Animus (I) (2013) User Reviews

Leaves much to be desired..

[sciberrasbecky · 3/10 · 25 April 2014]

This film, although I appreciate is a first attempt at a horror type movie, leaves much to be desired. The actors portrayed their parts in an amateur fashion and were given the stereotypical personalities so often seen in this movie genre. Some characters (Maya) were portrayed decently enough however other characters seemed forced and very static.

The plot could be interesting if it were told in a more compelling fashion but unfortunately the concept was not strong enough to deem the film 'good'. The make-up was another issue as the antagonist was shown very clearly with close-ups and bright lighting and the film could not get away with their make-up application and choices.

I do understand that this is a first production for the director and it is a commendable attempt however this film lacked finesse and was quite sloppy at times (some parts are very blatantly bad editing; one can hear sound being cut in and out and even re-recordings do not flow with the scene).

Sorry you lost a bet and have to watch this rubbish

[jackmeat · 2/10 · 10 April 2013]

If you watched or are going to watch this movie, you must have miserably lost a bet. Yes, kids, this movie is that bad. So here is the story (doesn't deserve the word plot) of this movie. Some student, Maya, played by Megan Davis, has to create a documentary on something new and fresh for a class. Of course her semi-psychotic roommate comes up with a supposedly haunted hospital where children were mistreated. Starts off with the doctor blowing his brains out before the credits roll and I guess we are supposed to care about what/who was trying to get into his office. Typical story, so off the kids go to get the skinny from the locals and head into the hospital to film (after hearing the story of some kid that was locked away never to be seen again). Insert the usual clichés including the ever present separating from each other at the stupidest times. OK if this review sounds disjointed, it is because the movie is a train wreck. Of course they are not alone, some I don't know what to call it, big dude with a goatee covered in blood and a long knife thing attached to his arm starts hunting them down and killing them one by one. The gore was OK for a low budget but nothing exciting. At no point do they bother explaining what the hell this thing was or why he was there. At a few points we do so the ghost of the kid, but that also never develops into a damn thing either. So one by one they are killed, 1 person lives, I'll let you figure out who. Sorry for that big spoiler, but if you read this and then see this, you deserve it, and also to be slapped. OK, acting, give me a break. Scenery, cool little abandoned town, woohoo. This movie is getting it's number for one short scene, and that is it, a very disturbing looking dream that Maya has towards the beginning (no spoiler). Beyond that 2 minutes, terrible. Well, 1.9/10 IMDb 2.7 I would like to point out the 2 reviews already here are clearly made by people who worked on the movie, so the numbers are very skewed. Don't enjoy.

"What's yours deepest fear"? ... Does boredom count?

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 27 April 2014]

For an amateurish movie, then I am sure that "Animus" was doing quite well by itself, but if you sit down to be fully entertained and watch a proper horror movie, well, your money is better spent elsewhere.

I gave up roughly about halfway through the movie, or there about, just when the killer - whom I assume must have been Isaac, given the starting credits. Why? Well, because the movie was just downright boring and uneventful.

I am sure that all of the Davis people had fun making this movie, and I am sure that the actors and actresses did too. But the movie was just too much of a unfinished product to sit down and watch. But of course, perhaps this was a learning experience, how do I know?

Storyline? Well, initially it is a group of people who go to an old abandoned hospital, which is allegedly haunted. (Something seen in many other horror movies, particularly bad 'found footage' movies.)

The characters in the movie, well they were adequate, but weren't really fully detailed or having enough dimension. It was as if they came off forced, scripted and wooden at most times, giving the cast very little to work with.

As for the effects? Well, I gave up before I could really see any, so I have no clue how well - or lack thereof - the special effects department did. The scene with the nurse and doctor in the operating room was a little bit too 'borrowed' from "Silent Hill" in my opinion.

I will say that the movie was nicely shot, some good camera-work here and there. But what was the best in the movie was the music and sounds, that was nailed right on the head.

The movie, or at least what I saw of it, didn't impress, nor did it manage to captivate or allure in any sense. And as such, I am rating "Animus" a mere 2 out of 10 stars.

waste of time

[komer83 · 1/10 · 20 April 2014]

This movie was a complete waste of 83 minutes, not including the popcorn. It starts nice, cool story bro. But that about it. You think there's going to be a story, and a good one because it begins really nice, but there is no story, there is no line, it's just nothing.

Bad acting, no real story, funny dead puppets.

Complete waste of time, don't bother. If you want some horror and/or gore, this movie is not for you. In fact, this movie is not for anyone. There are ghosts in this movie, but they are not doing anything and not relating to the story. There is a killer there, but who, what, where, or anything about him, is unknown. You can make some connections in your mind, but you can't say if you're right or wrong because there is no story, only a beginning of one.

So really, don't waste your time on it, better watch Power Rangers all over again.

