User reviews

Don't be fooled by the fake 10/10 reviews, this is absolutely awful.

Low budget doesn't mean guaranteed poor movie. It certainly increases the possibility and this film shows it.

Awful acting.

Terrible "script".

Unimaginative characters, typical hillbilly stereotyping.

There may be hidden low budget gems out there, this isn't one of them, its complete rubbish. Cant think of one redeeming quality.

I rarely switch a movie off, and in this case didn't, but came very close.

Avoid.

This movie tries very hard to be something it is not....Good. I read every review before watching it and I watch encouraged to the thought like one stated this movie doesn't take it 's audience as fools.

From my view point I just finish watching a movie that pulled out every single stereotype and put them all together into 1 movie.

It 's just too much but yet i'm no fool just Stupid for believing the reviews. Any how I stated that this movie could be summed up in 5 words and those words are "What the hell was that" If I had to write the plot keywords for this movie i guess they would be : Abduction, Rape, crime,drugs, racism, hillbilly, ex-cop, porn, gay porn, serial killer, drug abuse, cults, etc etc.. The list goes one. Yet I still have but 5 words for this, What the hell was that

Oh what a mess this is; a completely unstructured disaster of a movie. The storyline and editing are as bad as anything that I have ever seen. It begins with a Charles Manson lookalike who sounds exactly like Jack Palance, degrading a woman chained to a cement floor. The next scene shows a man saying goodbye to his wife and child as they depart in a Mercedes. On the drive, the car strikes a deer and the mother appears as the captive of the Manson looking dude. Next up, a guy is at a bar saying farewell to his fellow cops as he must retire to take care of his wife, who is in a wheelchair for some unexplained reason. Eight years ahead, the boy who was missing with mom calls his dad from a payphone. Most of the characters are hillbillies behaving badly with drugs and alcohol and an inexplicable gay sex interlude which seems to be from gay porn. This is simply a god awful film, written and directed by Christian Grillo. He needs to be expelled from the movie industry forever.

We just finished watching this film and it left us definitely not wanting more. The only reason we finished it is because we were hoping it would get better. Trust me it doesn't. You will regret spending your money on this film. The acting was terrible on all levels, the camera shots were horrible, all-in-all a waste of my night. If you find yourself reading the back cover and think "hey, this sounds good" keep in mind there are other worth while movies out there. It needs to have a rating of 0 being never watch or think about again. The character choices could have been alright if they knew how to act. I heard that there was going to be a part 2 in 2014... how can they think the first one was good enough to need a part 2? This will definitely be one that we will not be seeing in 2014 and I hope for sanity sake neither will any of you. Good luck and I hope you take in this consideration.

I've seen many positive reviews on here and as someone who wanted to like this movie, I know that these reviews are bogus, obviously written by Grillo himself, his wife (whose acting in the movie is perhaps the most hideous performance ever seen in any film...ever) and their family & friends. The movie is bad. No. It's the worst! Ever! The direction is amateurish, the cinematography is haphazard at best, the acting (especially that of Carmela Hayslett-Grillo) is horrendous and the soundtrack is senseless. All in all, it's the worst movie I have ever seen....literally. None have ever been any worse than this. The director takes to the internet to attack anyone who dares to say that they didn't like the movie, so basically he attacks anyone who doesn't lie to him and tell him that his movie is good. He has even compared himself to the likes of David Cronenberg and David Lynch on his Facebook page! And he was serious. He sees himself as a visionary film maker in the mold of Lynch, John Waters and Cronenberg. You're a rebel alright, Mr. Grillo, as you rebel against what a film is supposed to be; watchable! He even posts copy & pastes of Redbox reviews on his FB page, mocking those who are honest by saying that the film is crap! The man is proud that his film is always out of stock in RedBox machines near his home area of Philadelphia. Now I ask you, is it something to be proud of that, because of a DVD cover that may make one believe that a movie may be good, it's always being rented for a whopping $1.29? or whatever RedBox charges? (To be honest I don't use them, so I'm not sure what they charge however I know it's a very small fee!) Those same people who have dropped their $2.00 maximum (In case I'm a bit off on my guess as to what they charge per rental) are surely angry that they chose to rent Deer Crossing rather than buy a Big Mac at McDonalds or play the Skill Crane at the WalMart a few times to waste that money. The latter would have been a far better use of the money than renting Deer Crossing, obviously!

