02-10-2009, 02:32 PM
The movie opens with a monster's-eye-view of a man in a house who keeps hearing noises, gets more and more fightened, then finally screams as the camera lunges at him.
This movie is better than it has any right to be. I mean, the opening lowers your expectations, and the overall premise is pretty ridiculous. And the repeated "What's in the basket?" question could have made this into a one-joke film.
Also, I expected it to be stage-bound.
But somehow it rises above all this. There are a slew of oddball characters, and they interact very well. Most of the acting is very good, and what isn't is still interesting. The scenes are well thought out. The plot takes some unexpected turns. And the emotions are right on. I really started caring for the protagonist and even his basket friend. The horror was at times gripping, at other times funny. The special effects are of course bargain basement. The "monster" is sometimes a manipulated puppet, sometimes a static doll, and there's even a couple stop-action sequences just to please DM. But I was able to suspend my disbelief and really enjoy this.
It's really a level above what it should have been, and in some spots a couple levels above.
A very pleasant and utterly disgusting surprise.
This movie is better than it has any right to be. I mean, the opening lowers your expectations, and the overall premise is pretty ridiculous. And the repeated "What's in the basket?" question could have made this into a one-joke film.
Also, I expected it to be stage-bound.
But somehow it rises above all this. There are a slew of oddball characters, and they interact very well. Most of the acting is very good, and what isn't is still interesting. The scenes are well thought out. The plot takes some unexpected turns. And the emotions are right on. I really started caring for the protagonist and even his basket friend. The horror was at times gripping, at other times funny. The special effects are of course bargain basement. The "monster" is sometimes a manipulated puppet, sometimes a static doll, and there's even a couple stop-action sequences just to please DM. But I was able to suspend my disbelief and really enjoy this.
It's really a level above what it should have been, and in some spots a couple levels above.
A very pleasant and utterly disgusting surprise.
