IMDb's synopsis for SCOURGE reads far better than the movie itself. An ancient evil is accidentally released in our time and jumps from body to body as it goes about doing something or other. I was never sure what. A young man is suspected of a string of murders, which actually is the thing jumping from body to body (through the belly button, I might add) and leaving each former victim dead dead dead. The creature is a close copy of the alien creature from THE HIDDEN, which also leaps from body to body as it goes about its business, which involves eating a lot, driving a very fast car, trying out sex for the first time, and running for president. At least that creature had a purpose. This one doesn't seem to know what it wants. The creature effects are not bad, but the acting is from hunger and there's little plot. I watched this on DVD one day and SPLINTER, about a parasite that attacks and absorbs people's bodies, on TV the next day. Watch SPLINTER instead. Or THE HIDDEN, which I first saw in the movies and consider a semi-classic, even if it is a knockoff of ALIEN and THE TERMINATOR.
17 Reviews
Not much of anything
dbborroughs3 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Ancient evil (a CGI tentacled thing) is woken up after the fire in a small town church and goes on a rampage. Can the no good kid with a heart of gold just back to see the poor little rich girl save the day? Unremarkable horror film is simply to unremarkable to be much of anything.(and yes I know I've repeated myself but there isn't much else to say) Not really bad its not really good its just sort of there and generates very little interest thanks to an over reliance on what is clearly computer generated effects and plot that has been done to death over the last bunch of years. The real scourge here is that this is more a time waster then anything.
Don't Let The Synopsis Fool You... It's Way To Generous
Maxelle9 August 2010
Let me start off by saying I didn't love, like, dislike, or hate Scourge. It left me with a very indifferent feeling.
Let's start with the pros. The concept behind Scourge is really cool and almost a fun idea. The effects and camera-work were well done. Some scenes were especially better than others (For example a scene in a mall involving an "infected").
Here are the cons. The acting is wooden and it's hard to get into the story when your characters take dramatic pauses after they say something that's supposed to keep you in suspense. The acting was especially horrid from the ladies in this movie. The story never get's as exciting as it should be because the script is so boring it leaves you wanting to watch an action packed movie as opposed to a slow-burn psychological horror. It tried to be a gory and action packed horror movie that was also psychological and slow burn which in my opinion failed because the two styles clashed.
I'd say skip it if you see it at stores and pick something up you'll know you'll enjoy. Even though it's technically sound it can't save awful actors and a lifeless script. Wait for it's syfy run.
Let's start with the pros. The concept behind Scourge is really cool and almost a fun idea. The effects and camera-work were well done. Some scenes were especially better than others (For example a scene in a mall involving an "infected").
Here are the cons. The acting is wooden and it's hard to get into the story when your characters take dramatic pauses after they say something that's supposed to keep you in suspense. The acting was especially horrid from the ladies in this movie. The story never get's as exciting as it should be because the script is so boring it leaves you wanting to watch an action packed movie as opposed to a slow-burn psychological horror. It tried to be a gory and action packed horror movie that was also psychological and slow burn which in my opinion failed because the two styles clashed.
I'd say skip it if you see it at stores and pick something up you'll know you'll enjoy. Even though it's technically sound it can't save awful actors and a lifeless script. Wait for it's syfy run.
the fact that this movie is a derivative is not 'Hidden'
movieman_kev24 May 2009
Bad boy Scott (Nic Rhind) is longing to get out of his small hometown and is about to rekindle his relationship with Jesse despite going out with a young blond floozy. Said slut is also cheating on Scott with a firefighter whom also has been infected by some supernatural creature that has been lying dormant in the basement of the local church. Much like "The Hidden" (a far and away superior film to this one in every way, shape, and form), the creature has to hop from body to body in order to survive.
This movie pretty much epitomizes the word 'cliche'. Boy from the wrong side of the tracks? Check Unrequiteled love between said bad boy and the daughter of a sheriff? Double Check. The plot is hugely uninspired and the acting doesn't fare any better. And while it may be technically true that this movie is better then the previous one by Writer/Director Jonas Quastel. That's only because that one was "Ripper 2: Letters From Within" which was complete and utter crap. This one is merely derivative and worthless.
