Carnage Park

Made as an ode to flicks from the seventies this flick sadly do has it flows. It all starts pretty well with the future and the past perfectly blend into each other but the further this one goes it turns into a few problems.

I can dig the whole story so-called based on true events a bit like they did wit Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) even the color grading used reminded me of those good old exploitation flicks.

But it's the ending, especially in the mines that took a bit too long for me because naturally it's pitch black in mines but it's also filmed that way. So many moments the only thing you see is a black screen.

But luckily the effects used were above mediocre. There aren't that many in it but the shooting in the head and the results are really a must see for gorehounds. Don't get me wrong, it is still worth picking up but as said, the mines could have been a bit shorter, it would made it a perfect flick.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

"Brothers burn faster when they're burning together."

The only positive thing about this film was Pat Healy as the crazy ex-marine Wyatt Moss, who set up his own personal amusement park somewhere in the bone-dry desert in California where he lures lost backpackers and hunts them down as a real psychotic hunter. He gratefully uses his talent as a sniper during these chases. The few times he speaks in this movie, show that he's ready for the nuthouse. Especially the dialogue with his brother, Sheriff Moss (Alan Ruck), is a memorable moment with that intonation and those facial expressions. Wyatt gave me the chills here, acting as a real psychopath. Just because of this scene, I'm planning to watch some more films with Healy playing in it.

I also thought that the sometimes eerie soundtrack and sound clips reverberating from the megaphones weren't so bad. They emphasized the insane mind of Wyatt. But otherwise this was a meaningless crime film, starring a madman fascinated by religion, who has his own safari park where victims try to survive. Thus a typical survival film. The last victim here is Vivian (Ashley Bell). She was kidnapped by two layabouts who tried to rob a bank and ended up in Carnage Park. It isn't very original and to be honest, there isn't happening that much essentially. It's during her stumbling flight that Vivian discovers other victims. And surely you can expect some fragments that are similar to those in other famous horror movies.

The thing that amazes me every time, is the stupidity of the main character. When you take matters into your own hand, make damn sure you do it thoroughly. Such a madman wouldn't get a second chance with me. But no, Wyatt with his gas mask (which reminded me of a CD cover from "Therapy?") resurfaces once again and the cat and mouse game restarts. And a cat could well have an advantage in this game, because it was largely pitch dark in this film. Several times I checked if the power went down, because in the end I couldn't see Jack sh*t most of the time. Also, the attempt to emulate the feel of a 70's movie wasn't really successful.

Actually, you can compare this with Mickey Keating's previous creation "Pod". Also, a so-called horror with potential. Good intentions are clearly present and there are also some positive aspects can be seen, but ultimately it's all vague and disappointing. Even downright violence and bloody fragments can't prevent it's becoming pretty boring and tedious halfway. Not to mention the announcement that this film is based once again on true facts. That won't make it an exciting movie, unfortunately.

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The movie started well. Killer with a sniper gun. Pat Heally acted like a true psychopath. His facial expressions n accent is good. The deserted highway, bank robbery, hostage, all these gav me hope that this might b another Wolf Creek or another good thriller. I was wrong. The movie went downhill. Inspite of being only around 77 mins, i found the movie very tedious. At times i felt like switching off the movie. The soundtrack is awful. Larry Fessenden is jus there for few mins. Some of the scenes were so badly shot that I felt like turning my face away. Shaky cam, hand held, flickering lights in darkness were too tedious for me. Some scenes jus went blank (dark screen). I don't know what purpose does that serve. So many clichés. 1)When u take down/beat up a villain/creature/psycho, make sure that they r dead or completely down. 2)Whenever the main lead is terrified he/she accidentally stabs a scissor or a knife in an innocent person.

You can see they really gave it a good try with this film. In a very broad sense,as a hiker I can see the idea of a sniper up in certain hills here in Southern California and that would be horrifying.

But the thing is, you can see that in every single scene the writer, director, even the cinematographer had been influenced -greatly- by other films they had watched and he shows.

This movie is almost like multiple movies thrown together and not linked well at all. Another thing to note is the audio/sound guy, you have to wonder if he is self-taught in the garage? It seems he is trying to create or copy a certain type of effect from Goodfellas for instance - but it ends up sounding extremely amateurish.

'Carnage Park' starts out a very different film to the one it finishes as. It starts out trying to be overly stylish with slow-motion shots, flashbacks, over the top characters and music blaring over the top of scenes. All things you'd commonly see in Quentin Tarantino films, the only difference is that he has the ability to pull them off. So the film wasn't off to a great start. I've scene directors attempt to replicate his style before, usually for the entire duration of a film, and it is simply unbearable. Luckily for 'Carnage Park' it gives up on that pretty quickly and settles into a fun little film.

I think the element of using a sniper as the killer in films is under utilised in Hollywood films. It really is a creepy little device. You can never be entirely comfortable (or at all for that matter) when there is a sniper around. You are simply there one moment, gone the next. There's a bit of a 'The Hill Have Eyes' feel to this one, only with a slightly more realistic villain. Every scene is intense and a lot of them would fit nicely into any modern horror film. There's actually a lot to like here and if people push through the first 15 minutes or so I think they'll find they're quite enjoying themselves.