The Dummy

What a disaster! The Dummy must be one of the worst films I've ever seen, all genres included. There's no suspense, no plot, no class, no idea whatsoever... The acting is very bad, which points to two directions. The cast is either put together of a bunch of amateurs or there's a total lack of direction. The budget obviously makes the first assumption a plausible one - but direction is still awful.

My guess is that they have made up the most of the story as they went, otherwise it is hard to explain all the continuity problems and the whole mess this film is. You really don't start to care about the characters. The film does have a 'script' but this formula has been used so many times that since they add nothing original to it, no surprise twists or anything, the movie is a total bore.

Cinematography is generally very shaky. Sometimes they have tried to use some odd angles but that approach does not deliver. But I'd say it is more the editing, not the cinematography itself that causes it. Lightning is bad, colors are washed out and hardly on purpose. The special effects do not fail, because there aren't any. Which of course is a bad thing in a horror(?) film, even though this film never promises to be one - except in the poster! The ending is a letdown regardless of what way you want to see the movie.

The only interesting thing, as pointed out in other reviews as well, is a longish and completely gratuitous nude scene by the leading actress. It keeps an average (male) viewer interested - but not for long. Also the other risqué scenes of the film are so totally not on a par with this scene that it is even harder to understand the motive to include this one. Though the leading lady has a long list of credits and even some in the U.S. her acting too is terrible at times. On the other hand she's quite easy on the eye, unlike anything else in this movie.

A word of warning: If you are planning to see this, you first seriously need to consider if there could be better ways to spend 90 minutes of your life...

This film certainly has its ups and downs, but I wouldn't go to the extent of saying it's one of the worst films made, especially since it had some really great plot twists along with a good kill here and there. I personally liked it, especially the ending because damn I didn't see that coming, impressive for a direct to video film. Like I said I gave it a watch while st*ned so maybe that's why I got more enjoyment out of the film than I bargained for but who knows, it weren't no scream film but it sure as hell made a nice little indie slasher. I purchased the DVD a few months ago and only decided to properly watch the full feature now, was actually a good film, better than I expected, might cause some controversy me saying this but people's opinions aren't always gonna be the same.

this made-for-video crap is an embarassment. the acting is atrocious. the quality of film is amateur. the effects are lamentable. everything about this film is trash. there are low-budget horror films out there that use their lack of finance to be more creative and ingenious. this film is just a cheap slasher flick undeserving of any attention.

STEER CLEAR!

This has got to be the very worst film I have ever had the misfortune to endure. The dummy himself does absolutely nothing at all he just sits there with a silly grin. The plot is extremely poor and very very dull. You will most likely find that just trying to stay awake during this film is nearly impossible. But enough about the good points, The acting is second only to a primary school play, and the production values are non existent. in summary its fair to say I didn't like this film a whole lot. Avoid this film at all costs, also beware of any film from the Film 2000 label.

It shouldn't take a genius to see that the DVD transfer in the U.K. was botched by being zoomed all the way in. All you can see is the exact center of the frame, making any review of the picture meaningless. The DVD transfer facility further maligned it with a constant jiggle. It's only fair to point this out, and unfair not to.

The U.S. release on VHS proves the movie has smooth cinematography. But don't expect any bloodbath or special effects. It's an eerie melodrama and not a horror movie by any means, which can antagonize those attracted to the box art.