Sulfures

I was given the great opportunity to attend this screening last night of 'Don't Let Him In' at the BAFTA Theatre in London & will say I was truly privileged to have been there & thankful indeed to Kelly & Mike for the invite. I truly mean that.

But on the basis of the film: I have to say I was very disappointed with the final results after 80 minutes

Firstly I found the sound to be very boomy (cheap sounding) in parts & the mix could have been a lot better, considering the time spent on the film & in my opinion the premise itself although promising on the tag-line lacked somewhat in terms of story & characterisations.

I really did not connect with ANY of the characters on screen or cared if they were hacked to bits. I feel no matter what genre it is, there has to be some audience connection with the characters, even with low budget classics such as Halloween or Friday 13th etc, all had pretty much wooden characters there true, but there was something elusive or tangible about them or the atmosphere present in the film itself which this film sadly lacked in abundance...sorry!

I am truly sorry to write this, but I believe in giving my own 'personal opinion' & is nothing more &..of course I will have many others who may or may not agree with me..C'est La vie.

I will positively say that the editing was pretty much spot on & some of the visual effects were quite good for this genre but I just did not feel any 'real' atmosphere or feel on the edge of my seat. A couple of jumps here & there but they're quite easy to pull of in any horror film really.

So to conclude: A good idea for a synopsis/treatment but unfortunately was not conceived well. Shame!

A pretty dire 'Brit' horror. Iv'e seen way too many of these type of films and it takes a lot more to impress me. nothing new and uninspired. Don't let him in, if he's carrying this one.

Two couples spend a weekend in the country, only to cross paths with a brutal serial killer. As the body count rises, suspicion spirals into paranoia, climaxing in a terrifying battle for survival.

Watching this film makes me lament the fact that making films today is fairly cheap and getting a distribution deal is easier than even. Any group of friends with a digital camera, a little bit of skill and some free time can make a film -- especially a horror film, which are notoriously easy to make and market. While there are exceptions ("Clerks" and "Slacker" come immediately to mind), by and large movies were better when you had to raise a significant sum...

That being said, this film has some things going for it. The acting is good, the editing is good... had a big studio made it, it might have been a small hit. Maybe. But there is nothing original about it, and it mostly just looks cheap. I like bad horror films (probably too much), but this was even beneath my standards... rent pretty much anything else (except Tyler Perry).

Since my viewing of "Don't Let Him In", I deliberately waited two days to write this comment, allowing for the film to sink in a bit deeper. My very first impression wasn't overly positive, but there were a few aspects that I felt were worth pondering about. For example, some of the principal characters are very identifiable and sympathetic, but the killings are cruel and extremely sadistic. This combination leaves a rather unpleasant aftertaste in your stomach just after finishing the film, but the memory that sticks permanently is that "Don't Like Him In" is a new horror movie that dares to shock and provoke the audience perhaps? The premise of the film is rather basic. Calvin and Paige, a joyous young couple, have planned a weekend in the Southern British countryside where Calvin grew up. They also invite Calvin's baby sister Mandy, a little troublemaker who always picks the wrong guys to date. She just spend the night with the extremely arrogant and obviously up- to-no-good bloke Tristan; who reluctantly accepts the invitation but mainly because he has to hide from authorities. Upon arriving in the cottage, the foursome also immediately receives warning that the neighborhood is under the reign of terror of a crazed serial killer with a peculiar modus operandi. The aptly nicknamed "Tree Surgeon" dismembers his victims and hangs the body parts in trees. Obviously they will confront the killer eventually, but there's a fair chance the group will already be traumatized by then. Director/co-writer Kelly Smith – usually an editor – assures a logical unfolding of the plot, complete with some clichés and red herrings, and she (at least I assume Kelly is a female) often even manages to generate a morbid and deeply uncomfortable ambiance. The acting is remarkably good! As stated above, the good- natured characters are genuinely amiable and the ill-tempered ones are, in fact, very despicable. The murder sequences and make-up effects are raw and grisly, but I guess that could also be seen as an additional recommendation for horror fanatics.

It is very nice to see that even eight years old or so can write a script for British horror movie. I see no other explanation of such poor level of script of the movie! The level of stupidity in the dialogs is simply astonishing. The characters are not only caricatures of themselves but they are also completely out of place. They are even incoherent from scene to scene without any reason. Some scenes like "do not draw these things" might belong maybe to some horror parody, but they definitely should not belong to serious movie.

It is such a shame to observe such descent of British horror which was really good in fifties and sixties. One observation from the older movies: It is definitely not beneficial if characters must constantly babble some nonsense or "perform emotions". Less talks might be actually helpful in building of the tension. If the characters would spent less time babbling the resulting movie might be at least average. Unfortunately any possible thrill is completely lost there, making the movie almost unwatchable. I was unable to finish the movie because the characters were way too much annoying and the story was too naive and childish.