Amusement (2008)

28% of users liked it
(13,983 ratings)

When three females are brought together as part of a malevolent plan, their worst fears soon become a terrifying reality in a dark thriller from writer Jake Wade Wall and director John Simpson. A traumatized woman being questioned by a cop and a psychiatrist realizes that a clown, a hotel, and a… More When three females are brought together as part of a malevolent plan, their worst fears soon become a terrifying reality in a dark thriller from writer Jake Wade Wall and director John Simpson. A traumatized woman being questioned by a cop and a psychiatrist realizes that a clown, a hotel, and a convoy could hold the secret of stopping a relentless serial killer before he strikes again. As children they were best friends; as adults Tabitha, Shelby, and Lisa have wandered separate life paths. Now, inside a chilly prison chamber, three women and a group of other potential victims must fight for their lives, or lie down and die for another's amusement. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: John Simpson
Written By: Jake Wade Wall
Genres: Horror

In Theaters: Dec 26, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Jan 20, 2009
Studio: Picturehouse

Critic Reviews

Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
a cat-and-mouse game, without any of the strap-to-a-chair-and-torture shock attempts
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
While some mighty gruesome things happen and the milieu is certainly apt, it's more about what leads up to the murders than the actual killings themselves.
Mike McGranaghan, Aisle Seat
Amusement might end up being the most ironic title of the year, because there's absolutely nothing amusing about it.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
For the most part, the soundtrack is scarier than the movie. (Blu-ray Edition)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...the segment with the dolls has its moments. Give the movie an extra point for that.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Robert C

The first half of the film was really promising and quite creepy, especially vignette number two. The acting is pretty solid and the film is nicely put together in a VISUAL sense, story wise...not so much. It becomes clear about 3/4 of the way in that what started out as an… More
The first half of the film was really promising and quite creepy, especially vignette number two. The acting is pretty solid and the film is nicely put together in a VISUAL sense, story wise...not so much. It becomes clear about 3/4 of the way in that what started out as an interesting premise has slowly begun to unravel and by the end just feels rather cheap and desperate (and not in a good way).
Alexis N

Word to the wise.. be careful who you laugh at, they may go to great lengths to hear that laugh again. The was one of the better horror films I've seen lately. A clown-and-mouse game. It's creepy, psychological, gross and it has some mental torture with the best ending ever.… More
Word to the wise.. be careful who you laugh at, they may go to great lengths to hear that laugh again. The was one of the better horror films I've seen lately. A clown-and-mouse game. It's creepy, psychological, gross and it has some mental torture with the best ending ever. Loved it!
Dean !

An ok straight to DVD horror. Good production values and a young fresh cast. However it feels a bit disjointed at times, whether thats due to poor story or editing. I still struggle with the real motive for the killer to chase the girls down so many years later?? Could have been a lot… More
An ok straight to DVD horror. Good production values and a young fresh cast. However it feels a bit disjointed at times, whether thats due to poor story or editing. I still struggle with the real motive for the killer to chase the girls down so many years later?? Could have been a lot better, instead it's just good in patches.
Dead A

Saw this last year. It looked scary at first. But that scariness wear off after sometime. I did like this movie. But the story was weird.
Film C

this film surprised me really its quite a good film i would say its definately worth a watch! this film has a bit more of a creep factor rather than an hide behind the sofa horror and its easy to understand. The boy who is stalking the 3 childhood girls is a troubled psychopath who… More
this film surprised me really its quite a good film i would say its definately worth a watch! this film has a bit more of a creep factor rather than an hide behind the sofa horror and its easy to understand. The boy who is stalking the 3 childhood girls is a troubled psychopath who has some issues really and he targets these three girls stalking them/ terrorising them and just creepy with a reasonable good ending as well!!
George R

It's stylish, dark & unpredictable, I'll give it that. However, it is just around 3 or 4 episodes put together to make this boring, confusing, scare-free, badly acted (most of the movie), & short film. And the most confusing thing about this movie is how the girls in… More
It's stylish, dark & unpredictable, I'll give it that. However, it is just around 3 or 4 episodes put together to make this boring, confusing, scare-free, badly acted (most of the movie), & short film. And the most confusing thing about this movie is how the girls in this film didn't recognize the psychotically disturbed guy from their child hood :| This movie will [probably] scare people who are afraid of clowns.
Jacob P

This movie is Amazing. Everything about it is good; the plot, the acting, the creepy music, and especially the clown scene, which is to me considered to be one of the most scariest moments in cinema history.
Todd S

Eh, nothing special, not great, not bad... a little weird and the ending was horrible.
Sylvester K

Where the hell is the plot? It's confusing!!!!
d j

ok straight to DVD horror. Good production values and a young fresh cast.
Brett W

KATHERYN WINNICK! Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn… More
KATHERYN WINNICK! Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick, Katheryn Winnick. Oh and some people get murdered by a squirrely dude who looks like the Chatchkie's Manager from Office Space.
ken j

When three girls are stalked and then kidnapped by a killer they have no idea what or who could have done this that is of course untill there finally brought together in the sameplace do they find out that they all have the same one thing in common and that this might have something… More
When three girls are stalked and then kidnapped by a killer they have no idea what or who could have done this that is of course untill there finally brought together in the sameplace do they find out that they all have the same one thing in common and that this might have something to do with why they have been kidnapped something that dates back to there childhood now they need to find a way to escape before they end up dead, This movie was in my mind really good and filmed in three different segments so that you see what happens to each girl which i thought was pretty cool not exactly a blood and gore horror movie but up there as a suspense thriller it should be checked out.
Juny L

