I wasn't amused with "Amusement".The laughable synopsis on the cover goes like that: Tabitha,Shelby and Lisa.They're longtime friends on separate life paths.But they share a horrific destination when a seemingly innocent incident from their school days comes back to terrify them.Someone wants payback:warped vengeance...mind-games vengeance...taunting,shredding,slashing vengeance.Inside a stone-walled chamber of prison cells and mechanisms of doom,the three women and other victims face a fierce fight to survive."Amusement" is terrible.With dumb plot and zero scares it offers nothing even remotely interesting even for seasoned horror fan.The killer is an underdeveloped cliché with truly annoying laugh.There is only one effectively creepy scene in which the emerging female lead is confronted with a room stuffed with dolls and clowns.The violence is tame so gorehounds and slasher fans will be disappointed.4 out of 10.
110 Reviews
Could Have Been Something
cmf105619 January 2009
This movie started off decently, then slowly after about five minutes it just goes down hill. The film has terrible acting and the characters make the most idiotic choices. The plot, which no one can even comprehend by the end of the movie, is just awful. Nothing makes sense and you will be left scratching your head. The only scary part about this movie is the clown. The clown is creepy and looks very original and cool. If they would have focused on the clown, had a more defined plot structure, and better acting...well it wouldn't have gone straight to video. The whole film is just completely ruined, and with their budget and scenery it could have actually been scary and cool. This is a complete waste of your time, so please don't spend any money on this garbage.
At most average
shamirgupta16 January 2009
After languishing for so long in 2008, Amusement is finally making its debut on DVD. I had high hopes for the movie after watching the trailer but it is nowhere near what I had expected it to be.
The movie can be summarized as a series of vignettes.Each vignette tells the tale of three women and their encounter with a psychotic killer, out to get them for they had done to him in the past. The plot is similar to Valentine (2001) but the movie was weighed, measured and found wanting.
For starters the editing could have been a lot better. The movie starts off with the Shelby story when it could have been much better placed when the psychiatrist questions Tabitha about Shelby. Another scene in which Lisa tries to enter the hotel and accidentally breaks a bottle, when the psycho steps out the bottle is still on the steps untouched and in one piece.
The story was not impressive at all. The whole Tabitha portion of the story of her babysitting her cousins and being attacked by the clown was very similar to Halloween (1978). The back-story which told why the psycho had such an animosity towards the girls in the first place should have been well explained.
The characters where not plausible at all. For instance, when Lisa sends her boyfriend to check on her friend at the hotel and when he doesn't come out, she doesn't call the cops, she goes in herself. I mean how stupid can you get. The movie is nothing more than a compilation of several slasher movies made in the past all jumbled up into one movie. No wonder why this movie never made it to the big screen.
If you want to watch a good horror movie rent out Halloween(1978), Psycho(1960) or The Changeling(1980)because this movie is nothing more than another futile attempt by Hollywood to create a decent, original horror movie.
The movie can be summarized as a series of vignettes.Each vignette tells the tale of three women and their encounter with a psychotic killer, out to get them for they had done to him in the past. The plot is similar to Valentine (2001) but the movie was weighed, measured and found wanting.
For starters the editing could have been a lot better. The movie starts off with the Shelby story when it could have been much better placed when the psychiatrist questions Tabitha about Shelby. Another scene in which Lisa tries to enter the hotel and accidentally breaks a bottle, when the psycho steps out the bottle is still on the steps untouched and in one piece.
The story was not impressive at all. The whole Tabitha portion of the story of her babysitting her cousins and being attacked by the clown was very similar to Halloween (1978). The back-story which told why the psycho had such an animosity towards the girls in the first place should have been well explained.
The characters where not plausible at all. For instance, when Lisa sends her boyfriend to check on her friend at the hotel and when he doesn't come out, she doesn't call the cops, she goes in herself. I mean how stupid can you get. The movie is nothing more than a compilation of several slasher movies made in the past all jumbled up into one movie. No wonder why this movie never made it to the big screen.
If you want to watch a good horror movie rent out Halloween(1978), Psycho(1960) or The Changeling(1980)because this movie is nothing more than another futile attempt by Hollywood to create a decent, original horror movie.
Far below the average
dschmeding17 January 2009
To give this movie an above average rating is a waste of stars. Sure, visually the movie looks nice and like most people mentioned the Clown Segment is pretty creepy... BUT like everything else in this movie its totally ripped off and leads nowhere. The whole basic premise of "Amusement" with the subplots just doesn't work at all... Car lost in the woods, Babysitter home alone and stalked by crazy guy, old abandoned hotel with crazy people in it... you've seen it all before and it isn't even bound together by a clever script. Far from that... Chicks get abducted by some crazy guy, then some strange interrogation in a FBI Cell takes place ... I guess just because they needed some reason for the flashback sequences. Beside that the whole part is idiotic... how could a psychologist fall for a crazy guy in FBI dress with an interrogation room in an old flooded cellar??
"Amusement" is basically just a collection of ideas stuffed into a messy script... Let's make a horror movie with beautiful chicks and a crazy guy! OK, but I want a clown in there and Joyride was fun, so let's also put that in and have some people being stabbed in the eye. If we make the crazy guy an inventor with killer gimmicks and some Dr. Giggles laughter I am in! OK, deal... but we need a psychologist in there plus some unexpected twist and a moral ending to at least make it look smart on first sight.
