★ 5 / 10
_**Spare change Welsh horror in the mold of
Wuchak
_**Spare change Welsh horror in the mold of Rob Zombie flicks**_ A cult carnival consisting of a patriarch, three brothers and a sister tours Britain, but when…
_**Spare change Welsh horror in the mold of Rob Zombie flicks**_
A cult carnival consisting of a patriarch, three brothers and a sister tours Britain, but when customers go missing it attracts a no-nonsense private investigator. Havoc ensues.
Released in 2014-2015, "The Midnight Horror Show,” also known as “Theatre of Fear,” is a micro-budget Welsh flick obviously influenced by Rob Zombie’s “House of 1000 Corpses” and “The Devil’s Rejects” from the early 2000s.
The reason I watched this Indie is because I found the trailer intriguing, which turns out to be the movie’s intro. The theme song by Bobby Cole is outstanding and worth the price of admission. A fuller version plays during the end credits.
Beyond the well-done opening, this is clearly a low-rent production by one-man-filmmaker Andrew Jones (producer/writer/director), which can be observed in the abysmal lack of wide angle shots. Practically every camera angle is a relative close-up, which of course saves money on locations & sets. The movie “Pathfinders: In the Company of Strangers” (2011) had the same glaring issue.
If you can look past this flaw, there’s enough here to appreciate for those who can handle spare-change budget flicks. Besides the superb title song, the no-name cast rises to the challenge with Jared Morgan as the ringleader and Nathan Head as the scarred clown standing out, not to mention the alluring Shireen Ashton as Venus. (Sarah Louise Madison and Tiffany Ceri are also worth a mention on the feminine front).
There is a colorful sense of artistry and a dash of spirituality amidst the familial mayhem. The clown’s subplot stands out, as does the ventriloquist’s struggle with his brazen dummy, which is figurative of the battle within of which most people can relate. Meanwhile the gore is effective if that’s your thang (not that it’s overdone). I can’t say the movie’s very scary because it focuses on dramatics, but it works up some atmosphere and there are thrills to be had, plus the unexpected climax to the clown arc is shocking.
This is a hard picture to rate because the parts that work are good to outstanding, like the music, whereas the problematic parts are pretty stark.
The film runs around 1 hour, 21 minutes, and was shot in South Wales.
GRADE: C
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★ 4 / 10
Carnival of Carnage
Good evening, everyone! I'm Mr. C Reviewer, and tonight we'll be diving into the film The Midnight Horror Show, It's also known as Theatre of Fear. I had the…
Good evening, everyone! I'm Mr. C Reviewer, and tonight we'll be diving into the film The Midnight Horror Show, It's also known as Theatre of Fear. I had the opportunity to watch the movie on Netflix. This movie originally premiered on September 8, 2014. The movie had a runtime of 1 hour and 21 minute. It is rated for viewers aged 15 and older. Notably, parts of the film were filmed in Wales, UK. As an individual on the autism spectrum, I've experienced first-hand the significant benefits of subtitles. They have been instrumental in improving my comprehension of dialogue, allowing me to fully engage with the film's narrative. The film was directed and written by Andrew Jones. I appreciate how several crew members were featured in the opening sequence as part of the audience for the show; personally I find it to be a delightful touch when filmmakers include such details within their movies.Summary: The Moreau family, a group of outcasts, travels across the United Kingdom, performing an underground show that hides their sinister activities as the late-night hours transition into early morning.Review: -I found the film's opening, introducing the show's host, initially intriguing and well-executed. However, this positive impression quickly dissipated. The narrative then shifted to two characters attending the show, one of whom volunteers and enters a box, only to vanish when it's reopened. I believe the film would have benefited from starting sooner, allowing for more character development to enhance the impact of their disappearance. I appreciate how the film delves into the intricate dynamics of family dysfunction and unwavering loyalty, alongside profound explorations of evil's essence and the compelling drive for retribution and revenge. I found the movie's pacing to be quite slow, especially during the initial half, which struggled to build excitement and capture my full attention early on; it never truly gained momentum, even in its final part. I found the film's atmosphere to be dreary and lacking in genuine tension or suspense, primarily due to its excessive obviousness and numerous vague. The attempts at creating fear often came across as more peculiar than frightening, and I was largely unimpressed by the supposedly shocking scenes, finding them neither surprising nor particularly scary. I felt the movie leaned more towards unintentional comedy than horror, yet it wasn't even effectively funny, leaving me mostly shaking my head in disbelief rather than experiencing any sense of dread. I found the acting to be surprisingly decent, with the cast making a noticeable effort to engage with the material and exhibiting more natural chemistry than anticipated. While not always seamless, and at times feeling a bit stilted as if actors were waiting for their cues, the performances were generally acceptable. A particular highlight was the compelling performance of the creepy puppet, especially its autonomous speech. I believe the film would have benefited from a more robust exploration of the two main brothers' characters. I found the dialogue to be unnatural and excessively wordy. Despite these shortcomings, I did find myself somewhat drawn into the character interactions, even with the dialogue's noticeable flaws. I found the sound design to be a significant detractor, particularly the overly loud and often misplaced music during build-ups and audience reactions, which contributed to an amateurish feel. The overall musical score felt ill-suited to the film, though the heart-beating sound effect, while a nice touch, also seemed somewhat out of place. The extended scenes featuring only music and lip-syncing, without dialogue, felt excessive and detracted from the viewing experience.