Somebody Help Me (2007 Video) User Reviews

Somebody Help Me....With The Ending!!!

[Nightmare-Maker · 5/10 · 15 November 2007]

I Just got a screener of the DVD 'Somebody Help Me'...After reading mixed reviews - a lot of pretty good ones mind, I was quite looking forward to seeing it. The story seemed pretty familiar, five couples go to a cabin in the woods, slasher killer around picking them off one by one...you know the rest!!! But as soon as the film was on I thought it was pretty good. The acting was quite good, above average for a DTV film, and the setting was really good I thought. They chucked in the obvious 'IT COULD BE'S' like all these films do, but this had a kind of supernatural twist to it too, which never really materialised into anything.

But it had a kind of 'SAW' feel to it too. I don't want to spoil things too much!!!

Also it did have some nice gore effects, (I'm a massive gorehound) although not a gorefest by any stretch of the imagination. This for me was heading for a strong 7/10 - the ending was "Oh, is that it...", it left me totally unsatisfied and kind of cheated in a way as it just did'nt explain what I had just seen for the last hour and a half.

Massive let down for us - maybe somebody may be able to help me out! -I just did'nt get it. 5/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

fine copying until it devolves

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 17 September 2019]

A young black man borrows his uncle's cabin near Lake Arrowhead for a birthday gathering. The group of young people party but soon they are disappearing one by one. The captured ones are being tortured by a mad man who is cutting up his victims. The sheriff is unwilling to talk about an incident from three years earlier.

This is a horror in the vein of Turistas which was released a year earlier. It's interesting to see black cinema trying to copy a horror genre. In this case, the white folks are the first to die and that's a fun little twist on the convention. The torture is gross. It is what it is. It's torture porn. The acting is not that great but it's fine. The girls scream. I am surprised that the sheriff isn't a racist redneck. I'm glad that this movie is willing to play against some conventions but it can't escape other conventions. Then there is little white girl. It would be fine if some kind of ground work is laid down for that turn. The movie doesn't do that and it suffers.

nothing great there are better movies

[amjeezy · 3/10 · 18 January 2009]

This movie was simply OK. It is extremely hard to understand all of the time. It starts out with a bunch of friends at a vacation cabin until 2 go missing. apparently there looks to be a ghost child a random stalker outside and some1 who walks in their house. it also is mainly gory. it is not scary all it is is gory and at rare times suspenseful. It switches at random moments to the friends dying to whatever. it makes no sense. it also ends in the random stalker killing the guy killing the kids in his own house and apparently the little girl is his daughter? WTF and u realize this all at around the last 10 minutes. there isn't any reason the stalker to be in the killer's house. it is just funny. while i was watching it i called the killer "The hiker" cause he's always hiking somewhere or killing some1. no sense. oh hes also a plastic surgeon

You can learn a lot from this film.

[innocuous · 2/10 · 19 February 2008]

A fairly well-acted film that would have made a better parody of a slasher film than it does an actual slasher film. Fun to study, though.

For example, as has been pointed out by other reviewers, it's probably a good idea to take the shotgun WITH you after you've gone to the trouble to get it out of the police car. Doesn't do much good if you leave it there outside.

It's also probably OK to let the police know that you and your friends are being murdered, even if you are African-American. This is especially true if the sheriff is a friend of your uncle's and you've already met the guy and he seemed pretty straight. It takes more time to debate the issue than to simply call the cops.

Also, if you ever get locked in a dog pen, you might be amazed by how easy it is to kick your way out by bending the steel mesh. It's only held together by little steel rings. (By the way, the same thing goes for sheetrock...you can kick your way through a wall in about 30 seconds, so don't let anyone pull a "Saw" on you in the bedroom of a modern house.)

Anyway, this is a thoroughly frustrating movie, mixing elements from many sources and not doing a very good job in any area (i.e., no nudity, not much gore, no suspense, no clever plot turns, no scary villain.)

To be avoided.

Insert obvious joke here

[movieman_kev · 2/10 · 27 August 2012]

A group of friend vacationing at a cabin in the woods for the weekend for one of their birthdays are menaced by an evil plastic surgeon.