Phew...things build up, the whole reason for the movie title is unfolded and pretty meaningless, the characters get killed in most uninspired ways possible, the flashbacks are clumsy and don't explain much and we never learn why people are sown into mattresses or crazy guy has a fetish for pulling living things open. It just happens.. random shreds of stolen ideas like in a cheesy clip show.
THIS IS A MESS!! For the few scenes that work its 90 Minute too much wasted and the ending should make anybody angry. Avoid!
"Amusement" is basically just a collection of ideas stuffed into a messy script... Let's make a horror movie with beautiful chicks and a crazy guy! OK, but I want a clown in there and Joyride was fun, so let's also put that in and have some people being stabbed in the eye. If we make the crazy guy an inventor with killer gimmicks and some Dr. Giggles laughter I am in! OK, deal... but we need a psychologist in there plus some unexpected twist and a moral ending to at least make it look smart on first sight.
Phew...things build up, the whole reason for the movie title is unfolded and pretty meaningless, the characters get killed in most uninspired ways possible, the flashbacks are clumsy and don't explain much and we never learn why people are sown into mattresses or crazy guy has a fetish for pulling living things open. It just happens.. random shreds of stolen ideas like in a cheesy clip show.
THIS IS A MESS!! For the few scenes that work its 90 Minute too much wasted and the ending should make anybody angry. Avoid!
Among the WORST movies I've ever seen
SteveHistory31 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I was angry when the number rating scale didn't offer a "0" so I was forced to give this movie an undeserved "1" instead. I am fifty-one years old and this may be the biggest waste of time I've seen in my life. There is no need to warn of spoilers in this review because there is absolutely no plot to spoil. The acting was atrocious, the weak excuse for a plot was filled with numerous holes and implausible coincidences, and there was not a single shocking or scary scene anywhere in it. The clown sequence was lifted from an old urban legend that has been around for twenty years.
Avoid this piece of garbage at all costs. The fact that his movie has received an average rating of 5.5 means one of two things: 1. The sensibilities of mankind are declining at a rate beyond belief.
or 2. The producers and principals associated with this movie have spent a great amount of time writing bogus reviews to pump up the ratings to dupe suckers into renting this trash.
Please save your money and your time--DO NOT RENT THIS MOVIE!!!
Avoid this piece of garbage at all costs. The fact that his movie has received an average rating of 5.5 means one of two things: 1. The sensibilities of mankind are declining at a rate beyond belief.
or 2. The producers and principals associated with this movie have spent a great amount of time writing bogus reviews to pump up the ratings to dupe suckers into renting this trash.
Please save your money and your time--DO NOT RENT THIS MOVIE!!!
We are not amused!!!
JoeB13125 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This wasn't a very good movie, despite having some okay actors and some above par production values.
The premise is that these three girls got their playmate into trouble for torturing a squirrel to death when he was a kid, and now that he's grown up, he arranges to have them all killed in very creepy ways. Most of the scenarios defy plausibility. (The killer just HAPPENS to be following his victim, whose boyfriend just HAPPENS to be following a truck with a psycho truck driver and a truck stop hooker?)
Amazingly, none of these people think to do the sensible thing, which is to call the police when they think something is amiss.
It's low grade torture porn, and if you're into that kind of thing, you can watch this movie. But it telegraphs its suspense a mile away.
The premise is that these three girls got their playmate into trouble for torturing a squirrel to death when he was a kid, and now that he's grown up, he arranges to have them all killed in very creepy ways. Most of the scenarios defy plausibility. (The killer just HAPPENS to be following his victim, whose boyfriend just HAPPENS to be following a truck with a psycho truck driver and a truck stop hooker?)
Amazingly, none of these people think to do the sensible thing, which is to call the police when they think something is amiss.
It's low grade torture porn, and if you're into that kind of thing, you can watch this movie. But it telegraphs its suspense a mile away.
I can see the clown breathe.
suttercane-107-88164015 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I liked this movie. Gore wise it was a soft porn but for people who are deathly afraid of clowns I can see this movie being frightening. It did have creepy cool settings. The plot was a bit cut short as the one reviewer said which was a shame. No real gore moments or slashes were very memorable. What bothered me MOST. (SPOILER) When "The Laugh" was decked out in his clown attire and was sitting in the chair there were moments where you could clearly see him breathing. THIS was a MAJOR let down in the whole movie. I don't know what the director was thinking! Why not have a prop doll be in those shots. To give it more of a doll like feel so the audience would be surprised when he turned his head. Very bad move on the directors part. I have seen worse B-movies though. This could have been better executed. I blame the director. By the way, did IMDb just tell me not to shout in my summary??? Is this a library?????
Underrated
pfac8 January 2012
Here's the thing,
If you give this movie a low rating, you haven't seen more than 90% of the low-budget horror movies that get released these days.
"Amusement" script is pretty hollow, but the cinematography, the photography, the ambiance and some of the acting make up for the lack of a strong story.
There are some good frightening moments, and the tension is there from beginning to end.
