Paranoid (III) (2000) User Reviews

Interesting film, but a lot of wasted potential here...

[khoekstra · 4/10 · 10 June 2005]

I bought "Frightmare" for six bucks at Circuit City thinking that it was the early 80's version. Imagine my surprise when I pop in the DVD and find a straight to video horror film from the year 2000! I'm a fan of said independent films, so I wasn't upset. I decided to give the film its due diligence.

The Good:

• Some pretty good scares in this movie. A lot of them are "jump scares" and "loud music tomfoolery," but this film should give you a jump or two, at any rate.

• Some decent atmospheric elements. The Haunted House is pretty cool. Some of the "stalking" scenes (the one at the beginning and the one in the middle) are suitably creepy and fairly well done.

• The two main actresses are actually decent actors. The rest of the cast, however, are not very good at all. Said actresses also provide ample "eye candy," if you like tight outfits, leather pants, etc. =) - The killer's outfit/mask/demeanor is also suitably creepy.

The Bad:

• Really bad editing. The movie jumps around a lot. Some of the editing tricks are neat, but overall, it pulls you out of the movie. The editing also makes the plot confusing at times.

• Soundtrack is suspect. The "creepy music" is good, but the soundtrack often relies on a drum machine/bad techno score to fill in the quiet parts. It doesn't work very well.

• The "twist" at the end had the ultimate potential for coolness, but the aforementioned bad editing made it fall flat. This is the wasted potential I'm referring to.

• Sub par acting. As I mentioned earlier, the two main actresses are good, but the rest of the cast comes off like a bad high school play.

Other notes:

Note the names of the main characters...Freddy, Jason, Norman, Michael and Hellraiser. Subtle.

You can see a lot of "Scream" influence in this film. It's interesting to see what is inspiring the next generation of filmmakers.

Overall:

I give it a 4 out of 10. Lots of wasted potential here, but the movie is very watchable if you enjoy these types of low budget, independent films. I don't regret spending the six bucks at all.

Also known as "Frightmare" (spoilers)

[jerronspencer · 2/10 · 28 September 2004]

How many movies are going to use "Frightmare" as a title? And why do they all suck? This low-budget horror flick was poorly shot, likely on digital, with bad acting, dialog and plot. I wish there was something nice I could say, but...

****SPOILER****

Anyway, a serial killer shows up in a small town and terrorizes a highschool senior class. One of the students is a journalist who has studied the killer's exploits. Of course, the police don't buy their story, so the students are forced to try and survive on their own--inside a school-sanctioned haunted house.

The story is lame, the acting is lame, the story is lame...did I say that? Well, it's true.

Some saving graces

[momostros · 4/10 · 20 March 2009]

I don't expect much out of low budget horror flicks so I was pleasantly surprised by some of the elements of this obviously low budget movie. First, the two female leads held their own. Especially when you consider the dialogue they had to work with. Second, the mask was really cool. Third, I enjoyed the 3D haunted house sequences. Lastly, the chase scenes were done pretty well. Now for the bad news. The script was very predictable and too familiar. The writer clearly ripped off a lot of his material from movies that were big in that genre at the time. Aka - Scream. The sound was bad in certain scenes and the low budget was obvious throughout the movie as far as quality. Some of the other actors were down right horrible. I still don't quite understand the ending of this film. Overall, I wouldn't watch it again but it was fine entertainment for one night. Like I said, I didn't expect much so I wasn't disappointed. I've definitely seen a lot worse.

BAD!

[jgrayson_au · 28 November 2003]

I thought this WAS done by high school students, to add to a previous comment, and even then it would still be bad. The acting is horrible, worse than any soap. Plot is stupid, and partially confusing in minor details. Camera work unsteady. Lighting dodgy. Bad acting. Bad acting. Did I mention the really bad acting?

Surprisingly the one saving grace (besides the cute lead actress) is the lack of skill in the murder scenes. Most don't have any horror music, so the only noise you can hear are the victims screams of terror ("No please don't kill me no NO!" etc etc). Done accidentally I'm sure, but very very eerie.

Overall stay away from this horrible p.o.s but... if you are stuck between this and "the return of the Texas chainsaw massacre", I'd still say go for this.... anytime.

