Fingerprints (2006)

the audience applauded

Simply A Masterpiece

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

I enjoyed it. The mother was a bit too much but overall not a bad flick fer a rainy Sunday lazy day

This is a low-budget flick that on the most part doesn't look low-budget. No real acting to speak of, but a story line that engrosses you. Melanie(Leah Pipes)returns home from a drug rehab stay to a small town that has been almost paralyzed due to a tragic accident that happened 50 years ago. Citizens stood helpless and watched a train plow into a school bus filled with their children. Melanie gets wrapped up in the legend of ghosts of the dead children being able to push a stalled car off of those same tracks. Can it be that this troubled teen can actually unlock the real reason of the terrible tragedy? Harry Basil directs this movie filmed in Guthrie and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Veteran actors Lou Diamond Phillips and Sally Kirkland are joined by Kristin Cavallari, Josh Henderson, Ben Hall and Sydnee Harlan.

"Fingerprints" is an all around mixed bag. Some brilliant moments of creepiness mixed with moments of complete Duh…At its heart is a ghost story. However, someone came up with the idea to make it a slasher film as well. While the paranormal elements tend to work well, the masked killer segments do not, partially to do with the fact that the killer's costume is laughable at best. The premise is quiet simple, if not clichéd. A small town with a big secret and tragic past. Enter a castaway to learn about, and then attempt to solve the mystery. One big problem that I had was with the flashback sequences. They seemed to really cheapen the film and story. A few flashbacks would suffice, but the movie tries to hurl them at you and make things more confusing and less entertaining. The acting is also a mixed garden salad. Plump full of ripe tomatoes and rotten prunes. I was pulled out of several scenes because of this and found it harder to concentrate on the plot. The main characters are well portrayed, particularly Leah Pipes as "Melanie" and Andrew Lawrence as 'Mitch". During the finale and reveal, things became quite rushed (budget issues?) and I was left a bit unsatisfied. However, everything is presented to you in a nice little package, so at least you understand the story.Not bad if you're looking for a ghost story. It may even be appealing to some slasher fans. It's a middle of the road type film, not really bad, but not really good either. I guess it all depends on what you're looking for. For me, it was half and half. So on a scale of 1 to 10, I'll give it an even 5… Right smack dab in the middle.

A horror movie must have many given aspects, before it captures the loyalty of it's audience. The initial ingredient of course is suspense. This must be followed by a solid story line which conjures up the dark side of imagination. Lastly, it must be held solidly by the actors which must convince the audience of their fear, terror and apprehension. In this movie which is called " Fingerprints " several key aspects are definitely present. The story is that in a small town, a dramatic and mysterious event took place which centered around the deaths of a dozen children. It seems a bus load of school children were killed when their vehicle was hit by a passing train. Years later Melanie (Leah Pipes) a returning resident arrives to finish high school, learns this may not be true. Her parents worry about her as she is also a recovering drug addict who suffers from residual delusions. From the moment she starts school, she becomes aware of her tenuous situation with her strict parents, her insincere counselor and the reoccurring apparition of one of the dead children. The movie has the surprising addition of two Hollywood veterans, Lou Diamond Phillips who plays Doug and Geoffrey Lewis playing old man Keeler. Unfortunately, the film also contains several repetitive themes borrowed from 'The Sixth Sense', 'Scream' and 'Holloween' and further does not resolve some very tense and dramatic moments. As a result, the movie is deemed acceptable, though it tries very hard to become the corner stone of an anticipated sequel. ****