Don't Let Him In

Plot synopsis:
What if you invited a serial killer on holiday?Handsome, charming and arrogant, Tristan has picked up Mandy on a one-night stand. The love- struck girl invites him to a rural getaway with her brother Calvin and his girlfriend Paige, an emergency room nurse.But Tristan has secrets. He needs to get out of the city. And suspicions grow when a local police officer warns the group that a sadistic serial killer is plaguing the area.Dubbed the Tree Surgeon, this brutal psychopath ritualistically slaughters his victims, hanging their severed body parts in the trees as unholy offerings.That night a delirious, half-dead stranger hammers on the door, a deep, bloody gash carved in his stomach. Paige stitches the wound, saving his life. The seemingly innocent strangers name is Shawn, a hitchhiker who claims to have been attacked whilst taking a shortcut through the woods.As the weekend wears on, doubts start to breed amongst the isolated group. Is Shawn telling the truth? What is Tristans real motive for fleeing the city? Why does he keep disappearing? And why are his answers to their questions so evasive?Soon the group discover theyve invited a serial killer on their break. But as the body count rises, a punishing battle for survival climaxes in a shocking revelation, as the Tree Surgeon drags his final, traumatized victim into his lair...DONT LET HIM IN is a blistering, nerve-bludgeoning horror thriller which mixes taut, slow- burning suspense with graphic, visceral shock.The film is the debut feature from Coldwood Productions, a production label formed in 2008 by producer-director Kelly Smith, who recently worked as Script Consultant on FACES IN THE CROWD, a thriller from Forecast Pictures starring Milla Jovovich and Julian McMahon.The cast includes Sophie Linfield (FOOTBALL FACTORY), Sam Hazeldine (THE WOLFMAN) and Gordon Alexander (SUCKER PUNCH).

Tags: suspenseful, dark, cult, murder, violence

Review:
So, my interest piqued – I enjoy even below average horror films, mostly – I look at the synopsis.
And I think, "Sounds good." So I set it to record, and look forward to watching it.
Because, like my own private horror movie, this keeps happening to me.I keep recording Don't Let Him In, having forgotten that I've seen it, and that it was – truly – one of the worst things I've ever sat through.
And I seem to block it from my mind (that perfectly generic title is so easy to separate from the film it belongs to) and forget that it ever happened, and record it again, and sit down to watch again, and I am swamped with anger and disappointment.
I stop the film as the girl is doing her best to act like someone coughing in bed, and delete it, promising to never let this happen again.
You have seen the British horror film called Don't let Him In. You gave it 1/10 on IMDb. Learn.
I truly mean that.But on the basis of the film: I have to say I was very disappointed with the final results after 80 minutesFirstly I found the sound to be very boomy (cheap sounding) in parts & the mix could have been a lot better, considering the time spent on the film & in my opinion the premise itself although promising on the tag-line lacked somewhat in terms of story & characterisations.I really did not connect with ANY of the characters on screen or cared if they were hacked to bits.
I feel no matter what genre it is, there has to be some audience connection with the characters, even with low budget classics such as Halloween or Friday 13th etc, all had pretty much wooden characters there true, but there was something elusive or tangible about them or the atmosphere present in the film itself which this film sadly lacked in abundance...sorry!I am truly sorry to write this, but I believe in giving my own 'personal opinion' & is nothing more &..of course I will have many others who may or may not agree with me..C'est La vie.I will positively say that the editing was pretty much spot on & some of the visual effects were quite good for this genre but I just did not feel any 'real' atmosphere or feel on the edge of my seat.
A couple of jumps here & there but they're quite easy to pull of in any horror film really.So to conclude: A good idea for a synopsis/treatment but unfortunately was not conceived well.
Since my viewing of "Don't Let Him In", I deliberately waited two days to write this comment, allowing for the film to sink in a bit deeper.
This combination leaves a rather unpleasant aftertaste in your stomach just after finishing the film, but the memory that sticks permanently is that "Don't Like Him In" is a new horror movie that dares to shock and provoke the audience perhaps?
While on the subject of - I thought the jovial local constable was moving into a slightly humorous realm a feeling which threaded throughout the film.This is the sort of movie childhood nightmares are made of, it starts with a weekend away in the countryside and then soon descends into - bloody murder.Brilliant stuff - fans of Hammer Horror will appreciate this film..
None of the characters do things that people in real life do, nor do they react to situations like a normal human being.
The main female character is a nurse and immediately begins to give him medical aid (I with the scene so far), so the tertiary blonde bimbo say in the background, I will call an ambulance.
But here's the kicker, after the mysterious stranger is going to live, they don't call the police, an ambulance, they are going to let this wounded guy stay in there remote cabin without an explanation to why he was stabbed.
The second unforgivable scene is when the protagonists now know who one of the killers are, and still let him back into the house.
I was fortunate enough to attend the UK premiere screening at Bafta of this great new British horror film from upcoming writer/director Kelly Smith.