3/10

Is Ed Wood still alive?

[jescho13 · 1/10 · 24 February 2003]

A very cheap movie made in order to try and capitalize on the success of recent horror movies such as "Scream." The beauty of no budget, independent films are that the makers of such movies are forced to be creative and use their imaginations to make up for the lack of money. This is not the case here. Someone wanted to make money with a small investment, and in return they crapped out "Frightmare." At least Ed Wood loved what he did and, in his mind, tried his best.

words can't describe...

[pwetheri · 1/10 · 27 August 2003]

sniff, sniff...what's that you smell? oh, look. it's a steaming pile of frightmare. this painfully inadequate attempt of a movie is truly terrible. usually, if a movie is really really awful...as bad as "ax 'em" (2002) per say, then i find something redeeming about the fact that it is absurdly lacking any quality that might suggest an iota of professionalism. however, unlike those gems, frightmare had a budget of more that 50 dollars. it has the quality of any made for tv movie (lights, a decent camera, etc), however the acting made me want to poke out my eyes in an oedipal act of anguish. and maybe the fact that it follows the plot to 'scream' so predictably, yet attempts to come off seriously, was what really got under my skin. it simply shouts mediocre louder than any movie i have ever seen.

The Box Art Cost More To Make

[collegeguy21 · 1/10 · 10 January 2002]

I am in Blockbuster the other day looking for a good slasher flick to watch and saw this one with cool looking video. So I checked out the back and a story about the teens of Sugar Hill High really interested me, as I was interested in seeing another high school one. Small spoilers follow, but nothing that'll give it away.

The opening in the gym looked extremely promising and I was just getting ready to watch when only 5 minutes in they go to the abandoned house and it went downhill from there. The dialogue reeked, the acting sucked, the camera work stunk and even at times appeared like a cheap porn, and there was now real clear story to it. You knew from the start who did it, but they continued to try to screw with our heads even after the killer was dead.

I wouldn't even recommend watching this movie, as I have seen better done by a high school class.

Who wrote this script ?

[Phroggy · 1/10 · 20 October 2004]

It looks more like a series of moments thrown in without any sense of storytelling. What is the killer's relationship with cockroaches ? Who cares, it looks good ! What it this "article" everybody suddenly mentions ? No idea. Even the title is unappropriated, since there is no peculiar paranoid in this movie.

When revealed in a lame sequence, the "killer" barely has the built of the murderer we saw before. And the incoherent ending scores ten on the "Huh ?" meter. This is not just bad, it's also a cheat.

Rent something else unless you are in the mood for a real bad movie !

Prepare for something worst than Manos

[MustafaPen · 1/10 · 8 August 2005]

I found this at a Newbury Comics in the used section for under $10. I regret spending this. The only thing this movie has going for it is the creepy music. Plot holes and random behavior in this movie destroy the film. For instance, Rebecca Simmons (that's Simmons, not Falls) is never mentioned throughout the rest of the film, nor is she even credited. Also the kill scenes are also very sub-par and not scary, and the acting and editing was horrendous and haphazard. Worst of all is that many questions are left unanswered. No wonder none of the actors never acted in many films after. The saving grace of this film is the Silver mask the Conscience Killer wears. The best thing this film is for is either a coaster or a cheesy movie night with a couple of friends.

It's just REALLY BAD

[sia221 · 1/10 · 4 December 2011]

If you've ever wanted to turn off a movie before it's even finished, that's not good. But if a movie has ever made you feel as though you wasted a portion of your life, that's even worse. I hope no one has to ever watch this film more than once, or at all even. I stuck to it till the end but to be honest there was nothing really stopping me from turning off the movie. I mean some movies are so bad they're good, but this was a sloppy slasher, there was nothing particularly interesting about it and the whole movie basically led up to nothing. By the end all I could think was how bad it was and believe you me I am not speaking in hyperbole. Most people will watch slashers for their general awful nature, but this wasn't even the good kind of awful. It's not a kicks and giggles kind of slasher, it's more like a doomsday "Is this how the world ends?" kind of slasher. Maybe I am being harsh considering that it was a low-budget, indie horror flick. But I watch a lot of awful slashers for fun, I guess this one just disappointed me in how awful it actually was. It could have been a decent film if there was an aim to it.

