(2012-04-29 07:33:09)

Laura Ramsey's "A" Listing

This review is from: Venom (DVD) An excelent Industry resource disk if purchased as a matched set of five. The other four disks are:Cruel World,The Ruins,The Covenant,She's the man.Regards,Burn ( Black Sun.....Metaltrance ).

Janice Page

(2012-04-28 09:56:12)

Venom is so far beneath comparisons to Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer that it would have to add a Jennifer Love Hewitt cameo just to keep company with the worst sequels of those popular movies.

(2012-04-26 18:50:03)

Great Horror movie IDEA That delivers

This movie deserves more than a 3and a half stars

CrimsonOtter

(2012-04-26 09:46:52)

Paint by numbers schlock horror.

I watched this last night, on the back of some okay reviews. Theproduction values were good, which was one of two reasons I stayed tothe end. The second was to see whether or not this was a complete paintby numbers horror movie. Without wanting to give anything away (watchthis for the requisite 3 minutes and you too could write the balance ofthe plot) but as the characters revealed themselves I caught myselfthinking "surely that guy's not just a plot device...", but he was, andthe rest goes down hill. It was one of those movies where the evilelement can't kill the kids off fast enough. In fact, I beganidentifying with the bad guy.Clearly they had a decent budget to bang this thing out with, some goodspecial effects, but they spent no time letting the story revealitself. There is too much exposition and no back story. It's okay tohave a movie where you need to suspend disbelief, but really - when youget told something and you think "but why would anyone do that?".So, I would advise giving this one a wide birth, sit down with a penand paper, or your PC, and knock out your own story line - basicallyyou need six or seven kids - around 17 or 18 so it's okay to show theirboobies, one has to be gay, another black, one has to be disaffected,another a jilted boyfriend or girlfriend, a couple of sluts, and yourhero / heroin - best make this person smart, white, good looking and apotential Albert Switzer so he/she can deal with various issues as theyarise. Think about 2 minutes on which scary object you want - if you'rehaving trouble just dig up Freddy, that guy with the hockey mask, or ofcourse a Zombie - don't whatever you do contemplate research or use abiblical reference - then pick the order in which you want to off thekids, and associated bystanders, and remember, if you've gone threepages with out a death or a nude shot, the audience is turning off.You'll need an environment for the killings to take place, pick one ofeither mountains or forest (the kids are off camping), a house (thekids are over for a sleep over), a school (the kids are staying backbecause someone's been bad), or an amusement park (the kids are stayingback to be naughty). This will reveal to you who your bad guy should be- then just pick are reason for why he's bad - bit by monkey, ate toxicburger, burnt by angry mob, scientific experiment, or the ever populatepossessed by evil spirit. If you want to be really creative have one ortwo kids grow during this, face a fear and become better people - thenof course knock them off....they are just getting in the way of thenext boobie shot.Whatever you came up with will be better than this movie, and you'llhave had a better time.

(2012-04-22 14:42:54)

Thank good for the swamp

Thank good for the swamp and the back ground because it helped alot to make this movie scarey...but other than that on my review meter the arrow is between fair/ok can't complain just watch wolf creek then you'll see venom isn't really bad...

Bob Longino

(2012-04-22 09:12:12)

[Director Jim Gillespie] seems to understand the genre better than the clueless who've been delivering recent Hollywood superschlock remakes like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House of Wax.

allamericanpsycho21

(2012-04-15 07:28:30)

Not Quite Pure Poison but Close

I gotta admit it, I love horror films...especially 80s slasher films.Hell, I even love cheese like Sleepaway Camp and Night of the Demons.But, I didn't think much of this movie. The death scenes weren't verywell done, the CGI was terrible, and the acting was ho-hum. Worst ofall was the story which didn't make sense at all. I'd say save yourmoney but chances are, if you want to see this movie...you're going toanyway. I didn't hate it...it's just not very good. Overall, it's justanother bland, lifeless horror film that lacks life (it's no surprisethat this one was on the shelf at Dimension for over a year after itwas completed).

