Strange Things Happen at Sundown

hey just watched this movie, It starts off a bit boring but eventually the plot picks up, its actually a bit hard to understand at the beginning but by the first 45 minutes you have a rough idea of whats going on. Probably one of the main problems is that it doesn't fully explain about certain things until the end of the film. At first I thought this was a home made film, but then i realised it was for real. It was a bit pathetic and did get a bit boring at certain points but if you just hang in there and watch it to the end it is an OK low budget film. I mean I wouldn't say this was better than the other low budget films I've seen like the ice cream man and the gingerdead man but it was OK. I suppose its worth watching.

It would be a crime against my conscience not to. It is one of the funniest, goriest, and most unique vampire movies I've seen, and I would gladly place it right next to "Near Dark" as an essential indie horror flick about vampires. Of course, it is a long movie and I admit it does seem to go on forever, but this is actually one of those movies where I was thinking, "It seems to take forever, but if it did go on forever, I could still sit and watch and watch and watch." It really is a movie where you just have to let it run its course as it introduces such a wide range of emotions, characters, and ideas and winds them into a clever and cohesive whole. As much as I loved it, I don't mind how it took it's time doing that; you have to just lose yourself into its weird, little world. All of the characters had a place in this, and most of the actors were just as good as any you're likely to see at a multiplex. Why is it a small handful of less than stellar (yet still cheezily engaging) actors are blamed for a bad movie just because it's shot on video? I would dare to call this a GREAT movie, and for every less-than-convincing actor there are literally several who truly friggin' deliver here! Don't even let the Tarantino comparisons color your idea of what the movie comes off as. I, for one, more than half-expected this to suck, since the only other movie I've yet seen from Brain Damage films that I liked was the admittedly schlocky "Terror Toons", and many others caused me pain to watch them. Just throw out your preconceptions and SEE THIS MOVIE! It is one of the best horror flicks of 2003, hands down!

I was really impressed by Marc Fratto's second film Zombies Anonymous (AKA: Last Rites of the Dead). So, I was eager to see Strange Things Happen at Sundown. Overall I was disappointed. Not because of the camera-work, or the acting, or the lighting, or the special effects, I knew they would be sub-par. What really disappointed me was the writing. Zombies Anonymous was well written and well edited (assuming you see the full version), Strange Things was overlong, and overly ambitious. There are plenty of great ideas, and funny moments, but overall they don't add up to much of a movie, which is too bad.

I can't recommend this video, but at the same time I can't trash it. If you're interested I say pick it up, check it out. If your on the fence about watching it, don't bother, rent Zombie Anonymous instead.

Mob-Vampires from Brooklyn. Actually, the premise is pretty believable, once you grant that vampires exist. I mean, I can see the whole punk culture TRYING to become vampires. And once they are, the gangster life just seems like a natural fit. So I liked that a lot.

The acting is fresh and believable. The language is harsh, but I imagine that that's the way New York gangsters-mob guys really talk. This movie has an M rating for a reason. Keep the kiddies away, unless you like getting nastygrams from their teachers.

There is only one actor in the whole of this movie that's been in anything besides this. And with the whole writer/director/editor/ thing makes me think this is some kind of New York Drama Class project. If so, it's an awesome first effort, and I look forward to more from Mr. Fratto.

I give it 4 out of 5 severed limbs.

I gave this movie a 1 out of 10 rating.

Storyline: Mildly interesting, though predictable and not too original.

Acting: Awful? Horrible? Pathetic? Take your pick.

Cinematography: Decent for a shot-on-video movie, but low quality audio and bad lighting really drag it down.

Special effects are non-existent, but not entirely cheesy due to clever use of camera positioning, etc.

Pacing: It's way too long (135 minutes)

Pros: Good insight into the psyche of someone who is forced to kill in order to survive. Comic relief provided by "The Reaper" who dresses in a Grim Reaper caul, but with psychadelic socks that change every scene.

Cons: Bad acting, poor cinematography.

As movies go, the only people who will find it interesting are the very VERY small group of people who are 1) really into vampires and 2) delve into the psychological aspects of reluctant killing. If this doesn't describe you, stay far far away from this film.