If you like slashers with some suspense do give it a go.
Besides, there's a killer clown in it, and that alone makes it worth the watch.
If you give this movie a low rating, you haven't seen more than 90% of the low-budget horror movies that get released these days.
"Amusement" script is pretty hollow, but the cinematography, the photography, the ambiance and some of the acting make up for the lack of a strong story.
There are some good frightening moments, and the tension is there from beginning to end.
If you like slashers with some suspense do give it a go.
Besides, there's a killer clown in it, and that alone makes it worth the watch.
Horrible...so many plot holes
rd_pires17 April 2009
I thought this movie might be something, but even from the beginning not only was it bad, it had so many plot holes! I don't think this will spoil anything for anyone because it wouldn't make any sense anyways so there's no way to guess any of it. in the first scene, when the "amusement" guy is sneaking up on the "bad" man talking in the house, why would the truck driver (the one on the phone) be inside the house because for one thing, it's not his. And two, later on we find out it's the "amusement" guys house (i'm sorry if i'm not making sense with the "amusement"/"bad" guy titles but the movie wasn't significant enough for me to remember their names. Also wrong with this scene is, because it relies on the crazy girl throwing herself out of the truck, how would anybody have known that she was going to do that? There is no logical reason the "amusement" guy could have known she was going to throw herself out. Later on, there's a therapist who's interviewing the blonde girl, and in the middle of the interview she discovers (the therapist) that shes in the trap of one of her old patients (the "amusement" guy) she tries to escape but is killed, but how could she not know that she wasn't in an FBI station when there's a maze of pathways to get out, some of which lead to dangerous situations. She would have to be a complete dolt not to recognize it as a trap. I've tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. I tried to say she thought it was a crime scene, but then why would they give the blonde girl trauma therapy on site? Why was the "amusement" guy so stupid? Why does he leave his weapons lying around where his "subjects" can easily get them? It was stupid, boring, confused, and a complete waste of time. I'm glad I only rented it. I could keep going about plot holes, but I won't because i'd be here all day.
Finally, A Video Movie That Works.
Bill35727 April 2009
I don't understand why all the reviewers of this movie seem to dislike it so much. Nobody hates (and hates on) as many movies as I do and I thought it was a fairly entertaining horror picture!
I decided to see this movie based on the director's previous film Freeze Frame, which I think to be a superior thriller. I began to have my doubts about Amusement when I caught site of the actress who starred in that boring piece of garbage, Hit And Run. My fears were unfounded, for I thought this was actually pretty good.
I think it did a good job of pacing the action and suspense and keeping things interesting by showing the viewer a series of seemingly random attacks by apparently various madmen and asking the less lazy among us to try to piece it together.
The movie's twists are amusing but not altogether surprising. There are plenty of illogical moments as well. Don't expect an Academy Award winner and you'll probably be entertained.
I decided to see this movie based on the director's previous film Freeze Frame, which I think to be a superior thriller. I began to have my doubts about Amusement when I caught site of the actress who starred in that boring piece of garbage, Hit And Run. My fears were unfounded, for I thought this was actually pretty good.
I think it did a good job of pacing the action and suspense and keeping things interesting by showing the viewer a series of seemingly random attacks by apparently various madmen and asking the less lazy among us to try to piece it together.
The movie's twists are amusing but not altogether surprising. There are plenty of illogical moments as well. Don't expect an Academy Award winner and you'll probably be entertained.
this film is nearly as bad as the writers remakes
movieman_kev21 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
A mildly bullied kid grows up and decides to get even with the trio of girls (yes girls) who bullied him by scaring them before brutally killing them in the uninspired, clichéd-ridden horror film. Visually it looks better than the budget the film had, but that's about the best thing i can say. The rest is trite and asinine. The victims act so VERY stupid in their actions that one can't help but actually root for their deaths. I was kind of looking forward to this one, needless to say I was disappointed. Well in all honesty, with the same writer that wrote this the equally awful "Hitcher" & "When a Stranger Calls" remakes, I should ave had diminished expectations from the onset.
My Grade: D
DVD Extras: Both widescreen & fullscreen versions of the film (I'd opt for the 'neither' option) an anti-piracy PSA; corporate schilling for Blu-Ray; trailers for "Alien Raiders", "Friday the 13th"; and trailers for the X-box 360 games "Tomb Raider: Underworld" & "Project Origin"
My Grade: D
DVD Extras: Both widescreen & fullscreen versions of the film (I'd opt for the 'neither' option) an anti-piracy PSA; corporate schilling for Blu-Ray; trailers for "Alien Raiders", "Friday the 13th"; and trailers for the X-box 360 games "Tomb Raider: Underworld" & "Project Origin"
High production value
aletoledo17 January 2009
It seems that a lot of reviewers are critical of this movie, but I rather liked it. I would say it's fairly original, though perhaps most of it's various components have been done in prior movies. What do you expect from the horror genre, new and completely original ideas for the dozens of movies appearing every year? I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about thinking this movie is a rehash of a prior movie plot, because I don't believe it is. I didn't really know where the story was headed and it kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I thought the acting, direction and overall production were excellent. I would recommend this film to just about any horror fan and I think everyone will find something to enjoy.