Feautering a bevy of characters, none of which I cared about, getting killed by one of the more lame serial killers of recent memory, this putrid horror film by the director who killed the House Party franchise, this putrid film isn't worth the time spent reviewing it. Followed by a sequel that I will watch as it, like this one, is readily available on Instant Netflix and I seem to be a glutton for punishment. Alas, if it's as bad as, or perish the thought worse then, this one then I'll be in for a very long night indeed.

Really, Somebody help me...

[superman-51 · 2/10 · 4 December 2007]

The things that really made this movie bad, was the acting and the script (what is left you wonder) The main characters were 2 black couples and as side dish for the slasher there were 3 white couples. 20 minutes into the movie, you just hoped the killer would give them a slow and painful dead. Apart from annoying these guys were really stupid. Two examples: The killer is chasing me, i steal a cop car (with a shotgun in it) i hide the car, the killer drives by, i go back to the house to find my friends. I leave the shotgun in the car. Go back to the car to sleep with the shotgun in my hand. A little girl finds me, i go to free my friends, but still i leave the shotgun in the car. Quote: We can't call the cops, we are black. We might upset the town unquote. The movie is funny, the music is cliché and gets eery when nothing happens. If you wanna get drunk with some friends and have a good laugh, watch this movie (make sure it's lots of alcohol) Otherwise it's not worth it.

Somebody Help Me must be what the Director was thinking

[jp52948 · 1/10 · 18 January 2009]

Flipping through I turned on this awful movie and continued to watch until I couldn't stand it anymore. Most of the plot made NO SENSE! Okay, yes, it was supposedly a slasher film but does that mean everyone has to act as if they are already brain dead? Why ....does the sheriff sit around all day investigating presumably online but goes out to "investigate" AT NIGHT! ....does the girlfriend go in the closet, wait for a few bars of music and then come out again? ....does she not look around at all! I actually could not bring myself to watch the end so I have no idea what part the guy in the truck played or even why the doc was doing what he did. I didn't care frankly after the little girl showed up. PLEASE!!!! I am curious what happened to the one kid who used the phone. Why did he collapse? My guess is from the awfulness of the movie but that's just a guess.

Run as fast as you can if this comes on again!

worst movie ever

[zoolander222 · 1/10 · 15 December 2007]

I hope the director is OK, because he might be to dumb to breathe. I hope the director is OK, because he might be to dumb to breathe. I hope the director is OK, because he might be to dumb to breathe. I hope the director is OK, because he might be to dumb to breathe. I hope the director is OK, because he might be to dumb to breathe. I hope the director is OK, because he might be to dumb to breathe. I hope the director is OK, because he might be to dumb to breathe. I hope the director is OK, because he might be to dumb to breathe. I hope the director is OK, because he might be to dumb to breathe. I hope the director is OK, because he might be to dumb to breathe.

HOSTEL in the deep woods

[ctomvelu-1 · 6/10 · 15 December 2008]

Several couples descend on a cabin in the woods for a little R&R Unfortunately, there is a mad killer on the loose and he starts picking them off one by one. We get to see some nifty torture sequences straight out of HOSTEL. The acting is strictly from hunger, but what else is new in the slasher category? The novelty of this inexpensive, 80s-style horror flick is that some of the couples are black and the story is largely seen through the eyes of two black guys. Too much wandering around the woods, which is standard for this type of movie, to help pad out the running time. While it will not win any awards, SOMEBODY is watchable. And better than AX 'EM. Far, far better.

Never seen anything worst

[pguadalix · 1/10 · 19 March 2008]

When I was watching this movie I was thinking how anybody can write so stupid script because: - In real life if you have a crazy killer on your tail and you find a shotgun you don't forget it in the car.

• In real life if you have a crazy killer just in the floor and you have a knife you will make sure he will not stand up again.

• In real life if you have a unarmed crazy killer slashing your friends and you are a big and strong man you didn't stay hidden watching it.

And the last in real life if you have a crazy killer slashing your friends you will not leave alone the weaker part of your team.

To made it short this movie is a nonsense from the beginning to the end.

Somebody help me, I watched this movie.