So BAD it wasn't even funny...

[sfajacks83 · 1/10 · 15 June 2002]

I'm a huge horror film fan, so I picked this one. Thank GOD I didn't have to pay money for this crap (I have a summer job at a video store). It lost me the second one of the character's said "Hello? We're a bunch of high school kids, and our car is broke down..." I would think that this movie should have just a little bit of creativity, but it didn't... negative 10

Worth every penny

[keeperman42 · 10/10 · 4 February 2004]

I found this movie today for a whopping $3 Australian (About a dollar fifty American), and I must say, it was well worth it.

Sure, the story sucks.. The acting sucks.. The dialoge sucks.. The blood and other effects suck.. And almost everything else sucks.. But my friend and I thoroughly enjoyed it, mostly due to the laughter at the movies expense.

It is always good to go out with a quote, so I will quote the killer from this top-grade horror movie... "I'M NOT TRYING TO WIN AN OSCAR!!!" That's good; you've got no chance.

-keeperman42

Not as bad as people are saying...

[GoodWill · 6/10 · 15 September 2002]

If one thing's for sure I know horror movies and since being propped in front of the television since age 11 while Friday the 13th (terribly edited mind you) was playing on channel 56; I have developed a certain love/hate relationship with them due to the thousands (!) of mixed bags that I have seen. Frightmare (2000-not to be confused with the horror film of the same name from the early 1970's) ranks about slightly above average in the wake of atrociously cheap horror movies that have graced our movie shelves since 'Blair Witch' hit the jackpot (UNdeservedly so-bad bad movie). I mean let's face it everyone with a cheap video camera is getting their 30 cent budgeted film transfered to dvd or video in the hopes that the film will take off. Frightmare does have many many problems mind you..one being the way that it mercilessly rips off Wes Craven's superior Scream (1997) in plot and dialogue. At first I was beginning to sense an homage but it got to the point where it was just plain ripping off plot points and dialogue from the trend-setting horror film. That being said, I found myself jumping at more than one scene in this film as well as respecting some of the filmmakers interesting filmmaking techniques (though many DONT work-but hey it's a learning process), not to mention a dynamic opening credits sequence. The acting was, well, not very good, but it was tolerable enough to be able to get into the film to the point where it could be enjoyed. I could sit here and write an essay that explains how inept this film is and how there are as many plot holes to fit a cruise ship in, but thats not the point..for the most part they don't get into the way of a somewhat enjoyable film. If you can be an indiscriminatory viewer and have an hour and a half to waste, pick this film up, but remember I warned you as much as I informed you. Take from it what you will. I personally already forgot most of it...but that mask is pretty memorable i must say, being sort of a cross between Darth Maul and the little doll from Trilogy of Terror. At least I will remember that...

Cheesy, bad, but funny slasher film!

[zombieoutbreak-74199 · 4/10 · 20 July 2021]

The acting and editing is horrible but it makes this low budget slasher hilarious! If you don't take this movie seriously you'll have a few good laughs. It feels like a rip off of Scream if Randy was the killer. Not to mention the killers voice sounds like Jigsaw. If you like cheesy slashers then I recommend watching this one because it's so bad it's good.

Pure garbage, even for a low budget slasher flick

[Katatonia · 2 September 2002]

The acting was half good and half bad, some of the actors did a good job while others were horrid. The main characters who are supposed to be seniors in high school all looked and acted like mid-20's college preps. The plot is really lame and unbelievable. The dialogue sounds fake most of the time. This is pretty bad even for a low budget slasher "teen" flick. Don't get me wrong, i love tons of them...but this just doesn't make you want to view it again. The ending tried to be interesting, but it failed...badly. While I've seen much worse before i still wouldn't give this movie more than a 2 out of a possible 10.