The only criticisms that I can make has been mentioned by a couple of others already, which is the editing and screenplay. The story doesn't fit together very well, until the very end and then you can understand what they were trying to create. The real problem here is that there seems to be parts missing from the story, which you can fill in fairly well for yourself, but the film never really attempts to detail these out for you. It's hard to really describe without giving spoilers, but it's like the film Saw in it's intricacy at times, but with a multimillion dollar price tag to all the gadgets. I suppose a deranged killer can have a lot of disposable income, but you just don't imagine him spending it all on an apparent one time event.
Again, it's easy to pick apart the missing pieces of this film, but while I was watching it I felt it was nicely done and well worth my time.
The only criticisms that I can make has been mentioned by a couple of others already, which is the editing and screenplay. The story doesn't fit together very well, until the very end and then you can understand what they were trying to create. The real problem here is that there seems to be parts missing from the story, which you can fill in fairly well for yourself, but the film never really attempts to detail these out for you. It's hard to really describe without giving spoilers, but it's like the film Saw in it's intricacy at times, but with a multimillion dollar price tag to all the gadgets. I suppose a deranged killer can have a lot of disposable income, but you just don't imagine him spending it all on an apparent one time event.
Again, it's easy to pick apart the missing pieces of this film, but while I was watching it I felt it was nicely done and well worth my time.
Hadn't heard of. Turns out to be good one!
sawilson00516 January 2009
This was a really good movie. Some good twist and turns that really wasn't expected. Had trouble connecting everything together until the end, but they tied it all together pretty nicely in the finish. Very creepy at times with some good scares. The acting was well done and so were the effects. Can't really say this was a B movie as it was written, directed and acted in much, much better than most other B movies are. Will probably watch this again to pick up on things I may have the first time. Definitely would recommend this to a horror lover if they had some time to kill, and almost even as a must see. Surprisingly good movie! I wasn't expecting that...
Totally misleading DVD cover, and the movie would still be bad regardless...,
sambahorror18 February 2009
This movie was a big disappointment for a number of reasons. As iterated in other comments, the DVD contains story elements that are entirely absent from the film itself (i.e. the clown!) I thought the whole film would be about that clown! well, not so my friends! The film has no cohesive sense at all. Brainless. It was just sort of thrown together haphazardly and without any thought. Also, as noted by other reviewers, the characters were totally one dimensional, surfacey, and straight up archetypes completely lacking in any development, depth, or uniqueness.
To me, it seems like a really bad indie film that somehow got a lot of funding and made it into DVD market. I feel like I can't really make any comment on the acting because, honestly, I can't imagine any actors or actresses who would be able to give this film the animation and depth that it so sorely lacks.
In short, save your money and your time, and don't see it.
To me, it seems like a really bad indie film that somehow got a lot of funding and made it into DVD market. I feel like I can't really make any comment on the acting because, honestly, I can't imagine any actors or actresses who would be able to give this film the animation and depth that it so sorely lacks.
In short, save your money and your time, and don't see it.
The Plot Is So Unreasonable (Actually Absurd) that Irritates
claudio_carvalho3 April 2009
While driving in a side road following a truck with her boyfriend Rob (Tad Hilgenbrink), there is a strange accident and Shelby (Laura Breckenridge) is abducted by a deranged driver. Tabitha (Katheryn Winnick) is kidnapped from her uncle's house by a man dressed of clown. Lisa (Jessica Lucas) is caught in an old pension by a twisted man. The three women are former school friends from Briar Hills and sooner they find themselves in an underground prison; further, they discover that the abductor is a former school mate that had psychological problems and is seeking revenge against them.
The plot of "Amusement" is so unreasonable (actually absurd) that irritates. The first segment (Shelby) is dumb with unexplained attitudes that do not make sense. For example, who is the girl in the truck; why she writes a note asking for help and jumps from the truck immediately after? Who would chase a truck with a dangerous kidnapper in the middle of nowhere leaving the girlfriend and a wounded girl behind on the secondary road? Why the truck driver runs over Rob? Why did he stop in a creepy house if he was close to the gas station? Tabitha's segment is the best and slightly inspired in the 1979 "When a Stranger Calls", but uses the bad clichés with the woman running from a backyard to a closed space and finding the body of the babysitter. Lisa's segment is also terrible, and who would sneak in a frightening place after the disappearance of her best friend Cat and her boyfriend Dan inside the house? The annoying and insane criminal is not developed and the viewer never knows how he got the isolated underground facility and why the psychiatrist of Briar Hills would visit a patient in a visibly abandoned spot. Last but not the least, the re-creation of the art boxes by the maniac is simply ridiculous. The good points of this flick are the cinematography and the acting, but that is not enough to save the story. My vote is four.
