Side Sho (2007 Video) User Reviews

Great looking, not so great movie...

[terrible2 · 5/10 · 9 March 2009]

Wonderful cinematography hampered by a less then stellar screenplay...

Yes, it's the ever so popular story of a family that wanders off society's beaten path and ends up being hunted by a family of freaks. At times it works, and at other times it "Sho don't", but director Michael D'Anna presents it in a visually appealing fashion. "Side Sho" is chalk full of horror clichés and plenty of bloody humor to reel in the low budget horror fans, but the story simply falls apart in the second act. You end up wondering if the funding dried up by the end of the film, because even the makeup effects seem to decline in value, and it almost seems to be rushing toward the climax with no real payoff. The acting is all over the board, some hit, some miss, with the best performance coming from the dad played by J.D. Hart. The scenery and locations look great, but the story doesn't take full advantage of this, and it just seems wasted here. It is certainly worth an evening's rental, but don't expect much more then eye candy without much filling.

Nothing New Here....

[FrightMeter · 4/10 · 5 January 2009]

Yet ANOTHER movie about a group of less-than-intelligent individuals on a road trip who wander off their original travel route for either a short-cut or, in this case, to visit a run-down side show attraction. The results, as expected, are not at all good, as this particular side show is home to a bunch of lunatic, in-bred residents who were escaped prison inmates from years before. The father, who is apparently a professionally photographer, just HAS to stop and take pictures of the place, only to find that it still inhabited. The various members of the family wander off to view the various attractions, only to be scared away. Thinking they made it safely on their way, the van tire explodes (surprise!), leaving them to seek refuge and accommodations in the small town, which we find out is inhabited solely by the freaks (surprise!).

This film plays out as expected, with the family being stalked and killed by the freaks. There is some fighting back on the families part, but these are probably among the worst scenes in the film, as they are badly executed. There is nothing remotely original here, unless you count the totally inappropriate soundtrack that is played during particular scenes that completely ruins the atmosphere and mood of the film. The acting is about as bad as I have seen in quite some time by everyone involved (it is pretty bad when your cast is out-acted by the cast of "Camp Blood). The special effects are lousy and the ending made me want to punch my television.

Still, though, despite all the negatives, I somewhat enjoyed this film. It definitely has a "so bad it's good" vibe to it. I made it through the entire movie and was even pleasantly entertained once I got past the ridiculously clichéd plot, terrible acting, and cheesy special effects. Though the ending left me feeling cheated and angry, particularly because the film is not that great to begin with and the ending makes the entire film pointless.

Bottom line, I can list countless films that if you have seen them, you have seen this. The difference is most of those film are better. Though not a complete waste, this film is pretty bad and not remotely scary.

My Grade: D

My Review

[joemamaohio · 3/10 · 25 July 2008]

A family traveling for their daughter's softball league decide to take the 'scenic route' and end up in the middle of nowhere. The father is an avid photographer, and when he hears of an old abandoned side show in the town, he decides to take another detour to take some photographs.

Of course, the side show is filled with inbred freaks, who promptly kidnap the women and leave the young son and father to fend for themselves.

The only cool thing about this film is how the family actually fights back against their inbred captors. Other than that, there's nothing worthwhile about the film.

A bad film Sho Nuff

[movieman_kev · 2/10 · 5 August 2008]

From the decrepit ranks of the already over-saturated 'Hillybilly Horror' sub-genre comes this woeful tale of a vacationing family terrorized by inbred rednecks. Sound familiar? Well it most definitely should to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the horror genre. There is absolutely new here. The film seems content to recycle all thee old worn out clichés (deformed hicks, a peaceful family turned gun-toting killers when push comes to show, the rebellious daughter, the one 'freak' who's good at heart, etcetera...), but does even that half-heartedly enough to make this an utter waste of time. This is forgettable dreck, but humorously enough lead J.D. Hart once starred in a movie called "Films that Suck" earlier in his career, quite an ironic omen indeed.

