Sawful Clever

Rating: 7/10 (30 October 2004)

OK, as was probably the case with most horror fans, I have been looking forward to this since the early days of the Fangoria teasers and interviews.
I went in hoping for another indie classic and was pleasantly surprised.
Granted, it wasn't a classic, but it was a very clever film to say the least. All of the bad reviews on this page have obviously come from folks who cannot seem to follow the one simple rule that every horror fan must be held accountable to, and that is the requirement of suspending disbelief. If one can't observe this simple commandment, one shouldn't be watching horror movies.
Now, to the movie. As far as acting goes, I give it 1.5 out of 4 stars. Elwes and Whannell are simply atrocious. Even the staunchest supporters of horror films, which are notorious for bad thespians, cannot possibly justify the casting in this movie, although Whannell was the screenwriter and probably conned his way into his role. They just weren't convincing as characters. I simply couldn't connect with them. Danny Glover was the one high point, and his part was so small that it couldn't lift the others from their acting stupor.
The film itself was very original. A serial killer who, in the midst of a struggle between life and death himself decides to play God with his victims, allowing them the opportunity right their wrongs while coming to appreciate the value of life, is not the most original concept. However, the way he provides options for his victims seems to show us a sort of macabre compassion for his fellow humans. Each victim is given an option and clues as to how to escape his horrific puzzles, but it lies within each to determine down which path they will proceed. With nods to Argento (music and style) and some of the realism that we've come to expect from a Tobe Hooper film, the film seems to be another brick (albeit not quite a foundational support) in the rebuilding of the genre as a whole. It is films like this, which come out with balls to the wall suspense and no regards for the squeamish, that are going to be the savior of our beloved franchise.
Granted, we have a ways to go, but if little gems like this keep popping up every three or four months, and they continue to improve on each other's mistakes, then the future looks very bright indeed.
*** out of ****