Kolobos (1999)

You won't be disappointed!

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The first must-see film of the year.

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

"Kolobos" opens in someone else's point of view, someone who's obviously out of it, wandering the night-time streets aimlessly. The person is suddenly hit by a car, and when one of the vehicle's occupants gets out to check on the person, we find out that it's a female as she faintly utters the word "kolobos". The girl is taken to the hospital where she is operated on before being put in a room to recover. The patient next to her decides to read newspaper ads to her for the hell of it, and one of the ads triggers her to remember everything that has happened to her (we also find out that her name is Kyra, and she has spent time in a halfway house). It's an ad looking for five young people to participate in a groundbreaking new experimental film. They will be stuck in this big, fancy house with video cameras watching their every move. There's just one problem. Something is very awry in this house, and all hell is about to break loose. Could ex-loony Kyra be behind it all, or is there something much more sinister afoot?"Kolobos" is a film which I passed by many times in the video store and never even thought about checking out, as the cover made it look like yet another DTV waste of space. Later, I saw some raves about the film on one of the boards I frequent, so I decided to finally check it out was promptly blown away. The film's cover art does not do it justice at all! It's easily one of the most atmospheric, downright creepy as hell independent horror films I've had the pleasure of viewing.The characters are all well-portrayed, the actors making them feel like real people in search of their own 15 minutes of fame. It's somewhat ironic that Amy Weber, who plays Kyra, actually went on to be one of those flash in the pan types herself. Too bad, as she's actually quite solid here. The authenticity of the characters makes the brutal gore harder to take than it normally would be. The first death in the film, for instance, not only took me by total surprise, but it was disturbing to watch as the victim slowly succumbed. I didn't even like this particular person, but the brutality and realism, both in character and reaction, managed to get under my skin.The house makes for a creepy setting, and it oozes a sense of the foreboding right from the start. The film's score also helps, and it should seeing how it sounds quite similar to the masterful music from "Suspiria" at times.This film took me by surprise and turned out to be one hell of an intense gem in the often generic sea of direct to video horror. It is now a permanent fixture amidst my collection, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought that the installation of deadly booby traps into the next Big Brother house would be an interesting idea: it would certainly help the show's falling ratings if Davina's irritating, fame-hungry contestants died horribly live on TV (hey, maybe they're going to do that for the final series next year... y'know, go out in style).Well, in Kolobos, that's exactly what happens—a group of young hopefuls enter a plush, Big Brother style house to take part in an experimental film, but become trapped and meet gruesome fates as they accidentally activate spring loaded circular saw blades, acid showers, and ankle mangling pincers, before being finished off by a mysterious killer known as Kolobos. At first it seems as though the director of the project has tricked the house-mates into becoming the unwitting stars of a snuff film, but when he also meets a sticky fate, suspicion falls on contestant Kyra (Amy Weber), a mentally disturbed 'artist' (I use quote-marks because her drawings are crap!) who sketches twisted images, and suffers from terrifying visions.For the most part, this is an entertaining affair which reminds me a little of the British horror movie My Little Eye; the trouble is that Kolobos decides to get a little clever for its own good, adding a large dose of psychological/split identity guff (ala John Cusack thriller Identity) and becoming all too confusing in the process. By the end of the film, I was unsure as to who the killer was or whether the events shown had ever actually happened.Was there really a faceless monster named Kolobos stalking the house? Was Kyra the murderer? Or had she conjured the whole thing up in her mind as a test run for the Real McCoy? And whilst I'm raising awkward questions, how the hell does someone go about converting a large, suburban property into an escape proof, metal clad prison without someone questioning your motives? And am I the only one who reckons that the film's music rips-off Suspiria's soundtrack?Anyway, despite all of the unanswered questions, general confusion, and ambiguity, I still had a reasonably good time with this film: the girls are cute (Weber has the beautiful weirdo thing down pat, and Promise LaMarco, as ditzy Tina, is blessed with a lovely set of dimples); the gore is impressively nasty; and directors Daniel Liatowitsch and David Todd Ocvirk manage to deliver enough effective scares and creepy atmosphere to make it fun while it lasts.

I anticipated "Kolobos" rather sceptically but it really wasn't as bad as I initially feared. It looks like another unoriginal and overly loud new age horror flick and the internet buzz wasn't very positive, neither. But right from the opening credits' music, which is clearly inspired by Dario Argento's "Suspiria", this film turns out to be an interesting and experimenting thriller of which the makers aren't afraid to finally show some downright sick gore again. I have to agree with most other reviewers about the plot and story continuity being absolute rubbish, though. The basic plot and the introduction of the characters are still very watchable but pretty soon the scriptwriters pretend to be more clever than they are and throw in implausible situations and enormously confusing plot twists. The whole ending is one giant "what-the-hell" moment. Personally, I didn't understand one iota of it and I like to think of myself that I'm not entirely stupid. Then why would I still encourage horror fans to give "Kolobos" a look? Because it's one of the only late 90's horror movies out there that contains many actual disturbing images and truly shocking and nauseating gore! Many creepy visions and hallucinations appear to leading lady Kyra (like a guy slicing off his own face) and the other character die in ultra-violent ways that are definitely not for the fainthearted! One poor guy even has his head smashed to pulp against a wall. The build up to these massacres are always quite atmospheric and the barbaric make-up effects are hugely convincing. Maybe first-time writers/directors David Todd Ocvirk and Daniel Liatowitsch should have put a little more effort in the plotting, but they're obviously great admirers of the horror genre that surely know their classics and therefore I can only applaud their work and look forward to further (and substantially better?) work.

A young artist Kyra lays semi-conscious in a hospital bed.She was brought savagely slashed and battered,uttering one word 'Kolobos'.36 hours later Kyra,enticed by a free vacation offer,participates in an experimental film.Unfortunately she and the rest of the cast soon discover that they are trapped in a lodge with sealed doors and windows and no means of escape.One by one,they encounter a vicious killer with a mutilated face."Kolobos" is a pretty good experimental slasher which reminds me a little bit another unsettling horror film "My Little Eye".The acting by totally unknown cast is decent and the killings are very gory and sadistic.The film is heavily influenced by Italian giallos,especially the works of Dario Argento and this is another reason to see it.The musical score by William Kidd clearly copies the main theme by Goblin from "Suspiria".The death scenes are gruesome including nasty teeth-smashing straight from "Deep Red" and a horrific eyeball puncture ala "Evil Dead Trap".The film offers some surreal scenes and enough grisly surprises to satisfy fans of low-budget horror.Give it a chance.8 out of 10.