Army of the Damned (2013) User Reviews

Meh

[amathaine-74-415256 · 4/10 · 7 August 2014]

Okay, the acting sucked and the 'plot' plods a bit, but if you don't go into watching this movie with high expectations you won't be disappointed. Lots of gratuitous gore and cussing, along the lines of Evil Dead without the panache to draw a cult classic following. A good movie to watch with the guys and play Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

I managed to sit through the whole movie, unfortunately. No more enlightened than I was at the start, and I have discovered a new and pervasive loathing for what sounds like Country meets Heavy Metal music!

One bonus feature, the cop smoking an E Cigarette was an amusing addition... Unfortunately it was the only memorable moment.

Worth watching if you like horror & great first time in lead role for Sully Erna of Godsmack

[chandarmitchell · 5/10 · 15 January 2014]

I rated "Army of the Damned" 5 Stars for a variety of reasons. I love horror movies but not with as much gore as this movie. The more it progressed the bloodier it got. If you love guts & gore, you'll like this movie. I thought the camera work was great; for a lower budget movie I was impressed. My primary reason for watching this movie was to check out the acting skills of Sully Erna, the frontman of the band Godsmack, in his first lead role. In his role as Bridge, he proved his talent as an actor. He played the role very well for a first-timer, with just the right combination of sexy likable hometown boy and bad-ass cop rolled into one. Some of his lines intended as "comic relief" were actually funny, instead of cheesy, as they often turn out in horror films like this. I hope to see Erna in higher budget films with better scripts in the future, to give him a better chance to show off his acting skills. He is hot and sex sells!

a mixed bag

[Psy-Ko · 5/10 · 28 December 2013]

I wanted to like this flick. Not really happening though. It was OK, but just OK. There were some good parts but it seemed just as it would get good it would then become tedious. Lots of action but it went nowhere. It was like the same 15 minute movie over and over again. Production value seemed pretty good as well as camera work and editing. The story lacked, not even sure what the story really was. It seemed to lose itself quite a bit. The acting of the leads wasn't bad. Wasn't good either, but wasn't bad. Best acting came from Michael Berryman(Crazy Earl)as well as a couple of the most humorous moments.

I was really looking forward to seeing Tony Todd in something new but he didn't show up until the 56 minute mark and he really wasn't around long. His acting was way under his normal standards. Guess he was dialing it in for a paycheck. Kind of sad, the man is capable of great acting but this ain't it.

I gave it a 5/10 because I have seen a lot worse but I've also seen a lot better. For a one time watch when you have a couple hours to blow it does the job but don't expect anything more from it then that.

Unbelievably bad! UGH

[Hefferystevensons · 2 March 2014]

This is a serious "how not to make a movie". Basically if you're a new director or producer, do the opposite of what this movie did. This is the typical movie on the shelf at a gas station for 2.99. First off the Cinematography was poor. It looked like a 7th grade student handed in his first project. The best acting came from Tony Todd but was severely weak compared to his other outings. They billed it like he was the main star but he was in it for maybe 5 whole minutes. Judging by this and the previous "Self Storage" the director and producers have no idea what they are doing. Shooting on a weak DSLR really makes it hard to watch and the poor sound quality and non stop Godsmack songs really kills any horror vibe that they tried to make. I was truly hoping for a decent horror experience but what I found was a lack of experience from the film makers. 1/10

What the hell?

