Cookers

"Blair Witch" was hailed as the pinnacle of ultra-low budget, ultra-small cast indie horror, but "Cookers" simply blows it out of the water. The suspense builds perfectly from start to finish in this film (both suspense between the characters and their surroundings and between the characters themselves) to an exhilarating crescendo. This movie cost next to nothing to make, yet the budget is reflected in neither the direction nor the acting. The direction may put some people off, but it so accurately captures the frenetic, drugged-out mood, that one cannot help but be drawn into the movie's very uncomfortable world. Brad Hunt is bound to start turning heads with several roles in upcoming major releases.

More than being a horror ("suspense" or "terror" might be a more accurate description) it's a compelling story with good dialogue that is flawlessly delivered. There really isn't a dull moment. All in all, my only complaint about this film is its flimsy resolution--that being said, I can't recommend this movie highly enough, even to those who typically shy away from the horror genre.

I wasn't much of a horror/gore fan, but late one night, this movie converted me. Rescued from a $1.99 bin at a video store on Halloween, we fully expected this to be a standard, low-budget haunted house flick. It turned out to be so much more. Creepy and compelling, the film builds in tension with every frame and surrounds you with a constant feeling of dread. You just know something bad is going to happen, you just don't know when. Helped along by decent acting and some very clever audio design, there are a couple of scenes that should make your flesh crawl, a few that will surprise you, and some that will make you say "wait...was that reality or a hallucination?" Good movie for a late night fright or two.

Absolutely had to write this review to say the either these are the greatest actors in the world, or Brad Hunt was genuinely wired off his face. If all the "high" or "wired" drug acting in films i've seen, he unbelievably pulls off the twitches, the glances of his eyes at things and reactions to sounds... I'm genuinely sitting here wondering if he had a *boost of confidence for his acting.

The other guy and Cyia were good too. Surprised to learn she was actually a trained dancer and member of the pussycat dolls.

Anyway, this film is pretty spot on with the atmosphere of being in a meth binge and how some people ive encountered act. The editing really sells it all, so kudos to the team behind the movie.

Three junkies enter a derelict house in order to cook crystal meth. Soon they start sampling their own product and paranoia takes over. Or is there something spooky going on?

Director (and DOP) Dan Mintz makes great use of the old boarded up house with its creaky floors and doors and where nary a ray of sunlight can enter. He also offers some effective jump scares, but it's the oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere which makes this surprisingly strong horror film stand out for me. I also love that it offers only a hint of the paranormal and remains ambiguous until the end.

Also worth mentioning is lead Brad Hunt who can act all kinds of nervous and paranoid and really gets under your skin.

Cookers was quite a movie. When I made my first attempt to watch it, I was expecting to see a simple story about drug addicts fighting off evil spirits, much like any other low budget haunted house horror flick that we've all seen before, but with an interesting twist in that the main characters were speed freaks. After watching about thirty minutes I had to shut it off to take a break. With only three characters and an empty house in the woods, Cookers manages to create such a tense and unsettling atmosphere that I found it to be almost unbearable at times.

The story could indeed be viewed as a simple one, as we see a young couple, Hector and Dorena, who are on the run with a crystal meth lab in their van and are looking for a place to set up shop for a while to lay low. With the help of Hector's buddy Merle, they find a secluded house that has been abandoned on the outskirts of town and make it their temporary home. Dorena is a "cooker", who specializes in actually making the crystal meth so that it can be sold on the street. Hector's specialty is doing crystal meth, so they are a good couple. Things get spooky and strange very quickly after Hector and Dorena get high, as the house may not be completely empty after all... Are they seeing ghosts or just hallucinating? And will Merle eventually betray them to cash in on the deal himself? Brad Hunt plays Hector, and he deserves much credit for holding this flick together. His acting in Cookers is award worthy. I don't remember ever seeing a junkie portrayed with such realism. Cyia Batten as Dorena was also impressive. The two of them worked very well together. Even Patrick McGaw was believable as Merle, who provided brief moments of comic relief and added a much-needed element to the film. All three actors delivered the goods and were always interesting to watch.

Cookers also succeeds in the writing and directing department. Although it doesn't have a big budget, the few special effects that we do see are suited to the shooting style of the film, and never distract from the overall sense of "what's real and what's not" that keeps you guessing until the end. But this movie is not about building to a big twist or tricking its viewer. It is about drawing you into a bleak world of fear and hopelessness, and director Dan Mintz does an admirable job in capturing these emotions on film. Jack Moore and Jeff Ritchie wrote the script, and it is fresh with gritty realism and excellent dialog. Merle tells a bizarre story one night as the three of them are getting stoned, and it is truly chilling. Dorena also tells a story to Hector about her past, and it was heart wrenching.

Cookers is not a film for everyone, nor do I think that I will ever watch it again. It is a movie that I will always remember, and one that I am very glad that I saw. Although the ending is somewhat weak, it is a relentless and riveting story that will appeal to those with an open mind who are in the mood for something different.