The Hamiltons
3/4
Starring: Cory Knauf, Samuel Child, Joseph McKelheer, Mackenzie Firgens, Rebekah Hoyle, Brittany Daniel
Rated R for Strong Violence, Language, and Some Sexual Content
For a movie that was clearly made for next to nothing (it looks like it was filmed on a high end camcorder), "The Hamiltons" is a pretty good movie. It's by no means perfect, but for what it is, I enjoyed it.
The Hamiltons are a tight-knit all-American family. Sadly, their parents died a few years ago, so David (Child), has taken over their duties. Studly Wendell (McKelheer) and goth Darlene (Firgens) are the troublemakers. And Francis (Knauf), who narrates the film, is simply trying to find his way in the world. That's difficult when you live with a family of serial killers.
Despite the premise and the fact that it was selected for After Dark Horrorfest in 2006, calling "The Hamiltons" a horror film is a bit of a misnomer. There is some violence and gore, but it's more of a mystery. For example, we know fairly on that David, Wendell and probably Darlene are murderers, but we don't know why. And who is the monster in the basement called Lenny?
No one in the cast deserves an Oscar nomination. Or even a career break. All of them have their raw moments and lack the "it" factor that is necessary to dominate the box office marquee. But they are effective for the film's purposes. Leading the pack is Samuel Child, who appears to have stepped out of "Leave it to Beaver." He's quite good. Joseph McKelheer and Mackenzie Firgens are perfectly creepy as the twins. They do little to hide their true personalities (according to Francis, Wendell is the reason why the family has to move a lot), and they're not above getting kinky, such as passionately making out with each other in a game of "Dare, Double Dare." Cory Knauf is the least effective. Many of his scenes hit the wrong note, and he lacks any sort of charisma or screen presence.
The film was directed by The Butcher Brothers (their real names are Mitchel Altieri and Phil Flores, and they're not related). They concentrate on the dynamics of this strange family. Or not so strange, actually. They have some of the same dysfunctions (Wendell and Darlene tease Francis, and David would probably become a member of the PTA if they were able to stay in one place for a long enough time). They just have some skeletons in the closet, and deal with them as best they can. Wendell, of all people, puts it best: "We do, what we do, to survive."
The Brothers are also skilled at sleight of hand. I was engaged and curious about the mysteries the film opened up without being jerked around. And the ending twist took my by surprise. It's not "Seven," but I didn't see it coming.
If you're looking for blood, gore and a psycho slasher, this isn't you're movie. It's not that scary, nor is it intended to be. But if you're looking for something a little different, and are willing to overlook an obviously small budget, then this is a movie you might want to check out.
Starring: Cory Knauf, Samuel Child, Joseph McKelheer, Mackenzie Firgens, Rebekah Hoyle, Brittany Daniel
Rated R for Strong Violence, Language, and Some Sexual Content
For a movie that was clearly made for next to nothing (it looks like it was filmed on a high end camcorder), "The Hamiltons" is a pretty good movie. It's by no means perfect, but for what it is, I enjoyed it.
The Hamiltons are a tight-knit all-American family. Sadly, their parents died a few years ago, so David (Child), has taken over their duties. Studly Wendell (McKelheer) and goth Darlene (Firgens) are the troublemakers. And Francis (Knauf), who narrates the film, is simply trying to find his way in the world. That's difficult when you live with a family of serial killers.
Despite the premise and the fact that it was selected for After Dark Horrorfest in 2006, calling "The Hamiltons" a horror film is a bit of a misnomer. There is some violence and gore, but it's more of a mystery. For example, we know fairly on that David, Wendell and probably Darlene are murderers, but we don't know why. And who is the monster in the basement called Lenny?
No one in the cast deserves an Oscar nomination. Or even a career break. All of them have their raw moments and lack the "it" factor that is necessary to dominate the box office marquee. But they are effective for the film's purposes. Leading the pack is Samuel Child, who appears to have stepped out of "Leave it to Beaver." He's quite good. Joseph McKelheer and Mackenzie Firgens are perfectly creepy as the twins. They do little to hide their true personalities (according to Francis, Wendell is the reason why the family has to move a lot), and they're not above getting kinky, such as passionately making out with each other in a game of "Dare, Double Dare." Cory Knauf is the least effective. Many of his scenes hit the wrong note, and he lacks any sort of charisma or screen presence.
The film was directed by The Butcher Brothers (their real names are Mitchel Altieri and Phil Flores, and they're not related). They concentrate on the dynamics of this strange family. Or not so strange, actually. They have some of the same dysfunctions (Wendell and Darlene tease Francis, and David would probably become a member of the PTA if they were able to stay in one place for a long enough time). They just have some skeletons in the closet, and deal with them as best they can. Wendell, of all people, puts it best: "We do, what we do, to survive."
The Brothers are also skilled at sleight of hand. I was engaged and curious about the mysteries the film opened up without being jerked around. And the ending twist took my by surprise. It's not "Seven," but I didn't see it coming.
If you're looking for blood, gore and a psycho slasher, this isn't you're movie. It's not that scary, nor is it intended to be. But if you're looking for something a little different, and are willing to overlook an obviously small budget, then this is a movie you might want to check out.
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