Title (Brazil): "Diversão Macabra" ("Macabre Diversion")
The plot of "Amusement" is so unreasonable (actually absurd) that irritates. The first segment (Shelby) is dumb with unexplained attitudes that do not make sense. For example, who is the girl in the truck; why she writes a note asking for help and jumps from the truck immediately after? Who would chase a truck with a dangerous kidnapper in the middle of nowhere leaving the girlfriend and a wounded girl behind on the secondary road? Why the truck driver runs over Rob? Why did he stop in a creepy house if he was close to the gas station? Tabitha's segment is the best and slightly inspired in the 1979 "When a Stranger Calls", but uses the bad clichés with the woman running from a backyard to a closed space and finding the body of the babysitter. Lisa's segment is also terrible, and who would sneak in a frightening place after the disappearance of her best friend Cat and her boyfriend Dan inside the house? The annoying and insane criminal is not developed and the viewer never knows how he got the isolated underground facility and why the psychiatrist of Briar Hills would visit a patient in a visibly abandoned spot. Last but not the least, the re-creation of the art boxes by the maniac is simply ridiculous. The good points of this flick are the cinematography and the acting, but that is not enough to save the story. My vote is four.
Title (Brazil): "Diversão Macabra" ("Macabre Diversion")
Waste of time
trucalling1009114 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Amusement is not very amusing. It's just a bunch of pretty girls that can't act. I love scary movies but This movie is one of the worst scary movies ever. One of the reason is cause from the first few minutes you don't know what the hell is going one. Then you spend the next hour and a have trying to figure it out but you're just wasting your time. This movie is just a big I don't care. You just really don't care if the charters live or die cause you really don't get to know anything about them. Except that there scared and running from some crazy person and you never really understand why. Just save your money and your time and watch something else.
I wasn't amused
trashgang22 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This is a movie that will have the same problems The Ruins had. Too soft for the horrorfreaks out there and then too hard sometimes for the thriller fans. Anyway, I watched it and when the end credits appeared I asked myself, what did I just see. First of all, it is really a slow starter. It starts of pretty well but you will have your question marks in the first 15 minutes of the film, nothing is logic, it just doesn't work. Maybe I am stupid by not getting the point of the truck scene. Anyway, you think okay, the bad guy is out there but he isn't frightening. The mask he is wearing is creepy but doesn't appear enough in the film. When it appears in the bedroom, well, that's the best part for me. Clowns always have some weird thing surrounding them. You never see their real face, and they are always laughing even when they failed in doing a thing. It just doesn't work, they could have made him freakier, remember Sid Haig in House of a 1000 Corpses. It's a fact that they were going for PG13. There isn't almost no blood running and there is no gore except for the last 5 minutes but that isn't enough for the real creeps and freaks. In the house of The Laugh they even tried to get the SAW atmosphere by having self made torture devices. I don't know what it is but nothing works, I wouldn't say avoid it but only see it when there is nothing else to do, maybe you will be amused a little bit.
highly amused
annrie_117 January 2010
I thought this film was actually quite surprising for a b list film, I went into this film thinking that it would the same as the rest a big disappointment and leaving me wondering how I'm going to get that 1.5hrs back in my life. But this film truly surprised me, it all starts with a road trip with a young girl and her petrol head boyfriend who gets a thrill out of making his own convoys with other drivers on a long journey. After stopping at a petrol station you are introduced to a couple of the members of the convoy, one is a trucker and the other a dad of three (or so you think) as with most horror movies you come to think straight away that you know who the killer is as at the beginning all the signs point to the trucker in the convoy, but you are very much surprised. The story then switches to concentrate on the main character and heroine Katheryn Winnick ... Tabitha and her babysitting roll. And her childhood friend and her boyfriend on they way back from a club her room mate goes missing so they try to find the guy who she went home with, so end up going to this creepy looking hostel. I am not going to say any more about the story line as I really want your guys to watch this and see what you think so don't want to give anything away. All I have to say is this is a good horror flick and much better than most of the big budget a list films around at the moment. It has some very interesting twists and turns, I have to admit that in some places this film can become a bit predictable but I always except that with any horror film really but the plot really makes up for this as at some point you start to think ' hold on a minute what's going on??'
Please please don't watch this film.
nospam-57111 April 2009
Please please don't watch this film.
I'll get to the point.
1. Its really slow (the film is only 1.5 hours. 1 hour of it is needless padding).
2. Its dull (it has 3 separate stories, each of which take about 10-15 minutes to get going, and then the "horror" part lasts about 1-2 minutes) 3. Its cliché (there is nothing you haven't seen before, which can be OK, except its SO cliché, there is no fear factor) 4. It has no scary bits (there is no suspense and because its slow, dull and cliché, its hard to feel scared. Even my girlfriend fell asleep and she scares really easy). The scariest part of this film is the cover.
5. It would be hard to direct a film more poorly than this. The director has attempted to copy other films and done so with no innovation or interest factor at all. This film probably will (and should) ruin the directors career. I don't like to be horrible, so if the director were prepared to openly apologise for this film, I'd gladly give him another chance. Otherwise he owes me 1.5 hours of my life).
6. Its the first film to make me feel angry at the waste of my life 7. Oh and its dull.
Please please don't watch this film. You will be disappointed.
I'll get to the point.
1. Its really slow (the film is only 1.5 hours. 1 hour of it is needless padding).
2. Its dull (it has 3 separate stories, each of which take about 10-15 minutes to get going, and then the "horror" part lasts about 1-2 minutes) 3. Its cliché (there is nothing you haven't seen before, which can be OK, except its SO cliché, there is no fear factor) 4. It has no scary bits (there is no suspense and because its slow, dull and cliché, its hard to feel scared. Even my girlfriend fell asleep and she scares really easy). The scariest part of this film is the cover.