Forget Hammer's WAKE WOOD with it's disappointing acting and direction and head for Don't Let Him In. Sam Hazeldine is outstanding as the wounded hitchhiker who seemingly falls prey to the rural slasher known as The Tree Surgeon.I really don't want to give too much away but if you are a fan of British Horror, particularly with a 70's sensibility you will really like this one.
It is very nice to see that even eight years old or so can write a script for British horror movie.
Some scenes like "do not draw these things" might belong maybe to some horror parody, but they definitely should not belong to serious movie.It is such a shame to observe such descent of British horror which was really good in fifties and sixties.
If the characters would spent less time babbling the resulting movie might be at least average.
I was unable to finish the movie because the characters were way too much annoying and the story was too naive and childish..
I'm no horror fan, but this was a good watch.
I found Don't Let Him In to be a movie with pace, a clear storyline (not always the case for horrors in my experience), a solid cast, quality editing, and good special effects and sound.
The plot was innovative and moved along at a good pace, and when the film ended, I felt that all questions had been answered.Overall, the movie kept me entertained throughout and despite not being a horror fan, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The way the characters were killed off gave no real reason to the question, why?
Furthermore, where was the gore and guts, I thought this was a horror film?
It was a good story with a little twist in it but the only thing that was a bit exaggerated was the scene with the maggot in one's eye.
A slick and well produced first feature.As a Hardended horror fan it did make me jump on more than one occasion.This was due in no small part to the excellent score by Samuel Karl Bohn and sound effects which were a particular strength of the film.If I were to make any criticism it would be to question the part of the policeman which while amusing did lean to far into parody for my liking.In addition there seemed to be some rather over resonant sections in the male dialogue at the beginning of the film.
The pace, atmosphere and performance in Don't Let Him In is spot on - the film looks gorgeous, and the slow, suspenseful, sometimes humorous build-up to the nail-biting knock-around horror action fills you with joy.
All in all, a great atmosphere, some really unexpected and unpleasant shocks and moments of dark hilarity make this a fab horror film you don't wanna miss!.
Don't Let Him In (2011) is a horror film from the United Kingdom ...
I don't know what to say, this movie is very bad, ridiculous, bad acting, character annoying ....
One Word for this movie: AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL AND VERY SUCK, DUMB AND ANNOYING, TERRIBLE CHARACTER, BAD DIALOG, POOR ACTING, CLICHE..
At first glance, DON'T LET HIM IN is an intriguing slice of low budget British horror.
What follows is a tale packed with twists and turns as character motivations and hidden secrets come to the fore.In terms of production values, DON'T LET HIM IN is a perfectly serviceable slice of low budget entertainment.
:) This movie had it all, bad acting, cliché storyline, and you have no interest for the characters.
But a good death scene does not a movie make as they say.
I was fortunate enough recently to attend the premiere of new horror flick "Don't Let Him In", at the impressive BAFTA theatre, and I have to say I was very impressed.
Horror is not a genre I regularly choose to watch but this was a slick, edge of the seat movie which captured the imagination of the audience and was engaging from beginning to end.
The characters were plausible, if in some cases a little naive (or even stupid!), but I think that's horror....and there was plenty of room for blood and guts to make the room scream.
If you're about to go on holiday with the in-laws and want to put them off coming with you, make them watch "Don't Let Him In" - problem solved..
Horror is not a genre that I would go out of my way to watch, but I must say that the film was very watchable, and you can only be proud of what you have produced.
I was very lucky to be able to attend the premier of this film on Sunday evening, amazing film well put together, reminds me of the true great horror films, highly recommended.The film was well made and well acted, gripped me through out and contained some good old close your eye moments.All effects were true to life and it really made you not want to be their but at the same time you could not take your eyes off the screen.The atmosphere it created was tense and was well backed up by the soundtrack.Kelly is a talented director and I look forward to seeing more of his work..
Any group of friends with a digital camera, a little bit of skill and some free time can make a film -- especially a horror film, which are notoriously easy to make and market.
While there are exceptions ("Clerks" and "Slacker" come immediately to mind), by and large movies were better when you had to raise a significant sum...That being said, this film has some things going for it.
I like bad horror films (probably too much), but this was even beneath my standards...
This is certainly not the sort of film I would normally go out of my way to watch.
However this is very well balanced with well drawn characters and an engaging narrative.The film takes you with it from the outset and even before it all goes a bit "Pete Tong' you care enough about the characters to want to know what happens - also I suspect because you know it will kick off at some point you're waiting for the moment!If I'm honest there was a scene that didn't quite work for me involving a character's eye (not to give too much away) but I'd invested emotionally enough in the film at that stage to go along with it and sort of reset my frame of reference as to what was possible in universe the film is set.
It's the sort of moment which, love it or hate it, you'll remember and I'm sure the film makers intended exactly that.The film plays with you a bit and you're not really sure who the 'tree surgeon' is until it wants you to know, which I liked a lot.
The film looks and sounds great and I would imagine would be a good date movie particularly on a large screen with a good sound system.