Not bad at all...

[rachelsolip12345 · 8/10 · 6 November 2007]

I thought the acting wasn't' bad at all. Of course we are taking into consideration that for most of the actors, it was their first time in a horror. The plot was not very catchy but kept the viewer interested. Evident that Marques was a better actor than Omari. Some of the actors that were main characters did not get enough screen time and at times the repetition of an idea was exaggerated to the point it got annoying but definitely a scare.It was logical for it to premiere on halloween. I wish there had been more content instead of a lot of filler that took away from the horror. Still, not bad I did enjoy it and thought it was worth watching.

Overall good job Chris Stokes! Looking forward to more.

Terrible

[yelserp · 2/10 · 18 October 2017]

I love horrors with well thought out story lines, using common sense and a plot that also makes sense.

This movie has none of these.

Where do I start.

First off the whole point of the story is vague and the stupidity of the characters (or should I say Director)is beyond belief.

1. Six of my friends have gone missing in the woods so what should the 2 of us do - I know 'let's split up and meet back here in an hour'.

It gets worse folks.

2. Let's find a cop car with a shotgun in it but leave it behind when I go to free my friends.

3. Let's stab the killer in the back then drop the knife in front of him then leave only to return and he ain't dead.

4. I go to free my friends but (of course) have left the keys in the killers pocket.

The gore of taking body parts off victims is never explained.

The little girl is also never explained.

The whole thing is a complete mess.

The only plus point is the acting is OK but I cannot believe they made a sequel to this.

That is one I will AVOID!!!!!

Andy

Somebody PLEASE help them... with this movie.

[dawb-40897 · 3/10 · 14 March 2024]

No creative drive behind the well-worn "teens being stalked in the cabin in the woods" narrative from the slasher subgenre. Characters not written with enough depth or aspects/qualities to make the audience sympathize with and/or care about them. Uninteresting protagonist or antagonist. The open ending is no fun at all, made for the sole purpose of leaving a chance for a sequel. (Which of course happened) The tone was handled alright but the pacing is rather dull. Acting is lackluster, below average/solid at best. Filmed decent though some scenes were not lit well. Generic horror film music/score. Overall, the film's a bore, doing nothing to distinguish itself in the slasher genre.

Boo Radley to the Rescue

[marbleann · 5/10 · 12 March 2010]

This had to be some parody of white slasher movies. I just saw this movie called Dead Snow, a Norwegian movie, that made fun of American slasher movies. Dead Snow was excellent. This was alright.

For any of these movies to work people have to do dumb things and the cell phone has to dead or out of range. Perhaps that is why most of the time they use young people as main characters. Not only that the setting has to be in a isolated place and the police force is a force of 2. The Sheriff and his deputy.

The one thing that was different about this is that there was a neighbor who lived in a cabin across the grass. And there was a main town not too far away but far enough away. The neighbor was a very odd man and he immediately reminded me of Boo Radley from To Kill A Mockingbird. And I think that was the intention for people who never saw the movie so they didn't know what was coming.

This plot contains two African American couples. One of them uncle owns the cabin. One of the woman have a birthday and 2 more couples show up who are white. One has asthma. I have asthma and I always love the way they portray Asthmatics in movies. They never get it right. This one is no different. You would think as many Asthmatics there are movie makers would at least ask one how to portray a genuine attack. I just know when I see a Asthmatic in a movie their inhaler will become in peril. And we know what happens then.

One couple disappears and the stupid decisions start. One of the people seem to have more sense then any of the friends. The voice of reason. He is the character who uncle owns the house. But no one listens to him. One by one people start to disappear and one bad decision is made for each of them. Call the cops, no don't call the cops because his uncle is going to get mad. Let's split up and look, no don't split up because it is smart to stay together. They split up. Oops I forgot my car keys in the house. Don't take the rifle in the sheriffs car while a killer is looking for you. Walking to town and taking a ride from a man who is driving in the wrong direction because the sheriff happens to be at his house. And then going into the house.

Then we have the Silence of the Lambs type killer. Seems he was a plastic surgeon and now he is taking body parts from his subjects. Something happened a few years ago and the sheriff knows about it and refuses to let his deputy mention it, even though history seems to be repeating itself.

