Red Velvet (2009)

I love this movie so much

From my favorite movies..

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

If you can't guess what is going to happen within about 10 minutes, then you obviously paid no attention during your literary courses and you need some serious mental help. Of course, this movie sets itself up as being all about the journey itself, and on that note, I feel it must get a mixed review. As others have pointed out in some reviews I've read, there is some visual appeal here and there. I did love the peep hole scenes and odd camera angles. But they spent way too much time telling the 'story' of the murders at the cabin, all of which includes too much unnecessary gore. Something about the film just feels wrong, like they tried too hard and rushed too much rather than taking their time, or maybe they just alloted the time they did have to all the wrong things. The concept of a serial killer revealing his recent killing spree to someone in the disguise of a fictional story is intriguing, but I think the concept could've been executed much more effectively as a drama than a predictable, fairy-tale-like parody of already cheesy 80's slasher films. Think about it--let the characters meet, maybe let the killer be more complex and less one dimensional so he has genuine feelings for the girl, then somehow they unintentionally end up back at the scene of his crimes. In that scenario, you wouldn't know what he would choose to do. Will he kill his new love interest? Will he sacrifice himself to spare her? Maybe she is a bit dark as well, so there's even a question as to whether or not she'd turn him in anyway. Now that is a movie I'd like to see. This one, not so much. A pleasant diversion, visually, but you'd have to be a zombie to even feign surprise at the outcome. I mean, come on, a creepy guy who makes no bones about hating the girl from the very beginning? How could that possibly go wrong?

This is a very interesting movie being marketed in a non-traditional way. Amazon has the exclusive rights to it as I understand, and the DVDs are kind of made to order. Whatever the marketing and how it well it works for them, this horror movie with a wink of the eye, needs to be seen, especially by fans of Dario Argento and the old school slasher films. Filmed in 35MM 1.85 A/R, the movie looks amazing. The colors are brilliant and definitely an homage to Argento, as are other aspects of the movie. The first time I watched it, I wasn't sure what to think, because I had read too much hype, and was expecting a dumbed down horror comedy making fan of slasher movies. In other words, I had low expectations, and after the first viewing, it left me a little confused. That's why I wanted to listen to the commentary on the second viewing, and this time, I found it to be a very good horror film even if it doesn't take itself too serious. The story is about Aaron (Henry Thomas) who has a problem with his noisy upstairs neighbor Linda (Kelli Garner). He manages to watch through his keyhole and meet her at a laundromat, where he comes off as a big jerk of a neighbor. But he does manage to get her to have lunch with him, where she tells him she is mad because she was invited to a birthday party in a cabin by a lake, and her boyfriend won't take her. So Aaron decides to tell her a story about taking revenge on those friends with a goofy looking stalking killer, that has a Polaroid type camera on his head, and takes a picture of his victim before the slice and dice routine. Yea, the killer is pretty silly, but his killings in this story Aaron is telling, is not silly at all, and pretty gruesome. Linda gets a little fed up with creepy Aaron and leaves, but they both live in the same building, so they meet again, and then Aaron agrees to drive her to the cabin and the birthday party. That's probably as much of the story and plot I should tell, because this movie is basically a story within a story.The technical aspects of the movie are brilliant with very vibrant colors and excellent camera work, and very good acting and direction. Listening to the commentary is important, because it is easy to miss all the homages on first viewing, and Joe Moe's producer commentary fills in all the blanks. On the gorehound level, there are two or maybe three good kills, and one excellent gore scene with a guy getting sawed in two head to belly. I definitely liked that one, and that along with at least one more would definitely eliminate an R rating, so it's good they didn't care about the rating. But outside of some pretty decent kills, I liked the whole idea of the setup and payoff, even though I pretty much had the whole thing figured out pretty early. It doesn't matter, because watching it all unfold is a lot of fun, especially with the excellent creepy performance by Henry Thomas. I would definitely recommend this movie, it delivers the goods, and is absolutely a delight to watch visually. You could say, it's a very pretty horror film, and even though it does make a little bit of fun of the slasher genre, it doesn't go too far and comes out being just plain silly. On second viewing, it came out much more to me as a good horror film, than a homage to the slasher genre. Give this one a try, it comes with some very good extras, and as I said, a very very good commentary. It's also the last time you'll see of the late Forrest J Ackerman in a brief cameo. Congrats to producer Joe Moe, and director Bruce Dickson for producing a rather unique horror film that is also a lot of fun.

Red Velvet is one of the goriest and wittiest horror movies not just of this year, but EVER! Its highly original script gives the genre of horror hope amid all the PG-13 films made for tweens and wretched remakes clogging the video shelves.The film was screened to a packed house (standing room only!) at this year's Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors in Los Angeles and no one in the audience left disappointed. The script is uproarious in all the right places while still maintaining its horror sensibilities and having some truly splatterific set pieces. From the opening scenes in the laundromat where Aaron and Linda are trading jabs to the hilarious scene where they come up with the "perfect killer," the film is blackly comedic. And then there's the gore…the amazingly bloody gore! Like one scene where an unfortunate dude gets sawed in half. Or the scene in which a couple tries to climb out of a deep hole…but the end of the rope is attached to an alligator that keeps getting steadily and steadily closer to falling in the hole every time the couple climbs a few more feet…how's that for original? The acting is superb with Henry Thomas giving a manic, off-kilter performance as writer Aaron. Kelli Garner as Linda holds her own as well and proves that she won't be bullied by Aaron's snide remarks 'cause she dishes 'em right back! It was nice to see her character wasn't the stereotypical "helpless" female victim, but one who fights back. The supporting cast holds its own through the ever-changing characters' as Aaron molds his story to fit the personalities and looks of Linda's friends. Despite the many character incarnations, all of the actors held their own, among them Eric Jungmann (Killer Pad), Michele Nordin and Carlie Westerman (An American Crime).Heightening the atmosphere is the direction by first-time director Bruce Dickson. The shots are engaging and beautifully bathed in unnatural reds, purples, yellows and oranges (especially for the story-telling scenes). The uniquely disconcerting score also gives the audience the impression that they are entering the "Twilight Zone" and that we are in for something truly special and weird.My only complaint with the film was the ending, which lacked the punch of the rest of the film. Other than that, I am aglow with high praise for Red Velvet. It is truly one of the most memorable and unique horror films I've ever experienced.Read the entire review at www.fatally-yours.com.

I must say it's been awhile since I have seen a good horror flick, and when I had the chance to see Red Velvet, I jumped on it. The movie is so unique and different it kept me wanting more even when it was over. I admit I jumped during the movie and I laughed at scenes. It was both scary and comedic at the same time that's what makes it so cool to watch. Leaving the theater I had both a smile on my face and a feel of being satisfied, I finally got to sit down in the theater and watch something different, something original, something unique other then re-makes.. That same night I had a dream that my boyfriend was the killer in the movie and after me, so for the movie having that type of effect on me, I think that's awesome. Recommend for any Horror lover....Reyna Young- Owner- Last Doorway Productions- www.lastdoorwayproductions.com