[Kreators · 1/10 · 16 March 2014]

What the hell did I just watch? This movie sure is horrifying...ly bad. I am ashamed that i even sat through this disaster. I mean i think i even felt a little sick watching it. Bad acting, Worse cinematography, even worse directing, terrible audio and songs used. I wont give any spoilers away but I would suggest getting a home video camera, putting a nice fresh coat of paint on a wall, film it, and then watch it when it's done. Doing this will be more entertaining and less embarrassing then watching this train wreck of a film. Have you ever felt third party embarrassment when watching something really awkward? Well watching this made me feel horribly embarrassed for the director. How could he release such a bad movie. I don't know. But hey maybe thats your thing. 1/10

there's no way to spoil something this bad

[omayfield · 1/10 · 16 December 2013]

I am right proud of myself, I think. I sacrificed 26 minutes of my life to endure watching the first third of this film which was an act of outlandish optimism and generosity. But thats as far as I could, or anyone should, go. Its just awful. And there you have it friends, a complete three word review. I could end right there but I feel the need to explain that Id heard a lot of the actors here were either wrestlers or porn stars, which intrigued me, and with a few old time character actors thrown in. A few of them I recognized, and Joey Fatone was in it. Not that that means anything but you know how it is when we watch new movies, we hope for good things, we hope for people to surprise us and reward us. We hope that even a bad film will be so bad its kinky good. We hope that someone at least tried, or made an effort, or cared about the work. Nope. No one tried in this movie, no one cared about anything whatsoever. There is no humor, no horror, no charm, no originality, no sex, no realism, no surrealism, no creativity, no emotion, no sophistication, no sadness, no joy. Actually the sadness comes after, when we realize that so many people are involved in the making of any film, and in this one all that time and money and effort were totally wasted, finally also taking a little bit of our own. Someone actually invested some money into this. How is that possible? All the subhumanly moronic characters in this movie keep screaming the same blathering profanities over and over (of course, just like in real life) and the line we hear repeated most often is "Are you f-ing kidding me?". I feel exactly the same way.

That's half a movie worth of time I will never get back...

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 4 March 2014]

"Army of the Damned" was as uneventful as it was non-entertaining.

So what just went wrong here? Well, initially the storyline. Especially because it was lacking a greater coherent red thread throughout the entire course of the movie.

Then comes the fact that the characters and their dialogue was likewise something that you just didn't care about, care for, or could take serious. Which really did nothing to help lift up the movie one bit. It was because of Tony Todd that I sat down to watch this movie, but I had to give up not even halfway into the movie, and I still hadn't seen Tony Todd anywhere. But the prolonged suffering that the movie was exposing me to was just unbearable.

This is branded as a horror movie. Now, were they talking about the contents of the movie, or the actual movie itself. I am inclined to think the latter, especially since there weren't anything even remotely scary or thrilling to be found anywhere.

Sure, there are movies that just immediately are a swing and a miss in each genre, and "Army of the Damned" was just one such movie.

If I had to find something worth recommending that you watch this movie for, I would have to say that if you absolutely have nothing else, I am do literally mean nothing else, to watch, then sure, have a go at this movie. But otherwise, stay well clear of this trainwreck of a movie...

Damn these armies...

[MrGKB · 3/10 · 27 January 2015]

...of misleading blurb writers, deceptive marketeers, and worst of all the legions of inept filmmakers that give rise to them via festering corpses of stillborn cinema. How Tony "Candyman" Todd got suckered into this benighted mess is beyond me; did he really read the script or was he just doing a favor for a drinking buddy? Easy paycheck, that's for sure. Neophyte lead Sully "Godsmack" Erna doesn't outright embarrass himself, but he's still stuck in a train wreck. This film will never be lovingly referred to by an acronym, let's put it that way. Whatever edge it might have been aiming for got sanded away by mediocre direction, editing, and camera-work, along with much of the acting, and of course the script.

Damn these armies of incompetents!

I note with interest that the child actor isn't even listed in the IMDb credits despite being clearly mentioned on screen. Were her producer parents that embarrassed?

Wanted to like it just couldn't...