5. It would be hard to direct a film more poorly than this. The director has attempted to copy other films and done so with no innovation or interest factor at all. This film probably will (and should) ruin the directors career. I don't like to be horrible, so if the director were prepared to openly apologise for this film, I'd gladly give him another chance. Otherwise he owes me 1.5 hours of my life).
6. Its the first film to make me feel angry at the waste of my life 7. Oh and its dull.
Please please don't watch this film. You will be disappointed.
Not as bad as people claim
brad_mcmillan15 December 2009
This movie was pretty good, regardless of what other people on IMDb claim. There wasn't many plot holes, the acting was pretty good and the 'clichés' people complain about are about as cliché as cop movie containing cops and guns, not really clichés but more like necessary genre devices.
In my opinion, before claiming there is an abundance of plot holes and inconsistencies, one should first pay close attention to the movie before making incorrect statements, otherwise, one might look like a twit. I can see why some people might get confused during the movie, some explanations are suttle, sometimes, the plot isn't fully revealed with big billboards and 'plotlines for dummies' pamflets. I conpletely grasped everything that is going on; i had no issues understanding what so ever.
The story was original and the sequence in which the events unfolded was different than most linear horror movies. The gore was pretty good and the killer was believable, even with his 'cliche' laugh.
The cinematography was good, it didn't have that handy cam feel that many indie films do. In all, the film was well put together and worth a watch, just pay attention.
I was kind of hesitant watching the movie due to the excessive poor reviews I read here but I learned a long time ago to pay little attention to what other IMDb users say. Just from reading some of the reviews you can clearly tell that many aren't even real horror fans, just upset people who were expecting something more formulaic and Hollywood.
In my opinion, before claiming there is an abundance of plot holes and inconsistencies, one should first pay close attention to the movie before making incorrect statements, otherwise, one might look like a twit. I can see why some people might get confused during the movie, some explanations are suttle, sometimes, the plot isn't fully revealed with big billboards and 'plotlines for dummies' pamflets. I conpletely grasped everything that is going on; i had no issues understanding what so ever.
The story was original and the sequence in which the events unfolded was different than most linear horror movies. The gore was pretty good and the killer was believable, even with his 'cliche' laugh.
The cinematography was good, it didn't have that handy cam feel that many indie films do. In all, the film was well put together and worth a watch, just pay attention.
I was kind of hesitant watching the movie due to the excessive poor reviews I read here but I learned a long time ago to pay little attention to what other IMDb users say. Just from reading some of the reviews you can clearly tell that many aren't even real horror fans, just upset people who were expecting something more formulaic and Hollywood.
Nonsensical, sub-Saw garbage.
BA_Harrison5 August 2009
This instantly forgettable piece of generic, modern horror sees a giggling psycho (known as The Laugh) wreaking revenge on three beautiful young women who, years before, failed to find his school project—a diorama featuring a mutilated rat—as amusing as he had hoped.
The film opens in an innovative enough manner, with each girl's abduction being shown as a 'story within a story', but soon descends into mediocrity as the focus of the plot becomes the standard woman in peril garbage that we have seen countless times before. To make matters worse, director John Simpson's visuals suffer from the grimy 'torture porn' look and feel that is all the rage these days, and Jake Wade Wall's script is packed with so many plot holes, clichés, and dumb characters that taking the film seriously is very hard indeed.
Admittedly, Simpson does manage to create quite a bit of tense atmosphere during one effective section of the film involving a room full of creepy toy clowns, but the premise is hardly original, and one does have to question how a killer in a creepy clown costume can enter a house completely unnoticed.
Thank heavens for the presence of hottie Katheryn Winnick (the lovely renaissance slut from Satan's Little Helper) as lead victim Tabitha, for without her as diverting eye-candy, Amusement would have been a whole lot more difficult to endure.
The film opens in an innovative enough manner, with each girl's abduction being shown as a 'story within a story', but soon descends into mediocrity as the focus of the plot becomes the standard woman in peril garbage that we have seen countless times before. To make matters worse, director John Simpson's visuals suffer from the grimy 'torture porn' look and feel that is all the rage these days, and Jake Wade Wall's script is packed with so many plot holes, clichés, and dumb characters that taking the film seriously is very hard indeed.
Admittedly, Simpson does manage to create quite a bit of tense atmosphere during one effective section of the film involving a room full of creepy toy clowns, but the premise is hardly original, and one does have to question how a killer in a creepy clown costume can enter a house completely unnoticed.
Thank heavens for the presence of hottie Katheryn Winnick (the lovely renaissance slut from Satan's Little Helper) as lead victim Tabitha, for without her as diverting eye-candy, Amusement would have been a whole lot more difficult to endure.
Great horror movie after a long time!!
dean_hashim10 March 2012
My girlfriend and I have just watched this gem of a movie. The acting was pretty good and the clown was really creepy as many other reviews have stated. There were some parts that were a little predictable but this definitely does not outweigh the overall quality of the movie. I do not understand why this film had so many bad reviews. There were times that made my girlfriend and I jump out of our skin! Overall we enjoyed this film thoroughly and both of us thought a 5/10 was not a fair rating. After a very long time we have seen such a creepy film. If you enjoy horror films you should like this one... I sometimes thought it was a little like a "tame" Saw movie. Of course only with a few similarities but it still reminded me of it somewhat. Enjoy!!