Scarecrow-88

(2012-04-14 23:07:34)

Venom

Venomous snakes, carrying the evil removed from the souls of murderersand sadists, attack a gas station owner/tow truck driver, Ray(RickCramer)when he removes a voodoo witch(responsible for "milking" theevil using snakes as the hosts to house them)from her car dangling overa bridge after an accidental crash. Ray, newly possessed, leads abloody rampage in his path as he aims for the final in a generation ofvoodoo witches, Cece(Meagan Good). A group of young adults, such asgrieving Eden(Agnes Bruckner), who recently lost a loved one, and herboyfriend Eric(Jonathan Jackson)are what stands in Ray's way of riddinghimself of future "cleansing." In one scene, when Ray aims to killEden, we can see the snakes slithering under his skin. Slowly, Ray isturning into something else, growling loudly in anger. Can Eden andEric survive Ray and, with help by an undistinguished voodoo witch,kill him? Or, will Ray end the line of witches allowing him to go onkilling innocents forever?If you can accept this preposterous, cheesy premise then maybe there'sentertainment value here. It'll come down to that, I believe. There'sonly a modicum of truly graphic violence as most of the bloodshedhappens off-screen. The snakes, when they briefly appear, aren't thatconvincing. Mostly profanity and certain throat slashings(Ray uses ahook to kill most of his victims)keep this from complying to thetypical PG-13 rated standard. Agnes Bruckner, blossoming into abeautiful young woman, is too talented for drivel such as this.

Scott Weinberg

(2012-04-14 03:36:18)

Venom is too darn familiar to become anyone's dark-horse favorite, but I'd say it's worthy of a rental if you love the horror stuff.

ctomvelu1

(2012-04-13 20:18:57)

Hiss

If the purpose in making VENOM was to create a new franchise, itobviously didn't work. A nasty-looking maniac full of evil spiritspursues a bunch of youths through the Louisiana swamps. He kills themin various, blood-drenched ways. Probem is, the killer is uninterestingand we've seen better kills in a half-dozen other slasher flicks. SoVENOM became a one-off. The final confrontation, between a young woman(Bruckner) and the reptilian killer was a lift from both JASON andFREDDY films, although here it seems to take forever here. For truebelievers only. Oh, and fans of big, ugly CGI snakes, which havesomething to do with the creation of the killer (see the movie).

tony-allen887

(2012-04-06 19:16:03)

Swamped

A few title changes, a few release date shifts and a trailer thatdebuted about a week before the films tiny release. Things didn't bodewell for the film finally known as Venom.First things first, Venom is nothing special. It's a run of the millhorror movie where the kids get bumped off after going to investigatethe usual bumps and clanks in the darkness. The voodoo idea is nice butnever fully realized. Of course films like this live and die on theirvillain. Ray is pretty poor thanks to the way he's shot. He has nopersonality and you never see him in full light.The death scenes are tame with suggestion rather than actually seeinganything. There are a few decent ideas and I will give Director JimGillespie some credit for at least being able to shoot a film andcreate a nice atmosphere. Since 'Summer' the guy has got some bad luckwith D-Tox and now this. From what I've seen he's a better directorthan the material he get's given.By all means give it a look, it's 80-minutes of mindless entertainmentbut you'll probably forget straight afterwards.

