Vile

This movie was a refreshing take on the "torture/pain" style horror films like 'SAW' and alike. Some of the scenes had me cringing which I haven't done in a while. Although the acting wasn't groundbreaking, it wasn't the worst I've seen. The movie kept me intrigued from go to whoa, and some of the torture scenes were quite graphic. It wasn't the typical stuff you've seen in the 'SAW' films, which in my opinion is what made it a good little Indie movie, one of the better one's to come along lately. I was pleasantly surprised by this film, and it helped as I wasn't expecting too much. If you're looking for a good film to watch on a lazy day or night, then this is not a bad movie. I give it a 7 out of 10.

God have I seen a lot of such movies! Good, bad, worse and so on! Down to a grade that barely deserves mentioning, so yeah, I had my share of torture porn movies!

So would I recommend "Vile"? Sure! Motives? Well: acting was overall satisfying, the torture methods were far more natural and humane in this one, as people would rather do, not those sick things you get to see in movies that have no idea how to impress without relying on gore/nudity/stupidity, the plot works OK, the ending is very likable and some other reasons you'll find while watching.

Indeed, I was skeptic at first, really doubtful actually, but as time passed, I found myself quite involved in "Vile", as I wanted to see more, to see where its heading and what the finale brings. And overall my friends, I was entertained!

Therefore, "Vile", not your standard torture porn movie, not your usual portmanteau film, but something more natural, more close to the human nature! So, check it out, I think it will work for you as well as it did for me.

A group of people are abducted and trapped in a house. No one knows why they're there, not even after watching a video by the person who set it all up. All it tells them is that in order to get out they must suffer pain.

Monitors have been surgically implanted in the backs of their heads that measure the chemicals released by their brains. This leads to drastic action and lots of bloody violence.

Admittedly, the setup sounds familiar. Movies like SAW come immediately to mind. However, the motive behind the torture is different, and this movie lacks SAW's nifty devices. As with many such films, the characters are mostly unlikeable, though the acting is above average.

The most unrealistic aspect of VILE is just how quickly these supposedly normal, everyday people adapt to being body mutilators! It's also surprising just how boring it all gets at times. Rather than being terrifying / disturbing, It's pretty tedious, and the implementation of the torment is pretty mundane: A hot iron, boiling water, a screwdriver, etc.

This is torture for torture's sake with a halfhearted "twist" at the end...

The concept and execution are good, so fans of torture-style movies will be partially satisfied.

Picking up a suspicious-looking stranger at a remote gas station in the middle of the night is not a smart move.

The plot is interesting and more characters means more blood and gore.

People torture and brutalize each other to survive. They even seem to enjoy it.

Instead of finding a way to get out of the house, they prefer to attack each other immediately. The acting is partly convincing. It moves a bit slowly and the overly long dramatic speeches in between drag the pace down. Except for the pregnant one, you don't care much about the others. It is obvious that one of them is involved.

I must say there are some disturbing scenes. The ending is not descriptive and not enough. It should have been better.

Vile is what indie horror should be. With that said, this is not an amazing movie, but it does the genre right. Indie horror should have an interesting premise, solid gore, passable acting and avoid obvious stupidity. And with the bar set low, Vile easily sails over the bar.

Shockingly, the movie starts with a group of teens getting kidnapped. However the twist is they then finding themselves in a locked house with another group of people who discover they must torture themselves to extract a drug from their brain before they can leave. Interesting premise – check.

The horror is both physical and psychological. Could you torture yourself via burning iron, finger nail pulling etc? What would you do? All good questions, and often the characters come to the same conclusions (eventually) as I may have. When the audience does see gore, it is very tactfully done, looking real, but not over blown. This is not a torture porn movie. Solid gore – check.

The actors are solid, characters are interesting enough, and create some marginally engaging dynamics. Characters have a good balance of screen time, and enough personality to create some realistic group tension. The directing is also solid, although some of the sub plots might have been expanded on more clearly. Acting – check.

The obvious stupidity is questionable. The premise is good, but as the cliché goes, there are enough plot holes to drive a truck through. These lead into an ending that predictably is a letdown. I could not think of an ending that would be much better. The movie just kind of locks itself in. This is common with indie horror, so I mostly gave it a pass. Enjoy the build up, not the pay off.

So there you have it, a solid indie horror movie with lots going for it, but some obvious pit falls that are hard to avoid. Sometimes as a director, to get characters into situations you want them in, you just have to hope an audience overlooks some obvious trucks.