Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Coventry It's commonly known that Oliver Stone served in Vietnam and that his most acclaimed masterpieces, most notably "Platoon", are based on his own traumatic experiences and the agonizing real-life horror situations that he witnessed over there. Perhaps his Vietnam luggage turned him into one of the greatest directors of all times, but it also must have caused a bit of permanent brain damage, if you ask me! How else would you explain the madness of "Seizure"; his long-feature debut released not that long after he returned from his tour of duty? This is a truly bonkers horror movie, half brilliant and half unendurable, but fascinating and hypnotizing enough to keep you glued to the screen. Jonathan "Barnabas Collins" Frid stars as Edmund Blackstone, a writer suffering from recurring nightmares featuring the villains of the horror story that he's trying to finish. Nothing but a bad case of writer's block, you'd say, but when Edmund and his wife are hosting a party during the weekend and welcome several guests in their lakeside house, the trio of villains literally pops up at the dining room window! They are: the ravishing but deadly Queen of Evil, the black and heavily mutilated giant referred to as Jackal, and the viciously cruel dwarf named Spider. They start killing off the guests, which isn't a bad thing since they are truly horrible people, but poor Edmund can't seem to figure out if they are real or hallucinatory. Debuting director Stone generates a reasonably tense and mysterious atmosphere, and "Seizure" certainly contains a few strong sequences, but the film is overall too dull and far too talkative. Especially Edmund's "reflective" moments, guided by a voiceover, are immensely long and meaningless, but the Queen of Evil also jibbers too much and even the dwarf would have been far more petrifying if he shut his mouth a little more! As mentioned already, the supportive characters are downright nasty. You often see in horror movies that an alleged group of friends doesn't get along, but these people here are the most arrogant, selfish, treacherous and despicable trolls I've ever seen! There's not a lot of gore, obviously, but nevertheless a few efficient shock-moments and solid performances from Jonathan Frid, Joseph Sirola and the breathtaking Martine Beswick! The eviler she gets, the sexier she becomes! The finale is logical and effectively abrupt, but not exactly original. There's a certain horror milestone from 1962 that ended with a similar twist already.

Woodyanders Troubled horror writer Edmund Blackstone (a fine and credible performance by Jonathan Frid of "Dark Shadows" fame) is tormented by nightmares that come hellishly true after Edmund, his family, and various friends find themselves being terrorized by a trio of dangerous escaped lunatics led by the ruthless Queen of Evil (the extremely alluring Martine Beswick in peak sultry'n'nasty form) at Edmund's remote house in the woods.Director Oliver Stone, who also co-wrote the quirky and thoughtful script with Edward Mann, relates the offbeat and intriguing story at a steady pace, maintains a suitably harsh and grim tone throughout, provides an extra cerebral dimension which gives this picture its own singular identity, and offers an idiosyncratic, yet provocative philosophical exploration on vice, wickedness, and such basic human foibles as greed, lust, vanity, and cowardice. The sound acting by the capable cast keeps this movie humming: Christina Pickles as Edmund's long-suffering wife Nicola, Joseph Sirola as arrogant and obnoxious rich jerk Charlie Hughes, a stupendously slinky and sexy Mary Woronov as Charlie's fed-up hottie trophy wife Mikki, Troy Donahue as hunky stud Mark Frost, Richard Cox as the dissolute Gerald, Anne Meacham as aging and selfish neurotic Eunice Kahn, and Roger De Koven as the gentle and easygoing Serge. Henry Judd Baker cuts a truly frightening figure as hulking and disfigured mute strongman Jackal while Herve Villechaize has a total field day as twisted and vicious dwarf The Spider. Roger Racine's hyperactive cinematography adds a crackling jolt of gritty energy. Lee Gagnon's varied score alternates between folksy tunefulness and more standard shivery ooga-booga stuff. A nifty one-of-a-kind curio.

Scott LeBrun Historically important as the first filmmaking effort for the young Oliver Stone, "Seizure" will likely not appeal to certain genre fans. There's no gore - there are always cut aways when something violent happens - there isn't much sleaze (although Mary Woronov looks mighty fetching wearing very little), and the script tends to favour talk over action. Still, if anything, "Seizure" is an interesting film. It could be argued that there's simply too much exposition, but Stone and his co-writer Edward Mann do give the film a philosophical nature. It's definitely a thinking persons' horror film, albeit one with some decent atmosphere and a respectable amount of weirdness.'Dark Shadows' star Jonathan Frid plays Edmund Blackstone, a horror novelist who's having some friends over at his country home for the weekend. Edmund is plagued by nightmares, and soon these friends and Edmund & his family will fall prey to some characters that Edmund may have dreamed into existence. First is the Queen of Evil, played by sultry cult icon Martine Beswicke. Next is the hulking, scar faced Jackal (Henry Judd Baker). Finally, we have a malevolent dwarf named The Spider (played by Herve Villechaize of 'Fantasy Island' fame). They subject their victims to various cruel games, pitting character against character.The acting is variable from a cast also including the super sexy Woronov, Joseph Sirola, Christina Pickles, Troy Donahue, and Richard Cox. Frid is fairly intense, and his scenes with Roger De Koven as his confidante Serge provide the film with a degree of humanity and thoughtfulness. De Koven is quite good, but it's Beswicke who steals the show; obviously she is enjoying herself. Villechaize (who was also the still photographer) is amusing, but his thick accent renders some of his dialogue hard to understand.Worth a look for fans of Stone and his cast; it is intriguing now to see his humble beginnings.Filmed in the Canadian province of Quebec.Six out of 10.

michaeldouglas1 This is the type of movie that's just barely involving enough for one viewing, but I don't think I could stand to watch it again. It looks and plays like a mid-Seventies TV movie, only with some gratuitous sex and violence thrown in.I agree with several previous posters -- Herve Villechaize is NOT very menacing, and at times even comes off as unintended comedy. At least the other two villains make up for that. Also, it was jolting to see Jonathan Frid is such a pedestrian role, which definitely under-utilized his enormous talents.But I think the basic problem with "Seizure" is in the storyline. The evil trio that are conjured up from Frid's mind are seen too early and too often. They appear to everyone at once, and announce their (murky) plans too early in the picture. In fact, Stone takes this idea and literally shoves it in the viewer's face, with a series of challenges for the guests; challenges that it doesn't seem like they have any chance of winning, anyway. How much more effective would have been keeping the evil ones in the shadows, preying on each house guest in turn, sowing confusion and doubt among the remaining house guests, who don't know who or what is causing the carnage. By having the trio appear early on, to all the "assembled guests", and announcing their plan (confusing as that plan is), much potential for tension and suspense are lost.Also, a more gradual appearance of the evil ones would indicate Frid is slowing losing control of his subconscious. To have Frid subconsciously conjure up these baddies, because he's got hidden grudges against his wife and friends, would have been a far more logical plot device. Instead of having Frid play an intended victim from the get-go, it would have worked better to have him slowing becoming helpless to control the menace he's created, with mixed feelings of guilt and satisfaction as his shallow, superficial friends are killed off. The plot Stone offers up is confusing as to the origins and, most importantly, the motivations of the evil trio, and never gives any explanation why Frid, from whose mind they came from, can exercise absolutely no control over them. Confusing is the word that best sums up the whole picture, and the end feels like a total cheat. Better to have some great showdown in which Frid is finally able to banish the creations of his own tormented mind.Oliver Stone has done some notable work in his career, but sadly "Seizure" is not among them.