Featured Audience Ratings

• Directors C

  
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] I really liked the gore. After looking at what's displayed here i'm very confident in saying that the directors; The Butcher Brothers, clearly understand how to make beautiful, physical blood… More
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] I really liked the gore. After looking at what's displayed here i'm very confident in saying that the directors; The Butcher Brothers, clearly understand how to make beautiful, physical blood effects, and I think they have a real future within the horror film industry. However apart from that The Hamiltons is quite literally all over the place. It tries very hard to be a profound drama about the civilised family, and how without good management in the household everything can fall apart. But surprisingly the film does actually fall apart in the end. After a creepy and interesting set-up the rest of the film is uninteresting and dissapointingly dull. I will praise both the acting and the gore, but the script is weak and it's got it's ideas and morals all jumbled up. It has a very interesting premise that could have been moulded into a tremendously surreal and eerily disturbed drama. But in the end it doesn't work and it doesn't help whatsoever that not once was I scared by it, or even interested in it at all really.

• J P

  
  Actually a pretty decent film. Some parts were weird/off/irrelevant but it wasn't that bad. I was asking a lot of questions about the plot in the beginning, but by the end all my questions were answered (surprisingly). I was actually expecting a bunch of plot holes, but nope.… More
  Actually a pretty decent film. Some parts were weird/off/irrelevant but it wasn't that bad. I was asking a lot of questions about the plot in the beginning, but by the end all my questions were answered (surprisingly). I was actually expecting a bunch of plot holes, but nope. It's pretty self explanatory by the end, a nice twist too. I went into this movie with very low expectations, and it was actually a lot better than what I thought.

• Robert C

  
  I'm going to be generous here and chalk up all of the problems that I had with this film to "budget restrictions". I'll follow that up by saying that I think the basic premise here is intersting and while there have been variations of this "theme" over… More
  I'm going to be generous here and chalk up all of the problems that I had with this film to "budget restrictions". I'll follow that up by saying that I think the basic premise here is intersting and while there have been variations of this "theme" over the past several years...I think this film had a (rather) fresh approach to it. One of the main issues I had is that it felt like they just couldn't decide (character wise) what they were going for here. At times their approach felt very "tongue in cheek", some parts felt like they were going for "deep, dark and brooding" and at times it felt like they wanted that "torture/horror" feel that seems to be all the rage lately. Each of which can be effective in the horror genre, but are very difficult to do (WELL) all in one film. Had they decided on one or even narrowed it down to two, it may have been better. Making this even more of a challenge was the acting, which was mediocre and slightly cartoonish at times. And the dialog was often times painfully bad. As a first/early film for the Butcher Brothers, it's impressive. As a horror film in general...it is simply o.k.

• Craig S

  
  <u><b>Directed by:</u></b> The Butcher Brothers. <u><b>Starring:</u></b> Cory Knauf, Samuel Child, Mackenzie Firgens, Rebekah Hoyle, Joseph McKelheer. One of the 8 films to die for 2006...the fact that we don't have anything like… More
  <u><b>Directed by:</u></b> The Butcher Brothers. <u><b>Starring:</u></b> Cory Knauf, Samuel Child, Mackenzie Firgens, Rebekah Hoyle, Joseph McKelheer. One of the 8 films to die for 2006...the fact that we don't have anything like that in this country always annoyed me, but seeing as the movie's are slowly appearing on DVD here, at least I get to see them. The Hamilton's will be the second film I have seen from this festival lineup and after the disappointing film 'The Abandoned', this shows promise. The story follows The Hamilton's, who seem like such a normal family. When there parents die of a mysterious death, they stick together with the oldest being the 'man of the family'. But they hold a horrible secret that keeps them going. They move house every few months with new identities. They kidnap people...but what for? And who is 'Lennie' that lives in the basement that they feed the victims to? The front DVD cover and most of the marketing made it appear like a horror film...but it isn't really and this is both the films strong and weak point. What impressed me was the study of character. What lacks in a lot of horror based films nowadays is character. We explore one of the younger siblings grip with his families secret and how he questions the saying on 'how families should stick together', even when he believes it, it's a rather interesting and refreshing look that isn't spectacular, but considerably deep...but with the cast consisting of 4 characters, 2 are misdirected. Introducing Wendell and Darlene, twin brother and sister with names that go well together (of course). They are meant to represent the 'darker' side of the film and although they show us clues of where the film might head (I won't spoil anything), they are completely unlikable and cliched...and a change from the other two. Some of the horror elements are interesting, with a few moments of tense atmosphere and decent lighting, it is effective but lacks a balance with the rest...and anyone expecting gore will be disappointed (aside from a few key shots). The acting is a little too mundane. As expected from a very unknown cast, each actor has no real qualities to mention that shows promise, but it never takes the film down as neither of them are really bad. The twist at the end is certainly shocking and sudden...and I give credit to that, but then the reveal of 'Lennie' is a disappointment. That pretty much sums the film up though, although it is a very interesting character study, with thoughtful dialogue and quite a refreshing take on certain elements of the genre, it is balanced with a slow pacing, mundane acting, little gore and very little in the way of horror, as advertised. Still, a very promising start from 'The Butcher Brothers' (even there screen name shows promise) that beats many modern day horror films out of the water and it continues to show that Independent cinema is the way to start.