My Grade: D
Lionsgate DVD Extras: Trailer for this movie; and trailers for The Gene Generation, Fist of the Warrior, Rise of the Footsoldiers
This movie pretty much epitomizes the word 'cliche'. Boy from the wrong side of the tracks? Check Unrequiteled love between said bad boy and the daughter of a sheriff? Double Check. The plot is hugely uninspired and the acting doesn't fare any better. And while it may be technically true that this movie is better then the previous one by Writer/Director Jonas Quastel. That's only because that one was "Ripper 2: Letters From Within" which was complete and utter crap. This one is merely derivative and worthless.
My Grade: D
Lionsgate DVD Extras: Trailer for this movie; and trailers for The Gene Generation, Fist of the Warrior, Rise of the Footsoldiers
Not as bad as I had feared.
poolandrews14 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Scourge starts during 1871 in a churchyard in a small town called Harborford in Washington where an ancient evil is seemingly trapped for good. Jump forward about 150 years later & Harborford the town is still there, unfortunately after a spot of arson the local church has been burnt to the ground much to the dismay of local fireman Josh (Mensah Iruoje) who has the task of shifting through the rubble. While doing this he uncovers a small chamber from inside which something attacks him, the once trapped ancient evil known as the Scourge is loose. The Scourge enters & possesses people, it eats their guts & then moves onto the next person. Local Sheriff Durst (Russell Ferrier) blame local bad-boy Scott Miller (Nic Rhind) after he makes advances on his pretty niece Jesse (Robyn Ledoux) & his present girlfriend Lydia (Marina Pasqua) is the first victim of the Scourge found. Scott & Jesse team up to prove his innocence & rid the world of the Scourge once & for all...
This American Canadian co-production was written, co-produced & directed by Jonas Quastel & while I wouldn't say Scourge is any sort of masterpiece I didn't think it was all bad & certainly better than I was expecting although saying that I had zero expectations so that isn't saying that much. I had a choice last night, I could have either watched this Scourge or the South Korean monster flick The Host (2006) & after I saw Scourge went on for 90 minutes & The Host went on for 120 my mind was made up & I have to say I don't regret my decision since this was alright. The pace is good although not that much happens (the majority of the film features nothing more complex than the Scourge creature moving from body to another for no real apparent reason), the character's are better than one might expect & the body hopping creature plot is quite effective although it's not a patch on the likes of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) or The Thiing (1982) which feel very similar to Scourge in the way they play out. There's not to many why's or explanation's given & a lot of the plot is fairly basic & undeveloped or simply glossed over, if this Scourge needs to feed so regularly how did it survive trapped under a church for 150 years? Why don't those who it burrows into know that the Scourge is in them after they have just seen it enter them? Why didn't the geezers in the opening scene set in 1871 kill the Scourge? So while Scourge might have been more satisfying had the makers fleshed a few of the ideas out & developed a little more of a coherent back-story I can't really say it's a bad film but at the same time I am not sure if I can describe it as a particularly good one, it's certainly better than I had expected but that's no recommendation in itself & I can't say it's any better than average so I won't.
The film has a fairly nice slick look about it & there's a nice shot right at the start where the camera pans down the side of a church at night in the pouring rain right to the bottom, to be fair it looks better than most straight-to-DVD releases, particularly in the horror genre at least. The gore levels are low which doesn't help it, a guy is punched in the face & his jaw half rips off, there's some peeling skin & a bit of blood splatter but little else. There's no nudity unless you count the beefy black firefighter dude who takes a shower. The CGI computer effects are quite good actually, the actual effects on the Scourge creature are impressive & the thing looks good with it's mouth full of sharp teeth & lots of tentacles flapping around. The exploding cop car looks terrible though.
Although set entirely in Washington state Scourge was filmed in Nanaimo in British Columbia in Canada on a budget of about $1,500,000. The acting is decent enough from a cast none of whom I recognise from anything else at all.
Scourge isn't the best body possessing styled horror film ever but it isn't the worst either, I didn't dislike it but at the same time I didn't exactly love it. Watchable if there's nothing else on telly & you can bag a copy going cheap or better still rent it. Could have been worse for sure but then again it could have been better.
