Movie Review - Mom & Dad

Mom & Dad

2017

The Cast

This story smacks of writer and director Brian Taylor having an idea... but not fully visualising that idea to it's maximum.  I believe the idea was this... what happens if you wake up one morning and you just want to kill your children?  And this is just what you get.

There's very little in explanation of the new drive parents, all over the globe, are feeling.  There's a couple of scene's which have telly's, monitors, and electrical equipment being affected by some electronic or magnetic signal.  But this is by-the-way and not looked at in-depth.  Instead, Taylor decides to focus all his attention on the results of the "infection".  This I reckon is a good idea as it shows a "slice of life" view of the event, which gives is a more realistic feel as this is how it would appear to anyone in this situation.

Though the story is pretty simplistic Taylor makes up for it with his direction.  He is adept at creating atmosphere, whether it be tension, suspense, or action.  He's also skilled at setting a rollercoaster pace throughout the film.  There are some really nice sections where he slows the killing spree down so as to build up the characters.  The basement man-cave-come-family-playroom is a good example.  Here, we learn a lot more about the Ryan's.  This gives the audience a chance to relate to the individuals whilst the characters themselves grow.  Another positive is the black humour, though there could have been more.  The best part of this for me is when Lance Henriksen appears because you have to remember that your parents are somebodies children.

As for the acting, well, it's no surprise that Cage plays Cage as Brent Ryan.  Luckily I'm a fan so I found his performance enjoyable.  Blair is great as the mother.  Her performance is quiet and understated.  For me, she was the scariest parent.  Her quietness gives her the air of being a thinker and a planner... I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her.  The rest of the cast is above average and help to make the film better and keep it enjoyable.

I think the true horror of this film is the enjoyment... not of the audience, but of the parents stalking their kids.  They are having way too much fun.  This is both darkly funny and a little creepy and actually made the movie for me.

If you enjoyed The Happening then you will probably like this one too...  Though if you prefer your stories to be fully thought out and explained then I'd say stay away.  If you're still undecided, it's not a bad way to waste an hour and a half; though it may be worth you leaving your brain at the door...

I give this a Killer Mater And Pater A Quietly Lunatic 6.5 out of 10.

The Trailer

Video Nasty - Zombie Creeping Flesh

Zombie Creeping Flesh

(1980)

AKA - Virus

AKA - Hell Of The Living Dead

Beatrice Film / Films Dara : Merlin Video / Vestron Video / Creature Features Video / Video Instant Picture Company.

4 / 5

This is a terrible film that had the opportunity to have been considerably better.  It has an admirable start with Goblin's electronic music mixed in with story narrative, this gives it a modern feel.  As the movie begins we are at a chemical plant that is not as secure as they thought.  A rat is found in one of the rooms, though it's not dead as the workmen first think. It attacks one of the workmen killing him, unfortunately, he doesn't stay dead.  As the trouble progresses the noxious gas starts to leak out of the facility and infects the air... bringing on an extinction event.

From here on it should have been an awesome film but the Directors, Bruno Mattei (who used the name Vincent Dawn) - this action speaks volumes - and Claudio Fragasso (who also co-wrote the story with Jose Maria Cunilles) decided to go an entirely different route than you would ever imagine.

The viewer is then subjected to some really bad over-the-top acting (more than usual for an Italian horror) as we are introduced to a crack army assault team who stop a siege at an embassy.  This ten minutes is a waste of time as it's really bad and is only there to let the audience know their next mission is in New Guinea.

It appears the location was only introduced into the story so the director could hop onto the tribe and animal cruelty bandwagon, as they weave stock film of death rituals into the movie. Once again, these are not actually required and are not relevant to the film.  However, it does mean the lead lady can get her boobs out and they are nice boobs.

Another handicap is the speed of the Zombies, these are your old-time shambling dead. Even Richard Briars on a Zimmer-frame could out run these stiffs (Cockney's V's Zombies).  It's even played up in the film.  Even the zombie make-up is poor most are just covered in light blue powder and any other embellishments are large, bulky, and unrealistic.

The twist at the end is a nice one and again if they hadn't gone the wrong direction with the story then, it could have been an outstanding Zombie movie.

I wouldn't recommend this one to anybody as there are much better Zombie flicks about, my favourite being Return Of The Living Dead... "Brains... We Need More BRAINS!!!"