Use By 2000

[saint_brett · 1/10 · 26 January 2024]

Rebecca Gayheart is on the run from those tracksuit-wearing thugs from the British movie 'F.' Eluding a few close calls, she arrives home to find both her parents murdered, so in a paranoid state of hysteria, she headbutts a mirror and suspends herself like the victim in 'The Hitcher.' Forensics are quick on the scene, hauling Brenda Bates away.

Elsewhere, Daisy Ridley is seeing off her parents as they're an inconvenience to the script, which leaves her home alone and a sitting duck.

What can only be described as a Crazy Town demo tape - remember those guys? - is used as a score. It's as cheap as this roadside haunted house walkthrough scene that's not even frightening. Oh brother, when the demo tape by the Butterfly Boys isn't being used, Simon & Garfunkel's sound of silence is literally employed to replace it, which is a hell of an improvement. Listen close, and you can hear the dry, crisp air with no humidity.

Daisy Ridley and the one killed earlier in the movie conveniently break down out in the middle of nowhere due to a radiator overheating. If it overheated, then why are they all wearing winter warmers?

Boy, when the audition call went out for this movie, no one showed up, so they probably had to draft budding actors from skid row.

This crap is a B-side to a B-side of 'Disturbing Behavior' with aspirations to be 'Scream' meets 'Texas Chainsaw.'

Boom mic at the 34:24-minute mark. Lousy camera and director work.

Who's actually responsible for greenlighting projects like this? This requires clearance by the arts and film literature board, so who thought it was passable for release? It's low-budget, indie, and pilot stuff. It's a first draft pilot with actors employed by a lottery raffle from a homeless shelter.

There's a 1/10 movie that's far superior to this 1/10 relation and that's 'Sledgehammer.' "A little sweet and low."

A Slipknot member chases an actress - who was rebuked from 'The Faculty' - around a house, and the scene's not even creepy. It's one of the Slipknot dudes from the song Nero Forte.

Josh Allen shows up as a movie extra at the 45:52 minute mark in his Buffalo attire. That's him up there in the background, if you don't believe me.

A Korn song nearly breaks out at the 47-minute mark, but it turns into a looney tunes with Q-Bert high on LSD conducting a band full of squirrels tripping on -

See! You see, this dude in the backwards hat just agreed with me at the 48:28 minute mark by mentioning deer's tripping out on acid and bashing tambourines.

Now a Jimmy Hendrix riff almost breaks out.

Man, o man, whoever's behind this project should be ashamed of themselves and apologize to a global audience.

This kid - the killer - just did his best Jennifer Love Hewitt, "What are you waiting for?" line.

Daisy Ridley is using a three-inch floppy, so you know how dated this movie is.

I hate to rip on you, movie, but you're even relying on donations from late 80s light metal sound effects that Beavis & Butthead would be proud of. Remember Warrant being the last remaining hair band before extinction? Never mind.

This movie's the Dollar Store of discount shops. The bargain blazer of thrift store fire sale bins. The coupon king of savings.

I bet this Razor character became hot property after this movie wrapped and was in demand and fully booked out, with a movie career extending to this day. Longevity is a virtue concerning all these actors involved.

I knew they wouldn't show any nakedness in that pathetic sex scene. That's how cheap this discount warehouse reduced to clear project is.

It wouldn't surprise me if they had to wash cars and sell lemonade and cupcakes to raise the budget for this embarrassment.

Check out the Silly String in a can scene if you don't believe me about this movie. What a complete waste of time and money.

"Party, party, party." Feel the energy emanating from these actors, motivating me to feel inspired.

"Run away, get away." Listen to this Razor actor, would you? What acting.

"I'm not trying to win an Oscar," reveals the killer. State the obvious, dude.

The killer in this never made the cut to be in 'Elephant' or 'Duck: The Carbine High Massacre.' Wow, the big reveal at the end is up there with JR mimicking charades with a handgun. You really outdone yourself, movie.

This movie has entrenched its legacy and will be forever remembered as a revolutionary game changer that inspired 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'Forest Gump.' I bet when they started filming this project, they had high hopes and were thinking red carpet, but they didn't calculate straight to video in their equations.

On behalf of everyone involved in the making of this movie, I'd like to apologize to the international community for the production's outcome. No amnesty can overturn my authority on the matter, and let this be a warning to any others out there who dare venture down this movie's path that you enter at your own risk, and all I can say is that I told you so.