This American Canadian co-production was written, co-produced & directed by Jonas Quastel & while I wouldn't say Scourge is any sort of masterpiece I didn't think it was all bad & certainly better than I was expecting although saying that I had zero expectations so that isn't saying that much. I had a choice last night, I could have either watched this Scourge or the South Korean monster flick The Host (2006) & after I saw Scourge went on for 90 minutes & The Host went on for 120 my mind was made up & I have to say I don't regret my decision since this was alright. The pace is good although not that much happens (the majority of the film features nothing more complex than the Scourge creature moving from body to another for no real apparent reason), the character's are better than one might expect & the body hopping creature plot is quite effective although it's not a patch on the likes of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) or The Thiing (1982) which feel very similar to Scourge in the way they play out. There's not to many why's or explanation's given & a lot of the plot is fairly basic & undeveloped or simply glossed over, if this Scourge needs to feed so regularly how did it survive trapped under a church for 150 years? Why don't those who it burrows into know that the Scourge is in them after they have just seen it enter them? Why didn't the geezers in the opening scene set in 1871 kill the Scourge? So while Scourge might have been more satisfying had the makers fleshed a few of the ideas out & developed a little more of a coherent back-story I can't really say it's a bad film but at the same time I am not sure if I can describe it as a particularly good one, it's certainly better than I had expected but that's no recommendation in itself & I can't say it's any better than average so I won't.
The film has a fairly nice slick look about it & there's a nice shot right at the start where the camera pans down the side of a church at night in the pouring rain right to the bottom, to be fair it looks better than most straight-to-DVD releases, particularly in the horror genre at least. The gore levels are low which doesn't help it, a guy is punched in the face & his jaw half rips off, there's some peeling skin & a bit of blood splatter but little else. There's no nudity unless you count the beefy black firefighter dude who takes a shower. The CGI computer effects are quite good actually, the actual effects on the Scourge creature are impressive & the thing looks good with it's mouth full of sharp teeth & lots of tentacles flapping around. The exploding cop car looks terrible though.
Although set entirely in Washington state Scourge was filmed in Nanaimo in British Columbia in Canada on a budget of about $1,500,000. The acting is decent enough from a cast none of whom I recognise from anything else at all.
Scourge isn't the best body possessing styled horror film ever but it isn't the worst either, I didn't dislike it but at the same time I didn't exactly love it. Watchable if there's nothing else on telly & you can bag a copy going cheap or better still rent it. Could have been worse for sure but then again it could have been better.
The weakest movie from the history of movies.
cosmin18130 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Well, the summary says almost everything, no?I saw this movie last night, or more then half of it, not because I was curious about it's ending, but because I wanted to see if a low budget movie can be a little good or if the director can have a little brain.After I saw this horrible movie, I can tell you that what is done with little bucks and little brain is really week.I won't recommend this to anyone, especially to a friend.If you want to see a good horror movie check who make's it and with what budget.I rate this movie with 1 because I cannot see a zero or a minus to vote.Oh, I was almost forgot: The script is...I mean there is no script.
really bad movie but interesting
surfer-lancealot26 November 2008
well usually don't watch b-rate movies but the name interested me.... so here i am watching this epic fail and i just thought i would lay down a comment... while the movie was entertaining and interesting its all been done before however this has a particularly weak dialogue and storyline and the acting was terrible.... however i blame the script not the actors.... The cinematography wasn't bad and the graphic effect of the "monster" wasn't bad either (for a b movie).... I have seen a lot worse movies if u have nothing else to do then maybe give this a look but otherwise give it a miss... i got the movie from start to finnish but further dialogue to explain the situation in more detail would have made the movie better.... well don't want to add any spoilers but a better explanation or more of the churches involvement would have been prudent... as the movie does start with a church... idk my thoughts yes no maybe... gave it 4 because it wasn't a total fail but if you are reading this don't bother....
Cliché-ridden horror movie
JoeB1318 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This movie takes the typical small town where the misunderstood kid from the wrong side of the tracks is blamed for a series of murders actually caused by an ancient creature that was soaked in a bottle of wine for 130 years and buried under a church. (Gee, why isn't the nice, clean-cut, churchgoing valedictorian ever the hero of a film like this? No, no, it's going to be the kid destined to a petty criminal record and menial jobs for the rest of his life!)
