Review: MM

Never been a fan of horror flicks nor have I ever clinched to the urge to watch any film that freely depicts graphic mutilation and torture. More so, watching B-list actors portray unconvincing fear, loss, and grief is the most painful thing to watch. Midnight movie encapsulates these cliché and horror film conventions and yet it kept me on, just to see what’s next and witness first hand how the story unfolds.

The script holds the movie together and gives it the upper hand over the countless horror gore-infested films released every year.

Scenes where the antagonist drags his victims to an enigmatic room is an ingenious way to keep the audience stuck to their seats. The myriad guesses within the viewer’s mind slightly alleviates the agonizing moments of witnessing abysmal character development and casting – an American chief detective with a German accent? Not that I have anything against Germans being a chief detective in US soil but stick to the minor conventions and stereotypes. It throws away the focus of the audience and opens doors for them to ponder on the reasons behind such logic unless the story develops more on the character introduced.

Also, some aspects of the film could be derived as comedic and lame. The doctor’s scream in the first few scenes was an epic fail but laughable nonetheless. On a positive light, it could be this great grand scheme by the writer/director to ease the audience slowly into the film to relieve the tension before the roller coaster goes haywire.


And I can’t help but feel the emotional detachment of the four leading actors to each other. They were introduced as close friends and sold as a bunch that has been through a lot. And yet when someone gets whacked, the survivors are absent of remorse, grief, and loss. The relationship the audience may think these four have is completely non-existent beyond the first few scenes.

Conversely, these are minor complaints on a very well crafted, albeit simple story. The torture and massacre scenes are riveting and graphic. And fans of the genre will find themselves right at home and would appreciate the extra effort to up the ante on violence and gore.

Midnight Movie may have glaring faults but it’s original story, authentic eye-twitch inducing scenes carry the movie till the end. And with an open ended conclusion, a sequel could be on the horizon.

On a side note, doesn’t the lead actress look exactly like the guy from Speed Racer and The Girl Next Door? Word.