As for the bogus reviews and attacks by Mr. Grillo right here on IMDb, it's a shame to see this kind of conduct, amateurish behavior, plague a respectable site like IMDb. I believe that IMDb needs to find a way to disallow bogus films from even being listed here, or perhaps they could create a separate section for do-it-yourself homemade movies.

I was at the screening on Saturday night and the one thing everyone has forgotten is that Chris Grillo specifically asked for no reviews at this time! Buddy Hill's review was up before the screening and his is the ONLY legit review and I agree with everything he said, the cast and the film are great. I'm glad sin-a-man's review was removed because he was just a hater. I disagree with incognito-3145. Buddy Hill was right, Tom Detrik was amazing and if his performance was reminiscent of a villain from a bad comic book remake, DUH! That's what the character was so that means he did it right and did everyone forget that Carmela Hayslett just won an award for her performance in BOOLEY so that should tell you about her craft. I'm pretty sure that review is just the bitter ramblings of the wife of one of the actors in the film but I won't make accusations without proof. All I can say for myself is if you get a chance to see this film do it you won't be disappointed.

There have been times in history when people have sacrificed themselves to save their fellow men from evil. If I ever attain sainthood, it will be because I watched this film so that others will not have to.

In a word, this movie is pathetic. If, for some masochistic reason, you still think you should give it a try, then watch the scene that introduces the movie. If you think you want to see more of the same, or even more depraved, nonsense, then feel free to continue. Also, consider checking yourself into a psychiatric hospital, because you need serious help.

This is a C movie that strives, but fails, to be a B movie. The acting is so bad, it's laughable, which is why the film got a 2 instead of a 1. The director, who is not worth naming, must have been vaguely inspired by David Lynch's, Blue Velvet. There are Frank-like moments, actors, dialogues, and scenes that those who know the film will recognize. But this is like comparing Dr. Dre to a neurosurgeon.

Though many in this movie could be nominated for worst actor, my vote goes to the girl who plays the psychiatrist. How low is your budget if this is what you have to settle for? I'd be willing to bet any amount of money that this is the director's girlfriend. If that's the case, then there is justice in this world.

This movie was very low budget, and it shows. The acting was mediocre (even the appearances from Doug Bradley and Ernie Hudson couldn't save it) and the camera work was below average too. Some of the scenes seemed disjointed and the plot was all over the place. As for the story itself, yeah it had it's moments but I felt that the script was written in a hurry as it didn't flow at all. I also felt that the editing could have been better too as the film was too long, (some of the scenes could have been shorter) it could have been cut down to 85 minutes or so instead of the tedious 102 minutes that it ended up as. In the end I couldn't wait until it was over. So all I can give this film is a 2 out of 10 (only because I liked Doug Bradley in this).

Gobsmacked! I've seen some pretty ropey films in my time - but this was undeniably the worst film I've ever had the misfortune to come across.

It was sooo shockingly atrocious I felt compelled to create an account in the hope that may I spare some other poor, bored soul the horror of this travesty of motion picture. You'd be better off listening to long, haggard nails being scratched across a blackboard whilst sticking pins into your eyes!

There are so, so, sooo many terrible things about this film I don't even know where to begin! Suffice to say - a classroom of kinder-gardeners could of come up with a less hackneyed, more plausible plot and the furniture in their classroom would of provided a less wooden cast. Seriously awful. The mind boggles at the hours, money and effort wasted on this steaming pile of so-called cinema.

What's more disturbing is the plethora of good reviews on this site. Either, this film infects a large proportion of it's viewers with some sort of mind-numbing, intellect-ravishing perception virus, or, more likely - the brain-dead people responsible for giving birth to this inbred abomination of a film are trying to big-up their celluloid catastrophe. Either way, if you have any semblance of a brain cell and wish to keep it that way - avoid like the plague!