(2012-04-05 22:19:47)

Murder and mayhem in the bayou

When I was in high school, a depressingly long and ever-increasing time ago, Kevin Williamson was a minor phenomenon, behind teen super soap Dawson's Creek and several slashers (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream) which sliced, diced and pop-culture referenced their way into the mainstream.Times change, however, and Williamson is as far from his Hollywood salad days as I am from my high-school ones. And, howsoever he was actually involved in Venom - he is listed simply as producer, but dominates the making-of featurette - this is not the film to see him return to mainstream crispiness. Not that Venom is not a solid slasher offering - but that is all it is. In the film we see a group of bayou college kids being pursued and, ultimately, massacred by, a voodoo super-zombie. The set-up is so cheesy that the plot holes make perverse sense (why didn't the boys call the police?) and the whole affair is carried off with an appropriate appetite for gore. Yes, as a gay viewer, I would have liked to see more of the lead boys. And, yes, the dialogue was disappointing: Williamson has no doubt lost his Dawson's and Scream talent for irony. And, given the absurdity of the situation in which our leads find themselves, the lack of any humour is criminal.The film was full of CGI-rendered effects, which I find alienating in a horror picture: despite its popularity, anyone can pick CGI a mile off. The zombie villain itself was also problematic, becoming more excessive in its rotting decayedness as the film progressed. This did not so much scare as amuse. Despite this, I did not mind the film. It did have an air of quality about it, the lead actors were endearingly enthusiastic, and the swampy locales added some extra creepiness. All-in-all, Venom fails as a mainstream film, but for fans of the slasher form, it is quite passable fare.

MadBomber

(2012-04-04 23:45:02)

I wish a venomous snake had bit me to prevent me from going to the movies to see this film

Just an awful horror movie. It was just a hodge-podge of standardhorror fare. Missing people, gory deaths, obnoxious teens, and sillyback-story that attempts to explain things. This movie starts with animplausible accident that kills an old woman (who turns out to be avoodoo priestess) and also a town loner who is scraped up, creepy, andhuge. I mean really, with a story like this, it would be refreshing ifthe killer was a three foot midget. That would be truly creepy. Youever seen those people, I mean they're like walking bobble-head dolls.Scary stuff. I can see it now. A buxom teen running through the woodsbeing chased by a chainsaw wielding killer. Sure not exactly feasible,a midget can't really carry a chainsaw, so maybe they could carry acordless electric knife instead. You know, the kind Ron Popeil hocksfor carving turkey. Also, a midget gets winded pretty quick too, so thechick would either have to fall/trip about forty times as much as theydo in a typical slasher film, or be in a wheelchair. Anywhoo, this isyour standard killer/zombie. Possessed with the evil intentions ofdozens of people, or so they say in the film. It's quite ridiculous,involving supernatural snakes, and swamps, and the most nonsensicalcharacters I've ever seen in a film. They make all the classic horrormistakes. Prying where one shouldn't, turning one's back on asupposedly dead killer, not having a cell phone on one's person so asto call for help. I mean who doesn't carry a cell phone? Hillbillies,and Axe murderers thats' who! Skip this film least you fall prey toVenom (or indigestion. Yeah that's more likely. I just wanted tocleverly work the title in my review)

(2012-04-04 14:44:58)

i didnt see this movie

i didnt see this movie because it looks like poop. But i would buy it for a best friend though.

(2012-03-30 09:03:35)

Venom Review

Venom was a unique blend between The Skeleton Key, Halloween, and Jeepers Creepers. I thought it was an okay movie, but would recommend this movie for people who love the typical, teenage slasher type of movies. But for people who can't stand the sight of blood and gore, this movie is not for you.

(2012-03-29 20:59:25)

So So

This would have been a decent horror if it was done in the 80's. Now it seems dated and unoriginal. If you still love the unstoppable killing machine movies (Jason, Michael Meyers), then give this one a watch. As a horror fan, this one didn't do much for me. Much of the gore is off camera, there is no nudity, and a little swearing. It probably could have gotten a PG-13. The acting is below average, with some of the characters being really annoying. Luckily the body count is high and the movie is short(80 minutes not counting credits). Besides the acting, I thought the CGI was below average. Though the makeup on the bad guy was good. The other problem I had is that the movie takes place in the swamps Louisiana, not a single person had a southern or cajoun(French) accent. This one is for diehard Jason fans only.

