Bela Kiss: Prologue (2013)

Great Film overall

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

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

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

I enjoyed this movie. From the onset it was mysterious and engaging. There was no clear direction where the film was going. I knew nothing about the I story, hadn't read the back of the case (which is how I like to view movies).We meet a group of young bank robbers, who I have to say seem the most innocent kind of bank robbers ever featured in a film. They are on their way to a safe hotel set in the woods. On the way they come across a car blocking their path and a suspicious chap with a gun. The hotel is mysterious and enigmatic, the leader books them in under fairy tale names. Which for some reason stands out as a key moment in the film to me but probably isn't. There are several moments in the film like this.Even though the initial characters aren't particularly interesting there is something very watchable about the movie, what is happening around the main characters is more enthralling than they are. As the movie progresses the owners of the hotel become more prominent within the film and demand your attention. Details seem to be important. The crescendo is gory and violent, lots of blood. As the film closes it seems to lose some of it's charisma. The ending is a little disappointing, just seemed lacking the magic that ran through the rest of the film.

The film starts out promising enough. The first 7 minutes are good. There's an old footage thing, then there's a group driving through some woods in a VW camper van, then 'typical' kicks in - the noise of a hunting rifle, Boom! a stranger looks into groups vehicle window (yes, there's a boom sound effect). One of cast says 'i have a bad feeling about this..' (isn't that a typical line from Star Wars?) The stranger wants a jump-start, and over act's the part, by acting over strange. Credit where credit is due, just as things started to look predictable, there's an unexpected twist.Positives: The film looks good. Those behind the camera, the editors, have done a good job.Kristina Klebe caught my eye. She's has a lot going for her. Without doubt, the strongest cast member. Negatives: Sound is a mixed bag. Some of it fitting, while some of it sounds all too familiar. At times there's a lack of balance, and over-use of jingles.The story tends to drift, my attention span was being tested. There's a real sense The Kiss of a Killer brought together a mix of talent, and lesser talented individuals.Weak moments: Two of the group spot some metal barrels in the woods. The barrels look in good shape. The male attempts to open the lid on one of the barrels. He fails. So the female has a go, and guess what? she fails also. If the male couldn't manage it, how was the female expected to do better? If you're staying at a hotel, and looking around the place outside, why would anyone who discovered barrels, attempt to open them? During another scene, a male and female are waiting outside the Hotel in the camper van. It's daytime. There is a don-king noise, no big deal really. They overreact, and lock themselves inside the camper? The engine cuts out, and the female goes mental. It's absurd. The male gets out to look at the engine, and they completely forget their fear of the don-king noise, once the engine starts. The bald killer shows up, and stabs the male before the female's eyes. She runs for her life, the bald killer keeps up with her by walking slowly (running is apparently not the killers style). In a completely unoriginal move, the female runs into a building, and to the safety of a smartly dressed type who is involved with the hotel. He is obviously a bad egg. To jump on the phone to the police might be top of the list, but no, the female sits down and has a cup of tea to clam down? FFS, SHE HAS JUST WITNESSED SOMEONE BEING STABBED AND BEEN CHASED BY A BLOOD SPLATTERED KILLER AND SHE SITS DOWN FOR A CUPPER?Closing comment: Good effort, but ultimately, the story isn't all that.

Bela Kiss - Prologue is a very atmospheric low budget horror-thing from Germany. It is a strange movie, but worth a look. It's got great atmosphere, a bizarre story line, excellent editing and cinematography plus some decent horror and suspense. The serial killer Bela Kiss is very charismatic (Rudolf Martin fits great). At times I wondered exactly what kind of movie I was watching - it has a sort of art house feel to it in places, and at other times devolves to an all-out slasher. It's an odd style, but captivating for an hour and a half. The movies sums up the plot somewhat, but opens new doorways at the end. I'll probably watch the sequel, whenever it comes out. Looks like a decent story in the making. 6 points from me.

For some reason, despite falling victim to some of the tired horror movie clichés, this movie had me invested. Maybe it was the whole based on a true story. I mean I'm sure there was some sort of serial killer back before WWI started that disappeared, and bodies were found in barrels, I figure that is as much as the "truth" as we get. I think, after "Cabin in the Woods" I look at horror movies a bit different. I've always been a fan of horror movies, but now, I tend to see then as part of the universe of "Cabin in the Woods" Visually, I applaud the filmmakers. I like when I see a movie takes chances and visually, I think they had some fun with lenses, filters and post production color correction. If you haven't checked out "Cabin in the Woods", please do and please do it before you watch this movie. Then after watching that, just imagine this movie in the same universe. I think you'll appreciate it more. But let's say I want to just rate this movie on its own. What are my expectations going into a horror movie? People that have sex die. Cars will not start. People will fall down while running in the woods. Is this movie guilty? Yes. But what horror movie isn't? (A lot of them, I know, but also a good amount of them are.)I think we go into a horror movie hoping to get scared, see some blood and have those moments where we yell at the screen. Don't go in there! Don't trust him/her! Look out behind you! This movie had that.