[gemandeye1 · 3/10 · 6 March 2017]

If this movie just didn't try to force humor into it. The director could have created a creepy atmosphere instead it just went to "silly". The humor was not funny, say in such movies or shows as Shaun of the Dead (purposeful comedy/horror), Scream (send up of great slasher movies with well timed comedic lines), or even Supernatural (serious horror topic and legends blended with one liners and banter). The gore in this movie was an excellent throw back to the special effects gore of the 70's and 80's. That was a plus. Sully Erna acted way better than I expected, another plus. He even should attempt further serious roles in the future with better scripts. I also enjoyed the soundtrack which included Godsmack as well as Sully Erna with Staind guitarist Mike Mushok. Outside of those elements this movie is a pass unless you want to watch it as a Godsmack/Sully Erna fan. Otherwise plenty of other good gory horror films out there.

Army of the bored...

[bearfist2009 · 1/10 · 30 July 2019]

Movie looks like someone playing with movie equipment wrote the script day to day. Most weak, tired excuse for a horror movie. Gallons of fake blood, loud metal rock and endless close up of faces and you will not care about it after watching 10 minutes of nothing happening. Just a lot of noise. no horror except for the fact they actually took the time and resources to put this stinker together.

striving for mediocrity

[SoundsOKtoMe · 1/10 · 30 July 2019]

This was awful, but at least the soundtrack sucked!

Is it lousy, heck yeah!

[song_of_rainbow · 8/10 · 13 July 2022]

So why the eight? That's part of the charm of this type of movie. Lots of crazy things happening, lots of blood, lost limbs, etc and of course, favorite evil entities, from years ago. Some that are now sort of the good guys. Great for laughs, if you into that and great loud music, also for years gone by. Will watch it again, after I get over all the blood and mayhem. I'm guessing the guy who gave it a 3 is a lot younger than me and is not into cult classics. I'm 75, I grow up with bloody mess movies. Lol.

Thoroughly enjoyable action horror

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 12 February 2016]

I spend a great deal of my life watching invariably disappointing B-movies in the hope that once in a while a gem will come along. ARMY OF THE DAMNED is such a gem: a true surprise in an overcrowded genre, a B-movie that ably mixes humour, gore, action, and tight, focused film-making to make a little crowd-pleasing movie.

Don't get me wrong, ARMY OF THE DAMNED is no classic, but it sure as hell is entertaining from beginning to end thanks to a fast pace and plenty of action. The action is centred in and around a single house which seems to have become a gateway to hell, while the various cast members struggle to work out what to do about it. Demonic possession plays a big part and there's a ton of old-school bloodshed for gorehounds to enjoy.

The film-makers are clearly horror lovers because they throw in roles for the likes of Tony Todd and Michael Berryman who don't fail to entertain. The special effects are surprisingly decent for the budget and director Tom DeNucci is clearly having a ball, just like this viewer (and what a surprise given his previous movie was the execrable SELF STORAGE!).

I needed that

[exkluzivno-79283 · 8/10 · 24 April 2021]

It was on TV. Nothing better to watch.

I really needed that movie. It said horror, but it is more horror comedy. At least I laughed more than I did in a long time. Not sure if at all so much during this damned year of C word.

Sure it is not big budget movie, nor it has class A acting, but the idea and the execution and just everything sort of works together. Not every movie is made to impress the critics. Sometimes you just need to unwind.

Don't expect an Oscar nomination, think more Stallone's "Judge Dredd"

[spuzeez · 7/10 · 26 January 2014]

I will watch this movie again. I got everything I expected. Ever since Sully Erna posted on Facebook about this movie I knew it was going to be somewhere on the cheesy comedic side of an 80s horror/action combo. I wasn't disappointed. People will probably complain that the camera work is shoddy or the script was s**t, but you can't expect that from Indie films. That is what this movie is an "Indie Horror/Action" flick. Let's be honest the bar is not set very high in any of those genres. There may be a total of 10-15 Indie films that could actually score higher than a 7/10 in all categories of criticism. Even less for Horror, and those that are great like "Cabin in the Woods" end up being comedies. The Action bar was set by Schwarzenegger and Stallone, not much to live up to, but that is why there are so many "great" action films now. And on a personal level I love movies that are on both ends of a standard spectrum, Middle Ground movies are forgettable. But give me a movie like this or "The Cobra" or "Mortal Kombat", and I'll get drunk and thoroughly enjoy myself. This is all just to give some context to how I'm reviewing this film.

