Laid to Rest

If you are looking for some pretty graphic and realistic gore porn, this does the job. The fx are well done and really make you cringe with all the various cerated edge knife slayings. The killer is pretty cool with all his gadgets, he kinda reminds me of Deadpool from Marvel Comics (X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Accept instead of two katana blades he has two shiny knives as his main killing devices. Yeah the plot is full of gaping holes but its a fun movie if you're into this type of thing. The acting is decent, and the main female role is actually pretty humorous with how stupid some of the lines are. I recommend it for the kills.

This is a okay slasher with a few gruesome deaths that are actually sort of creative. The movie doesn't even really have a plot, just tries to make a excuse for some blood and gore. I am usually forgiving when it comes to movies like this but the plot holes were just way too noticeable. And it never tells or shows why the killer does what he does, he just goes around filming everyone of his kills while wearing a chrome skull mask. It had a strong start though, it was actually pretty creepy but after the first scene it quickly ran out of it's flair. A young woman waking up inside of locked casket with no memory of who she is or how she got there is a unoriginal but cool concept, but after that first scene the suspense dies. I thought it would have a cool build up and a decent twist, but the twist was actually pretty stupid as well. You just end up wanting the chrome skull killer to kill everyone, cause like I said I am forgiving but the characters or victims are just too damn stupid. I guess it's worth a look though for major slasher fans or if your in a appetite for slaughter.

4.2/10

"Laid to Rest" (2009), is a classic slasher film; facial deformity, mask, big knife, final girl, and all. People run, people hide, people die immediately after they have done something endearing or redeeming. Everyone tries to figure out who the killer is or why he is killing folks. Acting by Lena Kathren Headey (who later became famous as Cersei Lannisfer) largely carried the acting side of the film (think Jamie Lee Curtis in that other series). The kills were often essentially off-camera and there was not much gore (bar for the final kill). I could not really pick up on suspense building, but that is often par for the course for slasher films. In short, it was a pretty run of the mill slasher and gets a run of the mill.

What can I say? This movie delivered everything I wanted it to. Strong brutal killings/unique killings, cheesy acting, not half bad music, and decent atmosphere. I love watching horror movies that don't require any thinking, its as if you can almost take a nap through it and still know what happened. I feel that some of these movies that are released right to DVD actually deliver more than the ones that make it to the theatre. A lot of the time those movies are really watered down and get the pg-13, but with a straight to DVD you know they are not gong to cut back AT ALL. So all in all the movie was a fun watch and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to have a really bloody fun watch on a Friday night.

A woman wakes up in a "dead box" (what most of us would call a coffin) and has no memory of how she got there or who she is. But she quickly discovers a man with a metal face is seriously interested in killing her, which isn't something she's particularly looking forward to. Will she be able to escape and find the answers she's looking for, or is her running just a delay?

The soundtrack music was provided by Deadbox and Suicidal Tendencies. I'm familiar with the latter, but not the former, and I have to give them a fair amount of credit for this film's mood. The opening scene and music really sucked me in, and I can't say I recall any opening having such a strong effect since the Nine Inch Nails' beginning of "Seven". Well played, maestro.

The director of this piece is Robert Hall, probably best known as a special effects artist. Not surprisingly, this film has pretty much the best gore effects ever. Okay, a slight exaggeration -- but not much. One scene where a man's face gets sliced clean off? Gloriously sadistic! The only film in recent memory I can compare this to is Ryan Nicholson's "Gutterballs", though there is a marked difference -- Nicholson goes for grit, Hall goes for shock and awe.

The killer, ChromeSkull, is both cool and cheesy -- he writes his own name on his car? I find it hard to believe a guy who does that remains uncaught. Especially a guy who films himself killing -- in the open sometimes -- and dresses like Destro. But he's a menacing figure, and far more threatening than Jason or Michael simply for his pure intensity. This is the kind of killer "Hatchet" promised us, but couldn't deliver.

Many of the classic horror clichés are here -- no phone, no gas, the killer tracks victims for miles. I almost wonder if this was done intentionally to be a bit over the top, because if not I think the writer (also Robert Hall) tried to hard to be clear about the peril. This many obstacles in one film takes the "isolation" factor and makes it more of a hilarity factor. I had trouble taking this film completely seriously.

"Laid to Rest" is likely to be overlooked by many, which is a shame. I freely admit I was not overly excited upon seeing the unoriginal skull and crossbones cover. My expectations were somewhat low, and I fear others will walk past this one in the video store, as well. Don't. Unlike other mask covers (this means you, "Bryan Loves You") this one is the real deal. I don't know if it's worth a purchase, but neglecting to rent it would be a mistake for any slasher fan -- a fatal mistake.