• Bruce B

  
  Another After Dark Horrorfest Film, This is one of the better ones, Good ole family killing victums for Jr. Nice Slasher, a Buy

• Luke B

  
  This film takes a looks at a family of killers. A nice twist to teh usual horror formula, however it falls flat. It ends on a twist but doesn't stop there. It seems to be asking forgiveness for its characters actions, and although the twist supports this we have seen them kill… More
  This film takes a looks at a family of killers. A nice twist to teh usual horror formula, however it falls flat. It ends on a twist but doesn't stop there. It seems to be asking forgiveness for its characters actions, and although the twist supports this we have seen them kill with glee in a very sadistic way. The acting is mediocre and the film is poorly shot but there is enough intrigue to keep you guessing and interested.

• Dr Blood  

  
  There were hardly any gore scenes although a lot was implied, the camerawork was all over the place and very distracting, and not one of the cast seems to know how to act. It tried to be a cross between the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and a "thinking man's… More
  There were hardly any gore scenes although a lot was implied, the camerawork was all over the place and very distracting, and not one of the cast seems to know how to act. It tried to be a cross between the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and a "thinking man's horror" but failed to accomplish either. As a vampire film, it sucked - but not in a good way.

• A.D. V

  
  An okay movie that you see one time and then shuffle to the back of your memory. Predictable and yet some-what interesting.

• Steve K

  
  Clever indie film.

• Steve B

  
  The Howling by way of Party of Five. Not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, but an interesting experiment in low-budget horror.

• Leigh R

  
  It was alright...

• Jacob P

  
  A very good horror film with a very interesting story. One of my favorite vampire movies.

• Alex M

  
  The Hamiltons has totally mastered the art of telling the audience it has a secret, and revealing parts of it ever so slowly. With each scene, I became more invested, and at no point did I just get sick of waiting for the pay-off. I also loved how each character represented a… More
  The Hamiltons has totally mastered the art of telling the audience it has a secret, and revealing parts of it ever so slowly. With each scene, I became more invested, and at no point did I just get sick of waiting for the pay-off. I also loved how each character represented a different face on the sliding scale of good and evil. The morality of the movie is very gray, which is something I love.

• Daniel P

  
  What really impressed me about <I>The Hamiltons</I> was that it wasn't trying to be over-ambitious. A simple story about a good-looking family of killers, recently parentless, where the younger member of the family is trying to find a way out of their way of life.… More
  What really impressed me about <I>The Hamiltons</I> was that it wasn't trying to be over-ambitious. A simple story about a good-looking family of killers, recently parentless, where the younger member of the family is trying to find a way out of their way of life. <p>Effectively shot on mini-HD, excellently edited (fade to blacks and small vignettes keep the film 'breathing'), with a couple of decent performances (Joseph McKhelheer is especially charismatic) and a nicely unobtrusive music score, <I>The Hamiltons</I> is very successful. The blood and gore letting is refreshingly low and mostly left to the imagination, the pacing is excellent and although I'd worked out the twist in the tale, it was interesting to see how it was played, and the ending is just right. Oh, and did I mention there's also a closeted patriarchal figure, incestual twins and a 'something' in a cage in the basement?

• Yinalí R

  
  This movie was cool.

• Adam M

  
  Although this film isn't as gory as you'd think when looking at the cover and the fact that the film makers are called The Butcher Brothers,this is still a decent indie-style horror that has some shocks,a few gory bits and a brilliant twist at the end that i really… More
  Although this film isn't as gory as you'd think when looking at the cover and the fact that the film makers are called The Butcher Brothers,this is still a decent indie-style horror that has some shocks,a few gory bits and a brilliant twist at the end that i really didn't see coming and got me thinking about what i had just seen and what the clues to it were which i hadn't done since Saw and Fight Club and as i love those 2 films it was quite exciting!

• Nicky M

  
  I enjoyed it. Nice twist. Good independant horror movie.

• paganchild1979 p

  
  Good movie, but I am confused on what they are. They are not vamps - because as far as I knew vamps didn't go in daylight!

Read all 18 featured audience ratings