Malevolence (2005)

A group of bank robbers are on the run from the law. They hide out in an abandoned house on the outskirts of town, unaware it is next door to the home of a serial killer. One of their hostages escapes and runs for help, but when she runs to the wrong house, this mystery is only gonna get bloodier!           Overall: I try and give films I receive as “screeners” an extra bit of leeway when watching. Frankly so many indie films get made with tiny budgets and everyone is working as hard as they can. But just ‘cause I’m willing to toss a little more “respect” your way, doesn’t mean I won’t slam films that still don’t work. For indie films I have a few requests. If you can’t afford good effects, don’t give us bad ones. Don’t aim too high if you can’t reach there with what you have. Make sure you have a story that backs up its finale.           This film is slow and boring. Frankly, My eyes were shutting as I waited for the characters to stop wandering silently from room to room, house to house uncovering nothing, experiencing nothing. The few good scenes that get shot are way too reminiscent of other films, that you can almost predict where they copied their stuff from. And frankly, we saw so little of the killer’s motivation that it’s hard to buy that they are a serial killer. Frankly, the commentary of “Nurture vs. Nature” is much more interesting than the film itself, because the featurette explains everything the film failed to do. And normally I’m a big fan of deleted scenes but even the scenes that were cut didn’t improve the film. Some people say this film is part of a “planned trilogy.” Even if that were the case, each films needs to survive on its own. I shouldn’t have to watch another film to understand some of the killer’s motivation. But evidently, the director is gonna make me.           Comparison: In Dreams meets The Town that Dreaded Sundown

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