The Damned Thing (2014)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

This movie is actually titled "Hotel Hell"- which doesn't make much sense. I am confused as to why it takes place at a hotel when none of the stories have anything to do with that hotel in which he hires a videographer to tour with him. I liked the twist at the end, but I am so confused as I really thought that when he was discussing the rooms that the 3 anthologies would actually be related to the hotel in some way shape or form...It was a solid campy B-movie horror flick, so please do not go into it assuming that it will have any deep meaning or be a work of art. I just enjoyed it for what it was and, if you decide to watch it, go into it with little to no expectations.

Anthology films are somewhat scarce recently, although 'Little Deaths (2011)' and 'ABCs of Death (2012)' have been the more notable exceptions. And so to 'The Hotel', which features three stories within a framing narrative concerning paranormal investigator Eddie Osbourne staking a hotel with his new videographer. It's worth pointing out that this strand features the least effective moments in the film.The first tale concerns newlyweds Michael and Lana (Carson Nicely and Miranda Parham) moving into a house that appears to possess them. Nothing new in that, but it is played in engaging fashion by the two leads, and contains a few sinister moments before a weak ending. Retribution plays a part in the second piece, a Jason-like story about a bullied child dressing up as a clown and getting his own back on his childhood aggressors.An astonishingly dim film crew of three decide to record a hoax documentary concerning 'Bigfoot', and actually record themselves creating fake footprints in the foliage! A real life cannibal, played by Rodney Osborne takes advantage of the three youngsters' stupidity by eating them …… so it's no surprise to find that Eddie is himself a revealed to be a cannibal who has lured Will to the hotel in order to eat him – however, in a terrifically unexpected reveal, the killer clown from story two turns up for the finale. The message is that if you surround yourself with negative energy, it will soon consume you.This is good fun, obviously filmed on a micro-budget, and contains a vein of dark humour that makes up for any acting/production short-falls. The camera turns away from any gore, but there are some frightening moments – the shadow man from story one, the physically intimidating clown from story two, for example. There is an abundance of atmospheric from Director/writer Derrick Granado.

This movie starts really bad. Everything about the first scene (and subsequent set-up scenes for the anthology stories) is bad. It has the worst acting and the worst production values. It must have been shot on an iPhone, because my home video camera takes better quality video than these scenes. The poorly written dialog, along with the poor production values, makes it nearly unwatchable.I was about to give up on this movie after the first ten minutes. Then I remembered the other reviewers saying to stick it out. One even said that the bad acting and story was for a reason and it would all be clear by the end of the movie. So I stuck it out. I'm kind of glad that I did, because the first anthology story was actually pretty good and although the acting was still not that good, it was the best of the entire movie. Suffice it to say that the first story is sort of like the first paranormal activity film, but better and shorter. The second anthology story was decent, with the third being the least decent. Unlike the first scene and set-up scenes, the anthology stories actually had good production values.The entire movie, however, never explained why the first scene (and subsequent set-up scenes) had the worst writing, the worst quality, and the worst acting. I'm taking a leap here, but this movie came across to me like a very well made student project. If I were attending film school and watched this as a final grade project, then I would say it was great. Otherwise, as a commercial film, it is entertaining enough to rate 5 stars.

This film, also known as Hotel Death as it's shown on-screen, was surprisingly engaging and pulled me in. I hadn't heard of it before, and the lack of reviews only piqued my curiosity. I sat down to watch it, and I wasn't expecting to last too long before turning it off. The linking segments were a bit...off, somehow. I wasn't sure if it was low-budget aspirations not meeting their goals, or something else.However, the first story segment really drew me in. It was creepy, scary, and effective. The second one was also pretty frightening and engaging. The weakest one was the last, but it was still eerie and unsettling. And then, it became clear that there was a reason to why the linking segments were so odd. It wasn't bad acting or low-budget anything, but instead something clearly planned.Still, someone going into it without knowing that might judge it too quickly and too harshly, and that would be a shame. This is actually one of the better anthologies I've seen in years. It's no big-budget, big-effects extravaganza, but the acting was generally solid, the direction was capable, the sound was excellent (with soundtrack done in large part by Kevin MacLeod of the famous incompetech.com), and overall it was a really and truly enjoyable experience. It was the kind of horror film that is not only really scary, but one easy to believe in and set your preconceptions aside.There were a few questions that weren't easily addressed, such as the Osborne character actually managing to make good for himself despite what we gradually learn about him. But that was easily enough handwaved. The third segment, though, was probably the weakest overall because of some questionable choices by some of the people in it. When a problem is obvious and the solution is pretty effortless, it's frustrating to see someone take the clearly wrong choice for no understandable reason.But that's just quibbling over details. The effect of the film overall was a very positive one. I was truly interested in what went on, and I didn't find myself bored and skipping ahead like some films can make me do. This was just a plainly good film, and the writing was solid. It built suspense in a way that really made for tension and scary atmosphere. The stories were enjoyably frightening, and they overall tended to make good sense. There was a little fun dark humor in there too, which was more than welcome and not overdone.I really recommend this one. If you haven't seen it, check it out! With friends, if you can. This is one that is bound to be fun in a group. Get it and keep it for October parties too! You'll have an enjoyable time.