The first two-thirds of this movie were - well - OK. It was shaping up as a rather average horror-movie about a mass murderer, and there was even enough originality to make it somewhat interesting. Then the whole thing fell apart in a laughable and completely unbelievable last half hour or so.
It's impossible to write about this movie without a few SPOILERS, so beware! THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD! BIG ONES! If you must watch this movie, don't read on!
The plot was not bad. The murderer in this case is a screenwriter (Stanley Caldwell, played by Judd Nelson), being pressured by his agent and a director to complete a script about a man who drowns young girls and then uses their bodies to create an underground "garden." To make the story more realistic, he engages in his own personal research - he actually does this to see how young girls react to being kidnaped and drowned! This was sufficiently unique to have gained my attention anyway. And for the first hour, it's not bad. It's not great, either, but it's not bad. The only thing I was left wondering about in the first hour was why (with only one exception) none of the bodies underwater showed any signs of decomposition? I mean, these girls were not kidnaped and drowned at the same time, and if one body was horribly decomposed, shouldn't there have been a progression of decomposition according to the dates the girls were killed? OK, it's a pretty grotesque criticism I confess, but it did leave me scratching my head. Aside from that, though, I thought the first hour was all right. But then came the last half hour.
I have questions, folks. The last girl kidnaped was under 18 I assume. (The posters in the police station for all the missing girls had a reference to "KidSeek" - sounds underage to me.) So, let's get this straight now. This underage girl is miraculously rescued, only seconds from being drowned in this underwater garden of horror. Apparently no attempt is made to contact her family, or if one is made, no family comes to get her. Instead, the girl is "drafted" to help the police with this one, except - wait for it - she's then (this girl, who had been through the trauma of a kidnapping, and then only hours before escaped being drowned in the grotesque "garden of flesh") simply left on her own in a motel, with no police guard, even though the murderer hasn't been found (I know he's presumed dead, but still - given the circumstances? Just leave her alone?) Then - how does he find her anyway? Did they put an ad in the paper saying "hey murderer, this girl is at this hotel without a guard, so go get her!" The kidnaping is replayed (boring!!) and then - another question - why kill the director and the agent? That was never explained.
I'd have given the first hour a 5 (average, not great and not a disaster) but the last half hour drags this thing down to a 2/10.
It's impossible to write about this movie without a few SPOILERS, so beware! THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD! BIG ONES! If you must watch this movie, don't read on!
The plot was not bad. The murderer in this case is a screenwriter (Stanley Caldwell, played by Judd Nelson), being pressured by his agent and a director to complete a script about a man who drowns young girls and then uses their bodies to create an underground "garden." To make the story more realistic, he engages in his own personal research - he actually does this to see how young girls react to being kidnaped and drowned! This was sufficiently unique to have gained my attention anyway. And for the first hour, it's not bad. It's not great, either, but it's not bad. The only thing I was left wondering about in the first hour was why (with only one exception) none of the bodies underwater showed any signs of decomposition? I mean, these girls were not kidnaped and drowned at the same time, and if one body was horribly decomposed, shouldn't there have been a progression of decomposition according to the dates the girls were killed? OK, it's a pretty grotesque criticism I confess, but it did leave me scratching my head. Aside from that, though, I thought the first hour was all right. But then came the last half hour.
I have questions, folks. The last girl kidnaped was under 18 I assume. (The posters in the police station for all the missing girls had a reference to "KidSeek" - sounds underage to me.) So, let's get this straight now. This underage girl is miraculously rescued, only seconds from being drowned in this underwater garden of horror. Apparently no attempt is made to contact her family, or if one is made, no family comes to get her. Instead, the girl is "drafted" to help the police with this one, except - wait for it - she's then (this girl, who had been through the trauma of a kidnapping, and then only hours before escaped being drowned in the grotesque "garden of flesh") simply left on her own in a motel, with no police guard, even though the murderer hasn't been found (I know he's presumed dead, but still - given the circumstances? Just leave her alone?) Then - how does he find her anyway? Did they put an ad in the paper saying "hey murderer, this girl is at this hotel without a guard, so go get her!" The kidnaping is replayed (boring!!) and then - another question - why kill the director and the agent? That was never explained.
I'd have given the first hour a 5 (average, not great and not a disaster) but the last half hour drags this thing down to a 2/10.