This movie seemingly has multiple personalities. It tries to be funny or horrific, though never at the same time. The "horror scenes" are pretty good, frightening even. The menacing kidnapper is believable, as are his hostages. The "comedic scenes" are just fillers to occupy space. It seems to have separate story lines, twisting within the main selling point. The lack of typical horror tricks, like lots of gore and weapons, brings a certain anxiety that makes this film a thriller. Most of the acting is terrible, yet if you're a true movie enthusiast, you'll endure the obvious "b movie" atmosphere. The plot isn't a bad idea, the production of it is. I won't advise against seeing it, I'll just advise not to get your hopes up. Though obviously entertaining, some of its scenes are hard to watch, due to realistic subject matter or the obvious terror of horrible acting.

After viewing Deer Crossing i felt dirty. In the positive sense of seeing the dark side of humanity-type-dirty. I had a very similar feeling after watching Requiem for a Dream.

I'll leave the summary out since it can be viewed on the main IMDb page. What i will say is this....the casting is phenomenal. Ernie Hudson and Doug Bradley are amazing (as one would expect). However, you can't forget about the lesser known stars of the film. Carmela Hayslett delivers a strong performance in what is not always an easy role - a woman who has to be strong yet sensitive. Warren Hemenway and Tina Desiree Berg play off each other quite nicely. Kudos also to Laura L. Cottrel and Sebastian Banes for their performances. (i can only imagine what they had to go through after watching this). The film has so many colorful characters with unique personalities, but for my money the 2 stars of the film were K.J. Linhein and Tom Detrik. K.J. plays Lucas Walton, a truly disturbed backwater psychopath..but what i appreciate is how he doesn't go over the top crazy. He keeps the character dark and disturbing...but still controlled. Sinister glares can be far creepier then maniacal laughter, and he has them in spades. Tom Detrik almost goes the opposite route...taking his character over the top, however he pulls it off with amazing screen presence. It really gives a unique edge to an otherwise standard character.

But what i appreciate the most about Deer Crossing is how it doesn't insult one's intelligence. It's a smart, slick, and amazingly well shot film that replaces big-budget Hollywood explosions and cheesy one-liners that would make a 5 year old roll their eyes, with a harrowing story, great dialog, and intense characters. Much like Glengarry Glen Ross, Deer Crossing really highlights its strengths - characters and dialog. Christian Grillo has really raised the bar for independent films with this one. You're not going to get what you typically see in theaters, keep in mind this is a low budget film, but $50k looks like a million dollars here.

If you want pretty things to look at....watch Bad Boys, or Con Air. If you want dirty, dark and real....watch Deer Crossing.

I just posted about how bogus reviews for The Black Dahlia Haunting scammed me out of my hard earned money and it reminded me that I hadn't posted to this atrocity of a "film" yet. I saw it about 3 months ago after reading all of the great reviews here. I saw a few people state that the reviews are fake, that they were left by friends and family members of the director Christian Grillo but I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt. What a huge mistake. This "movie" is literally the worst piece of S$*t I have ever seen! And no, I don't say that because it offended me in the way that some claim it will. It offended me as a lover of horror films. It wasn't gory, it wasn't extreme, and it wasn't horror even. What it was is HORRIBLE! Bad acting, awful direction and unreal writing equals a really unwatchable movie. You stole from me Mr. Grillo and I demand a refund! You should be ashamed of yourself and you lies! I recently met Ernie Hudson at a Celebrity Photo Op and signing. I asked him who he was in debt to that landed him in such an awful movie. His response? "Well, you know, sometimes you take an easy job just for the money even if it's a very bad movie. I haven't watched it so I don't know it's bad but I've been told, you know..." and then he laughed. Not too proud. Oh one more thing, the girl playing the FBI agent, the director's wife, is the worst actress ever! Girlfriend, stop acting NOW!

I watched Deer Crossing tonight. I am not a movie critic or a film Major. I am just a guy who loves movies.

