The Hamiltons (2006) User Reviews

Interesting, but deeply flawed.

[Caustic Pulp · 6/10 · 20 November 2006]

"The Hamiltons" has a great premise, and the ending of the film is inches from being extremely satisfying. On its own, an excellent ending...it's getting there that's the problem with the film.

The fundamental flaw of "The Hamiltons" is that it's caught between being a serial killer film and a family drama, and unlike "Suburban Nightmare" - which was similar, also an indie, and much better in my opinion - "The Hamiltons" refuses to commit to its characters. It wants you to empathize with them at the same time it paints them as violent sociopaths. In doing this I found the ending disingenuous, and most of the movie was simply too scattered.

There ARE strong points to the film. The main character, Francis, is easily the most well-developed character. Although he gets too whiny and, frankly, useless at times, he's able to make the transition into action with aplomb. His relationship with one of the women being held in the cellar of the house is particularly well-written and potent.

The problem is that the movie feels forced to bend to genre conventions, and in doing so it makes the other three members of the family unsympathetic in the extreme. The characters of Wendell and Darlene are written well as sociopaths, but the problem comes when the film wants you to identify with them and accept them as part of this family, and you can't imagine why anyone would love them even if they WERE family.

The film is worth watching, but the script really could've used another run through editing to work out the kinks.

Good film, but where are the conclusions?

[doctor13 · 5/10 · 18 April 2007]

As has been described elsewhere, THE HAMILTONS is sort of a mixture of LEAVE IT TO BEAVER and Texas CHAIN SAW MASSACRE. A parent-less family of five, the Hamiltons kill and kidnap people, although we don't know exactly why until the end. The teenage boy, Francis, is the only one who seems to be having doubts about the family's exploits, which he documents with a camcorder.

There are several teen angst themes dealt with here: the lack of privacy, the frightening concept of one's place in the world, a first crush, longing for a better life, etc. The performances are all very good, too.

My biggest problem with the film, though is that a lot of the smaller sub-stories aren't tied up and left inconclusive. Oldest brother David is obviously struggling with his homosexuality. The twins begin challenging David's authority, even going so far as to hinting that they might kill him if he tries to restrain them. Wendell torments his brother Francis repeatedly. The twins kill with abandon and no care as to who the victims are and if their disappearances will start massive manhunts, and they don't! The main theme here seems to be that family blood is thicker than other people's blood, which is fine, but I wanted some conclusions to the story lines above, and I wasn't given any. This left me with an unsatisfied feeling of the film not being "finished", and as a result, prevented me from fully enjoying the movie as much as I might have.

the thompsons...

[rivertam26 · 4/10 · 19 November 2006]

Like most of the festivals entries Hamiltons makes for an interesting watch a film thats all ideas and little execution. Although impressive for it's obvious low budget the film falters in it's final twist and becomes dreadfully long during it's drawn out and obvious conclusion. The film is about a family of murderous outcasts trying to survive after there parents have died. They kidnap people , drain the blood from them and feed something locked away in their basement. There's some nice darkly humorous performances from Mckellhar and Firgens and the rest are just so-so. The film never feels realistic or very disturbing for that matter. But for the first half taps into an oddly humorous and dark mixture which is a surprising accomplishment. The next half isn't so successful as it receeds into film oblivion with unrealistic twists into a ridiculously cocky finale that turns the entire film into utter crap. It's a shame though there is no doubt that some talent was involved with this production and although deeply flawed it remains original and creative. too bad that when it comes to the delivery it completely fails on every level.

**/5

Another totally crap 'Film to Die For'.

[poolandrews · 2/10 · 3 April 2009]

The Hamiltons tells the story of the four Hamilton siblings, teenager Francis (Cory Knauf), twins Wendell (Joseph McKelheer) & Darlene (Mackenzie Firgens) & the eldest David (Samuel) who is now the surrogate parent in charge. The Hamilton's move house a lot, Franics is unsure why& is unhappy with the way things are. The fact that his brother's & sister kidnap, imprison & murder people in the basement doesn't help relax or calm Francis' nerves either. Francis know's something just isn't right & when he eventually finds out the truth things will never be the same again...

