The Axe Murders of Villisca

Okay so i am by no means a movie critic but i do like to think i know the horror genre and this movie wasn't half bad. now that being said it also wasn't half good. however, by B-rate horror movie standards, i thought this movie was actually an enjoyable watch. the normal level of acting ability in B-rate movies is pretty expectantly low, but this movie actually had pretty decent acting. i think i would maybe re-work the sound as i needed the closed captioning for most of the movie. the premise and plot behind the movie is actually very interesting and i think could have been so much better had the crew had more time, money, accessibility, etc. i was very pleased that even though one character had a camera, the entire movie wasn't from this point of view. overall i'd say this movie isn't as awful as people are saying. while it does have its downfalls, i believe it is worth a watch if you can't find anything better and are willing to devote an hour and 20 minutes of your time. in final conclusion, this movie is glass half full.

This is a straight forward horror movie that you've seen many, many times before, with all the standard moves, scares, characters and ending.

It brings nothing new, delivers on very few levels, doesn't get you too involved, annoys at times but at least it is not over stretched. A haunted house film like all others, with familiar ghosts and typical reactions leading to the most common finale.

It's down to everyone's personal opinion, I just sat there, watched it and that was all. Didn't do much for me. So watch it at your own peril.

Cheers!

A good horror movie to me is believable.

The synopsis says: "Three outcast teenagers break into the house in search of answers, but discover something far beyond their worst fears."

Why the f**k would you cast a 31 year old to play a high school senior?

If he was really your first pick for the role, why wouldn't you rewrite the script to make it about a group of friends older than teenagers? Or, if you wanted to keep the plot focused on high schoolers, why didn't you cast someone younger than someone in their 30s??

The movie is whatever, watch it if you're having a boring Saturday night. I would've liked it better had I not felt low key insulted as an audience member that we're told to just believe that these grown ass people are high schoolers.

Full disclosure: I'm not just any old audience member for this picture. I've also worked on a Villisca-related project, co-writing, directing and appearing in one entitled "Haunting Villisca." Ours was far rougher than this one, from a production standpoint (I suspect we had a small fraction of this one's budget) and, sadly, we did no better with reviewers.

My own reaction to this one is. . .frustration and bewilderment. I don't care for the picture but I wouldn't, regardless of whether or not I myself had made one. It's lodged very uncomfortably in a very small space: true crime meets paranormal activity meets teen slasher flick. Finding the intersection of those circles is going to be dicey work indeed and, having attempted something like it, we may have to admit that it cannot be done at all.

The picture isn't all bad - some elements are exceedingly well-done - but the more important point, to me, is that the case has not attracted and given rise to the sort of high-achieving work we who are familiar with it believe could be produced.

What's the problem? I wish I knew. I've often described the case as an itch between the shoulder blades, the itch that takes up residence in that one insanely inaccessible spot. You feel you'll go mad if you can't somehow deal with it. So you write a book, you write a song, you make a movie. They're all undertaken with the best of intentions, and they all fall short (Roy Marshall's book, "Villisca," comes the closest to fullness, combining a law officer's obsession over evidence with a folksy charm that lifts the endeavor onto a higher plane, one approaching "art.")

No, I don't like this movie very much. Then again, I don't like ANY of them - my own included - very much. The dragon of history sleeps soundly still; he's not been prodded sufficiently into yielding up his treasure. Someday, perhaps.

'The Axe Murders of Villisca' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster, an intriguing idea and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.

Found the film to be pretty weak, its worst elements being pretty awful, with a lot more wrong than right. 'The Axe Murders of Villisca' is not great, or good, has a fair share of problems (fairly big ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There are however a few decent, even good, qualities in 'The Axe Murders of Villisca'.

Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric, likewise with the very nice way it's shot. The music is suitably spooky and quirky and doesn't distract at all from the atmosphere, while not exactly enhancing it.

Acting is better than average, the first third was promising and a few scares are effective.

However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary it got. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their irritating and illogical decision making and behaviours insult the intelligence. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it.

Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace is uneven, dragging in a lot of the second half and never is it exciting. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense. The last third badly sags in momentum and the atmosphere completely falls flat.

In conclusion, very weak but not unwatchable. 4/10 Bethany Cox