My Grade: D-

A lack of any redeeming qualities makes this one lackluster 'sho'

[Shattered_Wake · 2/10 · 30 July 2008]

A family looking for some old roadside attractions to include in the father's coffee-table book come across an ancient, decrepit old freak show run by an eccentric one-eyed man. When their family van breaks down upon leaving the sideshow, they're forced to stay at a nearly abandoned fishing camp that was the site of a prison break decades prior.

There have been many films in the 'freak' subgenre of horror, ranging from Tod Browning's beloved 'Freaks' (1932) to Alex Winter's hilarious 'Freaked' (1993). Those are both classics (or soon-to-be with 'Freaked'). 'Side Sho,' however, never will be. And if it ever does reach classic status. . . well, it will be an obvious clue to the sad state of our genre. From the ridiculously bad opening song to the 17-year-old daughter that's obviously older than her natural mother, this film did not have much going for it. The writing was subpar, but not completely awful. . . just boring. The direction was poor, and the rare freak effects were pretty horrendous and unbelievable. The acting was abysmal and the casting was even worse. Anyone who would believe the ages of these two camp-age teenagers must not have met a teenager in a long, long time. There was far from enough gore & violence to make up for the lack of any other quality. . . and when there was a bit of violence, it was not well done at all. And, I can't forget to mention the ending fight scenes which were, with all honesty, some of the worst I've ever, ever seen in a film. Overall, this is an easily forgettable and poorly made horror film that deserves to be left alone at the bottom of the dollar bin.

Final verdict: 2.5/10.

Don't see this Carnival.

[loomis78-815-989034 · 2/10 · 2 March 2013]

A family on vacation in Florida decides to indulge Dad (Hart) and his hobby of roadside attractions. He takes them to the Side Sho an abandoned carnival in hopes of taking some pictures. Before you can yell "Redneck Hell" the family is under attack by side show freaks and nasty redneck fellows who imprison the women. Dad and his 12 year old son (Ballard) come up with a plan to free the women and escape. Things are handled so poorly from the beginning and the script is so stupid, you will hardly care. Director Michael D'Anna doesn't squeeze one drop of atmosphere out of the old dark carnival which should have been dripping with it. There isn't a jump scare in sight, the make up effects are uneven and inconsistent and the blood, and there is a lot of it, is so poor and overdone it delivers no impact at all. It should also be pointed out that the musical score by composer Leonard Wolf is so bad it kills off any chance of even an accidental scare.

The Swamp Has Eyes

[jet66 · 2/10 · 9 December 2012]

This utterly forgettable addition to the White Trash Terror genre covers all the old clichés, adding no new ideas, and even less suspense. With clockwork inevitability, you know that any flashlight beam will reveal a body; any race across a field will involve bear traps; any utterance of "everything will be OK" is an ignition key for immediate violence; and that villains die ironically. The direction is incompetent, building up absolutely no suspense for the formulaic scenes. Rather than react naturally to a threat, all the women simply must start screaming hysterically. Of course, the slowly approaching murderer will never actually reach his victims. Of course, the troublesome outboard motor will come to life at the last second, and be used as a weapon. Of course, like all superlative victims, the fatuous bubblehead wears a target from the beginning. Of course the parents commit the ultimate sacrifice. Of course there's a false ending. It's as if the script were bought from some film maker's 99-Cent Store. Thankfully, that detracts from the performances, which range from the occasionally solid, to the more consistently awful.

spoof?

[rflynt3 · 1/10 · 29 December 2012]

I couldn't decide if this was supposed to be a spoof of the crappy white trash mutant movie genre or if it was simply a really bad movie. The acting was either horrible or a deliberate parody of horrible acting...either way it was kind of painful to watch at times.

As other reviewers pointed out, the one thing that was different from the typical plot line for this type of thing was how the "good" guys had a higher body count than the mutants...which made it hysterical at times whether it meant to be or not.

So...bored? want a laugh? stoned? maybe give this one a try otherwise keep moving, nothing to see here.