Co-written, co-produced & directed by Mitchell Altieri & Phil Flores as The Butcher Brothers (who's only other film director's credit so far is the April Fool's Day (2008) remake, enough said) this was one of the 'Films to Die For' at the 2006 After Dark Horrorfest (or whatever it's called) & in keeping with pretty much all the other's I've seen I thought The Hamiltons was complete total & utter crap. I found the character's really poor, very unlikable & the slow moving story failed to capture my imagination or sustain my interest over it's 85 & a half minute too long 86 minute duration. The there's the awful twist at the end which had me laughing out loud, there's this really big sustained build up to what's inside a cupboard thing in the Hamiltons basement & it's eventually revealed to be a little boy with a teddy. Is that really supposed to scare us? Is that really supposed to shock us? Is that really something that is supposed to have us talking about it as the end credits roll? Is a harmless looking young boy the best 'twist' ending that the makers could come up with? The boring plot plods along, it's never made clear where the Hamiltons get all their money from to buy new houses since none of them seem to work (except David in a slaughterhouse & I doubt that pays much) or why they haven't been caught before now. The script tries to mix in every day drama with potent horror & it just does a terrible job of combining the two to the extent that neither aspect is memorable or effective. A really bad film that I am struggling to say anything good about.

Despite being written & directed by the extreme sounding Butcher Brothers there's no gore here, there's a bit of blood splatter & a few scenes of girls chained up in a basement but nothing you couldn't do at home yourself with a bottle of tomato ketchup & a camcorder. The film is neither scary & since it's got a very middle-class suburban setting there's zero atmosphere or mood. There's a lesbian & suggest incestuous kiss but The Hamiltons is low on the exploitation scale & there's not much here for the horror crowd.

Filmed in Petaluma in California this has that modern low budget look about it, it's not badly made but rather forgettable. The acting by an unknown (to me) cast is nothing to write home about & I can't say I ever felt anything for anyone.

The Hamiltons commits the cardinal sin of being both dull & boring from which it never recovers. Add to that an ultra thin story, no gore, a rubbish ending & character's who you don't give a toss about & you have a film that did not impress me at all.

Don't bother!

[nickilancaster · 1/10 · 13 August 2007]

I feel it is my duty as a lover of horror films to warm other people about this horrible and very very bad "horror" film. Don't waste your time or money on this film, the acting is bad, the story is just one of the worst i have come across and the script was just awful. Nothing about it was good, you end up thinking to yourself why am i watching this crap. The plot had so many holes in it and they never got cleared up in the end, it was just so bad, i don't know how a film so terrible could be made. As i said before i love horror films and i was so let down, it was an 18 but you see little blood and no scares or jumps at all. Also what annoyed me was how stupid things happened in the film that had no point to the plot at all like the brother and sister kissing, why? is all i can say. Just don't bother, there are far more great horror films out there, just don't waste your time life is too short.

"The Hamiltons" Brings A Whole New Meaning To The Term 'Dysfunctional Family'.

[drownsoda90 · 7/10 · 31 March 2007]

Another one of the eight films that was part of After Dark's Horror Film Festival, "The Hamiltons" is an intriguing little horror film/twisted family drama that will have you interested and disgusted at the same time. This independent horror film focuses around a family of four, consisting of three brothers and a sister, their parents both deceased. Francis is the youngest, who is withdrawn and spends most of his time filming his unconventional life with his camcorder. Darlene is a wild goth girl with an attitude, and her twin brother, Wendell is a bit of a tough guy and a ladies man. David is the oldest, the "man of the house", who is struggling to take care of his siblings and deal with being a homosexual. The Hamilton family may seem like a basically normal bunch on the surface - but little does anyone know, they also kidnap innocent people and tie them under their house and proceed to murder them.