Not bad at all!
Alexstam5411 November 2012
I read a lot of bad reviews on this site, but I saw this DVD yesterday and don't think the movie is that bad. O.k., there are a lot of plot holes, the movie is way too short and it could have been a lot better with a better scenario, but there are a few very good scenes, especially the scene with the clown... This is the creepiest clown since 'It'! The first scene is also good and scary. And the scene with the mute person... The end was not very satisfying, but if you want to see a creepy movie on a late Saturday night, you won't be disappointed. On internet the movie is often compared to 'torture porn' like 'Saw' and 'Hostel', but those movies have much more gory scenes than 'Amusement'.
More Disappointing than Amusing
Soucriant21 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
What's this, you say? An anthology-style horror involving a killer clown and Katheryn Winnick? I'm in. Unfortunately, by the third segment, I had stopped caring. By the end I was just disappointed, and not even remotely amused. So; we have an anthology of sorts, revolving around three girls who were best friends during elementary school.
Originally, I thought the first entry was the weakest, and most ridiculous. Now I've realised that the final act is tied for the 'prize'. Anyway, we meet the first girl named Shelby, who is driving long-distance with her speed enthusiast boyfriend. They join a convoy; and a whacked-out passenger in the van driving in front, hurls herself out of the window and onto their windscreen. The trucker zooms off, leaving Shelby and another driver to tend to the death wish chick...whilst Shelby's beau follows the trucker to take down his plates.
Here is where it gets nonsensical. The trucker appears to attempt to run pretty boy over; who swerves his car and gets his wheels jammed momentarily. Trucker guy races back to the scene, followed by pretty boy about five seconds later. He manages to crash into some discarded tractor, leaves the wreckage, and finds the good Samaritan driver lying on the road looking a bit worse for wear. Pretty boy asks good Samaritan where his girlfriend is, good Samaritan replies "He took them! He took your girl and that lady!" Pretty boy responds with a very half-hearted "What?" Meanwhile, my brain is telling me that this, is quite frankly, bullsh-t.
Okay, let's back it up here a little, Mr. Director. You expect me to believe that this truck driver drove about 20 seconds back down the road to the scene; Somehow knocked out two perfectly able-bodied adults, threw Shelby and windshield diver in his van and took off...all in a time span of about 30 seconds before pretty boy returned? But that's not all you want me to believe, is it? Because, dear readers, as we soon discover, the girls are actually gagged and bound in good Samaritan's car. That's right. There's your little twist, about 20 minutes in. Ugh, enough of this. Next tale, please.
The second segment is thankfully, an improvement, and the strongest all round. The luscious Katheryn Winnick stars as Tabitha, who winds up babysitting her relatives. She visits her aunt's house to find that the babysitter has apparently "gone." Tabitha also hears someone walking around upstairs, but this is nothing to be concerned about, of course. Eh, later. The guest room where she will be spending the night is literally stacked with clowns. The main fixture being a life-sized, very realistic looking clown sitting in a rocking chair. I was glad to see the obvious influence the well-known urban legend had on this scene. This is a nice, creepy short. I'm not a really a fan of clowns, and the one featured here is very evil looking.
My only complaints about this: Katheryn Winnick was teasing us all in 'Satan's Little Helper' with those wondrous bosoms of hers. She begins undressing in Amusement, but gets freaked out by rocking chair clown and doesn't unleash her racktasms. Not good. Lastly, She was obviously really unsettled by the clown, so I wondered why the hell she just didn't go sleep on the couch. I know I would've. Anyway, this is fairly good and engaging, except for the lame cutaway at the end. Some violence, please?
Now we come to the final act. Here it all gets jumbled up. A couple go looking for their friend in a really massive, old hotel. (The setting is pretty impressive, I'd love to visit this hotel.) They find Tabitha sewn into a bed (Yep), there's some flashbacks to their childhood, and we see that the three girls didn't like this weird kid's cruel project, and this causes him to get "sent away." Well, now he's real mad, but yet very amused. He's also a skilled imitator, as he plays a geeky driver, a psycho clown, an FBI agent; (He's real good at this one, he manages to fool his own doctor.), and a mute retard.
Back to the present, and he has his three enemies in some underground lair, aka the set from Saw III. There aren't really any traps, unless you count a few fences, moving walls and sliding doors as traps. There was one cool scene where I thought we'd FINALLY see some good ol' gore. But like Kath's undressing, it was not to be. It was all a masquerade. You'll know it when you see it.
The ending happens too quickly for it to make any impact, but sweet kill. (BLOOD!) If you can ignore the fact that a door from his underground lair leads into his van, then maybe you'll be satisfied. In conclusion, Amusement falls flat, I'm afraid. The flashback scenes aren't fleshed out properly, and the whole interrogation scene is pretty much pointless. I'm giving it a 5 for the clown sequence, beyond that, there's honestly nothing else to see.