Lisa Rose

(2012-03-27 16:32:21)

It seems like all of the filmmaker's creative energy was channeled into the gory imagery, while thematic linkage was an afterthought. Venom has a meandering story to match its misleading title.

T.J

(2012-03-27 03:48:34)

A so so offering to the horror genre.

It's funny how this Venom movie came about. 2 weeks ago, this moviedidn't even have a trailer! Let alone a release date! But, with therecent effects of Hurricane Katrina, this movie has been pushed up theladder and been given a early September release! I didn't have manyexpectations going' in, I knew combining Williamson with Gillespiecould turn out to be a nice tandem, but I was mistaken. 'Venom's worstproblem is its screenplay. I didn't expect that to be something thatwould hinder the film(i thought that the dull teens would accomplishthat feat). *Spoiler here* One of the supposed 'leads' is the son ofthe guy who becomes put under this spirit, thinking this sub plot wouldgo somewhere, all it leads to is some idiotic type "voo doo doll". Themovie was unintentionally funny, and that obviously hurt the mood ofthe film. This movie does sport some cool scenes, some nice kills, andsome pretty decent eye candy...so all is not totally lost. Definitelynot worth 9.75, so netflix it some night.

boyinflares

(2012-03-19 21:24:23)

A modern-day return to Horror of the 1980's

"Venom" is one of the more unique horrors to come out in recent yearsin that it feels just like you are watching a horror flick from thereigning hey-day of horrors, the 1980's. While the premise is nothingnew, it is done in a slick fashion that keeps the viewer entertained.The cast is a mixed bunch, admittedly I am not familiar with some ofthem, they either are not very good, or they just played theircharacters poorly. Take Agnes Bruckner for example. She plays the"heroine", Eden, but she is about the most uninteresting character inthe whole film, not to mention as far as horror-heroines go, she is notvery resourceful. Similarly, Jonathan Jackson seems like an unusualchoice for male-lead, but he is rather surprising in that his characteris very well-rounded in terms of personality and resourcefulness. LauraRamsey is terrific as Rachel, Eden's best friend - that is, until shegoes rather crazy, then her character is just annoying. D.J. Cotronaplays Sean, the resident hottie, and he is also one of the moreinteresting characters due to his connections with the teens' enemy,giving him more story than several of the others, and making him moreinteresting than the leads. Meagen Good doesn't get much screen time,but due to her connections also, she plays one of the more interestingcharacters, Cece. Rounding out the main group of teens is Pawel Szajdawho plays Ricky, and worthy of note not simply because Ricky is gay,but because he is a normal gay character, something still rare in films(where gay characters are either ugly, victimized constantly, or onlythere as comic relief), though increasingly in horror films gaycharacters are being depicted as normal, and often more interestingthan other characters (see also the recent film Tobe Hooper's"Mortuary").Rick Cramer plays the possessed villain in the film, Ray, and does avery good job. An interesting location, nice scenery, some frighteningscenes and a cool score make for a fun film that pays tribute to thehorror of the 80's. Also, just when you think you know who is going tosurvive (the terrible unfortunate motif of recent years when youalready know the heroine and the hero will survive) there is a surpriseturn. Highly enjoyable, albeit somewhat underplayed.

reverendtom

(2012-03-19 09:08:35)

So Bad, But Still some Fun Parts

This is an absolutely stupid, stupid slasher film. That is why I gaveit a 5. It isn't good at all, even by crappy slasher film standards,but there are some pretty hilarious parts. One beef: Not Enough Gore.Every time the zombie is going to kill someone the camera gets all lameand shaky and X Box game looking and this deters you from seeing allthe good stuff. But, there are still some really gross, nasty partsthat make it an okay flick if you are bored and have nothing better todo. The Method Man kill is incredible, as is the face pressure washing.But, again, the nasty stuff needs to be shown! I have a feeling thatthis will be pretty obscure as its not good enough to recommend or badenough to recommend. Its just kind of "ehh."