Interesting premise, eh? I thought so myself. Far from your conventional horror flick, "The Hamiltons" contains one of the most twisted suburban families you'll see on screen. The story itself is pretty original - well, at least I can say I've never seen a film quite like this before. The film balances itself out, teetering on the brink between a horror/crime film and a psycho family drama. Script-wise, the film is really quite impressive. It has a few faults here and there (this would mainly be the trouble finding any sympathy for a couple of the characters of the family, when it seems the writers were poking at that), but overall the writing is clever and keeps a couple of important plot-twists pretty well hidden until the appropriate time to reveal them. It does drag it's feet a little during the middle of the film, which could have been a problem - luckily it isn't necessarily uninteresting because the character interaction is really compelling.

The acting here is surprisingly good, the leading actors are mostly unknown (besides Brittany Daniel of "Club Dread" and "Joe Dirt", who has a small role in the opening scene of the film), but I thought everyone performed well and the characters were pretty believable. The film is shot in a strange fashion, and it gives it an almost documentary style, which puts the audience in the moment. The picture is very bright and clear - it captures a realistic effect. There are a few shaky, jittery camera movements, and while I felt they were over used in some areas, they add a nice effect to the film. The big revelation near the end of the film was near genius, and the conclusion is almost perfect. I won't spoil it for you, because it would essentially ruin the biggest plot twist of the movie.

Overall, this is an interesting little flick with some great things to offer. It's not your typical horror movie at all, so don't expect one - but if you want to see a different type of horror film (a little slow moving, but heavy on character development), check it out. It's not a perfect movie, but I thought it was pretty good. If you thought your family was different, wait until you see "The Hamiltons". 7/10.

The Hamiltons: Insufferably awful

[Platypuschow · 2/10 · 1 December 2023]

Plot

Trying to move on with their lives, and keep their family together after the untimely demise of their parents, the four Hamilton siblings are left all alone to fend for themselves. At first glance, the Hamiltons seem like an ordinary family, and they will do everything in their power to adjust to their new neighbourhood; however, troubled Francis' video camera reveals that there is more to the grieving newcomers than meets the eye. After all, is it normal to keep people captive in your basement

Cast

Nobody I was familiar with.

Verdict

I made a booboo, I watched The Thompsons first, I didn't realize it was a sequel! That I quite enjoyed so upon booting The Hamiltons up I was fairly excited, whoops that was another booboo.

The Hamiltons focuses on this dysfunctional vampire (Of a sort) family. The trouble is the film is cheap, looks cheap, sounds cheap, is cheap and though I watch a lot of indie movies and am generally unphased by this The Hamiltons came across unforgivably so and was very distracting. I wish it had distracted me more then I might not have noticed how terrible the rest of the film is, it's lifeless, it goes nowhere, the characters are wretched and the narration is so tacky it takes you away from what you're watching (But not in the way you'd want).

This isn't a vampire film, this is barely horror.

Rants

Let me be clear, I'm not overly fussed about budgets. A few years ago I remember watching one called Rednecks vs Aliens? I think. It looked like it had been recorded on the oldest VHS recorder imaginable and by someone who was having a seizure from start to finish. But this didn't matter because the film was oddly enjoyable. I don't care about budget but I've always said, keep in line with your budget. If you have a three figure budget, don't make a movie about aliens invading earth.

Breakdown.

Ugly Lifeless Poorly made.

Efficiently captures the spirit of 70s and 80s horror

[dgaither · 7/10 · 6 March 2006]

I saw this film at Cinequest, the San Jose Film Festival, in March of 2006. The Hamiltons is a movie with writing and directing credit going to "The Butcher Brothers". I think this is a name we will be seeing more from in the future. They've managed to put together a good old-fashioned scare fest, with some very powerful shocks along the way, all while using very basic gore and makeup effects.

The movie is about a group of grown siblings, whose parents have died, who are living together as a family unit, trying to be a "normal" suburban family. But they have a terrible secret. Part of that secret is that they abduct and kill people (mostly lovely young women). The rest of the secret is what keeps us involved throughout the mayhem that follows.

They've managed to create an atmosphere similar to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, without being quite so gruesome or so unrelenting. Mixed among the powerful killing and torture scenes are scenes of banal domestic dysfunction. They are obviously big horror fans and sprinkle the movie with references to the movies genre fans love.

