Crushed

Okay, so for a start I don't like what's apparently the American version of the title, "She's Crushed", as it makes the movie sound lighthearted, which it certainly is not! I think what it went by when they used to show it here in England on the Horror Channel, simply "Crushed", sums it up much better as it's a double meaning, with her being crushed by her perceived rejection, and in return he and all that he holds dear being crushed by her... Natallie Dickinson really did play one of the scariest psychotic women I'd seen in a movie in years. Her character "Tara" is a tortured but quite unsympathetic soul who has a mother who is comatose in a psych ward, and her doctor who you learn is actually her father thanks to one mighty quick scene that's easy to miss, and who also has a relationship with his daughter that's on the sick and perverse side, and her sole mission in life seems to be to find true love with whatever extremely unfortunate guy she happens to choose, even if she has to make them hers alone by obliterating everyone they know and even not unlike a famous real life grisly serial killer, mutilating their craniums to render them drooling zombies that she can make dance like macabre puppets to do it! And the story ends like it begins, with Tara hauling away the sorry remnants of her latest failed 'conquest' in a suitcase, getting away scott-free, which I found scary and interesting because it's like a cycle, only throughout the movie we got to see how the 'process' goes, and the descent into her murderous madness. And despite claims to the contrary there is a sort of weird flashback type deal that offers something of an explanation as to why Tara became such a bloodthirsty freak. And it ends on her spotting the next unfortunate 'love' of her life whom she'll be manipulating into her nightmare and loving to death... What I most enjoy about this picture is seeing a damn fearless actress portraying a big larger than life level of deranged insanity and actually succeeding in sustaining some genuine unhinged menace for the duration of the whole story, and I completely bought it and was very impressed by her because that kind of role is something that's a lot easier for men to act than it is women are just not naturally as threatening, but in my opinion Dickinson accomplished one of these monster-women roles with astonishing gusto, and to me she is the only real highlight and saving grace of this movie and she alone makes it engaging and above-average. Of course you've gotta take her physical appearance into account to.. She was kind of pretty, but she looked a complete neurotic witch, all bony angles and mean sharp facial features. It helped! And this was not just a cute little kooky kind of crazy we're talking here - it was great big nasty roll-it-up-to-your-car crazy!!! And the actor who played the object of her devotion, "Ray", was alright and I did feel terribly sorry for the guy and the hell that he's put through, but he also seemed a bit miscast and out of place, and he had a heavy German-sounding accent that was distracting. I did like the lively dude who played his horny and obnoxious workmate though, he was funny and brought a little much needed levity. I consider this a good horror movie because it really is hellishly disturbing and points, namely the demented centerpiece of the story, when Ray's poor pregnant girlfriend is butchered in an uncomfortably prolonged sequence that the first time I saw it, it left my emotions raw because you really feel the horror and tragedy of the character's death and you keep hoping that something, anything will happen that'll allow her and Ray to live! It's a frightfully ruthless cautionary tale that will go to just about any lengths to shock and absolutely pulls no punches when it comes to who will live or die, and it doesn't play by the conventional rules of slashers either, with no happy medium ending being allowed, and in this instance I took that as a plus. I'd cautiously recommend Crushed, while I'll admit that it does greatly lack in many areas, does have a cheap feel, and anyone looking for something more than a plain, no-frills bloodbath will probably be left wanting, but to me its a perfectly watchable and entertaining straight-up horror thriller which carries no pretensions beyond being a gripping if mindless time-burner, and in the horror department it doesn't fail and is grim and nasty enough to give anyone a run for their money. Take care and beware of deadly Venus-mantrap psycho harpy women!

This movie wasn't too bad for a low-budget thriller/horror movie. There were buckets of blood/gore, tons of maiming and a lot of sick sadistic acts perpetrated by the main psychotic freak. What really killed the movie the most for me, though, is how much of a weak pathetic loser the guy is portrayed as. He has many opportunities to take the chick out in the movie, but since he's such a pathetic wuss you'll find yourself yelling at him to grow a pair and do something besides being a tool. They should have picked an actor more congruent to the role, the actor here is a pretty decent size guy and yet he can't take out a little 115 lb psychotic chick when he has the chance (and he has many!). GROW A SET OF TESTICLES MAN!

Anyway, as I said there is a ton of gore, the story is quite intense and for the most part the actors do a good job; the problem for me is the absurdity of the guys situation and how he handles it... or in this case, fails to handle it.

Would I recommend it? Yes, it's a good ride and has decent shock value. The story is decent enough to keep you there, if only to see what she'll do/get away with next. Another thing I'd like to know is how when she's cutting people up she only gets blood on her face and nowhere else...

For those who enjoy brutal violence generously delivered by a woman you wouldn't mind taking to bed yourself (assuming she wouldn't kill you too) then this is a movie for you... A very well made blood and guts piece in which the director did a thoughtful job of helping us, the audience members, try to understand the murderous impulses of the killer. In many ways, this movie is more about the cause and affect of violence than the simple blood on the walls shock fest that is so prevalent in today's horror market... and although I did appreciate the director, Patrick Johnson, taking the time to elevate this piece or at least attempt to do so, I still can't help but feel he shied away from an element that seemed completely natural to the story; nudity. there should have been more nudity. Movie violence and nudity go together like peanut butter and jelly especially if the killer is a good looking female sociopath.

If they do a sequel to this little gem, I hope they do it in 3D!!

Not all Low-Budget movies are Low-Quality however, it is the case with She's Crushed(2009). I don't want it to be bad, but it is. It had a great concept that is not often portrayed in American films, but the lack of good equipment, and lack of talent destroyed the movie.

The biggest flaw I saw, or heard rather, was the sound quality. It was ridiculously loud, and grainy for every single scene. The grain of the audio almost overpowered the speaking parts entirely. I have seen much older movies with better sound equipment. As for the video quality, it was OK. Just a little out of focus at times, and it did look a bit grainy, but I've seen worse.

Almost every single character was cliché and poorly written. The acting didn't save it much, although Natalie Dickinson was fantastic in this movie. She really captured Tara's instability. It's just that the writing was absolutely terrible, and it felt that even she was aware that the lines were garbage.

I really, really wanted this movie to be good. Had they got their hands on some good equipment, and replaced half the cast, this movie would have been awesome and unique. But, they did not, and now it suffers the fate of fading away in the dark depths of low-quality horror.

I was never expecting 'Crushed' to be of the same standard as 'Fatal Attraction', especially after looking at the cast. However, I also did not expect the film to be this below-average.

The plot of this film is good, despite its lack of originality. Furthermore, the pacing is acceptable and the script is passable. Yet, despite this, the low-quality recording, matched with acting that is, at points, humorously poor, creates a film that does nothing but symbolise its low budget. As a result, this movie does not engage its audience or establish a sense of care regarding the fate of the characters on- screen, therefore the experience is not a memorable one.

Although this film is, generally, not very good, it is easy-to-watch due to little thought being necessary to keep up with the storyline. In addition to this, Natalie Dickinson does not do too badly (especially in comparison to the actors she accompanies on-screen) and conveys her character in quite an interesting manner.

Overall, despite limited positives, the poor acting and unspectacular production values render 'Crushed' as a victim of its low-budget and a very forgettable film. With so many great horrors around, I advise you spend your viewing time elsewhere.