Flashback

* minor spoiler * The director of this movie apparently helmed a lot of TV-movies in Germany and it sure shows. This German slasher tries very hard to be stylish looking in a "gallic" way, but seldom succeeds. The look is distinctly like a German TV-movie with harsh lighting in the night scenes and a rather flat look in the daytime scenes. The plot however is very "giallo" with twists and turns. The screenwriters really try to fool the viewer, but since everything is telegraphed in advance in different ways, I was rarely surprised and saw the outcome miles away in advance.

Also hurtful is the way the characters are presented. We can feel no sympathy for these young spoiled brats as they meet their bloody ends. The awful dubbing on the DVD I saw was also a big drawback. At best it's amusing, for the most part it's irritating. However, everything is not bad. The scenery is awesome, we get some nice killings with a sickle and Elke Sommer does a quite nice turn as the stern housekeeper (it would have been nice if she had been the villain of this movie, but alas...), still looking quite good for her age.

This movie also contains quite a few comedic scenes, rarely found in American or Italian slashers. They mostly involve some bumbling cops and if you like that or not is a matter of taste. Quite a few scenes border on farce actually, even a few bloody ones. Especially as they are accompanied by some really strange and in-appropriate music.

So "Flashback" is a decent time waster, but I wouldn't pay too much to see it.

This film was an average slasher film that heavily copies other films already done in the genre. It isn't bad, but it's not great and there's really nothing new. The high point would have to be Elke Sommer playing the character of Frau Lust (that's pronounced Loost).

The visuals in the movie are outstanding, if it deserves some praise then it is for the above average cinematography. The audio, on the DVD at least, is presented in it's original German format or a dubbed English format. I watched a few minutes in the German audio and it just didn't do much for me, and i enjoy native language films with subtitles. I can understand German very well, but i switched over to the English dub and enjoyed it much more. It's almost comical at times in the English format and i would recommend viewing it that way...it's just a touch over the top and adds to the whole experience.

Another thing is...BLOOD, BLOOD, BLOOD. The annoying teenage idiots in the movie make you want to hate them and cheer for the killer hunting them down near the end.

The ending? In one word, dumb. Why is it that every movie these days has to have some lame "Sixth Sense" shocker ending that makes little sense. It seems to be the trend these days and it's getting old.

Conclusion: I give it a 5 out of 10. This is worth a single viewing for fans of the genre. I really don't have the urge to watch it again anytime soon, but i wasn't bored. People who are not fans of the genre will probably hate it...

Overall: B+ / 7 of 10 Jeanette is a young woman living in mental health facility since she was a girl. She is haunted by the nightmares of when her parents were brutally murdered by a serial killer with a fetish for killing his victims with a sickle while wearing women's clothing. When the doctor's release she is hired a French tutor for the children of a well-to-do business man. But her new found life out in the real world is short lived when the killer comes back for her. The direction is above average for a film of this nature with good visual flare that owes to several masters of the genre (Dario Argento). The script is a rehash of a lot films. Scream, Psycho and I Know What You Did Last Summer come to mind some of the deaths are lifts from other films but the humor injected into the story is grin inducing. The acting is par for a horror movie that never takes itself too seriously. The photography is excellent. There are many scenes that have cool lighting and camerawork with lots of cranes and big establishing shots. The editing is straight forward and doesn't get in the way. The music is fun and just as over the top as the rest of the film.The film has a decent amount of blood and will keep the gore hounds entertained with slashing, mutilated bodies and snowblown body parts (a really fun scene on its' own). Overall we have a standard horror script that borrows heavily from the genre but mixes in some fun comedy and an irreverence that's all its' own. An interesting and fun twist ending meet you at the end. The is a light hearted German film that is equal parts blood and comedy. Great fun!

But to be honest and pun aside: the movie is your average slasher. It is predictable to say the least. So no brownie points if you guess correct - not really an achievement to know what or who did what ... or when.

Still it is a decent effort. If you like the genre, you might like what you get served here. There is enough blood for sure for that. Though I reckon some might have liked this to have more skin/nudity. Just in case that is something you are looking for, be aware there won't be any in this movie right here.

Acting is ... well I guess you can call it ok. Again it is all things considered and if you see it in the constraints of the genre this plays within. The end twist is a bit much ... but maybe you like it, so who am I to judge?

Ik like Horror movies very much. And I rented this movie because I liked the story. The movie is spoken in German, but that doesn´t mind me. I like story with big houses and this is one of them. The movie isn´t very scary but it is much fun to watch. 8 of 10