Chicago Rot (2016) User Reviews

Wow. I am amazed by the amount of indie movies with fake reviews these days.

[Plantasma · 1/10 · 19 May 2017]

Seriously folks. How more obvious can some of these fake reviewers be? If you click on the 3 main culprits (all have similar IMDb usernames) who wrote SUPER positive reviews, you will see that each of them have all recently joined IMDb and they all HAVE ONLY EACH REVIEWED ONE MOVIE. This one. Right. Nice try.

So obviously the rating here is way over-inflated through fake ratings of people who are involved with this terrible film in one way or another. The film is trash. I had an extremely hard time trying to sit through the horrible acting, the retarded dialogue, and the ridiculous attempt to be over-the-top gory. I love good indie films of any genre, but I don't have much tolerance for the dishonorable and dishonest methods of boosting reviews and ratings.

Movies that try too hard to be weird without any substance don't win. Should I even mention the absolutely terrible soundtrack that doesn't fit the pacing of the movie? Or the ridiculously bad music video that starts the movie and seems to interject itself in the middle with a random girl playing piano in the back of a truck? No, no I'll let you torture yourself with this tripe.

Gritty, gruesome, and rather pointless

[Leofwine_draca · 2/10 · 19 April 2017]

CHICAGO ROT is a gritty horror film made on a micro budget. It's a revenge story about a former convict hunting for a sicko murderer responsible for the death of his family. As a film it's fairly well shot, so it's just a shame that the subject matter is equal parts distasteful and equal parts predictable. The end result offers plenty of gloomy atmosphere and some unpalatable moments of extreme bad taste gore.

Chicago boredom...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 11 March 2021]

Okay, well I was lured in to watching "Chicago Rot" given its rather interesting cover. Sure, I hadn't even heard about this 2016 movie prior to now in 2021, as I had the chance to watch it. But it's average rating on IMDb had to mean that it couldn't be all bad.

But it was.

Oh, boy, this movie was a swing and a miss. The storyline was so unfathomably slow paced and pointless. Needless to say that the characters in the movie were equally pointless, and at no point throughout the movie did I actually care an ounce about the characters. It was just so mundane and bland, that there was no reason to bother.

The acting in the movie was adequate for the most parts, at least I will give the movie that much. But without an interesting storyline or anything of worth to offer the audience, then "Chicago Rot" was just a losing battle.

This is definitely not a movie that I would recommend you wasting your time, money or effort on. Some of us did, so you don't have to.

My rating of writers Brant McCrea and Dorian Weinzimmer's 2016 movie lands on a more than generous three out of ten stars, based almost exclusively on the movie's production value. If you enjoy horror movies, do yourself a favor and find something with entertainment worth to it, because "Chicago Rot" is not one such movie.

You don't think that bullet hole in your chest has anything to do with it?

[nogodnomasters · 8/10 · 4 July 2017]

Les Sabo (Brant McCrea) is released from jail and is searching for the killer of his mother whose death he witnessed as a child. He is known as "The Ghoul" as he takes skin from his victims and is hard to kill. He is a hero to the poor in Chicago standing up to thugs and dishonest cops (which could have been better developed with a number of flash scenes or headlines).

The film is part art-house, part grindhouse, part 70's gorehouse with a little MTV tossed in. I loved the opening scene during the credits as his dead mother plays the piano from the back of pick-up truck creating an existential scene that borders on surrealism. The director was very careful in creating scenes, but seemed to have neglected the plot. The Ghoul never seemed to care about finding his mother's killer, never questioning anyone or tracking clues. The characters were not developed at all. I am pretty sure every horror and grindhouse fan will find something to like about the film. The style mixing was mostly effective, although there were times when it didn't work that well such as the first bathroom scene where we get 70's gorehouse music.

Guide: F-word. Nudity

this film is a crime thriller turned rock concert!

[josephklocke · 9/10 · 22 April 2017]

if you like rock music this film is 100% for you! this part crime thriller part gory horror part mend bending sci-fi cult classic is all tied together with a incredibly compelling original rock score!

between the amazing cinematography to the outstanding hair/make up, costumes and set design i was very impressed with the film. tip of the hat to the chicago rot cast and crew!

there were times i was confused with the plot but when i went back and watched it again the story revealed more details. this film definitely has layers of sub-plot. you have to pay attention. also, don't forget to look for the easter eggs!