My only complaint is that they overindulge in camera tricks. Some of the tricks are very effective. In the pre-credit scene a woman is killed, but the violence occurs in a series of extremely rapid cuts (I'm guessing maybe 3 per second) which keeps us from quite seeing what's happening. This allows our bloody imaginations to do much of the work and keeps us from noticing how simple the make-up effects are. I would like to have seen them use this technique again, but instead they went on to try every camera trick they could think of.

The youngest brother is camcording much of the family action, he says for a school project. This gives the directors an excuse to have many square-cropped, bouncy scenes, with jagged edges around the objects and low resolution. Other scenes are grainy with a shot-on-videotape-in-poor-lighting look. Much of the movie is in high-resolution, beautiful 35mm. Then, even more distractingly, they start mixing up the resolution and cropping mattes, so that we get a high resolution square shot, supposedly from the camcorder, so the actor can look good in close up. There's a couple of scenes where the shot alternates between two actors in dialog and one of them is shot in the grainy tape-look format while the other one is in high-res 35mm. Nearly all of the violent scenes are augmented? by quick-motion, tracers, vibrating cameras, or something else to add impact not present in the action itself. I'm sure they had fun playing all these camera games. The problem is that it draws us out of the story. I spent much of the movie's time thinking about such things, instead of wondering what they were going to do to those poor girls next. There are a few soundtrack scares, but they don't overdo this.

If it ever gets released, I'll want to see it again. The camera tricks do not make the movie unwatchable, they're just distracting. It's a much better movie than a lot of low-budget horror and it left me with the kind of feeling I get from the old 70s and 80s slashers, but it's not as graphic.

Skip this one...

[kender75 · 3/10 · 15 April 2007]

This is the first film of the Horrorfest I have watched and after Im almost thinking I don't need to see any of the others. I was told its a "thinking mans horror movie" and have to say that if this was supposed to make me think I shutter to think what the splatter/gore films in the collection will be like. Don't get me wrong not even the gore in this film is worth sitting through.

The plot is very washed out with way too much art for arts sake. The camera effects and music are out of place most of the time and the characters are banal to say the least. Several characters and scenes seem worthless in the end when they start to reveal some of the hooks of "The Hamiltons". I figured out who Lenny was about half hour in when I figured out the movie. I was so visually under whelmed and confused by the Lenny reveal that I completely felt ripped off. I expected what I got but they could have gone so much further, in fact all the gore falls completely flat. With movies out there like "Hostel" and "Saw" you need to come a little better for a film that is "considered to graphic or too disturbing for general audiences".

"Family Dysfunction" Gets A Murderous Makeover...

[cchase · 8/10 · 29 March 2007]

For lovers of sensitive teen dramas centered around dysfunctional families...have I got a treat for you! THE HAMILTONS will take you back to your high school days of discovering books like CATCHER IN THE RYE, RUMBLEFISH and THE OUTSIDERS...only this has nothing to do with gangs. It does deal with a troubled young man, trying to find his place in the world, and also how he fits in with his VERY unique "family unit." Frances Hamilton (Cory Knauf), confused, withdrawn and in constant turmoil, documents his day-to-day life with his siblings, following them around with a camcorder as he records them and his thoughts in a video journal.

Older brother David (Samuel Child) carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, along with his role as 'man of the house', the legal guardian for everyone else since their parents died. The twins, volatile 'bad boy' Wendell (Joseph McKelheer) and Goth-obsessed Darlene (Mackenzie Firgens) aren't willing participants in the family, unless it involves being with each other. They're as close as a brother and sister can be...actually closer than what's considered appropriate.

The Hamiltons struggle to be good neighbors and put on the best face they can...when they're not shredding off someone else's. They do the best they can anywhere they live, until people start disappearing, and they have to move...AGAIN. Struggling with their murderous, nomadic existence and what it takes for them to survive, Frances is at a crossroads...should he pitch in and help them continue to do what they do, or should he tear the whole family apart in the hopes of finding a more "normal" way to live? If you enjoy 'family dramas with a twist' like George Romero's MARTIN, GINGER SNAPS or even the unconventional psycho-thriller MAY, THE HAMILTONS will definitely be your cup of blood. The Butcher Brothers have carefully fashioned a tale that will keep you engaged even if you figure out the 'family secret' well before the ending.