The Bayou's Have Eyes

[kbtoys100 · 5/10 · 9 January 2024]

A family is traveling the back roads of Florida for the father's book and decide to stop at a rundown sideshow. When their car breaks down the freaks come out to play, and they want women...

For some reason, I thought this was a Charles Band production so I always put off watching it, assuming it would be a cheap, boring movie filmed inside a dark tent for the whole thing. But thankfully Side Sho is an actual attempt at making a film.

Coming out a year after the Hills Have Eyes remake, it's clear where the inspiration for the film comes from, but it is original enough that it never feels like a ripoff.

There is some surprising gore in the film, and some of the 'freaks' makeup is good, but unfortunately no one in the cast is particularly good. They're all competent but I never really care about them the way you do for the family in Hills. Likewise, you don't get to know much about the freaks either apart from the barker and the young boy. A lot of them are just generic bearded biker type men who boss the more mutated ones around.

What the film needed was a bit more in the first section. We only get to see the family walk through a couple of rooms in the side show but they don't see any of the freaks until the two boys happen to meet each other after. It needed an inciting incident for why the family was targeted.

Still, Side Sho managed to be entertaining throughout and stands out over many other shot on digital early-2000s DTV films.

Stupid and Pointless, but not Exactly Boring

[Scars_Remain · 4/10 · 3 October 2008]

I blind bought this movie and am pretty upset that I paid as much as I did but I would say that it's at least worth a rent for some cool deaths and laughable acting. It is not a good movie in any way but I must say that I was pretty darn entertained. I guess it could be called so-bad-it's-good.

As I said, the acting is awful, I feel like I could have done a better job showing, at least, any emotion. The story is nothing new and has been done better. I guess I just have a soft spot for any carnival-esquire type film. I would say rent this or download it but definitely don't buy it. It is not worth more than one watch.

SIDE SHO is great!

[TerrorFilmFestival-1 · 10/10 · 26 September 2008]

This is a very chilling movie from director Mike D'Anna and Lucky Kitty Productions. It's creepy, it's full of great horror, and the ending will either tick you off or stick to your brain like glue FOREVER! The performances from the actors are very well done, but where D'Anna really hits home is the creepy vibe of the whole southern goth undercurrent of the film. Moody, scary, deep, and just plain fun to watch, this film is one of the coolest horror flicks to come out since Night of the Living Dead. Yeah, you read that right. This rivals Romero. It's just so "icky". And the ending is so unexpected that you'll want to watch it over and over again to really get yourself settled. Go rent it right now and you'll see what I'm talking about. Very cool film.

Solid horror flick

[matth7123 · 7/10 · 17 August 2008]

Side Sho surprised me as I thought I was in store for yet another dreadful independent horror film from Lionsgate. Boy was I wrong. From the imaginative opening credits to the "feel-at-home" setting of riding with the family, to the building terror of the shocks to be displayed, Side Sho is a solid horror film that will satisfy most fans of the genre. Great effects, attractive nubile young ladies, creepy freaks and good production values made it a wise rental. I have read varying reviews of the movie online, and I'm glad I took a chance with it. Some described the film as The Hills Have Eyes in the swamp, and I guess that is somewhat accurate. However, it is by no means just a simple knock-off of that famed film. Side Sho is well-above the common horror film out there, but yet not the best to come down the pike. Try it, you'll like it.

Side Sho has its moments.

[DarylJGittings · 5/10 · 20 March 2024]

A family on vacation finds out about an old tourist attraction when they make a pit stop. The father is putting together a coffee table book on unusual tourist attractions and decides that he and his family should go explore an old "freakshow". Upon arrival the family is unexpectedly greeted by the owner of the freakshow or side show. The family decides to explore the attraction. The father goes with the owner to see some of the wilder displays and gets grossed out. What the family doesn't know is that there is a whole family of freaks who are looking to add a couple of new gals to breed with a extend their family tree. The father and son take on the freaks to rescue the women of their family. Side Sho isn't a great movie by any means, but it does have it's moments. There's plenty of cool and gory kills. Running around 89 minutes, Side Sho does movie a little slow and would probably have benefited from some trimming.