The performances had some funny moments, like when the leading lady had to get the current host of the creature to go with her, she said "I'm going to sleep with the fattest ugliest guy in the bar." Yup, prejudice against the overweight is the last acceptable bigotry in PC America.
Of course, you have to check your logic at the door, such as if the Church has special investigators who hunt these things and have had for centuries, how did they miss this one when it was secretly buried IN A CHURCH!
The other bit of illogic is that each host is attacked, apparently doesn't remember having a nasty worm like alien enter their body, and never think to seek medical help when their bodies start giving out on them. "Gee, a big chunk of my forehead just popped off, maybe I should see someone about that!"
The performances had some funny moments, like when the leading lady had to get the current host of the creature to go with her, she said "I'm going to sleep with the fattest ugliest guy in the bar." Yup, prejudice against the overweight is the last acceptable bigotry in PC America.
Of course, you have to check your logic at the door, such as if the Church has special investigators who hunt these things and have had for centuries, how did they miss this one when it was secretly buried IN A CHURCH!
The other bit of illogic is that each host is attacked, apparently doesn't remember having a nasty worm like alien enter their body, and never think to seek medical help when their bodies start giving out on them. "Gee, a big chunk of my forehead just popped off, maybe I should see someone about that!"
A Not Bad 'B' monster movie
Rabh1722 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
The concept isn't new-- A small town, an unknown monster, a Girl who is almost ALWAYS related to the Town's Police Chief, a Bad Boy from the wrong side of the tracks with a soft spot for said Girl, a Police Chief with an Axe to grind with said Bad Boy.
Creature gets loose. People die. Who What Where Why? and the movie is off!
The special effects are minimal, but decent. The acting is. . .'Okay', because the plot is basic formula. Thus, the plot is predictable.
But then, this is the goal of this movie. There's actually a little horror humor in there, so it actually lite viewing. There's some 'Ick', but the splatter quotient isn't over the top, so kids can watch it (Though very young ones might be frightened. . .if they don't play Teen Video games)
It isn't Great, but they don't really flub it.
Think of this as the basic teen monster flick that you would catch on Saturday night at 2AM on the USA Network or TBS channel (Do they still have those?)
As much as people deride 'B' monsters movies, they do fill a niche. Sometimes, You just want something light, a little gory and not too disturbing while you just pass time with your nachos on the couch before you knock off for the night. And a chuckle or two in the mix caps it off nicely. Plus, unknown actors have to start SOMEWHERE!
And Guyz, this movie is Girlfriend Friendly. You can pay attention with half an ear while she chats and discusses with you in the other. If you break away to get a beer or seriously focus on what she's saying for a coupla minutes, no problemo. This multitask set is easy.
That's what Scourge is. Not Bad. Give it a try to fill the time.
Creature gets loose. People die. Who What Where Why? and the movie is off!
The special effects are minimal, but decent. The acting is. . .'Okay', because the plot is basic formula. Thus, the plot is predictable.
But then, this is the goal of this movie. There's actually a little horror humor in there, so it actually lite viewing. There's some 'Ick', but the splatter quotient isn't over the top, so kids can watch it (Though very young ones might be frightened. . .if they don't play Teen Video games)
It isn't Great, but they don't really flub it.
Think of this as the basic teen monster flick that you would catch on Saturday night at 2AM on the USA Network or TBS channel (Do they still have those?)
As much as people deride 'B' monsters movies, they do fill a niche. Sometimes, You just want something light, a little gory and not too disturbing while you just pass time with your nachos on the couch before you knock off for the night. And a chuckle or two in the mix caps it off nicely. Plus, unknown actors have to start SOMEWHERE!
And Guyz, this movie is Girlfriend Friendly. You can pay attention with half an ear while she chats and discusses with you in the other. If you break away to get a beer or seriously focus on what she's saying for a coupla minutes, no problemo. This multitask set is easy.