Thank God for Lead Actress

[strosfanny · 10/10 · 19 January 2006]

Needless to say, this wasn't the best horror flick I have paid good money to see. However, the film's one saving grace was the beautiful and talented lead actress. Actually, the two lead actresses weren't half bad they were just given a MISERABLE script to work with. They were the ONLY reason I spent 90 minutes watching this movie. Where is the originality? I felt the movie had potential in certain scenes, but unfortunately not enough to make this a cult favorite. The mask was cool and the haunted house had potential to be cool. I actually found myself a little scared during the chases scenes. Would I see it again...no...but I didn't mind checking it out once. I blame the writer/director for the film's demise.

Well, at least the lead actress is HOT and can act!

[catchandthrow3 · 6/10 · 13 February 2009]

Well, it's definitely not going to win any prizes, but I quite enjoyed the lead actresses. Not bad acting from them. The script is dreadful though and the other actors leave something to be desired. I still don't understand the ending. Not a total waste of time and my three bucks. I actually thought the mask was pretty cool and their was some potential scares throughout the film. The scenes at the haunted house were pretty cool in 3D. You could tell you the Director was just saddled with a small budget that he couldn't do a lot with. I actually saw this movie when I was living out of country and oddly enough it was huge there. They aren't used to big budget films like the U.S. or Europe. It's actually pretty funny in Japanese. Again, I didn't love this film. But, it definitely wasn't as bad as some are saying. Maybe it's just because I quite enjoyed watching sexy Sarah.

Could have been better.

[Madman_Marz · 5 November 2001]

I'm a huge fan of the slasher movies of the 80's and the cover for "Paranoid" looked great so I put down my $6.50 to rent it. Overall the movie was fairly poor. The acting was bad, the dialogue was abysmal, however the killer's mask was really cool. The beginning titles were great for such a low budget flick and promised quality that ultimately this movie just couldn't deliver. Similar to Scream only made on a miniscule budget. There wasn't enough gore or scares in this movie to let it rise above the average slasher movie. I'd be interested to know if anyone understood the ending.

At least people are talking...

[pwchaser · 4 February 2003]

Well, I must say that this wasn't the best horror flick I have ever seen. But then again...could this obviously low budget flick ever amount to one of the tops? I will say, however, that the acting wasn't all bad. I mean...how could the poor young actors do much with what was written to begin with. I was at least able to finish it. It seems to me that this is obviously a first film for the director...and how many of us could even do this well. The mask was cool, the girls were hot... Would I watch it again? Probably not...but at least people are talking about it. Even I would rent it based on the below comments just to see what all the fuss is about.

Horrible, Horrible, Horrible

[filmfreak-5 · 23 March 2003]

Saw this movie, had more fun when I broke my leg! This movie plain sucks - horrific acting, horrific directing, so many fatal mistakes you should think this movie was done by a bunch of school students. A complete waste of time and then some.

edited badly , could have been so much more

[gestalta · 12 August 2002]

Why is it that whenever a relatively knew Director gets an idea for a film, they feel the need to rush it thru like their life depends on it. Everything was there in Paranoid. plot twists guessing games shocks and thrills. but a little more attention should have been given to introducing the elements of the film, rather than ramming them down the throat. The cast obviously was suffering from the age old problem of Dude i am in a film if i over act it will compensate for the lack of script. I wish that films like this were given the chance to develop their ideas. on a lighter note did anyone else notice that the anchor woman in the beginning was unable to get a single sentence right, and when the illegal rave flyers were being handed out, how many times did they need to shoot the same scene as the flyers in their hands changed colour more times than traffic light on speed. As far as the ending goes , hey it ended what more do you want. i hope that the team behind it keep going and dont give up , just take more time people it is worth it

A huge disappointment

[Lizbelle01 · 19 January 2003]

My friend and I love horror movies, and this sounded pretty good, so we rented it, and what a disappointment. The film quality was terrible, the sound was terrible, the acting was terrible. All in all it was terrible. Granted, it did make me scream a couple of times, but I wish I would have saved my three bucks.