Excellent for a low budget horror film

[Rasta999 · 9/10 · 1 July 2012]

Despite the previous reviewer nasty comments, this movie was enjoyable from start to finish. You can tell the people reviewing the film don't know much about film-making nor acting, while Sidesho did have a well-worn plot, the acting was above average for this genre, and the lead actors, J.R. Reynolds and J.D. hart had quite a good chemistry and did a great job throughout the film.

As usual, J.R. Reynolds develops his character with well-timed movements and the attention to detail we've come to expect from him. His portrayal fit the part of the Carney Barker to a T, hitting the character on the nose with pitch-perfect subtleties that bring an understated feel to an over-the-top role, with greedy pandering, nervous ticks and disgusting mannerisms that make you feel uneasy every time he comes on screen.

J.D. Hart took a boring character and made him as believable as possible, slowly changing from a weak and ineffectual father-figure to an angry and determined madman wiling to go the distance to save his family, making the transition with perfect timing and grace.

It's hard to understand the vitriol of the previous reviewers, their weak writing skills are matched by even poorer powers of observation and a lack of knowledge of this type film. We find this a lot with amateurs, it's a lot easier to blather on with obscenities and ignorant commentary than it is to convey information intelligently, especially for a film they clearly didn't understand. Ignore them.

The actors in Sidesho easily outperform the performers in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, even the Hills Have Eyes' cast never brought the level of terror displayed by the girls in Sidesho.

Yes, the special effects were weak, but that is a result of a low budget rather than a fault of the Director, who did a fine job moving the film along.

The script was obviously intentionally made to follow the horror formula, as with most Horror films it paid tribute to many typical element of the genre,a Chase through the forest, a creepy sideshow front man riding shotgun over deformed freaks, an innocent family wandering into trouble, and a small amount of nudity as is par for the course.

The original soundtrack was mixed hot in many cases, but the opening song was a fine piece reminiscent of Leon Russel, and the opening titles were very clever and well-rendered,using legitimate old sepia-tone photographs and blending the Titles in with a 3D look.

The 'surprise ending' was also de-rigueur for the genre, two surviving family members are rescued by the Sheriff, and the reveal allows us to see he too is deformed, the film ends with the sheriff taking them back into the carnival and an uncertain fate.

Rent or buy Sidesho, you will be well entertained and your movie collection will be enhanced by this fine example of the low-budget family horror film.

Fun horror movie ride.

[johnetleonard · 7/10 · 9 September 2008]

Picked Side Sho on a rainy evening and gave it a try. Wife was not thrilled to watch horror but she got into it once it started. Both of us were pleasantly surprised with the quality. We did not expect much from this movie because we had not heard anything about it. We anticipated a rip off of many of the slasher movies. Not the same old story. Has some interesting twists. Don't want to give it away but was pretty good. Did not take itself too seriously but it got our attention. Was just long enough. Don't think the wife could have taken much more. Worth the effort. We both ended up enjoying it. Will tell our friends.

It really takes all the suspense out of a movie

[JoeB131 · 24 July 2011]

...When your victims rack up a higher body count than your villains do.

Before the first of our family in a bad place is killed, they have already managed to knock off three of the bad guys and one bystander. Sorry, it really doesn't make for much tension when the enemy force is completely ineffective.

Like the one scene where they've just escaped after knocking off three people, and they are being chased by a guy who wades into the water after them as they try to get an outboard motor started. Now, the build up is nicely shot, they make this particular bad guy look kind of ominous, but then he walks right into the blade of the propeller and gets gutted.

Heck, the good guys do more damage to themselves than the bad guys do to them.

It seems like they saw a lot of other slasher films and tried to emulate them, (like the scene where the Dad says "Groovy" like Bruce Campbell in the Evil Dead)