See No Evil (D+ or 1.5/4 stars)
'See No Evil' is a grim horror flick directed by Gregory Dark (a porn director!). 8 delinquents are sent to clean the deserted Blackwell Hotel (as a form of community service). Little do they realize that a reclusive, disfigured psychopath, Jacob Goodnight (Kane) has been living in the dilapidated hotel. One of the teens is intentionally captured, and it's up to the remaining criminals to survive, rescue her, & kill the nut job. Overseeing this group is a cop who had put a bullet in Goodnight's head 4 yrs. ago. Will he take a stab at putting away Goodnight for good, as well? Sick, sick movie; but not the dumbest gore flick I've ever seen.
The film opens (in a sort of flashback) to a scene where police officer, Frank Williams (Steven Vidler), has just witnessed his partner being hacked up by Goodnight. For some reason, Williams survives (though Goodnight chops off his arm). Also surviving is a pretty girl who's traumatized by her eyeballs being ripped out (Goodnight's ritual). 4 yrs. later is where the film then picks up. We briefly meet the unlikeable criminals & don't care who they are, what they did, and potentially, what Goodnight will do to them. As they enter his lair (abandoned hotel), he uses tripwires, hidden pathways, & elevator shafts to hunt down his prey. Interspersed through the film are flashbacks to Goodnight's childhood where his mother physically & mentally abuses him (she's the source of his killing sprees).
Goodnight is a menacing sight to behold. He's 7 ft. tall, 400 lbs., has a rusty steel plate screwed into his skull, and his fingernails are used as claws to rip out (and I mean RIP) his victim's eyes. Lovely, right? And unique to this film are some of the ways in which he brutally kills people (shoves a cell phone down a girl's throat, lets some rabid dogs maul another girl, throats are shredded, heads are impaled, & one guy gets crushed). He uses a hook & an axe to snatch his prey (they either die from the trauma or are done away with later when the eyes are plucked). There's a reason for his madness, but you have to see the film to discover it. I won't divulge the climactic scene. I 'will' say that the last major death is gruesome, but fairly original, at the same time.
Alright ... if you like gore, than you'll think this mindless, grotesque movie is fun. If you like to 'cringe' at things onscreen, than 'See No Evil' is for you. The grimy setting(s) are put to good use. The quick editing keeps things moving (though the film is only 84 minutes long, anyway). The ending is predictable. BUT, I like how you can actually empathize with the killer, & choose to loathe the victims. That is quite interesting. At best, you can consider this a decent B-horror flick. However, just because this is a horror film doesn't mean that the plot & screenplay has to be atrocious (as this is). The acting (by non-descript actors) is abysmal. Slasher flicks CAN be sophisticated if they want to, this one isn't. 'See No Evil' is trashy. Though, I 'could' see it being a guilty pleasure for some poor fools.
The film opens (in a sort of flashback) to a scene where police officer, Frank Williams (Steven Vidler), has just witnessed his partner being hacked up by Goodnight. For some reason, Williams survives (though Goodnight chops off his arm). Also surviving is a pretty girl who's traumatized by her eyeballs being ripped out (Goodnight's ritual). 4 yrs. later is where the film then picks up. We briefly meet the unlikeable criminals & don't care who they are, what they did, and potentially, what Goodnight will do to them. As they enter his lair (abandoned hotel), he uses tripwires, hidden pathways, & elevator shafts to hunt down his prey. Interspersed through the film are flashbacks to Goodnight's childhood where his mother physically & mentally abuses him (she's the source of his killing sprees).
Goodnight is a menacing sight to behold. He's 7 ft. tall, 400 lbs., has a rusty steel plate screwed into his skull, and his fingernails are used as claws to rip out (and I mean RIP) his victim's eyes. Lovely, right? And unique to this film are some of the ways in which he brutally kills people (shoves a cell phone down a girl's throat, lets some rabid dogs maul another girl, throats are shredded, heads are impaled, & one guy gets crushed). He uses a hook & an axe to snatch his prey (they either die from the trauma or are done away with later when the eyes are plucked). There's a reason for his madness, but you have to see the film to discover it. I won't divulge the climactic scene. I 'will' say that the last major death is gruesome, but fairly original, at the same time.
Alright ... if you like gore, than you'll think this mindless, grotesque movie is fun. If you like to 'cringe' at things onscreen, than 'See No Evil' is for you. The grimy setting(s) are put to good use. The quick editing keeps things moving (though the film is only 84 minutes long, anyway). The ending is predictable. BUT, I like how you can actually empathize with the killer, & choose to loathe the victims. That is quite interesting. At best, you can consider this a decent B-horror flick. However, just because this is a horror film doesn't mean that the plot & screenplay has to be atrocious (as this is). The acting (by non-descript actors) is abysmal. Slasher flicks CAN be sophisticated if they want to, this one isn't. 'See No Evil' is trashy. Though, I 'could' see it being a guilty pleasure for some poor fools.