80s Horror Fans Might Like This . I Didn't

[Theo Robertson · 3/10 · 21 June 2013]

ANIMUS gets off to a relatively good opening with a gory murder followed by a suicide and I was somewhat surprised just how gory this was and also draws the audience in to the story . As the story proper starts we're then introduced to a bunch of film students studying at the University of Tucson . The students are young and good looking and I got feeling we might be watching a very traditional horror film like we had in the 1980s where horny teenagers get chopped up by a psycho killer . Indeed we have a very minor character called Wes Carpenter and this self reference gives you a clue what you're going to be watching - horny teenagers fighting for their lives

The problem is that very little happens after the pre-titles hook and the writer/director Quin Davis and early on in order to spice things up we have a horror sequence which is revealed to be a nightmare . This draws attention that for long segments very little is happening plot wise . The story drags at a snails pace and since the other reviews have mentioned the cinematography so will I - it's unimpressive and very grainy and nowhere near being compared to big budget Hollywood horror films . The camera work is also very static but I suppose that's due to a lack of money and post production facilities . Horror junkies especially ones who remember the 1980s might enjoy ANIMUS but not being much of a horror fan I didn't

Worst acting I've EVER seen, including in homemade horror on the internet

[Ocrisia · 1/10 · 7 May 2014]

This is a really bad movie. Really, really bad. It was obviously very low budget, you can tell by the film, but that doesn't always mean the movie will be bad. The story is ridiculous. Some kid is a patient in a mental hospital for children, it turns out he is the bastard son of the guy who runs the place, and his wife tells him to deal with the kid "one way or the other" which makes no sense because shes telling him to kill the kid. That's only one way. There is no other. So he tries and the kid kills everyone. Meanwhile, the woman telling this story worked there, and she said she knew the kid and took care of him for a while. Then he was moved to another floor and "she never saw him again." Three sentences later she says she saw him again, pulling bodies across a floor. The dialogue is horrendous. I mean it's really, really bad. When the group of students start driving to the hospital to film, the girl in the backseat and one of the guys next to her start arguing, and I thought to myself that no one in the world is this bad at talking. It's painful to watch. The actors have no chemistry, and the redhead is just the worst actress I think I've ever seen. I feel bad saying that but she really makes a bad movie so much worse. Her facial expressions are so stupid, and I have no idea how this girl is an actress. You could probably pull a random person out of a Wal-Mart and ask her to read some lines and she would do better. I don't know what other movies she's been in, maybe they're better and it's just this role (maybe they told her to seem unlikable and stuck up?) but it's just SO bad. I just wanted to hit her the whole time. I think she's supposed to be funny and hot but she comes off as neither. I don't think there are any redeeming qualities to this film- I know it's a first time effort for the director, so it's understandable that it's not great, but next time he needs to find better actors, because there are a lot of watchable movies with stupid plots. This isn't one. It's not one of those that is so bad it's funny either, it's just appalling, and I have no idea how it has a 3+ rating. There are a bunch of clichés, like when they get to the small town with the abandoned hospital most people are nasty and call them "city folk," one man says something about them hanging out with a "negro" and they'e all yelled at and warned not to go in the hospital because "the scandal along with the shut down of the mine nearly ended the town." Oh and at the beginning the unlikable redhead says "omg it's time for ghost chaser!" which is a reality show in which a guy named "Wes Carpenter" (I don't think Wes Craven or John Carpenter would want anything to do with this) literally yells at ghosts. He became a ghost chaser (probably a rip off of Supernatural by the way- in Supernatural there is a reality show called Ghost Chasers) when he was doing plumbing at a house and saw a ghost. Oh and there's an idiot ex boyfriend who tracks the girls phone by GPS and follows her to the hospital. Guess who dies first? His character is killed off about a minute after he shows up. Also there's one girl who has to pee a lot. We see her squat a lot. Every bad cliché in a horror movie is in this. There's a scene where two girls come out of interviewing someone and the unlikable girl and someone are having sex in the car, and they just stare through the window while talking about how awful it is. It's just awkward and bad. Do yourself a favor and watch ANYTHING else. It's just SO bad. Really bad. The special effects are awful. The music is bad, and this is literally the worst acting I have ever seen. EVER. I can't stress how bad this is. I love horror movies, and I forgive a lot, but I have honestly seen a LOT of better movies on YouTube done with iPhone cameras.

Surprisingly gory, but ultimately an average first attempt. 4.5/10

[Thrill_KillZ · 5/10 · 30 March 2013]

This film was actually somewhat of a surprise to me when considering the low rating and turned out to something I actually enjoyed. Just looking at the background of this first time writer/director gave me an idea of the potential this film could have, him having a solid background in special effects/make-up really shows all throughout the film. The plot is about our lead character Maya(Megan Davis), a college film student tasked with the assignment of making a documentary film. She sets out in hopes of finding the paranormal with four friends at the legendary Copper Queen Hospital, which supposedly is haunted by the ghost of the head doctor's illegitimate son, who disappeared there long ago, presumed murdered by the doctor's angry wife. Instead they find a horror far more real than any ghost & much more dangerous, a blood thirsty maniac hell bent on slicing & dicing anyone that enters into his realm.