It was a little upsetting to see Tony Todd (IMDb him, you will recognize him from something) get top billing but only have a short amount of screen time. But as far as the Main character goes, Sully didn't do too shabby of a job considering this was his first acting appearance on the big screen and most likely had no acting lessons. If you pay attention to who his character is supposed to be, he seems to fit that character for most of his lines. The rest of the bad lines can be attributed to Indie Horror writing/directing. He very well could do something bigger. The camera work had less to complain about than Transformers 2. To cut to the chase though, any fans of Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness, and possibly Supernatural will enjoy this movie the way I did. (5 shots of whiskey prior to beginning doesn't hurt either!)

I really enjoyed this one!

[macdautle · 8/10 · 31 August 2020]

I don't understand the bad reviews on this movie except that there are people who live to give a "one star" on everything. this movie starts with a bang - a gruesome murder and the police killed - and keeps the tension on until the very last scene. The characters are not well developed - not unexpected in either this genre or the run time - but interesting enough to make us care what happens to the mains. the male lead carries the story well enough and the female lead (the reporter) to her credit, doesn't get in the way.

that said, the plot is a bit thin - Tony Todd's role provides some explanation worth immediately forgetting. but if you're just looking for an action based horror flick that will keep you occupied for about 90 minutes, this one will do nicely.

the less you know the better it is

[ruch-beckey · 6/10 · 19 December 2013]

I had no idea what I was watching..the actors or plot...so it did keep me intrigued.....if id known a lot about the movie maybe not....its an indie feel film, which I like and the film just manages to pull off something descent. so you don't want to know much about the film before seeing it..so no spoilers. though I hadn't seen the bloke from the original hills have eyes for ages..he looks quite good for his age and plays a good guy in this....look its not that bad.....give the film a go..don't expect a big Hollywood film but it will keep you entertained....it all depends what you want to get out of films....I think its OK....a fun horror flick basically

Nifty indie horror outing

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 23 December 2020]

Several small town cops get more than they bargained for when a response to a routine emergency call turns into a fit for survival against a savage demonic force inside of a house.

Writer/director Tom DeNucci keeps the enjoyable story moving along at a brisk pace, delivers a handy helping of blood-spurting gore, presents a reasonable amount of creepy atmosphere, stages the exciting action with rip-roaring go-for-broke gusto, and further tops things off with an amusing sense of self-mocking humor. Moreover, it's acted with zest by an enthusiastic cast: Michael Berryman as local oddball survivalist Crazy Earl, Tony Todd as the two-fisted Jackson, Jackie Moore as perky reality TV show host Kayla, David Chokachi as the hot-tempered Rhodes, Joey Fatone as easygoing cameraman Dave, Sully Erna as the tough Bridge, Thea Trinidad as the eager Lawson, Nick Principle as big bruiser Donald, Tommy Dreamer as weary veteran cop Carpoza, and Maria Kanellis as the scrappy Terry. Porn star Jasmin St. Claire pops up in a small role towards the end as an FBI agent. A super fun flick.

not so bad

[demented_one · 6/10 · 25 September 2017]

Yea the plot is inconsistent, marginal acting, a tad bit like a school movie. But you can see that they tried. They had fun making the movie, which made fun of the genre. Scenes were stitched together OK. Lots of gore, but at least not a slasher. A supernatural slasher! candyman is in it, the guy from the hills have eyes, and a couple more ringers.

bored? TV sucks? then this is worth a watch

Sound track

[richardochoa-97028 · 8/10 · 16 February 2021]

The music in this film was outstanding and the reason for my high rating. Too bad there's no reference to any of the soundtracks. So I'll have to do the research happily.