Concept: 9, execution: 6

Rating: 7/10 (13 April 2013)

I sat down to this movie with no preconceptions whatsoever, as had been recommended to me. This turned out to be very good advice, because it makes the twist in the middle a complete surprise, and therefore all the more enjoyable. (It is for this reason that I'm giving a spoiler warning, as even knowing there is a twist might rob people of that experience.)
Essentially you're thrown from one movie into a completely different one, with the main characters as the only thread holding the two together. Almost the entire plot from the first 30 minutes is rendered irrelevant, which I thought was a great idea. Usually, you sort of know where a story is going. If the point is for the protagonist to travel to a volcano and throw a ring into it, you know they are going to be successful. You have some suspense of disbelief that allows you to still experience some fear when a perilous situation presents itself, but at a more "meta" level you know what Frodo isn't going to die in the first book/film.
This movie takes that expectation and punches it in the face. Unfortunately, though, the concept is not carried to a satisfying end. After the monsters are let loose, there are about 10 minutes where the movie is able to ride the absurdity of this gear shift, but then finds itself stuck with a bunch of vampires to get rid of, and a plot to tie a knot in. And through the insistence to pay homage to cheap gore movies, the tension arcs that were built up in the first half of the movie are deflated without pay-off, and the relationships between the characters are essentially reset. This robs the movie of a connection between the two stories, as well as a proper resolution. Still, it's an entertaining 90 minutes and a must-see cult classic.