The actors turn in solid performances, but especially the ferocious effort by McKelheer and Firgens, and Rebekah Hoyle as Sam, the latest victim who may hold the last chance for Frances' most desperate wish.

I'm afraid that hard-core gorehounds seeking maximum carnage may feel cheated. When this film was part of HORRORFEST last year, it was sold as a 'slasher' film in the trailers, which is only half-true. Set your mood for something a little more nuanced and different, and you'll be ready to meet THE HAMILTONS.

The Hamiltons is a thinking person's "horror" film with a slow pace.

[carlykristen · 7/10 · 22 November 2006]

The Hamiltons 2005 (Theatrical "R", After Dark Horrorfest) – Directed by The Butcher Brothers, Winner of the Santa Barbara Intl Film Festival and the Malibu Film Festivals.

The Hamiltons are an unusual family that recent lost their parents. The family now consists of older brother David, who is struggling with his homosexuality and the pressures of running the household, the twins Darlene & Wendell, who are devious troublemakers, and younger brother Francis, who is coming to terms with his family and his place in the world.

The film starts out explaining that The Hamiltons siblings recently lost their parents and they have moved several times within the past couple of years. Twin Wendell soon kidnaps two young girls and it becomes apparent that The Hamiltons are not as they seem. Sensitive Francis grows weary of their ways, but is scared to be alone. Does he decide to do the right thing or stick by his family no matter what?

This is not by any means a typical horror film, but a thinking person's horror film. Those looking for gore and scares will be disappointed. It has an original story with great dialogue showcasing real problems within every family. It is ultimately a very accurate portrayal of a real family dealing with growing pains that features a slight twist at the end. During the end scene, you hear Francis giving a creepy voice-over almost giving it a documentary feel.

Cory Knauf gives a solid performance as Francis, the young man that has so much to say, but cannot. He really shows how torn Francis was in his decision and the isolation felt by many teens struggling to find their place as they hit adulthood. Mackenzie Firgens gives a great turn as twin Darlene who is vicious and sexy at the same time. You will love the scene where she chases Kitty through the house. (And maybe the one where she kisses her own brother!?!)

My only quibble is there is minimal gore and violence. During violent interactions, the camera turns away, so very little is caught on film. There is also an opening scene with Brittany Daniel that looked frightening at first, but there were some jittery camera movements and it fizzled with no pay out.

Bottom Line: The Hamiltons is a subtle "horror" film with a slow pace. This is more of a thinking man's (or woman's) horror film. Gorehounds should pass.

Rating: 7/10

Molly Celaschi www.HorrorYearbook.com MySpace.com/HorrorYearbook

What a waste of time!!!!

[lillwall79 · 1/10 · 5 April 2007]

This is so bad, so very very bad. The acting is the biggest joke in history. Don't even bother to see it, i did ff it after 20 min and it was just as disappointing in the end as in the beginning... I really don't understand peoples taste, I'm a horror movie fan and I'm not fastidious but I DO HAVE A LIMIT! Maybe it was a quarter of a star better then the beginning of The Hoast but that's it. So I recommend you don't waste the 15 minutes you'll be able to watch. I mean the acting is better done by monkeys. And the big brother with the parental role is just awful. Don't they pay characters in C-movies? No I must say it's not the first time I think a horror movie is bad but it's absolutely one in my down ten movies and it will be charing places with Portrait of a vampire, Cabin by the lake, The Hoast!

Boy oh boy...

[there-we-go · 3 November 2006]

This was a very interesting film. I'm not much of a horror/slasher fanatic, but I can appreciate a good story line. This one has a pretty decent plot behind it, but something was lost along the way. I enjoyed the way it was shot--with the younger brother's video project changing it up a bit from the norm. The family includes a set of twins and I think the relationship between the two of them is pretty bizarre, but actually it added a lot to the film. The character Lenny keeps us interested throughout the whole movie, trying to figure out who/what he is, and that was a totally off-the-wall twist. Francis is a relatable character--young teen full of questions and despair, and his development throughout the story was worth observing. It's definitely a strange one, but I got a real kick out of it. I especially like the ending sequence(s) where they start to explain themselves..totally weird. I recommend it, if nothing else, just for the laughs.