I watch 2 movies a day minimum and Stumbled across Deer crossing. I have spent way more time on way less Movies. The acting was a bit weak but show promise. There are a few in the cast that have potential. The writing was on the weak side. The directing was pretty good. Sound and music was weak. Overall it was watchable and definitely gets them a second chance. I think that this type film just needs a certain type person to appreciate it. I don't want to spoil anything.I hope you enjoy the movie and my review helped.

This is literally the worst movie I have ever seen. Poorly unrealistically written dialog, odd cinematography and some of the worst acting ever seen in a film. The girl playing the FBI agent is a joke. She is quite obviously married to or dating the director because there is no way anyone would hire someone with no ability! As a matter of fact other than the likes of poor Ernie Hudson and Doug Bradley I would suspect that the entire cast was related to or close friends with this Christian Jude Grillo person. Not that it's something that really matters but really, drop the middle name. It's pretentious and makes you look like a 12 year old would be film maker who is trying to appear to be mature and important. Back to the "stars" in this film. Doug Bradley and Ernie Hudson had to have been tricked into doing this movie. There is no way that they saw this script, complete with dialog worded in a way that no one actually speaks) and still signed on to do it. It could not have been for the money since this film could not have cost any more than $500 tops.

This may, to some, sound like I have an ax to grind or some personal beef with this film or it's creator but that's simply not the case. What I do have a personal issue with is when someone scams me out of my hard earned money. I actually bought this catastrophe and never expected it to be this awful. It's funny but not the kind of funny that makes it one of those movies that are so bad that they become good, in a sense. No sir. It's funny in a pathetic sort of way. Funny that these people made this movie, and then released it, believing that it's a good film. Funny, again in a sad way, that someone actually invested money into it in order to get distribution for it. I suppose they sort of won though, didn't they? Poor fools like myself shell out the money to buy this trash so they win and we lose but it's a temporary win for them. It's temporary because it then falls into the "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me" realm. I would never again purchase any movie created by Grillo nor any produced by or distributed by anyone connected to this film. And I am certain that I am not alone with this line of thinking. Therefor, the last laugh is on all of us poor fools who laid down the cash to buy this and we are laughing at those connected to it since it's the last time they'll get any of our money!

I do not participate in illegal movie downloading but I have to say that it's movies like this that lead people to illegally download it and other films like it. Why would anyone pay for such garbage once they've learned the truth about it? Now that may lead you to ask me "Why would anyone even wish to see it now that they've been told how awful it is?" and the only logical excuse I could find would be one that is similar to a car crash. As you drive my an accident you have a morbid curiosity that makes you crane your neck to take a look in an attempt to see how bad it all is. That must be why anyone else would now wish to see Deer Crossing, or any of Grillo's films, past, present or future, after learning that the guy cannot write nor direct a film?

In closing I'll just say that if you feel I was being harsh here I'd like you to know that I was actually quite kind. This is the less critical review of the two that I wrote for this "film". The first was far more detailed but I opted to play nice and go with what you have just read, because, although I may be blunt in life, I sometimes try to play it kindly and not blast with both barrels blazing. Perhaps I should have yanked that band-aid off quickly rather than the slow, more painful way that I've removed it here but hindsight is 20/20 and this has been written and so it shall stand.

One last note! I have read all of the comments and reviews on this page and the external reviews posted at the top as well. It's quite clear that many of the on-site reviews have been written by people close to those involved in the production. Perhaps family members and friends and also, and quite likely, written by the likes of the film's director and others on the cast/crew using pseudonyms.

Spoilers? Spoilers? Are you serious. This "movie" was "spoiled" the moment the notion came to the "writer" to actually take any more than one second to explore that idea. Do yourself a favor. DO NOT WASTE ONE SECOND of your precious life on this dross. You'd be better off having root canal therapy on the same day you called out of work with the flu. I struggled through 35 minutes, begged for mercy, and sped to Redbox to return that crap! On the other hand, if you can keep your sense of humor about you, you may delight in one of the worst scripts you've ever heard. A profound abomination. Or if you want to refine you ability to appreciate border-line actors, watch this "film" -- you'll see the worst of the worst, and then those folks you thought were bad will be elevated just a tad.

