Mortuary (2006)
Studio: Echo Bridge
Blu Ray Release: July 29, 2008
R
Review by James Klein
There was a time when director Tobe Hooper was one of the top genre film makers in the business. He hit it big with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974 and from there he went on to do some arguably fine horror and sci-fi films such as Eaten Alive, The Funhouse, Poltergeist, Lifeforce, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Then something happened. Tobe literally lost it. His films suddenly turned into below average, amateur junk that was unbearable to watch. I still refuse to give up and hold hope, giving Tobe the benefit of the doubt. I keep returning countless times to see his most recent film, praying that the man who gave us Leatherface has returned, ready to scare the hell out of us once again. It still hasn't happened and Mortuary is no exception.
This direct to DVD dud (or in this case, blu ray which looks and sounds good) is about a woman and her two children who have bought an old abandoned funeral home to try and start a new life now that the father has passed away. The funeral home sits next to an old mortuary that is believed to be haunted by Bobby Fowler, a deformed boy who once lived in that funeral home and is believed to still live on the grounds. Well, you know what happens next so no need to go into details. While the legend and back-story provide some interesting details and give the film some good atmosphere, the movie falls apart when the characters start to disappear and this black CGI moss starts to grow all over the house, soon attacking people. The film then turns into a zombie picture that quickly becomes down right dull and had me looking at my watch wondering when this movie would end.
The film is also hampered with awful performances and really bizarre choices of dialogue. Mortuary doesn't know if it wants to be a serious horror film or a campy horror-comedy. There is one long scene of Mom trying to learn how to embalm a corpse that is lifted out of a Three Stooges or an Abbott & Costello short. All hope for the atmospheric creepiness is soon put out to pasture once this happens and the film is just another nail in the coffin for Tobe.
Tobe has made worse films (Night Visions and Crocodile take the cake) but Mortuary is by no means a step up from the man who has given us nightmares about chainsaws or ghosts caught in our television set.
Blu Ray Release: July 29, 2008
R
Review by James Klein
There was a time when director Tobe Hooper was one of the top genre film makers in the business. He hit it big with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974 and from there he went on to do some arguably fine horror and sci-fi films such as Eaten Alive, The Funhouse, Poltergeist, Lifeforce, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Then something happened. Tobe literally lost it. His films suddenly turned into below average, amateur junk that was unbearable to watch. I still refuse to give up and hold hope, giving Tobe the benefit of the doubt. I keep returning countless times to see his most recent film, praying that the man who gave us Leatherface has returned, ready to scare the hell out of us once again. It still hasn't happened and Mortuary is no exception.
This direct to DVD dud (or in this case, blu ray which looks and sounds good) is about a woman and her two children who have bought an old abandoned funeral home to try and start a new life now that the father has passed away. The funeral home sits next to an old mortuary that is believed to be haunted by Bobby Fowler, a deformed boy who once lived in that funeral home and is believed to still live on the grounds. Well, you know what happens next so no need to go into details. While the legend and back-story provide some interesting details and give the film some good atmosphere, the movie falls apart when the characters start to disappear and this black CGI moss starts to grow all over the house, soon attacking people. The film then turns into a zombie picture that quickly becomes down right dull and had me looking at my watch wondering when this movie would end.
The film is also hampered with awful performances and really bizarre choices of dialogue. Mortuary doesn't know if it wants to be a serious horror film or a campy horror-comedy. There is one long scene of Mom trying to learn how to embalm a corpse that is lifted out of a Three Stooges or an Abbott & Costello short. All hope for the atmospheric creepiness is soon put out to pasture once this happens and the film is just another nail in the coffin for Tobe.
Tobe has made worse films (Night Visions and Crocodile take the cake) but Mortuary is by no means a step up from the man who has given us nightmares about chainsaws or ghosts caught in our television set.
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