Snoozer B-movie

[cblakeJoey · 4/10 · 22 November 2006]

This is the second movie I saw for Horrorfest this past weekend, The Gravedancers being the first. Gravedancers was better. I can only guess from watching this that the production must have been quite limited. I will admit the story started out interesting but really fizzled for me in the end. We weren't really given time to sympathize or understand any of the characters which only made each of their erratic characteristics even more annoying. I have to mention that there was also a bit of mis-casting with a 12-year-old boy acting as Sheriff. The only reason I sat through the whole film was to find out what the big secret was, which turned out to not be all that interesting. Some more background about the family would have helped but they didn't really seem like a family at all to begin with.

To me, this film is so amateur that I couldn't even see putting it on DVD. The four rating is for the initial potential the story might have had. This was one to skip for horrorfest.

Not as good as you think it would be

[Jacob_is_a_playboy · 3/10 · 25 August 2007]

When I saw this at a shop I thought it looked really good and original. Like Wolfs Creek meets Texas chainsaw massacre, and I mean it only cost three quid (around $6). To be honest I don't think it was even worth that.

It seemed like the directors- the 'butcher brothers' couldn't decide whether wanted to do a artsy sort of horror or a gory slasher horror. It ended up with a cliché ridden gory sadistic hour and fifteen minutes with all the characters being one dimensional and you couldn't care less what happened to them but to try to make the audience care about the characters they added a useless monologue at the end and the beginning of the film which to be perfectly honest wasn't needed.

The only good part really was the middle/end- I won't ruin it for you. But that was the only "good "part.

Overall a pointless watch. It felt like a two hour film but was in fact only 75 minutes. If you want an artsy film-don't bother. If you want a slasher movie- don't bother- The film moves so slowly with nothing ever happening.

Wow!!

[delamre22 · 1/10 · 20 November 2006]

When a film is independent and not rated, such as the Hamiltons, I was expecting out of the norm, cut out your heart violence. I know that good movies don't always contain blood and violence, but I read reviews, I visited the website, and I even convinced a few of my friends to pay $9.50 to see this god awful movie with me. When there is a festival called Horrorfest, I am expecting horror, not Dawsons Creek with incestuous undertones. My expectations were extremely low for this film, yet the little expectations there was for the film were shot to hell once I saw that an hour had passed before we saw the first drop of blood come out of someones finger. There were too many plot holes and left too much to the imagination. I regret not seeing Happy Feet. I think there might have been more violence and gore in that movie than in the Hamiltons!

One of the best independent horror films since Saw.

[superduperspit · 7/10 · 22 November 2006]

The Hamiltons is one of the best independent horror films since Saw. More of an intense character study than anything else, this disturbing creep show takes a tired concept and successfully gives it a refreshing, and even humorous, twist. If this film is any indication, The Butcher Brothers are a pioneering duo who should be watched in the coming years, whose ability to tell an engrossing and twisted story is bold and unique.

The Hamiltons are just like every other family. Or so it would seem. How well do we really know our neighbors? And all that goes on behind closed doors. After their parents die, the four children are left to care, and survive, for themselves. There's David, who has taken up the fatherly role and does the best he can at providing for his brothers and sister. Frances, the high schooler who - just like every other teenager - is still discovering who he is and how to fit in and cope with this strange and confusing world. And the twins, Wendell and Darlene, who are more of the outcasts and have a relationship with each other that may raise a few eyebrows. Every new town they settle into - they've lived in 6 different houses in two years - a dark secret surrounds their existence. A secret they'll kill to keep, and kill to survive.

