ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Candida It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

CabbageCustard I would be the first one to admit that I am not a particular fan of horror movies, but I've sat few enough of them to know that some are genuinely frightening and keep you on the edge of your seat, maybe even watching through gaps in fingers held over your eyes. Sadly Shadow Builder is not, definitely not, one of those. I don't recall if I have ever encountered a movie which tries so hard to be scary but is so lacking in suspense and frightening moments. This movie is more likely to produce incredulous guffaws than squeals of terror. Full of both clichéd and ridiculous characters, chief among whom is the central character, the eponymous Shadow Builder, who floats around making ominous and serious pronouncements to the other protagonists in a basso profundo tones. Sadly, the makers of this movie did not understand the concept of 'less is more' and that subtlety can be very effective in evoking an atmosphere of menace. Subtlety is in short supply here.All that being said though, I didn't hate this movie. My enjoyment however, was the type that comes from watching something so bad it was actually good. Well, maybe not good, but certainly amusing!

kclipper This is an average-grade horror film based on the more primitive 1881 short story by Bram Stoker originally appearing in his collection entitled "Under The Sunset". Jamie Dixon, who's most prominent contributions were the visual effects on the James Cameron films of the 90's, takes a shot at directing this low budget effort featuring the intense acting ability of Michael "Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer" Rooker as a gun-toting Catholic priest on the hunt for a cult-leader turned demon wrecking havoc on a quiet town in the form of a shape-shifting shadow entity. Sure enough, the demon needs the soul sacrifice of a prophetic young boy (terribly portrayed by child actor Kevin Zegers.) It just so happens that the shadow demon is susceptible to the effects of bright light. (What a coincidence), and all this evil causes the town to go bonkers. Just about every plot device is predicable and contrived as typically dumb, hunky sheriff, Shawn Alex Thompson tries to piece it all together, and Tony Todd is just plain stupid as the wise-cracking town crazy, complete with phony "Pirates of the Caribbean" wig and eye-patch who is conveniently obsessed with artificial light. The visual effects and thinly crafted script are average at best as well as the demon creature itself. Overall, this has a lively pace, and Michael Rooker's pistol packing priest is a hoot. This little horror/action flick came around just when this type of genre was dying out, and the VHS craze was being replaced with the DVD revolution, so it is considered by many to be a "transitional rarity". You could do worse...considering.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews Father Vassey(a usually intense Rooker) is a mean, motherf-ing servant of god, dual-wielding 9mm pistols with laser sights that he sadly uses all too little, and he's one of the more enjoyable aspects of this. He is introduced gunning down a perverted(not like that! ...then again...) clan of Catholic higher-ups who have just summoned the original titular demon(created when light came about), and it's out to... I don't know, exactly, with all this theism-driven "horror"(this is not all that scary, if there are creepy and atmospheric portions here and there), it's just an alternative to their faith that is the evil, and this one is somewhat vague in that regard. Anyway, it needs to take over a human host to do... whatever, I don't know, maybe to stop chuckling, maybe air tickles it. It's sights are set on a pre-teen boy in a nearby small town, where it hides in a sewer(or, going by what it looks like from it's POV-shots, it's rushing down a lava water slide), and gradually drive the inhabitants to sin and chaos(whether you take it seriously or not, it's another memorable aspect). This is very much a B-movie, though it's not cheesy enough to be fun like that. Yes, there are some good moments but they are few and far between. There is a heavy reliance on CGI with it utilizing a ton of it, and, being the late 90's(and low budget), the FX(in fact, in general) are not of a very high quality(with some exceptions, some of the practical stuff). Also, many things are shown too briefly, where you barely have time to see what you're looking at before it moves on. I don't remember when I last had to rewind so often during one film. While the insidious being is in the shadow some(leaving it to us to imagine what exactly he looks like), he's way too chatty and when you do see some more of him, the design is strange and not that interesting. Acting varies. Characters are forgettable(even Tony Todd as the village idiot... well, he seemed to be entertained by it, himself). Pacing can be an issue, as this can really drag. At the end of the day, there are better camp flicks out there... Mother of Tears had far more going on, and End of the Line was genuinely chilling. There is some disturbing, violent and gory content and a little full female nudity in this. I recommend this to big fans of Christian fantasy with devils or the like. 5/10

hightide With direct to video, you always have lowered expectations. So this one really grabs you. Good to see Michael Rooker playing a Good Guy. Thats part of what works. He has that capacity to turn evil at any moment. An as-kicking, devil-whomping priest!Again with this type of movie you don't expect the best special effects, you have to appreciate the sense that people cared enough about this story to do it as well as they did it on a button buget.