WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Three seemingly unconnected young women are targeted by a mysterious psychotic man. One girl and her boyfriend is stalked by a motorist on the highway, after being led off the main road. Another girl is babysitting two kids while being terrorized by a man in a creepy clown costume. Finally, another girl is lured into a bizarre, run-down hotel only to find herself a captive in an asylum.
WHAT I LIKED
I have seen more than my fair share of direct-to-video horror movies, and I have to say that I am very impressed with “Amusement.” Is it the greatest horror movie in the world? Not by a long shot. But it had an original idea and did up the suspense very well. It’s no surprise that this movie was originally slated for a theatrical release before being relegated to home video after some corporate shuffling.
The suspense was excellent, and the film had an awesome look to it. It wasn’t just another hack piece in a long line of torture porn. Rather, it does something more like a cat-and-mouse game, without any of the strap-to-a-chair-and-torture shock attempts.
In particular, the storyline with the clown was the best. Once you see the life-sized clown in the chair, you know it will come to life. However, like any great suspense film, it’s the anticipation. If you thought clowns were creepy in everything from “Poltergeist” to “Killer Klowns from Outer Space,” you’ll love this segment.
The film has a nice set-up, if not a little predictable. However, being a child of the 80s (which spawned movies like “Creepshow” and “Twilight Zone: The Movie”), I appreciated the anthology style of the movie done well for a change.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The characters weren’t terribly well developed, but I suppose if you compare them to scream queens of the past and teenage girls in horror movies, this isn’t really a strong point in the genre. So, while the characters of “Amusement” were a bit two-dimensional, it didn’t seem that out of place for a scary movie.
And, even though the movie was better than most direct-to-DVD thrillers I’ve seen in my time, it still didn’t scream for a theatrical run. In fact, it probably wouldn’t have done that well in the theaters, which is a good thing for a lower-level release on DVD.
Sadly, there are no special features to this flick. The only add-on is the fact that the viewer can choose between widescreen and full screen formats on one disc.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Torture porn fans who want a new twist... with no torture.