Shiver

Realistically shows the killer's psychopathic tendencies and lack of empathy very well. Danielle alone deserves 10/10 for her acting. Some bits of almost too realistic gore, apart from heads in jars (re trailer). Enjoyed the film, and the last 10 mins deserves its own movie!

It's too bad that I end up writing an overall negative review for "Shiver", as I truly and honestly wanted to like it! I saw the film at a very small-scaled but charming Festival in my home country, and both director Julian Richards and writer/producer Robert D. Weinbach were present for the screening… Yes, sadly it wasn't lead actress Danielle Harris who traveled to Belgium for a visit. Anyway, they are both very friendly gentlemen and truly proud of their accomplishment. They describe "Shiver" as the first a deeply disturbing serial killer thriller in a very long time and supposedly also one of the first to draw a profound and genuinely realistic portrait of the psychopath. Well, it's good that they're fond of their product, of course, but sadly all I watched was a dull, derivative and tremendously clichéd run-of-the-mill B-movie thriller. John Jarratt, who my girlfriend immediately recognized from his role in the sappy soap series "MacLeod's Daughters", is immediately introduced as the murderous madman Vinnie even before the opening credits appear on screen. So don't pay any attention to the other user comment around here claiming that the trailer reveals the identity of the killer… You're meant to know right away. Vinnie savagely strangles with a steel wire because he had a traumatizing childhood. This gets illustrated trough a flashback in which we witness two bullies crushing little Vinnie's glasses. Now if such a vile act doesn't turn you into a relentless and misogynous serial killer, then what does? Vinnie leaves a big trail of bloody massacres behind in Oregon's Portland, and in spite of his rather rude and careless modus operandi, the dumb police inspector Casper Van Dien doesn't have a clue how to catch him. Then one night, Vinnie breaks into the apartment of cute single lady Wendy Alden. When she narrowly survives Vinnie's assault, he becomes obsessed with her and convinced that they belong together. What ensues is an incredibly tedious and predictable cat-and-mouse game, featuring all the clichés you can think of. Our killer literally pops up everywhere around Wendy, even in places where he couldn't possibly guess she is there, and "Shiver" quickly becomes ridiculous beyond proportions. Near the climax, Vinnie goes on a sickening blood rampage that is actually laughable instead of disturbing, and the final confrontation between him and Wendy is then again quite tame. Horror princess Danielle Harris ("Halloween", "Hatchet") gives a good performance and the make-up effects are pleasingly gross, but the film is far too weak in the scripting and executing departments.

Mediocre serial killer horror flick with an established cast

There's a really nasty serial killer (John Jarratt, known from Wolf Creek) going around in Portland. But in his latest victim (scream queen Danielle Harris) he finds an absolutely equal opponent. It remains to be seen which of the two will win in the end!

Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers) is solid as the handsome police detective. Rae Dawn Chong (Command), who can currently be admired as US President Clinton's legendary receptionist in the Monica Lewinsky series "Impeachment: American Crime Story 3", plays the tough investigator colleague here.

What is special about this film is the very last screen appearance of action legend Brad Harris (1933-2017): He can be seen very briefly as a demanding police chief. Brad Harris, who is known from many Italian sword and sandal films and from GERMAN ADVENTURE FLICKS, also co-produced the film.

You can definitely watch it just before Halloween.

Based on a novel of the same name, "Shiver" delivers only occasionally. The predictable, derivative screen story gains a little traction from performances, but not enough to keep it afloat. Among these are uneven performances by Danielle Harris (some of her scenes are quite good) as the wallflower office worker Wendy Alden, and John Jarrett as the serial killer Franklin Rood, who stalks her. (But don't expect anything close his creepy performance in "Wolf Creek"). Casper Van Dien and Rae Dawn Chong do quite well in their performances as the detectives on the loony's trail. The central problem is the script, which may not do justice to the novel: the main characters are flat and under-developed; the police and corrections officers are presented as incredibly incompetent. And the rationale behind the crimes is unexplored; evidently a single traumatic event in Rood's childhood drives him over the edge. The camera work is fine, and the editing sharp, though a little jagged. Taken on its own terms the jazz soundtrack is okay, but it seems to belong to another film.

I watch a lot of low-budget horror movies on Tubi for fun, so I thought I knew what I was getting into with this one, but it was far worse than I expected. It might honestly be the worst movie I've ever seen - definitely one of the worst, if not reigning champion. It's so bad, in fact, that I almost feel bad writing this review; it feels like kicking a man while he's down. There's not a single redeeming quality to this movie. The car chase scene in particular is BY FAR the most pathetic thing I've ever seen. Another reviewer mentions Danielle Harris giving a good performance - I would like to know what planet that guy's living on. Your average actress from a Swiffer commercial could've done a better job. John Jarrat isn't any better, despite his decent performance in Wolf Creek around the same time this was filmed. It's an absolute cluster from beginning to end, not even worth your time as a joke-movie. Most no-budget amateur films on YouTube are better examples of filmmaking. I'd be embarrassed to even have my name attached to this if I worked on it.