Amusement is a well shot & good looking film,which is a shame of how things turn out,because it had potential to be a good horror film.The film has so many flaws & stupid moments.The first segment or story felt incomplete & once it get to another different story,i was… More
Amusement is a well shot & good looking film,which is a shame of how things turn out,because it had potential to be a good horror film.The film has so many flaws & stupid moments.The first segment or story felt incomplete & once it get to another different story,i was thinking that the film was an anthology,but wasn't the case.This film was all over the place with ideas that didn't work out.Amusement has interesting moments here & there,but wasn't so amused by this film. <div style="width:400px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/actor/katheryn-winnick-photos/katheryn-winnick-as-tabitha-in-amusement-2008-10989424"><img src="http://content6.flixster.com/photo/10/98/94/10989424_gal.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com">Flixster</a> - Share Movies</div></div>
Barry L

This was such a little unexpected gem that I suprised myself by actually liking it. Do not expect horror that will have you tearing your eyes out in fear and the suspense is...well suspense but I really enjoyed it. The ideas have all been done so many times before but its still worth… More
This was such a little unexpected gem that I suprised myself by actually liking it. Do not expect horror that will have you tearing your eyes out in fear and the suspense is...well suspense but I really enjoyed it. The ideas have all been done so many times before but its still worth watching.
Rose G

Don't let the title deceive you. Amused would be the last adjective I'd use to describe how I think this movie was. On the upside, the first few minutes would probably hold you interested. But by the time the killer is revealed, everything goes downhill, and to warn you, the… More
Don't let the title deceive you. Amused would be the last adjective I'd use to describe how I think this movie was. On the upside, the first few minutes would probably hold you interested. But by the time the killer is revealed, everything goes downhill, and to warn you, the identity of the killer is revealed so early that it might have been enough reason to make you leave the theater already. I guess the only effect this movie had on me is that it made me more scared of clown stuffies.
John M

I really wanted to like this movie, it had some decent moments specially the first two stories but then it just goes down hill with all the plot holes and pointless situations. Good production values, decent acting but ¨AMUSEMENT¨ fell flat becoming more DISAPOINTING than AMUSING.
Laurence C

Delayed for much, much longer than any passionate horror fan can care for, Amusement sports a trailer than makes it look like a classy though ordinary take on the clown killer pitch. If it were just that, I believe I could have called it worthy of its terminal straight-to-DVD release.… More
Delayed for much, much longer than any passionate horror fan can care for, Amusement sports a trailer than makes it look like a classy though ordinary take on the clown killer pitch. If it were just that, I believe I could have called it worthy of its terminal straight-to-DVD release. But alas-- the film we have here, beloved genre fans, is a complete disaster, an embarassing mishmash of ideas, a few of them new, a shitload of them stolen, but all of them good for the garbage bin. Good god, where to start? Screenwriter Jake Wade Wall-- oh, hey, Jake! I didn't know you could pen anything worse than When A Stranger Calls!-- drives the film through a commendable trick : splitting up the whole thing in three separate stories, each possessing distinct characters and a distinct menace, only to have them culminate in a last act that should explain everything. In practice, that could be fine-- and I guess none of these segments are truly THAT fuckawful viewed on their own. But piled on top of one another, it is just deadening. Amusement contains WAY TOO MUCH lousy plotting (and not in a fun way) to pass as breezy genre entertainment, even at a brisk 85 minutes. Let's see : act one is a subpar Joyride that features the worst acting of the bunch (the boyfriend is especially atrocious), act two, undeniably the less shitty of the three, still feels especially stretched for the sole minute-and-a-half of pounding pulses it offers (oh, there it is, as a promo clip all over the web-- yep, that's the one with the clown, and you *wish* there was a better moment in the whole damn film), and finally, act three is a straight-up comedy. 'Uneven' is a word that HAD to be invented for Amusement. Add to that a climax that is morbidly stupid (the 'Reason Why' ends up being one of the lamest of the decade), last-minute revelations that end up patching nothing at all and a closing voiceover that I CANNOT believe was meant to be taken seriously. Even if the absolute worst element of this dreck is the shockingly stale screenplay, there is much, much more crap to dig out of it. Starting with... The Wretched Music. Now, I understand a horror film needs a tense, effective score to channel whatever fear a character feels directly to us viewers, but here, it is completely out of control. The Wretched Music seriously tries wants to steal our attention from the movie : strings kick in waaayyyyy before anything remotely creepy happens, and it never, ever lets up until the much-anticipated ''SHREEEE!!!'' occurs. But even in the ''SHREEEE!!!'' department, Amusement is seriously lacking. Hear me out : scares are scarce, and the gore is a bore. While it tries punching up some 'twisted' graphic moments in the last twenty minutes, my, oh my, they are not affecting as much as they feel out of context. But they will prove to be the closest to any kind of satisfaction a horror fan can get out of this puppy. And the performers? Well, the men (roles and actors) unanimously suck, so as usual, it's up to the females to provide 'surrogates' for the screaming teenybopper audience that Amusement is aimed at. It's hard to tell if the three lead actresses are good at anything at all with the surprisingly minimal character development that's given, but I'm totally not convinced any of them gave it their all on the set. They aren't noticeably bad (I take that back-- Breckinridge is kind of bad, more often than not), but they leave much to be desired. Then again : cardboard. Only pros can build something worthy out of cardboard. There's plenty more bad to cover here (shots that come dangerously close to plagiarism, unsurprisingly flat dialogue, and the interview segment, which for instance, just plain sucks), but you get the idea-- this turd was delayed for all the right reasons. And while I do like abysmal horror films as entertainment, this one is more infuriatingly bad than joyously bad. Incidentally, I recommend you to skip it. Shocker.