Jacob

A hulking mentally challenged young man called Jacob goes on a killing rampage when his drunken and violent redneck stepfather murders his little sister. I bought this for three reasons - I love slasher movies, the DVD was reasonably cheap and I have a son called Jacob. For the purposes of writing a review for IMDb I have given it a second viewing, about 6 years after the first. I was disappointed the first time, sadly there was no improvement with a second viewing. Most of the plot takes place in the 1970's, yes we get some old vehicles but fashion wise there's not a pair of flared trousers, a kipper tie or any big collars in sight. In fact the actors look more 1990's/2000's. Many splatter fans will be disappointed, it takes about 50 minutes before Jacob becomes a horror movie proper, before that it is more of small town Texan drama centred around a trailer trash type dysfunctional family. When the killing starts it is quite funny, for example Jacob easily rips off a man's "rubber" arm, you can see the bump where the actor is hiding it underneath his top. There are a few gory moments but the effects aren't exactly special. As for the acting on the whole it is of an acceptable level for an obviously low budget movie, though none of the cast will be in the running for an Oscar! The picture looks as though a filter had been placed on the camera lens, it is very sepia, I didn't like it. A supernatural angle is thrown into the plot in the shape of an old book on black magic, very ineffective, the result is a weak slasher movie with a silly supernatural touch. There are a number of very generous reviews here, some of the reviewers have this as their single contribution on this site, take them with a very large grain of salt!

This is my first review and no I am not part of the movie crew, just a horror buff. I just happened on this little jewel of a film last night and was so very surprised at how well it was done and how entertaining and heartfelt it was for an indie film. I saw the low score on IMDb and just could not let this go. I had to register and chime in. The build up and the time invested in getting to know the characters was perfect. The lower budget may have restrained some of the effects but they were actually done correctly, showing just enough and not over showing any bad effects like a sci fi production. Sure some of the acting and dialog was a little stiff but growing up in a small town most of it rang true, even the behavior. The little girl was excellent and you couldn't't help but sympathize with Jacob. I wont give anything away but this was an excellent horror movie. One of the better I have seen in years especially for a low budget film. I hope this director can give us more. I would rate it higher except for a couple of the over acting like the old woman. Great movie!!

Unfortunately, this is my first review I've written here on IMDb. The only thing that compelled me to write one is that this movie was BAD. The make-up was horrible, the acting was atrocious and the story was laughable. The only saving grace in the whole movie was Sissy....the little girl looked like she was the only one that didn't know she was in a bad movie. And how did they get Kyle Reese of 'Treminator" fame to be in this movie ?? Did he lose a bet ?? But really, plenty of other ways to wast 90 minutes of your day....re-arrange your sock drawer, wash your vehicles, clean the bathrooms or wash the dog....twice. I mean, it wasn't even 'horror-comedy', what was the point ???

This film had great potential to remind viewers of some of the horror greats like Jason or Michael. Instead it fell flat with disappointing performances from all but Grace Powell and Dylan Horne. Terrible camera work, bad sound broke any immersion that might have been possible. But sadly the first thing I noticed was terrible make up. I have seen first year make up students apply better make up than this movie had.

The biggest problem was that nothing made sense. The violence was barely explained, though a back story is mildly flirted with. The only reason even mildly hinted at is a mental handicap. However, that feels like a cop out from a writer that lost the story.

All things said and done budget problems like shoddy camera work, terrible effects, and bad make up can be forgiven. If there is a well thought out and intriguing story to watch. Unfortunately this film fails in all categories.

This movie was pathetic in every way, and everyone that wrote a good review, let alone a great review here should have their head examined.

The sound (all speaking parts) were re-done so amateurly in a studio (maybe) with the reverb set so it sounds like everyone is in a toilet talking.

The sepia-tone is just cheap camera work and the acting horrendous as well as the dialog.

Did I leave out the obvious fan-connection that the writer had to Highlander? The main character is Jacob Kell (see Highlander:Endgame) and his dad inherits the MCLEOD house?!!! Gee, how unoriginal! Who did Michael Biehn agitate enough to get a part in this wreck? Houston, you aren't a movie town if you think this is good.