Renzie Reviews: Wicked Little Things

Recently-widowed Karen Tunny and her two daughters, Sarah and Emma, start a new life in a small Pennsylvania town up in the mountains, moving into an old house- which had been in the possession of her late husband's family for quite some time now.

What the Tunnys don't know is their new home is not so far away from the site of a horrible mining accident many years ago, where dozens of children were buried alive.

It doesn't take long for the family to realize that there's something strange going on- with their house, the surrounding forest, the townsfolk, and the town itself. Bit by bit, they discover the town's terrible secret- and the 'things' that wander the woods at night.

Wicked Little Things, in my opinion is definitely one of the better films in the After Dark HorrorFest lineup of movies. The rational part of me always tries to figure out the back stories and the motivation of what plagues the main characters- and this movie adequately satisfies my need for an explanation on what's going on.

It has a few 'I'm-at-the-edge-of-my-seat-holding-my-breath' moments, and has just enough gore to make certain scenes stand out, definitely not over-the-top. Well-executed, even more so knowing it was running on an indie film budget.

Final Word: You probably would have liked Wicked Little Things if you caught it at the After Dark Horrorfest from a year and a half ago. If you haven't, it might be worth your while to grab a copy of the DVD, and watch it on a dark night with some easy-to-scare friends for added fun.

Wicked Little Things theatrical poster from Wikipedia.

Cheers, everyone!

Renzie Reviews: The Hamiltons

I recently had the chance to watch the indie horror movie The Hamiltons. The movie came out in 2006, directed by The Butcher Brothers (Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores), and was part of the "8 Films To Die For" line-up of the very first After Dark HorrorFest in November that year.

If every family has its secrets, The Hamiltons sure takes the cake. The film, in essence, is a family drama, and revolves around the lives of the Hamilton siblings.

Our main character, Francis, has his trusty video camera, sets off to shoot a "school project" about his family. Bit by bit, we are introduced to the other characters. There's eldest brother David, normally reserved and subdued, who assumes the responsibility of caring for his siblings upon the accidental death of their parents.

Then we have the volatile Wendell and goth-chick Darlene; fraternal twins who seem to share a bond that keeps them apart from everybody else.

Everything seems to be normal within the Hamilton household, as the siblings deal with everyday life- school, work, family- but through Francis' camera, we slowly see what the Hamiltons are really all about.

Here's what I think about the movie. First off: I think it's great that an indie movie can deliver a captivating enough story, with minimal budget, virtually unknown actors, and not much in the way of special effects.

That being said, the movie didn't scare me at all, or disturb me to some extent. True, it is dark, but I was expecting a horror movie that would play with my fears somewhat, and not a family drama disguised as a horror flick.

Overall, I would say The Hamiltons is alright. Maybe a 3.5 out of 5. Worth watching, but manage your expectations somewhat. Probably worth getting the DVD, but only because it's part of a collection of a whole set of horror movies.

Despite my opinion, the movie is not only a fan favorite, it is also highly-acclaimed. After all, The Hamiltons is the winner of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the Malibu International Film Festival.

Grab a copy of The Hamiltons and tell me what you think about it.