That's what Scourge is. Not Bad. Give it a try to fill the time.
pretty awful
knightc619 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I thought this might turn out to be one of those gems you find in the B-movie horror selection, but I was wrong. Boy was I wrong. Good premise, good use of the budget available, not to shabby FX (minus some CG fire). Those are it's only strengths, and even that's being generous.
The acting isn't usually an issue for me in movies of this type, but when it's so bad it becomes distracting, well......I mean come on, the actors aren't even trying to say their lines with any conviction, regardless of how bad the script might be.
And yes, the dialog is horrible, completely unconvincing. Again, this isn't usually a problem in horror films except when it's so bad you can't ignore it.
There is a serious lack of direction in the film where you have scenes just kinda thrown in there that don't seem to do anything but provide a chance to tie the lead character to more murders, which after the second person dies is all but impossible except maybe in the mind of whomever wrote this script. Most horror films do rely on certain bad luck principles, but when you see how the photographer gets infected in front of dozens of people, only to realize no one seemed to notice a dead body come to life and infect him.....well, I wish I could say this was an exception to the weird coincidences of this movie, but it's not.
There's plenty more wrong with it, too much to list here. It seems that this movie was shot in two days, so skip it.
The acting isn't usually an issue for me in movies of this type, but when it's so bad it becomes distracting, well......I mean come on, the actors aren't even trying to say their lines with any conviction, regardless of how bad the script might be.
And yes, the dialog is horrible, completely unconvincing. Again, this isn't usually a problem in horror films except when it's so bad you can't ignore it.
There is a serious lack of direction in the film where you have scenes just kinda thrown in there that don't seem to do anything but provide a chance to tie the lead character to more murders, which after the second person dies is all but impossible except maybe in the mind of whomever wrote this script. Most horror films do rely on certain bad luck principles, but when you see how the photographer gets infected in front of dozens of people, only to realize no one seemed to notice a dead body come to life and infect him.....well, I wish I could say this was an exception to the weird coincidences of this movie, but it's not.
There's plenty more wrong with it, too much to list here. It seems that this movie was shot in two days, so skip it.
Lovin' the Scourge...
peter-301528 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I downloaded this movie after I read some good things posted about it. Scourge is one of those movies you can just kick back and enjoy. I watch a lot of creature movies and most of them at this level lack fx quality. Then you've got the story which I mean 9 out of ten suck at. This movie has some good old tongue in cheek Horror - like stuff from the 80's. The a story that is pretty good and some cool viz FX. The creature was nice looking, I mean I've seen stuff like it before but it was different enuff to keep you interested and the belley button angle ius new. I wish I had paid for it and i don't say that too often! I gave it a 10 not cause i thought it was a ten but because its not a 6.8 which is what it should be!
Decent and enjoyable enough
kannibalcorpsegrinder11 May 2015
As bodies start piling up, a couple realize their small town is under attack by a strange parasitic organism that feeds on it's host and then savagely kills them, forcing them to find a way of stopping the menace.
This was a pretty decent overall effort that doesn't really have all that many flaws about it. Among the better aspects here is the rather nice nature of the body-swapping parasite that attacks here which manages to keep this one with an air of mystery about it as to who is the next host of the dangerous creature, and the mythology surrounding that is rather nicely accomplished here. That also leaves the attacks to be developed quite well with the film resorting to simply miscommunication and obscure behavior at the beginning to really letting loose and showing off the deformed bodies as the parasite's activities get more pronounced and aggressive resulting in stellar action scenes as well. There's the fine jail-house ambush that results in the police chase through the streets upon the escape, a wonderful stalking scene in the bowels of a hockey arena following a great confrontation in the locker room and the finale in the motel room is really enjoyable with the change from the supposed seduction offering plenty of creature fun with the escaped creature switching around bodies trying to escape while the few known containment tactics are put to great use. Still, there's a few small flaws here starting with the silly need for the film to go so far into their back-story history that it tends to really grind the film to a halt since the initial outbreak and possession by the creature is done in the film's opening scene which is setting this up for a thrilling pace only for the love-struck romance to get featured and pull that down. As well, the decision for each of them to be in romances that are thrown away simply to bring them back together doesn't make much sense beyond adding to the body count and there's so much missed opportunities to be had from the fact that they stumble upon the creatures solely because their possessed activities are mistaken for cheating on them and then get swept away from there. As well, there's the film's incredibly lame and really unbelievable CGI present which doesn't make much sense at all and really does tend to expose the cheapness and limitations of the story by not really featuring all that many impressive attributes to the story whenever they're featured for its' not just for the creature and the gory aftermath of it's attacks but also for some really explosive action scenes which really highlights those issues. Otherwise, this one wasn't all that bad.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and male Nudity.
