Acensbart
Excellent but underrated film
Baseshment
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
Rosie Searle
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
ysobelfitton
I didn't know what to expect watching this film, but the brief description - robbers try to rob a serial killer's lair - sounded interesting, so I gave it a try. I was so impressed! The first scene immediately grabbed me. I found myself identifying with the main characters. Not the robbery parts, but the goofy humor and friendly banter was friendly and nice. How unusual for a horror film to have characters development! What a concept! Parts were so suspenseful that I was leaning forward in my chair.And I love films that go full circle.
Michael Ledo
Ollie (Chris Dinh) is a robber who can't tell a joke. His girlfriend Blair (Katie Savoy) is level headed and laughs when she is scared in addition to supplying us with "third reel" cleavage. Through a comedy of circumstances involving a robbery gone bad, our couple teams up with Connor (Chris Riedell), Blair's brother, who insists he has leadership skills. His assistant is the equally inept Riley (Tim Chiou) who has cased a house for two weeks before they decide to rob it.This just so happens to have been the house in an earlier scene that had locked rooms and a serial killer, Jack Taggard (Walter Michael Bost). They get trapped inside and run through the formula. The banter makes the film light and watchable. There are enough slasher elements in the production to classify it as horror in addition to comedy/thriller.Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity. Could be a keeper
J S
I'll go straight to the point - if you like nonsensical and silly type of low budget films or 'have a laugh' (as in teenagers laughing at anything), this could be just the film for you. That's nothing wrong with that - pure silly fun. However, if you are one of those viewers who likes working things out, evaluating the sophistication of the plot or the level of engagement that you get from the script, you should walk away now.I had not read anything about this film before watching it. I was really frustrated by this film right from the beginning. It was actually painful to watch the plot develop. But half way through, I realised that it was meant to be funny and silly, I said to myself - relax, it's a horror comedy ... But why should it take a while before I realised that it was a horror/comedy? I think the poor jokes - which another reviewer mentioned being 'not funny' - have got something to do with it.
dougray30
CtS was a low-budget horror film I backed on Kickstarter some time ago. As is often the case, it takes many months before you get to see the finished product (if ever…there are still projects I backed in early 2014 that haven't delivered). I can't remember exactly what made me choose this film as one to support. I think it was a combination of the plot and the prominence of humor in the film. Actually the film's budget was rather large for Kickstarter standards, about $75,000 (I've backed films with budgets below $1,000 if you can believe that).The film is the brainchild of Viet Nguyen and Chris Dinh. Chris also stars in the film, while Viet served as Director. The plot is somewhat simple: Ollie (Dinh) and Blair (Katie Savoy) are a loving couple who happens to make their living by breaking and entering into upper- class homes. When what is supposed to be their final job before a year of traveling goes comically wrong, they are forced to go into debt to a local gangster and resume "work" to afford their payments. Because time is of the essence, they agree to join Blair's screw-up brother (Chris Reidell) and his "crew" (the hilarious Tim Chou) in a robbery of a vacation home. Unfortunately, the target property is the lair of a serial killer…and once they break in, they cannot find a way out.Tight dialogue, great humor and good acting are what pull this film together. There are some suspenseful moments, but things never get too serious, and unlike most low-budget horror films the blood is kept to a minimum. Crush the Skull is one of those movies you need to pay attention to as you watch it or you'll miss some of the ongoing gags and subtle humor. You'll still enjoy the more obvious jokes and fun, but the effort you put into the details will be well worth your while.The characters are well developed and their personalities dictate their actions and the kind of laughter they inspire. The "basement" sets are very well done, and above all the post-production work on sound and music lift Crush the Skull to an even higher level. Those two areas are often shortchanged in the low-budget world, but this team marshaled their resources well and the finished product is much better for those efforts.I don't think Crush the Skull is available on DVD or on-demand yet, but I believe it will be shortly. Watch for it, especially if you enjoy dark, intelligent humor mixed with your suspense and horror.