I am not going to tell the ending other then look at the subject heading. It wasn't bad as far as these type of movies go. If you have nothing to do and want to watch something to waste your time this movie would do fine. Just don't expect anything too different. But it was entertaining. And as far as I am concerned that is all a movie should at least be.

Overlong teen slasher style horror film.

[poolandrews · 4/10 · 20 September 2008]

Somebody Help Me starts as four close friends drive towards the small Californian town of Lake Arrowhead where they plan on celebrating Serena's (Brooklyn Sudano) 21st birthday, they arrive & plan to stay in Darryl's (Omarion Grandberry) uncle's cabin. Later that night several more of their friends turn up to join in the celebrations, the next morning & two of them have mysteriously disappeared. A desperate search yields nothing, local Sheriff Bob (Jim Wilkey) is unhelpful & as the hours pass & day turns to night more of the friends go missing until only Darryl & Brendan (Marques Houston) are left. It's up to them to find out what is going on & save their friends if they are still alive & save themselves...

Written & directed by Chris Stokes this fairly dull & lethargic teen slasher is notable for the fact that most of the teen cast are black & that it's not very good. The first half of the film is pretty slow going with the kids arriving at the typical log cabin isolated location & several of them disappearing although there's no horror sequences as they are never seen being stalked & only a few brief glimpses of the killer surgeon are seen. During these bits he tortures his victims who are strapped into a chair which reminded me heavily of the torture scenes from the Hostel flicks, only not as good or gory. The actual motives for the killer are never really explained, there's a girl who may or may not be evil who turns up out of nowhere, the main character never seems to make any attempt to kill the killer despite having a shotgun, the reasons why why the kids don't ask for help sooner are just stupid & they guy who does shoot the killer at the end has no real reason to be there & his connection to the whole story is never really explained in any satisfactory detail. The character's are generally quite annoying, there's not much blood or gore, the killer's motives are never gone into apart from the fact he is a surgeon & there's no mystery elements either.

The killer keeps his victims in what look like fairly flimsy dog cages which any adult could easily have kicked their way out of. The blood & gore is sparse, someone has her ear cut off, someone is scalped, someone's teeth & fingernails are pulled & eyeballs are removed but these are very quick scenes with lots of bright flashing white lights & very quick editing which means you don't actually see that much although in principal they are quite brutal but nowhere near as good as the torture scenes in the Hostel films. The body count is actually surprisingly low with only two or three death's. There's no nudity either if you wanted to know.

With a supposed budget of about $600,000 & shot in Twin Peaks in California this actually has fairly decent production values & some nice photography. The acting isn't that good but it's not as bad as some low budget horror films.

Somebody Help Me is a modern day teen slasher without much slashing, a low body count & a muddled story about some killer surgeon & a seemingly random little girl. It's all rather fractured, bitty & loose.

very good for its kind

[ironfist699 · 8/10 · 24 June 2012]

I thought the acting wasn't' bad at all. Of course we are taking into consideration that for most of the actors, it was their first time in a horror. The plot was not very catchy but kept the viewer interested. Evident that Marques was a better actor than Omari. Some of the actors that were main characters did not get enough screen time and at times the repetition of an idea was exaggerated to the point it got annoying but definitely a scare.While it will not win any awards, SOMEBODY is very good. And better than AX 'EM. Far, far better.But it had a kind of 'SAW' feel to it too. I don't want to spoil things too much!!! Overall good job Chris Stokes! Looking forward to more.

Awful Movie.

[lizz_092 · 26 October 2011]

This movie was just horrible in every way thinkable. Yes some things are pretty realistic but jeez even the horrible title of the movie should let you know that its a dump of a movie. This movie was recommended to me by a friend and I can honestly say it was a waste of time and made me a bit angry at times. The captured victims were locked in flimsy dog kennels that anyone could break out of! There's a little girl in the film also and it leaves you wondering, "is she a ghost or is she real", for a good portion of time. They do explain pretty well why this man is going around cutting people up but past that I give this movie 2 thumbs down.