This was a pretty decent overall effort that doesn't really have all that many flaws about it. Among the better aspects here is the rather nice nature of the body-swapping parasite that attacks here which manages to keep this one with an air of mystery about it as to who is the next host of the dangerous creature, and the mythology surrounding that is rather nicely accomplished here. That also leaves the attacks to be developed quite well with the film resorting to simply miscommunication and obscure behavior at the beginning to really letting loose and showing off the deformed bodies as the parasite's activities get more pronounced and aggressive resulting in stellar action scenes as well. There's the fine jail-house ambush that results in the police chase through the streets upon the escape, a wonderful stalking scene in the bowels of a hockey arena following a great confrontation in the locker room and the finale in the motel room is really enjoyable with the change from the supposed seduction offering plenty of creature fun with the escaped creature switching around bodies trying to escape while the few known containment tactics are put to great use. Still, there's a few small flaws here starting with the silly need for the film to go so far into their back-story history that it tends to really grind the film to a halt since the initial outbreak and possession by the creature is done in the film's opening scene which is setting this up for a thrilling pace only for the love-struck romance to get featured and pull that down. As well, the decision for each of them to be in romances that are thrown away simply to bring them back together doesn't make much sense beyond adding to the body count and there's so much missed opportunities to be had from the fact that they stumble upon the creatures solely because their possessed activities are mistaken for cheating on them and then get swept away from there. As well, there's the film's incredibly lame and really unbelievable CGI present which doesn't make much sense at all and really does tend to expose the cheapness and limitations of the story by not really featuring all that many impressive attributes to the story whenever they're featured for its' not just for the creature and the gory aftermath of it's attacks but also for some really explosive action scenes which really highlights those issues. Otherwise, this one wasn't all that bad.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and male Nudity.
I Have Seen Worse
gavin694213 June 2013
An ancient pestilence called The Scourge has been set free in a small town after being entombed in a church's masonry for a century and a half...
We start off with a bit of promise because of a wild naked man. That always sparks my interest. But sadly, that was probably the best part of the film.
Is the actress who plays Lydia the worst actress ever? Possibly. But then again, the skateboard chick is pretty bad, too. These poor performances are unfortunate, because with better ones this might have been a decent movie -- indeed, we have more than passable blood effects and while the film is a tad heavy on the CGI... it is not the worst CGI you will see this year.
But seriously... How many times can you say "sweetheart" within five minutes? We need a script doctor.
We start off with a bit of promise because of a wild naked man. That always sparks my interest. But sadly, that was probably the best part of the film.
Is the actress who plays Lydia the worst actress ever? Possibly. But then again, the skateboard chick is pretty bad, too. These poor performances are unfortunate, because with better ones this might have been a decent movie -- indeed, we have more than passable blood effects and while the film is a tad heavy on the CGI... it is not the worst CGI you will see this year.
But seriously... How many times can you say "sweetheart" within five minutes? We need a script doctor.
Low budget parasite-based horror film set in Washington state.
suite9213 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
In a small Washington town, church from the 18th century burns down, releasing a trapped parasite. The parasite infests a fireman who had the bad luck to fall down at the scene. The parasite induces the host to connect with other people. The parasite kills the host and travels to the next.
The sheriff is Jesse's uncle, and Scott is recently out of prison. Even worse, the uncle framed Scott's father with the crimes that sent him to prison. Scott and Jesse have to research the parasite and stop it.
Will Scott and Jesse stop this public hazard? Will either of them survive? Will the endless sequence of belches ever end?
-----Scores-----
Cinematography: 8/10 Good looking except for a regular smidgen of shaky cam.
