Deadtime

...nonsense you'll have seen in a while. DEADTIME is an affront to the British film industry, a total waste of time and money for all involved (not talent though, because there's no talent gone into this) and one of the very worst films I've seen in a good while. I always seem to be saying that, but this really is poverty row stuff, with no redeeming values whatsoever.

The 'storyline' sees the talentless members of a music group set up shop in a rambling old mansion ready for a new shoot. While there they fall prey to a masked, knife-wielding maniac who offs them one by one. Even worse, the psycho killer may well be one of their own, killing them due to one unknown grievance or another.

To say that this is poor is to understate matters, because it doesn't get any worse than this. We get acting that ranges between the stilted and the completely over the top, with no middle ground. The narrative that involves characters pairing up and going off to have sex before being slaughtered in unappealing death scenes. There's unpleasant sexual violence, some absolutely awful CGI gore effects, and a couple of one-scene cameos from Terry Christian and Leslie Grantham apiece. It's an amateur hour production that should be avoided at all costs.

Love Meets Murder are a band who are failing to sell records . Their manager has a word with their record label who come up with the bright idea to do a promo video at a deserted warehouse somewhere in the Midlands . While the band and their entourage are making the video a murder takes place and it soon becomes clear that this murder will be the first of many

DEADTIME cost a grand total of £25,000 to produce so it deserves some congratulations . It was also filmed in Wednesbury and anyone who feels the need to stay in the English West Midlands is a braver man than me so again congrats to the production team . This will be the only praise they shall be getting for making this unlikable little monstrosity

When you watch a film and the only positive you can say about the characters is that they're not as bad as the mad serial killer that's not much of an endorsement . The whole idea is to make you empathise and understand the characters and their predicament . Watching these self centered slags taking drugs and have it off is slightly alienating . The last vestiges of any sympathy I might have had for them as soon as they found the body of the first murder victim where they had two choices to make

1 ) Leave the warehouse

2 ) Carry on making their promo

Guess what option they choose ? Worse than that it's set in the present day( 2012 ) as far as I know and yet not one single person seems to have brought a mobile phone with them . Very disadvantageous if you need to call the police and tell them you're getting stalked by a madman waving an axe about . This entirely sums up the clumsy ill thought out scripting of the story where common sense is totally ignored and if the screenwriter can't be bothered why should the audience be ?

This rollicking film sizzles with energy; a boisterous romp of pure Brit' horror. OK, it's low budget, OK, it's got it's flaws, but go with it as viewer wanting entertainment, not a grizzled critic that hates everything. Some familiar faces, some lovely moments and overall it's a high octane, tongue in cheek British comedy horror film that is played for laughs. There really is some great music here with some great performances and great effects and the overall cocktail adds up to a scenario that draws you in and sustains your interest. I watch a lot of horror movies and this one has a few rare things - atmosphere and a sense of fun. Enjoy it for what it is and have a giggle.

Deadtime is an Independent British slasher pic, helmed by a first-time director with a first-time cast on a first-time budget which, against all the odds, manages to deliver a more than acceptable post-pub viewing experience, and hints at bigger things to come from all involved.

Alex Hanly brings just the right mix of vixen-like sexuality and credible vulnerability to the key roll of Katie, Carl Colman does himself proud as the essential everyman viewer-conduit; Laurence Saunders is enjoyable as Zack, the staple Jack Nicholson hot-head type; and John R. Walker is a bona fide scene-stealer in the underwritten but memorably played supporting role of Rupert - the campy PR guy.

Boasting a polished production style that transcends its financial shortcomings, and a director with his finger poised firmly on the pulse of the horror genre, Deadtime delivers a big bang for your small buck - a DEAD good TIME indeed!

I really have to break a lance for this highly underrated movie. Deadtime is an amusing slasher that picks up the tradition of the genre, as established somewhere between the 70's. It doesn't ask to be taken seriously for one second and features some decent performances and dialogs. Although the story and sceneries aren't shy to refer to classics of the genre, it features a very own twist and thus escapes the trap of being a single patchwork of past successes. the music is good, the figures quite believable as a Rock'n'Roll band and they are obviously having lost of fun in the production. The effects are decent on regard of this being a low budget production and I really had quite some fun.

Now a little word on the side: obviously, many people rated this movie with one or two stars out of ten: these people should take a moment and think about how much worse many productions are and this also include some high budget ones. If this movie deserves the lowest note, we would have to introduce an additional minus scale for some other movies, so I can't take any judgment seriously that doesn't give it at least 3 stars. (Besides I suspect that some puritan crusaders are just spending their free time cruising IMDb to give any horror movie the lowest rating, regardless of its quality).