Originally, I thought the first entry was the weakest, and most ridiculous. Now I've realised that the final act is tied for the 'prize'. Anyway, we meet the first girl named Shelby, who is driving long-distance with her speed enthusiast boyfriend. They join a convoy; and a whacked-out passenger in the van driving in front, hurls herself out of the window and onto their windscreen. The trucker zooms off, leaving Shelby and another driver to tend to the death wish chick...whilst Shelby's beau follows the trucker to take down his plates.
Here is where it gets nonsensical. The trucker appears to attempt to run pretty boy over; who swerves his car and gets his wheels jammed momentarily. Trucker guy races back to the scene, followed by pretty boy about five seconds later. He manages to crash into some discarded tractor, leaves the wreckage, and finds the good Samaritan driver lying on the road looking a bit worse for wear. Pretty boy asks good Samaritan where his girlfriend is, good Samaritan replies "He took them! He took your girl and that lady!" Pretty boy responds with a very half-hearted "What?" Meanwhile, my brain is telling me that this, is quite frankly, bullsh-t.
Okay, let's back it up here a little, Mr. Director. You expect me to believe that this truck driver drove about 20 seconds back down the road to the scene; Somehow knocked out two perfectly able-bodied adults, threw Shelby and windshield diver in his van and took off...all in a time span of about 30 seconds before pretty boy returned? But that's not all you want me to believe, is it? Because, dear readers, as we soon discover, the girls are actually gagged and bound in good Samaritan's car. That's right. There's your little twist, about 20 minutes in. Ugh, enough of this. Next tale, please.
The second segment is thankfully, an improvement, and the strongest all round. The luscious Katheryn Winnick stars as Tabitha, who winds up babysitting her relatives. She visits her aunt's house to find that the babysitter has apparently "gone." Tabitha also hears someone walking around upstairs, but this is nothing to be concerned about, of course. Eh, later. The guest room where she will be spending the night is literally stacked with clowns. The main fixture being a life-sized, very realistic looking clown sitting in a rocking chair. I was glad to see the obvious influence the well-known urban legend had on this scene. This is a nice, creepy short. I'm not a really a fan of clowns, and the one featured here is very evil looking.
My only complaints about this: Katheryn Winnick was teasing us all in 'Satan's Little Helper' with those wondrous bosoms of hers. She begins undressing in Amusement, but gets freaked out by rocking chair clown and doesn't unleash her racktasms. Not good. Lastly, She was obviously really unsettled by the clown, so I wondered why the hell she just didn't go sleep on the couch. I know I would've. Anyway, this is fairly good and engaging, except for the lame cutaway at the end. Some violence, please?
Now we come to the final act. Here it all gets jumbled up. A couple go looking for their friend in a really massive, old hotel. (The setting is pretty impressive, I'd love to visit this hotel.) They find Tabitha sewn into a bed (Yep), there's some flashbacks to their childhood, and we see that the three girls didn't like this weird kid's cruel project, and this causes him to get "sent away." Well, now he's real mad, but yet very amused. He's also a skilled imitator, as he plays a geeky driver, a psycho clown, an FBI agent; (He's real good at this one, he manages to fool his own doctor.), and a mute retard.
Back to the present, and he has his three enemies in some underground lair, aka the set from Saw III. There aren't really any traps, unless you count a few fences, moving walls and sliding doors as traps. There was one cool scene where I thought we'd FINALLY see some good ol' gore. But like Kath's undressing, it was not to be. It was all a masquerade. You'll know it when you see it.
The ending happens too quickly for it to make any impact, but sweet kill. (BLOOD!) If you can ignore the fact that a door from his underground lair leads into his van, then maybe you'll be satisfied. In conclusion, Amusement falls flat, I'm afraid. The flashback scenes aren't fleshed out properly, and the whole interrogation scene is pretty much pointless. I'm giving it a 5 for the clown sequence, beyond that, there's honestly nothing else to see.
I've seen Bazooka Joe jokes more "Amusing" and frightening
thesar-213 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
It would be easy to call 'Amusement' one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It probably was. But that's what you get when you invest an evening watching a straight-to-video low-budget horror movie. I guess it was my bad to think I was headed into a cheap rip-off of 'The Funhouse' with a name like 'Amusement.' Nothing, including the ironic title, could be farther from the truth. Strangely enough, the movie actually had some decent film-making. It seemed professionally made, or I should say, shot. From the completely unoriginal and predictable plot to the sad case of acting (ooooh, I'm crazy, so I'll laugh and be scaaaary) to the utterly mess of scenes spliced together, 'Amusement' is just plain a mess. I can't give away the premise without spoilers, but think of it as a gift so you can stay away. A boy with an animal cruelty fetish gets mocked by 3 classmate girls. So, when he gets older, he seeks revenge. Wow, this has never, ever been explored in any horror film before. I think I've spent too much time on this mess. No ambition was shown, no attempts at scares as all scenes/ideas are dozens of years old. This makes me miss the greats, such as the original 'Halloween' where they had an even lower budget and still succeeded in scaring audiences. I would say this jumped on the torture-porn bandwagon, but this was released in 2009, and that trend happened years ago. In fact, it's all but fading, if not for 'Saw XVIII' coming soon. Stay away; you'll be more "amused" by watching paint dry.
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