Sound: 6/10 Music was used to no effect.
Acting: 0/10 Terrible. No competent actors, and the direction seemed to be just as weak.
Screenplay: 2/10 Not much of a story, badly told, with absurd dialog and wobbly logic. The actors did not have much to work with. The clichés at the end did not help.
The sheriff is Jesse's uncle, and Scott is recently out of prison. Even worse, the uncle framed Scott's father with the crimes that sent him to prison. Scott and Jesse have to research the parasite and stop it.
Will Scott and Jesse stop this public hazard? Will either of them survive? Will the endless sequence of belches ever end?
-----Scores-----
Cinematography: 8/10 Good looking except for a regular smidgen of shaky cam.
Sound: 6/10 Music was used to no effect.
Acting: 0/10 Terrible. No competent actors, and the direction seemed to be just as weak.
Screenplay: 2/10 Not much of a story, badly told, with absurd dialog and wobbly logic. The actors did not have much to work with. The clichés at the end did not help.
Nothing I haven't seen before
lovecraft23123 September 2011
Scott (Nick Rhind) has come to town, meeting his ex Jesse (Robyn Ledoux) in the process. Well, also in said town, a church has burned down, and it had entombed an ancient pestilence called "The Scourge", which has gotten loose, and starts turning anyone it infects into a hungry, belching, zombie like being that eats any kind of food, and attacks and spreads the parasite. Can Scott and Jesse stop The Scourge before it's too late, and rekindle their love in the process? Can they deal with Corrupt Sheriff Durst (Russ Ferrier)? Will you find any reason to care?
I will give "Scourge" this much: it does have a few decent gory scenes (best one: jaw punched nearly off), a sense of awareness, and the Canadian feeling of the movie doesn't hurt. Also, I like the feel of the movie at times, as it feels like the kind of unambitious but watchable B-Movies you'd get back in the 80's. Oh, and the CG creature effects aren't too bad. They aren't great, but they are better than a lot of low budget CG creations.
That's not to say that this is a good movie. If you took "The Hidden" and "Slither", and removed much that made them noteworthy, then "Scourge" is what you get. The whole thing is also a cliché as you get, and not in a good way. Corrupt police? Check. Bad boy with a past? Yep. Rekindled romance between bad boy and ex-girlfriend? Uh huh. Comic relief fat guy? You bet your ass. It also doesn't help that none of the performances here are worth a damn, especially two leads, who have the charisma and chemistry of dry cement. Watching them, I couldn't help but roll my eyes when they finally got together, and this is coming from a guy whose a bit of a romantic at heart. I normally love seeing two people get together, but not if I don't care about them.
I didn't really hate "Scourge". but that's because I didn't really give a s#!t about it either. If you're going to watch it, wait until it comes on TV, particularly the Chiller channel, which tends to pick up movies like this regularly.
I will give "Scourge" this much: it does have a few decent gory scenes (best one: jaw punched nearly off), a sense of awareness, and the Canadian feeling of the movie doesn't hurt. Also, I like the feel of the movie at times, as it feels like the kind of unambitious but watchable B-Movies you'd get back in the 80's. Oh, and the CG creature effects aren't too bad. They aren't great, but they are better than a lot of low budget CG creations.
That's not to say that this is a good movie. If you took "The Hidden" and "Slither", and removed much that made them noteworthy, then "Scourge" is what you get. The whole thing is also a cliché as you get, and not in a good way. Corrupt police? Check. Bad boy with a past? Yep. Rekindled romance between bad boy and ex-girlfriend? Uh huh. Comic relief fat guy? You bet your ass. It also doesn't help that none of the performances here are worth a damn, especially two leads, who have the charisma and chemistry of dry cement. Watching them, I couldn't help but roll my eyes when they finally got together, and this is coming from a guy whose a bit of a romantic at heart. I normally love seeing two people get together, but not if I don't care about them.
I didn't really hate "Scourge". but that's because I didn't really give a s#!t about it either. If you're going to watch it, wait until it comes on TV, particularly the Chiller channel, which tends to pick up movies like this regularly.