It took me by surprise to see how The Hamiltons worked on many different levels, and not just as another generic horror flick. Quite profoundly, it puts our society and culture under scrutiny. It plays off that always thought-provoking idea that though we may put our best foot forward to the outside world, it simply acts as a mask hiding who we really are behind closed doors. It poses questions about what it means to be happy, to be content, even normal. Questions that don't have any answers, but by which we define ourselves both to ourselves and to society. Could The Hamiltons be nothing more than a study of a quintessential dysfunctional family? The condition that plagues the Hamiltons can simply be seen as a masquerade to mask the film's social commentary. It's worth a thought.

Hamiltons also stands as a great psychological film. It takes advantage of its low budget by making a movie that is told by its fascinating characters, rather than relying on cheap tricks. And though the actual amount of thrills in the film may be shortly numbered, it has no problem maintaining its creepy and atmospheric undertone. It's a disturbing film that captures an element of horror that isn't seen very often anymore. Whereas today the trend continues to drift towards providing films that are over-stylized and gimmicky, The Hamiltons is raw and gritty, but powerful. It's not a graphic film by today's standards, but plays off of the viewer's imagination, which at times is scarier than anything the film may show us. And ultimately, your reaction to the film may depend on how you like your horror served. If you're not looking for subtly rather than gruesome gore, you might as well skip this one and look elsewhere.

The Hamiltons is an eerie film that'll catch your attention and never let go. It takes a concept that isn't necessarily original, but is executed in a way that's unique and vastly entertaining. For a debut film, The Butcher Brothers prove their writing and directing abilities in a way that's superior to most of what's out there today, their eye for terror both refreshing and innovative. And with a crop of rising actors whose talent holds great potential, The Hamiltons is outright one of the best and most enjoyable horror films to come out this year. It may give you reason to take a second look at your neighbors next time you see them.

Two-Word Review:

Brooding Darkness

Review posted by Burtonesque on www.boxofficefanatic.com

miserable whiny family dynamics...

[Pete975 · 2/10 · 2 July 2007]

...that seem to be fooling people into seeing qualities in this film that are just not there.

Near Dark covered the same territory but with much more class, and action.

why the script kept their 'big secret' so long was a total mystery to me - I guessed it at the breakfast scene at the start of the film. By the time it was revealed to the viewer it was just a case of 'big deal, tell me something I don't know.'

I found this to be pointless movie that may have challenged the genre conventions, unfortunately those conventions are that horror films are tense and packed with genuine sense of horror. This was woeful

An Interesting Family Tale, A New Perspective

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 4 June 2007]

The Butcher Brothers deliver a story of a family (The Hamiltons) who must travel from place to place because each time they move something goes wrong and the police show up. Could it somehow be related to the women that they tie up in the cellar? The youngest brother begins to to think this family tradition is something that must end.

In many ways there's nothing new to this movie. I'm sure if you think about it, you can find a film where a family member does bad things, the family protects him or her and when caught they move on. Sadly, the first thing that comes to my mind is Stephen King's "Sleepwalkers" (although some comparisons could be made). So in that respect, nothing shocking here.

But, I still felt there was something -- I don't know what -- special about this film. I think it might be how the plot was more focused on the family relationship and dynamics than with the horror aspects. Yes, there are girls tied up in the cellar. But the main focus is how the brothers relate to each other with the parents being deceased. Sort of like a dysfunctional "Party of Five" (although I guess "POF" was never that functional).

There is a bit of sexuality here for those who need it, including some scenes of two women getting friendly. The gore is very modest, mostly just a trickle of blood here and there. But these things the film lacks are made up for in the strength of the characters. The lead (the older brother) is not a great actor compared to the rest, but it still comes off as mostly believable.

The 2006 After Dark festival wasn't known for its quality films (though I enjoyed a few of them). This was one of the better ones. Give it a spin if you're looking for a character-driven low budget film. While nothing near the masterpiece that "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" is, this will provide the viewer an inner glimpse of the mind of a killer. And his family.

quite possibly the worst movie of all time

[dumbbroad86 · 1/10 · 20 November 2006]

Terrible acting, lame plot, stupid story and just all around terrible movie sums up this piece of junk. It was excruciating to sit through. Just awful. Do not waste one penny on this. The movie theaters should feel bad about actually putting this movie out there for people to watch. This "horror" film was not even in the least bit scary, creepy or disturbing. It was in no way visually appealing. The acting was so terrible by all of the actors that any attempt to draw you into the movie through dialog are completely destroyed within moments of the actor/actress opening their mouth. Plus the entire story, i don't know why someone would make a movie with this story AGAIN. Do not waste your time or money. Even if it's a free ticket don't waste one moment viewing this movie. You will feel dumber for watching it.

