The Mangler Reborn

Although it's a par below the classic cult 1995 original movie it's still a worthy addition for the hardcore fans. Robert = freddy is also not to be found in this sequel and all in all this b-movie is slow with many flaws but also good and gory parts that revive in a way the scares of the first film. if u are a fan of the blood-thirsty machine u will get this movie no matter it's an average one. now as to why i say this is the real part 2 the so called MANGLER 2 movie is a sequel in name only and has nothing to do with the original movie plot but this third mangler movie is a direct sequel to the original as it takes like 10 years after the events of the original with the same diabolic machine back in it's bloody work.

If u are not in average horror Stephen king movies adaptions u can skip this one......the rest roll in.

Third entry in the Mangler series, the original being based on a Stephen King story. A middle-aged man becomes obsessed with the mangling machine, and has to kidnap young women and feed them to it. Most of the running time takes place in the guy's house, this does stifle it somewhat. There is enough gore to keep gorehounds happy, we get a gratuitous female shower scene early on (no doubt intended to stimulate interest), plus a few moments of (unintentional?) humour ("in this world there's only room for one asshole!"). Horror fans may recognise Reggie Bannister from the classic Phantasm, but sadly some of the acting is pretty wooden. Straight to video that serves as an adequate time filler if you are seeking a simple gory, horror flick. But it is nothing more than that.

This movie unsettled and creeped me out a little, in spite of its problems.

I find it more challenging to appreciate a movie than to make fun of it. I save that for special occasions, like the "Omen" remake. So, briefly, here are the problems I had with the film: Some of the dialogue, makeup effects and sound effects in this film are hokey. But apart from that and I found no other major problems with the film, and I think it did its job.

Here was what I liked about "The Mangler Reborn": It has a genuinely claustrophobic setting, a creepy soundtrack, and a nasty attitude. Also of note, a majority of its blood, gore and dialogue is effective. The acting is even pretty good for a direct to video feature. Plus, Reggie Bannister's in it, and damn it, I like him.

6 stars out of 10. You might like it.

There was absolutely nothing else to rent at the video store so we ended up renting this movie thinking it would be alright. Boy, were we wrong! It was a total waste of time and money. The acting was amateur and the plot had no twists and was not thought out. The "machine" was pathetic. The whole movie basically took place in that house and there could not have been more then 10 people in the cast. It seems like a low budget movie and the special effects were terrible. Most of the movie did not have any music, but when there was, the music was annoying rather then adding suspense.

I would not recommend this movie to anyone.

Repairman Hadley (Weston Blakesley) buys an old laundry machine at an auction, and restores it to working condition, unaware of the demonic force that lurks within. The machine possesses the man, and drives him to kill so that it can feed on blood and guts. Meanwhile, house-breaker Rick (Reggie Bannister) and his son Mike (Scott Speiser) make the mistake of choosing Hadley's home for their next robbery...

Some might say that The Mangler Reborn should have been terminated before it reached full term. Some might say it should never have been conceived in the first place. But while it's true that the film looks and sounds terrible, having been shot on digital video on a very tight budget, I actually think it's not all bad. The plot is sufficiently twisted, allowing for some fairly suspenseful moments and a few scenes of graphic violence (although the use of a rubber mallet and not a lump hammer detracts a bit from the nastiness), both Aimee Brooks and Juliana Dever (as victims of the killer) are easy on the eye, the claustrophobic house setting works well, and the downbeat ending makes for a nice change. Plus, it's always good to see Phantasm's Reggie Bannister, but I wish someone would tell him that the bald head and ponytail is not a good look.

Sure, The Mangler Reborn isn't as effective as the original film (which starred Robert Englund, was directed by Tobe Hooper, and based on a story by Stephen King - and even with that talent involved, it wasn't that great), but it's still better than the current IMDb rating of 3.1 would have us believe.

4.5/10, generously rounded up to 5 for IMDb.