.... absolute rubbish across the board ... acting, script, production ... sorry to see Doug Hellraiser & Ernie Ghostbusters mixed up with this rubbish!!!

I was lucky enough to see this at an advanced screening. I didn't know who Christian Grillo was or what he was about, but after watching this film, I'll be sure and check out anything else he makes.

This film is so deeply disturbing. (and I mean that as a compliment) It kept me on the edge of my seat. There are parts where I covered my face because I couldn't bear to watch, but then peeked through my fingers because I couldn't keep from looking. I loved the pace, it kept moving forward, not even a lag in the story long enough to go get a soda. You're never really sure what's going to happen next, and as the story unfolds, it just gets creepier and creepier. I found myself thinking about the characters in this film, and the situations, for days after seeing the film. I recommend it highly to anyone who likes a good horror or thriller. I don't know why there are a few really negative reviews. Were we all watching the same film? I can't help but notice that the negative reviewers use a lot of British vernacular, (gobsmacked, rubbish, etc.) so I don't know if those two or three reviews were written by the same guy. I certainly couldn't tell it was a low budget, except for maybe a brief fire scene where the fire seemed a little green screen-ish. aside from that I have only positive things to say about it. Thinking there maybe room for a sequel and I'll be first in line to see what happens next.

Local Filmmaker Hits The Target With DEER CROSSING

Philadelphia has long been known as a city that turns out great local talent in the entertainment industry especially in film. This tradition continues to grow these days thanks in part to an up and coming filmmaker Christian Grillo.

Christian Grillo is the mastermind behind this year's breakout Indie film 'Deer Crossing'. He is a man who wore many hats while putting this piece of cinematic enjoyment together for all of us. In addition to writing, directing and editing, Christian is also the musical creator behind the soundtrack.

The cinematography is nicely done to perfection by another rising local talent Scott E. Kaufman. The images that the cinematographer places in front of our eyes remain long after the film has taken its final bow. It is a refreshing piece of filming that never becomes boring to the eyes while enticing our curiosity for the next frame.

Deer Crossing has everything you would want as a movie lover and then some. It will take you mind and your senses on a roller-coaster ride that only Mr. Grillo himself could construct. Although the film doesn't come with a big Hollywood budget or cast it does however come with a Hollywood delivery and feel.

The acting in the movie keeps the pace going at breakneck speed as the lines are read with realism. There are many twists and turns but you are never left on the side of the road scratching your head searching for answers.

In the end this film delivers big and leaves you wanting to see more from Christian Grillo and the talent he has surrounded himself with on this film. It proves once again Philadelphia is the breaking ground for entertainment and even though the address isn't Hollywood it can still feel like it.

John J. Ruppert

10-2-2012

Hi, I was at the Deer Crossing screening last night, and I thought it was a very good movie. Christopher Mann was great and the story kept me interested all the way through. I went into this screening expecting to NOT like this movie at all (I'm not big on low budget movies), but this flick didn't look low budget at all and it was a very interesting film. I thought, for the most part, all of the actors were good. The thing that stuck out to me was the great actor who played the Bad Guy. I forget his name but he was awesome. I don't want to give away any spoilers as this is not the type of movie I would want to give anything away, just cause it would ruin the flow of the film. I will Definitely buy this when it is released on Blu-Ray!!!!!

If I were sitting around on a Saturday afternoon I would not reach for this type of film. I don't like being on the edge of my seat. I do well with documentaries, fantasy pics, history, science, psychologically stimulating things, not really into being scared or having my nerves on edge. This film is creepy. I like how the camera was used, interesting angles and perspectives that caught my interest. I learned some things about camera work by watching it. The director was also capable of creating an atmosphere of tension. Good edits, timing and camera work made that possible. I paid attention to the light captured in the dark scenes which was important for me as well as the shots where the camera is in motion. I like to analyze how I feel when watching those scenes and I think they were successfully done in this film. The casting was really good. Some of those faces were perfect for helping me to believe the story was actual. As I said it is not my favorite kind of film so the lighting, casting, sets, camera work and edits became more important and I think these things made up for the fact that the story line is not one I like visiting.