Indy cult horrific thriller

[ahahow · 7/10 · 23 April 2017]

Chicago Rot is a gory masterpiece with all the earmarks of an indy cult horrific thriller. From the guy in the background jerking off while wearing a blue leisure suit, down to the significance of the license plate on a green Cadillac, there's enough in the cracks of this film to dissect and discuss for years.

Unfortunately, the story of "The Ghoul" is lost in the show stealing barrage of blood. It's a hard to follow sea of death where a voice on the radio detailing the back story is the only time you're sure to have it right.

The characters don't command emotional attachments leaving the audience feeling apathetic toward who lives and who dies. However, the fight, murder and death by dildo scenes are so well shot and assembled, competently revealing brutal moments with striking detail, that you are compelled to wish for everyone in the film to die, simply to take pleasure in the carnage.

The special effects are incredible. The sound effects are fantastic. The music is great albeit at times ponderous to the point I was eager to hear a voice without music beneath it. An amazing job from start to finish on the visual candy and the construction of the scenes were the enabling forces that allowed me to finish watching this movie even when not completely in tune with the narrative.

I look forward to their next film, where perhaps I'll find myself being emotionally involved with the characters.

But, what do I know? I enjoy Adam Sandler movies.

What an experience !

[michaelkopsick · 10/10 · 14 May 2017]

I was not necessarily a horror film fan until I saw Chicago Rot. Watching this movie is not just a good time, it's an incredible experience. This film activates all of your senses and leaves you wanting to watch it all over again.

I am a new horror film fan and I hope the producers / directors make more films, horror or otherwise!

Great indie film

[scottfell-90844 · 10/10 · 9 February 2021]

I have watched it a couple of times. It is one of those movies like Pulp Fiction where you may not get the plot on the first go around.

Very cool soundtrack, and great visuals, but what did I just watch?

[Indyrod · 8/10 · 16 May 2017]

very mild spoilers -------------------

Couple of nights ago, I viewed "Chicago Rot", and I would love to have the amazing soundtrack, it was awesome. Now, as far as the movie, I need another viewing or two because it left Me totally confused, I don't know what the hell I watched.

It started out a revenge movie, then it turned to things I couldn't make much sense of, and then when the sci-fi stuff kicked in, it pretty much lost me.

The ending was confusing as hell, I still don't know what it meant. The main question I ended up with, the lead character Les aka The Ghoul was supposed to be on a quest the kill the person that murdered His Mother after He was released from prison for killing a cop. That was bizarre too, He only got ten years for killing a cop?

At the end, I have no idea if He accomplished that or not, because all at once all this science fiction stuff took off, and left all of that unanswered, IMO.

And the ending was about as bizarre as could be. Did I like it? Yes, the visuals along with the music are amazing. but understanding the movie, I don't have a clue.

great original film

[mich1elle · 9/10 · 26 March 2021]

This film is a wild ride from start to finish. Very creative. Great acting and cinematography. I highly recommend.

wild ride with some great twists

[williamgway · 9/10 · 27 March 2021]

Well done horror indie. Great plot twists at the end that will keep you guessing.

Surprising Indie Film

[MRP-Ent · 23 March 2021]

This is a crazy blend of horror, fantasy and sci-fi, and if you like some gore and cool makeup and effects, you will not be disappointed. A surprising accomplishment for an indie film! The music and performances are just icing on the cake and make this a really fun and interesting film.

A Fun Indie Ride!

[craigahrens · 8/10 · 2 October 2021]

What a terrific ride! This film demonstrates why it's so much fun to watch an indie film. A good indie film I should say. I love the original concept of this film. The acting was on point and so was the storyline. All the actors were so good. Solid work folks! You made on heck of a good movie!!

Proper gore!

[sixtymedia · 8/10 · 29 June 2022]

It is unusual but really fun. Certainly one for the horror purist. At times it plays out like some sort of surrealist nightmare. I loved it.

A recommend for a those who like the genre.