Loved it!

[miss_sirriamnis · 9/10 · 20 November 2006]

The description of this film did not excite me overly, as I really despise the "people being horrible to other people" subgenre of horror. Boring.

But, there was a projector glitch in the previous Horrorfest film I'd been attending, and they gave us free passes, I was already at the theater, I figured "Why not?" I very nearly walked out in the middle of the opening sequence, because it looked to be very much a "people being horrible to other people" cliché, but I decided to stick it out and I'm glad I did. Best film of the festival.

I thought the story was engaging, and while the violence and gore on camera was minimal, it was effective. After twenty minutes, I WANTED to see how and why this family was so screwed up. While I started to have my suspicions about the twist at the end, it wasn't until just very shortly before it was revealed.

8 films to die for

[socalsurfkid · 6/10 · 19 November 2006]

"This is unlike any other horror movie I've seen. It is less focused on violence, and instead really develops its story around the characters. It still has its fair share of gore, but it is more of a drama than your typical horror flick. I thought the movie was great, as did many others, as The Hamiltons won the Santa Barbara Film Festival, the Malibu Film Festival, SF Indie Fest and was selected for several more festivals. If you don't have tickets for "8 Films to Die For" yet this weekend I recommend hurrying up and seeing this movie." I saw this in new york and i think the rest of the audience really got a scare out of the film too. I definitely saw a number of people jump and grab the person next to them.

"The Hamiltons refuses to play by most of the genre rules, and is best experienced as a ghoulish comedic take on the post-modern American family, in which the chain of command is up for grabs. Midnight slots at fests and specialty cinemas are a no-brainer, and vid should spill some blood." – Robert Koehler, Variety.com

Amateur

[jboyaquar · 4/10 · 25 June 2007]

Without effective indulgence of the supernatural or the poetic motivating nuances of humanity, all this creative team has to hope for is effective usage of its middling, unoriginal elements. 'Party of Five' gone maniacal then genetically unescapable there's little rooting interest because the singular non-homicidal element is a second-rate bland awful-acting 'Wes Bentley' mopester. In fact, all of the acting is skin deep. Even though the dark-haired women appeal, the salaciousness is kept to a minimum. No nudity here. Also lacking are sufficient buckets of blood. All sensations are kept at a teasing, safe distance...an unfortunate fact considering the given name of the directors is 'butcher.' Only the soundtrack, the droning angsty alt-country and the tense fluctuating score provide any palpable tension. Sometimes some static storyboarded compositions add appealing low-angles that adds to the malaise...but for a film that calls itself horror, I did not even get close to flinching once. Perhaps a greater emphasis on societal rejuvenation through blood intake, scenes directed with varying geometric shapes outside the square, and a sustained focus on playfulness through the family's maliciousness or traps sympathetic characters need to escape in order to escape their dilemma would have improved my opinion, but this was not a good start to my excursion through horrorfest.

one of the worst independent horror movies i've seen

[tipillillo · 3/10 · 29 July 2007]

i rate this movie with 3 skulls, only coz the girls knew how to scream, this could've been a better movie, if actors were better, the twins were OK, i believed they were evil, but the eldest and youngest brother, they sucked really bad, it seemed like they were reading the scripts instead of acting them.... spoiler: if they're vampire's why do they freeze the blood? vampires can't drink frozen blood, the sister in the movie says let's drink her while she is alive....but then when they're moving to another house, they take on a cooler they're frozen blood. end of spoiler

it was a huge waste of time, and that made me mad coz i read all the reviews of how this movie was great, how many awards this movie won, and this movie was f****ing s**t!!!!