Vile

This movie was a refreshing take on the "torture/pain" style horror films like 'SAW' and alike. Some of the scenes had me cringing which I haven't done in a while. Although the acting wasn't groundbreaking, it wasn't the worst I've seen. The movie kept me intrigued from go to whoa, and some of the torture scenes were quite graphic. It wasn't the typical stuff you've seen in the 'SAW' films, which in my opinion is what made it a good little Indie movie, one of the better one's to come along lately. I was pleasantly surprised by this film, and it helped as I wasn't expecting too much. If you're looking for a good film to watch on a lazy day or night, then this is not a bad movie. I give it a 7 out of 10.

Taylor Sheridan, director of 'Vile', has gone on to make some absolutely sensational films in the last few years including one of 2017's best 'Wind River'. So when I saw that he had actually started out his career with a horror film, and a gruesome looking one at that, I knew I had to see it. It's safe to say he hadn't quite perfected his art just yet, however there are certainly glimpses of what his potential was. He didn't write it, so it's hard to say just how much of an impact he had on 'Vile'. And while it's hard to argue that there are a lot of flaws in this movie, there are also some real positives to it.

The negatives lie mostly in the writing. The whole concept is a rather bizarre one and takes a massive suspension of belief to get your head around. The characters feel like they simply accept the situation they're in far too easily. Also the dialogue ranges greatly throughout the film from really charming and natural, to unbearable campy and unrealistic. There were two writers of this film so that could have had something to do with it.

The positives are basically the concept. It allows so much freedom for the story to flow and for the audience to be shocked. Every character needing to be tortured by their fellow characters. It's a writers dream. There are some unbearable scenes in this film to watch. I have a pretty high tolerance level and even so found myself turning away at certain moments. This isn't a must-see film by any means, however if you do find yourself with the opportunity to watch it you're probably going to have a decent time (perhaps switch your brain off at the start would be my advice).

On the surface, the plot of this movie would seem like another lame piece of junk written by some dumb teenager who doesn't have a clue about anything. Many comparisons have been made to Saw and other torture movies, but really, it's not the same kind of thing at all. But make no mistake, this is not for the squeamish, it is quite gruesome. But it is not gruesome for gruesome's sake. Many of the gory parts are implied rather than shown, which I think is done so you can connect to the story rather than the gore. The acting and directing have done an outstanding job to pull off what I think is a great success in what could have been a dismal failure, given the plot. There are also a couple nice twists at the end to give it a bit more credibility.

It held me captivated because it wasn't just predictable guff. If Big Brother was more like this, maybe I would have watched it.

As a rare reviewer on IMDb I only decided to comment on this after reading the rather negative posts from others. It ain't half bad - yes there are Saw/Hostel comparisons and it fits rather aptly into the "torture-porn" genre. It seems as though the production staff are fairly new to the game and I don't think they deserve the kind of criticism handed to them by the other (two, at the time of writing) reviews seen here.

Without giving anything away, it's a solid, tense first hour with questionable (but believable, considering the circumstances, and assuming you have an open mind) character development that would have benefited from a less ambitious attempt at a dramatic conclusion and something that's worth a watch for fans of the genre.

Vile is what indie horror should be. With that said, this is not an amazing movie, but it does the genre right. Indie horror should have an interesting premise, solid gore, passable acting and avoid obvious stupidity. And with the bar set low, Vile easily sails over the bar.

Shockingly, the movie starts with a group of teens getting kidnapped. However the twist is they then finding themselves in a locked house with another group of people who discover they must torture themselves to extract a drug from their brain before they can leave. Interesting premise – check.

The horror is both physical and psychological. Could you torture yourself via burning iron, finger nail pulling etc? What would you do? All good questions, and often the characters come to the same conclusions (eventually) as I may have. When the audience does see gore, it is very tactfully done, looking real, but not over blown. This is not a torture porn movie. Solid gore – check.

The actors are solid, characters are interesting enough, and create some marginally engaging dynamics. Characters have a good balance of screen time, and enough personality to create some realistic group tension. The directing is also solid, although some of the sub plots might have been expanded on more clearly. Acting – check.

The obvious stupidity is questionable. The premise is good, but as the cliché goes, there are enough plot holes to drive a truck through. These lead into an ending that predictably is a letdown. I could not think of an ending that would be much better. The movie just kind of locks itself in. This is common with indie horror, so I mostly gave it a pass. Enjoy the build up, not the pay off.

So there you have it, a solid indie horror movie with lots going for it, but some obvious pit falls that are hard to avoid. Sometimes as a director, to get characters into situations you want them in, you just have to hope an audience overlooks some obvious trucks.