Shapeshifter

It wasn't the greatest film but as low-no budget movies go, it kept my interest. It wasn't very scary and there was a lack of suspense. To say there was no talent associated with this film, well let's just put down the hater-aid. AJ Hammond, who played Mohammad seemed extremely well trained in the craft. Marcoux was convincing as well. I liked Ginny's fight scene with Marcoux. I'm not saying there wasn't over and under acting (by some) peppered through out. It's hard to not let bad editing and\or writing overshadow new talent but I believe that some of these actors will go on to "make it" and many critics will be forced to eat their words.

I don't believe I have ever seen a worse film in my life. Everything about this movie is the lowest of the low, it is putrid. (And that may be its good point!) Seriously, it is THAT BAD.

Shapeshifter is set in some remote prison with guards who have the mentality of a middle-school dropout both in intelligence and training. They walk around the facility with nothing of substance to say or do. There is nothing of quality in this movie, there is no story, no value, no reason to watch. The Shapeshifter appears to be some Russian immigrant prisoner who is able to transform himself into a flesh-eating monster. He starts by biting on his arm until it bleeds, with some terrible music and special effects that will make anyone watching prone to seizures, does some metamorphosis dancing, which takes about 5 minutes for him to change, than becomes this monster, The Shapshifter. The Shapreshifter than eats the flesh of the people at the prison. I didn't even get that far into the movie, but other reviewers have said that he does the same thing EVERY TIME.

I cannot think of one positive thing to say about this movie, not one. Terrible camera angles, annoying rap music that has no place or reason to be in any of the scenes, and rapidly changing movements of the director going from shot to shot add up to garbage. This movie is beyond bad.

What is even worse, is that some films that are bad at least have some unintentional humor to make them what some industry people call, "Golden Turkeys" The type of movies that are so bad, they are good, because they are corny. Shapeshifter can't even save itself from even the smallest bit of intentional humor to give it any redeeming qualities at all. How did this trash even get made? Shame on The Chiller Channel for showing this garbage, and any other stations that may air it for that matter.

This movie should be pulled from distribution and destroyed. If that happened, I guarantee you that whoever had to sit through this moronic film would celebrate. Please don't waste your time with this film. It's an insult to all viewers that this crap was even made. I feel sick and angry just from watching it. I have no idea what the cast and crew were smoking when they made this hideous picture.

Newly discharged from the military, a former soldier accepts a job in a prison for damaged criminals where she notices a strange man is brought in that speaks no English, and after witnessing him transforming into a vicious creature rounds up the remaining inmates to get them to safety.

This one isn't all that bad as a monster-in-a-prison film. One of the strongest elements here is an intriguing storyline that provides the kind of setup necessary for this kind of feature. Offering the idea of smuggling the creature inside the prison using the unassuming body of a mysterious prisoner and forcing it to get loose and hunt down its quarry inside which sets this going quite nicely when it performs a ritual to break free. The fact that it started early and fast was best, allowing for the action to start up and get the interest level way up quite rapidly with there being no real build-up to it as it just gets loose inside and sets off on its quest. The small prison it's set in is the perfect way to generate some suspense by showing that there's nowhere to hide. That puts them constantly in danger from the creature, and it makes the peril all the more suspenseful. That leads incredibly well into the other strong feature here with the action coming across strongly. The creature itself is one of the best parts of the film. A fully imposing design, bulky with large arms, huge claws, and a shocking-looking head that strikes fear on first impression. The fact that it's a real costume instead of some CGI creation goes a long way in creating a lot of fear in it during its scenes from chasing the group through the hallways of the prison as a series of plans to stall it until help arrives keeps it going along nicely. The next best feature here is the gore, which is quite abundant and appealing with a very vicious mangling, a person ripped in half in the waist, a couple of stabbings, and a head bashed into a pulp, among other kills. There's even a scene where a person gnaws on their arm and chews through it, leaving this pretty gory when it needs to be and making for some decent enough positives. Beyond those few reasons, there's very little to like in this one. The small setting, while also a positive by having a closed-off area to drive suspense from, hurts it by showing off what little there is to the production. Normally, this isn't a problem, but when there's hardly anything to it that indicates it's just a small part of something bigger, then it hurts the film a little as this is a small prison that does have the appearance of just being that big in real life. Another big problem is that there is a very fast start to it, but then the middle section slows down to a near crawl that is painful to sit through. The action slows down to finally get some other scenes in, which is a shame as it started so fast. By selecting that part of the movie to get to know the characters only slows down what momentum that was built up. These reasons keep it from being the simple monster-on-the-loose film it could've so easily been.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and Brief Nudity.

Shapeshifter is the story (if I can use that word) of a monstrous shapeshifting beast wreaking havoc inside a prison ... and that's about as deep as this thing gets. The acting is terrifically bad, the script was written by someone who has no idea how people act and react and the monster suit is just laughably bad ... as if they took something off the discount rack at the Halloween store. Add to all that a director who masks the lack of any special effects with that frenetic flash-editing style that probably causes some people to have epileptic seizures and you have one terrible, terrible movie. Across the board, there is simply no talent associated with this movie. Strictly amateur. If you're into watching train wrecks, rent this one. If not, find something else. My wife asked me why I wanted to rent it and I said you never know when you'll find something pretty good ... which is almost never. If you want to see a low-budget, amateur movie with some talent then see The Revenge of Bloody Bill.

First, there is NO security in this prison. Second, the guards have firearms (big no no). Third, the script is terrible. Fourth, the monster suit is ridiculous. Fifth, the acting is abysmal. Sixth, the direction is worse. Need I go on? The guy who plays the monster in human form is cute, though, but not cute enough to save this stinker.

And the jail doesn't even have a phone, much less a radio. And why is the female deputy running around in a skimpy top? Definitely a prison no no. Nobody seems to have the least idea of procedure. The Romanian ex-priest is terrible.His accent keeps changing. I won't spoil this one for anyone because it would be redundant.

One of the worst films I have ever seen. For real.