Bloody Homecoming (2013) Reviews

• Kim Newman, I trusted you!

  stemal-12014-03-24

  In the UK, and probably further afield, Kim Newman is known as an expert on the horror/slasher genre. His book 'Nightmare Movies' is a classic. And his video dungeon column in Empire magazine has pointed me in the direction of many films I would have missed. I trust his judgement implicitly. Unfortunately this month he (sort of) praised this film, although admittedly it was in comparison to another. Sorry Kim, but I didn't get the point of this film at all. It was played straight, it wasn't a parody of 80s slashers although it freely stole the clichés of movies of the era, it didn't have any twist on the subject, so why would anyone want to see a bad 80s film made in 2012? There has been a defence of this film on the basis that the victims were sympathetic and not a**holes you want to see killed. But when the acting is this bad, every character in it lived way too long for my liking. Decent whodunnit? I don't think so. You'll know early on, even though a proper whodunnit requires at least enough clues to make an educated guess. I'm giving it 2/10 only because I can never give a 1.

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• last time I listen to a review from bloody-disgusting

  jasonlecter2013-10-02

  I heard about this one but didn't even think about watching it as it looked like another cheaply made wanna-be slasher film, that is until I read the review from bloody disgusting. BIG MISTAKE. last time I ever watch something recommended by Patrick Cooper. Every single character in this film is unlikable. The villain looks ridiculous. The writing is awful. So many cheesy lines(Not the ones that make you laugh). And the worst thing are the effects. they look like they were made by someone who watching a couple of videos on youtube and thought he could do this. All the kills are almost the same. AVOID THIS ONE. waste of time and money.

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• The 80's called... They want their clichés back!

  Coventry2013-11-14

  During the annual homecoming dance, the students' most anticipated night of the year, an irritating jock gets trapped in a classroom following a banal incident and burns to death when a fire breaks out. Three years later, all of his friends that were involved that night are savagely knocked off by a killer in a fireman outfit and mask. Hey now, wait a minute… Where have I seen this before? Oh I remember! This exact same plot already formed the basis of pretty much every 80's slasher ever made! But hey, I'm not complaining, especially not since I'm always nagging that they don't make any more horror movies like they used to in the eighties. "Bloody Homecoming" features all the yummy ingredients of a good old-fashioned 80's slasher-stew. Apart from the textbook plot synopsis, there's also the ensemble cast of stereotypes (nerd, joker, popular prom queen and the perverted principal), gratuitous nudity provided by girls in the shower that are otherwise irrelevant to the plot, a variety of nasty killings through sharp objects and a denouement (as in: the revelation of the killer's identity) that is totally absurd and far-fetched. And yet, there are a few important elements that are missing in order to make "Bloody Homecoming" a truly successful and recommendable slasher throwback. For some reason, director Brian C. Weed does not manage to truly capture that irresistible 80's vibe or light-headed atmosphere. There are too many boring sequences and uninteresting dialogs, and personally I was hoping for a bit more sleaze and sickness. What is the matter with all these politically correct horror movies nowadays? Either way, I appreciate the effort and at least the director didn't choose for the easier option and simply remake a classic, like the people behind "Prom Night", "My Bloody Valentine" and "Black Christmas" did.

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• Bloody boring homecoming...

  paul_haakonsen2013-10-01

  "Blood Homecoming" is definitely in the lower end of the scale as regarding slasher movies. Why? Well, because it was rather uninteresting. The characters were one-dimensional and you never got close to anyone, as there was no character development in any way. And once there was a hint of some backbone showing to a character, he or she got murdered. So you might ask, getting murdered in a slasher movie is boring? Yeah, it is when the ways of killing people is unimaginative, dull and rather tedious. And having a killer running around in a fireman's uniform, complete with gas mask and helmet, doesn't really add any flavor to an otherwise plain movie. There was absolutely nothing scary or menacing about the killer in anyway. Now, I am not American, but I would guess that a high school homecoming would draw more than 20 unenthusiastic teenagers to the festivities. It was just so hard to buy into the event that were to take place, with so few people around, and even less heart and soul put into the effort there. The bright point of the movie is the revealing of the killer. That was an unseen turn of events, but the enjoyment was short-lived, because the scenes that followed were quite anti-climatic. And the way the movie ended was just so downright idiotic. The actors and actresses in the movie were doing good enough jobs with their performances, they were just struggling a losing uphill battle against a horrible script and even worse one-dimensional characters. "Bloody Homecoming" gets a 3 out of 10 rating from me, solely based on the production value to the movie. Everything else in the movie was basically below average. There are far better slasher movies out there, and it is hard to find anything to point out as a selling point to this movie.

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• "Bloody Homecoming" has all the great elements of the 1980s genre movies it's mimicking, but doesn't come off as tired

  ersinkdotcom2013-09-25

  Let's admit one thing going into this review. There's really nowhere new to go when it comes to the slasher genre. Anything you can think of has been done before. All we can hope for now is that the person making a new entry into the genre is skilled or dedicated enough to come up with something utilizing all the clichés we've all seen before but in a different way. I try to keep all this in mind whenever I receive the latest slice-and-dice film in the mail. "Bloody Homecoming" from Image Entertainment is the latest slasher film I was sent for review. All I could think about when gazing on the cover was, "Here's someone trying to do 'Prom Night' again." The cover featuring a girl in a homecoming dress holding a bloody tiara did bring a smile to my face and I found myself nostalgically looking forward to watching the movie. A high school prank leaves the star football player locked in a closet of a building that catches on fire. Three years after his death at the Homecoming event, the students responsible for the tragic joke receive letters written in blood in their lockers. The appearance of the notes coincide with the first homecoming dance since the accident. One by one, the students are picked off by a killer dressed in a fireman's suit wielding a spirit baton whittled down on one end into a spear. "Bloody Homecoming" is not a good movie if what you're expecting is Oscar-worthy performances and an emotionally gripping story that will leave audiences in tears. What we do get is a rather effective homage to the great slasher films of the 1980s. It's the sort of movie that leaves you smiling because all the right ingredients are in place and they're working. Some of the success at being entertaining comes from the fact that the cast is a bunch of unknowns who we know aren't being exploited for what they've been in before. This isn't "Prom Night" starring the latest greatest cast members from hit teen TV shows like "Pretty Little Liars," "DeGrassi," and "Switched at Birth" in an attempt for a quick cash grab. Director Brian C. Weed made a slasher film for the love of the genre. The cast is in it to have fun and you can see that on screen. I was also impressed by the kill scenes. The special effects and makeup are really good for an independent film. My hats off to whoever was in charge of those departments. It's not easy to deliver convincing gore, decapitations, and impalements on a shoestring budget. Being a slasher film, there has to be at least one topless scene and some sexual content and talk. It wouldn't be a proper tribute to the genre movies of the 1980s without those elements, right? I don't watch these types of films for that. I enjoy the gore and little twitches of fright they provide. If you're looking for a sincere and fun slasher flick that doesn't reek of Hollywood payola, "Bloody Homecoming" is a good choice. It has all the great elements of the 1980s genre movies it's mimicking, but doesn't come off as tired. However, you can't take the good without the bad. The acting will leave you cringing at times. Who really watches these types of movies for the acting anyway?

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