The cinematography is good, the effects & make-up are as good as any big budget Hollywood horror release. The acting by our lead Maya is acceptable although I can't say the same for the rest of the cast. Their purpose seemed to be limited to being killed off violently as they added little more to the film in terms of story and acting ability. Other than that indiscretion the film really excelled in it's special effects & gore. I also noticed some influence from other great films from the past during certain scenes which was interesting. That said, while not perfect it was an entertaining film that any horror fan should take a liking to. A recommended low budget time killer 4.5/10

Good idea being executed badly

[fatt1988 · 3/10 · 12 April 2013]

If you read the 1st review, more likely it was written by a person related to the movie. Well, the movie starts good however as it gets towards the end it just went so bad. In the beginning of the movie I see some hopes that this movie going to be a good low budget movie but I was wrong. The cinematography was OK but the rest was just below par. Sometimes I have some kind of feelings that this movie being written and directed by 6years old kid. It feels like they try to throw all ideas that they have into the movie without giving the ideas a good justification. The 1st thing was the killer maniac, his appearance was OK but I was thinking why the heck he would strap a saw at his hand and use it as a weapon. It was ridiculous to see him slicing the students like butter as if he was using a katana. The other thing was when 2 of the students climbed a ladder while the killer was chasing them, I was thinking how he could climb easily with a long saw being strapped to his hand, WTFish. Well, I guess writing more review about this movie would just waste my time. Here's the conclusion, if you really doesn't have anything else to do or lost in a bet, then watch this movie. In other circumstances, just STAY away from it.

Totally stupid!

[africe · 1/10 · 31 August 2019]

Stupid ass movie. The only thing it had going was it killed the asshole boyfriends off in a good way. The only thing that could have given this movie 3 stars would be some nudity. They pushed the well developed girl's breast throughout but never gave us a glimpse. Basically this is a total waste of 90 minutes. Run away from this one

Disappointing

[darkoneskip · 4/10 · 22 April 2019]

Had all the makings of a great horror but didnt follow thru. Tryed to hard to be a hollywood horror. Some gore but not till 60 mins into an 80 feature. A dream sequence that qas cool but thats it. Lead lady had it going on good job but the others really hurt the acting with their delivery. But still qas shot well and had some blood so if you like 80s early 90s you will like it. If delivers in many ways just needed a lil more action or horror in the beginning. If your into B horrors you might love it if your not looking for a lot of practical spfx.

Powerful Horror Film of Exceptional Quality

[jlthornb51 · 10/10 · 24 June 2015]

From gifted film maker Quin Davis comes this extraordinary and original horror movie. Both written and directed by Davis, it tells the terrifying story of students investigating paranormal activity in a abandoned hospital. Before too long, the investigators are running and fighting for their very lives as they are pursued by a blood thirsty maniac. Davis is superb at creating the fearful environment within the creepy hospital and his imagery is incredibly haunting. The script is intelligent and the characters are realistic and bright. John Bernath and Megan Davis give outstanding performances, giving their roles depth and humanity and compassion. While the paranormal investigation of derelict hospitals has been done a few times in the past, it has never been filmed with such insight, plausibility, and stark raving horror. An exceptional horror film, finely observed and beautifully realized.

I'LL HAVE YOU HOME IN TIME FOR SOUTH PARK

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 10 April 2019]

Maya, (Megan Davis) a student and Thorazine junkie is doing a film for her nonfiction film class. She loads up the van with her friends and not her ex-bf Brad (Trinidad Amaya) and heads out to Copper Queen hospital in remote Arizona. Here they have a hospital which experimented on children as we get the story told to us by an elderly woman, the low point in the film. Once the crew gets to the hospital creepy things happen and it turns into a screaming senseless gore fest.

The film seemed slow to develop. The driving scene proved to be a waste of dialog. Once they get inside, the film becomes a combination of hand held cameras and badly shot scenes from the worse angels...like Russian porn. Room for improvement.

I had no issue with sound. In fact I had to turn mine down.

Parental Guide: F-bomb, sex. No nudity.

Speechless

[maximovlE · 1/10 · 20 February 2022]

I know it's old, but there were better movies made before colour was added.

In the story a teacher is telling his class to go film a movie, I think this was the result. All filmed in one afternoon with an old fashioned camcorder.

Nothing good to say about it.

Animated yet?

[kosmasp · 4/10 · 20 July 2020]

The second movie called Animus that didn't really do it for me. Still this is a step (or two) up from the other one I watched. Which isn't really saying much, since this still isn't really good. Some nice shockers and I reckon for a low budget movie the effects are ok too.

So depending on how much slack you are willing to give this, how low you are comfortable lowering the bar to have fun or even if you just are into this sort of no money movie almost amateurish style of filmmaking ... I appreciate the love they put here, so I might be giving them some slack, always consider that when seeing my rating - bear that in mind so to speak