-I appreciated the film's commitment to practical effects for its gore, which provided a welcome tangibility compared to digital alternatives. However, I found that much of the on-screen violence, especially in close-ups, lacked realism; the prosthetics often looked unconvincing, with unnatural skin movement and injuries appearing too rubbery or overtly fake. The vibrant red blood, while visually impactful, frequently struck me as artificial rather than genuinely lifelike. I appreciate the dual perspectives offered by the show host and their family, as it allows for a deeper understanding of their personalities. While a gang focusing on missing persons investigations was compelling, I would have preferred the film to initiate with the team actively engaged in an investigation, rather than introducing such scenes seemingly at random later in the narrative. I found the film's cinematography to be notably constrained, with a preponderance of close-up shots and a distinct absence of wide-angle perspectives. This stylistic choice, I believe, likely served as a cost-saving strategy, minimizing the necessity for extensive location scouting and elaborate set designs. I appreciated how the film, despite its low budget, skilfully crafted a somewhat creepy atmosphere, demonstrating a colourful sense of artistry. While the visual colour palette and overall cinematography were amateurish, drearily lit, and clearly indicative of a low-budget production, they nonetheless contributed to its unique aesthetic. I found the editing to be choppy and disorienting, particularly during the horror sequences and transitions between segments. While I appreciated the unconventional editing style somewhat, interpreting it as an intentional artistic choice to enhance the film's chaotic and unsettling atmosphere, the rapid-fire cuts and disjointed narrative ultimately hindered the storytelling, even if it aimed to evoke unease.-I found the film's conclusion to be quite satisfying, particularly because it mirrored the opening, creating a pleasing sense of narrative symmetry. I felt the ending of the film suggested potential for a sequel, and although I initially looked for one, I found no indication of a newer film. Even if a continuation were released, I doubt I would personally invest my time in watching it, unless I had absolutely nothing else to do. I found the song accompanying the ending credits to be a perfect fit for the film's conclusion. The visual presentation, featuring still images from the movie enhanced with a subtle motion effect, complemented the music beautifully and provided a reflective closing experience.I rate each film I watch out of 10 and for this one, I give it a 4.4 Remember this was what I thought about the movie personally and I suggest that you give it a go for yourself.
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★ 3 / 10
TheLittleSongbird
Was drawn into seeing 'Theatre of Fear', with a cool poster/cover, an intriguing though far from original premise and as someone with a general appreciation…
Was drawn into seeing 'Theatre of Fear', with a cool poster/cover, an intriguing though far from original premise and as someone with a general appreciation for the genre it fits under. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there (though there are decent to good ones as well), made me though apprehensive. It is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws present in those films are here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. 'Theatre of Fear' is really very weak, with its infrequent decent points but with so many huge flaws and doesn't do anywhere near enough with its potential, which was quite a good deal. There is very little good here.'Theatre of Fear' does have an eerie setting and was expecting far worse acting than what is seen here, it's not great still, somewhat over-the-top in spots, but effort to engage with what they're given to work with can be seen. The chemistry is there too and it is more natural than expected.Going on to the negatives, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it comes over as vague and under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less unsettled and never gaining momentum. All the characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one be properly intrigued by them. There is still frustrating decision making going on but that aspect is definitely done much worse in other low-budget recent viewings, sorry to go on about this asset but it has become a bugbear of mine and difficult to ignore.Sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and the effects are laughable.Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace and film drags on forever, apparent from the very start, never recovering that interest is lost fast. The ending has no build-up and just ends ridiculously. Found too many of the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Thrills are none, thanks to stodginess and excessive over-familiarity, and found myself never invested in the drama, which tended to be dully paced and statically directed.A lot of 'Theatre of Fear' has really dull and going nowhere plot elements and often not so convincing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you shocked are far from creative or unsettling. It all feels rather tame.Nothing freaky or interesting, no development and too derivative, while everything is unimaginative and are more odd than scary, completely failing to show any sense of dread. There is nothing interesting or illuminating with what the film was trying to do and the drama is overwrought with no momentum and a lot of weirdness. The direction is leaden, got the sense their heart was not in it, and the music is ill-fitting. It is very amateurish visually with its low budget being all too clear, too drearily lit and shows no care in the way it's shot. In this regard only the setting stands out in a halfway decent way.In summary, weak. 3/10 Bethany Cox
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80%
AUDIENCE
3.3/10
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