I've seen worse....but
Johnboy122125 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I've seen worse movies, and this one did keep my interest. The creature effects are great.....but I have many problems with it, such as:
SPOILER ALERTS.......SPOILER ALERTS.......SPOILER ALERTS....SERIOUSLY!
1. Nic Rhind is good in his role, but he hardly comes across as a bad boy....more like the boy-next-door. We don't for one minute think he's a bad boy. He doesn't drink, smoke or curse, but then I guess he does ride a motorcycle, and he's supposed to be an ex-con, so that makes him a bad boy.
2. Likewise, Robyn Ledoux is fine in her role, but the screenplay portrays her as the smartest girl on earth, as she scans old manuscripts and documents and in minutes finds out what they are dealing with and how to stop it. Not believable.
3. The hideous creature eats it's way into the victim's belly button, right through their clothes several times, without leaving a hole in the person's clothes or their belly. Huh? No scars left behind by that thing? Come on.
4. The first victim just disappears without a trace, as though his body is never found.
5. The real trackers are in town, but stay away from the investigation while two college kids do the real work. Why? They only show up to mop-up after numerous victims have died.
6. The victims spend about an hour with the creature feeding on their bodies, yet our college boy hero is compelled to pass it along after only a few minutes. I guess he just couldn't stomach the darn thing. His girlfriend knew that to remain safe, they both needed to drink lots of booze, but she didn't bother telling him? Poor guy gets a bad bellyache.
7. And of course, the sweet young girl comes to the rescue, fighting off that monstrous creature like Xena, The Warrior Princess.
In short, with some added scenes, and a few changes, it would have been much better.
SPOILER ALERTS.......SPOILER ALERTS.......SPOILER ALERTS....SERIOUSLY!
1. Nic Rhind is good in his role, but he hardly comes across as a bad boy....more like the boy-next-door. We don't for one minute think he's a bad boy. He doesn't drink, smoke or curse, but then I guess he does ride a motorcycle, and he's supposed to be an ex-con, so that makes him a bad boy.
2. Likewise, Robyn Ledoux is fine in her role, but the screenplay portrays her as the smartest girl on earth, as she scans old manuscripts and documents and in minutes finds out what they are dealing with and how to stop it. Not believable.
3. The hideous creature eats it's way into the victim's belly button, right through their clothes several times, without leaving a hole in the person's clothes or their belly. Huh? No scars left behind by that thing? Come on.
4. The first victim just disappears without a trace, as though his body is never found.
5. The real trackers are in town, but stay away from the investigation while two college kids do the real work. Why? They only show up to mop-up after numerous victims have died.
6. The victims spend about an hour with the creature feeding on their bodies, yet our college boy hero is compelled to pass it along after only a few minutes. I guess he just couldn't stomach the darn thing. His girlfriend knew that to remain safe, they both needed to drink lots of booze, but she didn't bother telling him? Poor guy gets a bad bellyache.
7. And of course, the sweet young girl comes to the rescue, fighting off that monstrous creature like Xena, The Warrior Princess.
In short, with some added scenes, and a few changes, it would have been much better.
A combination between "Shivers", "Species" and the "Alien" movies "
jordondave-2808517 August 2023
(2008) Scourge
HORROR
Co-produced, written and directed by Jonas Quastel directing straight to rental with modest production values about a supposed trapped little demon unleashed to wipe out the town by jumping from person to person during the 1700's, jumping to the present time unlocking it again in the present future, started by an aftermath of a burned down church with of course a teenage female as the lead! We've seen this a dozen times before from Cronenberg's 1975 film "Shivers" to the Alien movies, to the "Species" films where the demon or thing generates itself from passing it to person to person, suggesting that those films should be watched first before watching something that's already been made!
Co-produced, written and directed by Jonas Quastel directing straight to rental with modest production values about a supposed trapped little demon unleashed to wipe out the town by jumping from person to person during the 1700's, jumping to the present time unlocking it again in the present future, started by an aftermath of a burned down church with of course a teenage female as the lead! We've seen this a dozen times before from Cronenberg's 1975 film "Shivers" to the Alien movies, to the "Species" films where the demon or thing generates itself from passing it to person to person, suggesting that those films should be watched first before watching something that's already been made!
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