Full Moon's now trademark digital effects. Usually, the effects don't go over too well, but, this film, seemed completely different, the effects were good, and fit well.

This "Who-Dun-It" film is what you need to watch if you just want something original and something that gives what was a struggling film company new life. Next from Full Moon Pictures, Demonicus.

Cute low budget horror, more unique story, give it a chance

[radioactivesound · 8/10 · 22 January 2022]

This is a cute low budget horror movie with a great script and well directed, interestingly by a first time director, who hasn't directed again.

The script is simple but great and there are some neat twists and plays on demon powers and tricks throughout it you won't see at all or in many other films.

Don't expect lots of gore or effects, very low budget movie and they explain in the "making of" it was cheapened even more regarding effects before shooting began.

It paces along well, I didn't feel it dragged or was boring at any point like some did.

It has plenty of twists in the way you think the story is going to go and this is in a confined setting of a boarding house, it isn't a very expansive story or setting.

Give it a chance, it wraps up fairly competently and you could definitely do a lot worse than so much out there.

How many other demons disguised as an old lady horror movies are out there to begin with?

The last good Full Moon

[hunwulf · 14 February 2004]

This is the last thing from Full Moon that I thought was worth a damn. Previously, "Vampire Journals" stood out,not so much because of its run-of-the-mill story, but for its beautiful location settings, photography and fine Gothic atmosphere. I also enjoyed the better entries in the Subspecies series. But "Stitches" surpasses them and is arguably the finest feature ever from Full Moon. An omnipresent atmosphere of lurking doom and dread hovers over the hapless characters like a dark storm cloud. Mrs. Albright is a truly sinister harbinger of evil who preys on people's weaknesses, exploits their inner longings, and strips away their surface vaneer of moral rectitude. Setting the story in some undefined point in the early 20th century, when people were more repressed, was a masterstroke. This is a taut psychological chiller, subtly crafted, and not for those in search of cheap thrills, gore, or manic action.