Crush the Skull (2015)

Too much of everything

Fantastic!

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Along with the main character that constantly misses the punchlines of his jokes, this film did a bit as well. However, for a low budget black comedy it is entertaining, slightly gory, and all around fun. It doesn't do anything really new or different but is worth a watch for sure.

Crush the Skull starts out looking like a typical hostage in the basement slasher flick, but quickly turns into a black comedy that had me alternately laughing and then covering my eyes over and over.The writing is excellent, with just the right amount of surprises, twists, and turns, and the acting is spot-on. None of that Indie flick crappy acting in this one. The cast really plays off one another and the banter is awesome. Katie Savoy was my favorite, because I am a red blooded American male, but all of the characters were great.Also, the cinematography was very good. All in all an excellent Indie black comedy that is definitely worth the time investment. Check it out!

When we went to Comic Con in Chicago we went to a couple of panels on Asians (or the lack of) in films, so this one really stood out to me since two of the main characters are Asian. And the other thing that stood out was that the main female was very intelligent, even though the guys refused to listen to her. Blair (Katie Savoy), said they should leave during the first heist, but her boyfriend didn't, which caused them trouble. Then in the house, she wanted them to all stay together and go upstairs to call for help, and of course that didn't happen. And there were a couple of other things she called out, but the others ignored her.I enjoyed the game of cat and mouse that the killer played with them in the house, and the various ways people got killed/maimed were pretty good. There was some humor thrown in to keep from suspense overload, which is always appreciated. They don't really touch on why the guy is killing people, but in a way that makes it even more scary. Some people are just psycho. Sometimes the acting seemed a little over the top, but they could have been trying to add a bit more comedy this way. If you're looking for something not too heavy on gore, and with a killer toying with his victims, I would say this is one to watch.

CtS was a low-budget horror film I backed on Kickstarter some time ago. As is often the case, it takes many months before you get to see the finished product (if ever…there are still projects I backed in early 2014 that haven't delivered). I can't remember exactly what made me choose this film as one to support. I think it was a combination of the plot and the prominence of humor in the film. Actually the film's budget was rather large for Kickstarter standards, about $75,000 (I've backed films with budgets below $1,000 if you can believe that).The film is the brainchild of Viet Nguyen and Chris Dinh. Chris also stars in the film, while Viet served as Director. The plot is somewhat simple: Ollie (Dinh) and Blair (Katie Savoy) are a loving couple who happens to make their living by breaking and entering into upper- class homes. When what is supposed to be their final job before a year of traveling goes comically wrong, they are forced to go into debt to a local gangster and resume "work" to afford their payments. Because time is of the essence, they agree to join Blair's screw-up brother (Chris Reidell) and his "crew" (the hilarious Tim Chou) in a robbery of a vacation home. Unfortunately, the target property is the lair of a serial killer…and once they break in, they cannot find a way out.Tight dialogue, great humor and good acting are what pull this film together. There are some suspenseful moments, but things never get too serious, and unlike most low-budget horror films the blood is kept to a minimum. Crush the Skull is one of those movies you need to pay attention to as you watch it or you'll miss some of the ongoing gags and subtle humor. You'll still enjoy the more obvious jokes and fun, but the effort you put into the details will be well worth your while.The characters are well developed and their personalities dictate their actions and the kind of laughter they inspire. The "basement" sets are very well done, and above all the post-production work on sound and music lift Crush the Skull to an even higher level. Those two areas are often shortchanged in the low-budget world, but this team marshaled their resources well and the finished product is much better for those efforts.I don't think Crush the Skull is available on DVD or on-demand yet, but I believe it will be shortly. Watch for it, especially if you enjoy dark, intelligent humor mixed with your suspense and horror.