It's a very respectable first feature for the director Kelly Smith and I hope it makes it's money back and more so we can see more from him.All in all the film is good fun and well worth a watch but - don't let him in - seriously don't!.
I have honestly seen better acting and production values in a home movie.
I was surprised at how long the end credits were, I thought it was going to have things like 'Sound by my Uncle Terry' and 'Blood Provided by Heniz'.From the outset, you know who the killer is...no imagination there.
The movie grabs you right from the start and takes you on a ride filled with u-turns and questionable motives.Don't let him in is more psychological than gore and much is left up to your imagination which for me makes the whole thing a lot scarier.The sound and cinematography are also excellent and helps to immerse you into the world of this serial killer.The one negative I had about the movie is that not all the actors were engaging for me.
The two leads are captivating but unfortunately I think a couple let the movie down a little.It's not for everyone.
A very cool movie in the best traditions of the horror genre.
A very cool movie in the best traditions of the horror genre.
Plot twists, high body count, atmospheric scenes and a bone juddering sound track that got me and others jumping out of their seats.The actors were believable in the situations that presented themselves, although it must have been as much a roller coaster ride for the participants as it was for the audience watching!The only question is whether horror presents the same opportunities it once did.
...a refreshing throwback to the early days of Amicus horror, Don't Let Him In even feels like a 70's shocker, downbeat & sun-blocked & gnashing at the bit, with strong performances, particularly Sam Hazeldine (a nascent star in the making?)and Sophie Linfield.
Quite surprised that there are already over 1500 Facebook 'likes'.I've also just watched a little presentation, including interviews, of the London Premiere......seems it went down well.In view of all this I've just watched the film again, after a gap of over a year, and have to admit that I liked it far better this time around.
Maybe its just the time of year (Halloween).....or perhaps the film just grows on you?Anyway, all of this stuff is now on the DLHI website..
Bad actores, a a awful producer to say the least.Before starting to write I was to see what my friends in IMDb had written here on this film, and with my astonishment most of them liked!
When i watched the trailer I thought to myself, " well this film goes to be a cool low-budget horror movie" , LIE, LIE!Loss of time for who appreciates a good film!Don't let him in you your TV!.
Possibly the only film I've seen in which every single decision made by every character, every second, is the wrong one.
He's so vile you know about three seconds in that the movie makers are setting him up as a red herring, so we can all be "shocked" when one of the "nice" guys turns out to be the real killer.
The aforementioned Mandy has obviously never seen a movie either, since she lets a possible killer into a locked house, puts down her knife, and--hugs him?.
it looked like the late Benny Hill in disguise), who cheerfully tells the four that there's a sexually deviant maniacal serial killer on the loose who cut's off his victim's body-parts, and then he concludes with: "but don't worry, we have everything under control, just keep your doors and windows locked".
My other half and I watched this awful drivel in its entirety purely to laugh at the juvenile nature of the plot and the disgraceful performances of the 'actors'.By far, the greatest scene in this movie is the final one.
This is because you know that the characters are all dead and this awful, awful, stupid 'film' has ended.
To think that somebody has even looked at this script without laughing worries me.Watch only to waste your time, or laugh at the shocking reality that this film received funding to begin with.
I not a horror fan but enjoyed watching this film.
A good composition also made the time fly by.It fitted in the horror genre well, with good pacing, foreshadowing and plot twists.
And as mentioned before the Tree Surgeon character is pretty horrific especially as he is introduced to the film as a pleasant, wounded hitch-hiker..
They have hardly been at the cottage for 10 minutes (not all that remote, then) before the local copper turns up and warns them about the local serial killer who is dismembering people and hanging the bits from trees.
(by the way, don't bother asking, because the answer makes little sense).This is a cabin in the woods, last man standing, slasher horror.
If it had been an American cabin in the woods movie, all the trees would have been in leaf: as it is British, it is inevitably filmed in the winter, when cottages don't have holiday letting, so all the trees are bare and everyone looks frozen.
Some of the acting is OK, and the technical aspects of the film are dealt with professionally.But it isn't very good, and I don't recommend it..
Don't Let Him In...especially if he wants you to watch this....
I'm a huge horror fan...have been for years...I've watched every bad and every good horror movie I can get my hands on.
Jason Carter plays a ridiculous role as a police officer that is forced into the story to delivery an important plot line.In watching the special features I was shocked to learn that director, creator and writer Kelly Smith took this so seriously and thought that this was such a great piece of work.
The script is so bad that the aforementioned Policeman played by Jason Carter shows up to say the following line..."I'm a police officer, there is a serial killer in these woods.
The only thing redeemable about this film was the special effects were decently done and even though the gore was gratuitous it was well done for a low budget horror flick.
I'll give it a 2 instead of a 1 to give the writer of the movie benefit of the doubt that he meant the film to be this bad.
I'm glad I've seen this movie so I won't ever think that it could've been good and I'm glad all the characters ended up dead.