Chain Letter (limited)
| release date | October 1 2010 |
| studio | New Films International |
| director | Deon Taylor |
| writer | Deon Taylor |
| starring | Michael Bailey Smith, Nikki Reed, Noah Segan, Keith David, Betsy Russell, Matthew Cohen, Cody Kasch, Michael J. Pagan, Cherilyn Wilson, Clifton Powell |
| rating | R |
| site | chainletterthemovie.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
0 Comments
i was able to see this movie at the premiere in l.a. and i have to say that it was not bad at all. i really enjoyed the movie. i give this movie a 7.5
Me and my friends went to see this movie this weekend…twice!!! Amazing film. I give the Director two thumbs up for his creative storytelling. Amazing twists in the ways he makes them each die. We had to see it twice and loved it both times. If it stays in the theater long enough we will see it again. Loved it.
I have to say the only horror movie this year that I wanted to get back in line and watch again was Piranha 3D(sad many didnt see it as with Chain Letter) until this little gem! It was the funnest slasher in some time as well as smart!( the ending had me really saying OMG!!!) Nikki Reed did really well as did Keith David. Brad Dourif was his as always weird great self. Betsy Russell didn’t ave much here though. But as far as teen slasher’s go, this is 2010′s best yet! Maybe Wes will beat it next week, and maybe Hatchet 2′s better but from what I’ve seen this has got it all!
Unfortunately this was the worse movie I’ve seen in 2010. The plot makes no sense. Is it a slasher film, conspiracy film, no…just a bad film. Maybe there was something in there, but it got totally lost in the editing. For example, “The Usual Suspects” flashbacks worked because they were shot showing all the info. Here, they just rolled back and added stuff in that no character could have seen. And never did anything with the reveals anyway. Also, the movie was in the can so long that the teen social networking was “MySpace”. I was the only person in the audience so I can believe it pulled in ony $110M.
Was not bad for a low budget movie. looked very good actually and no cgi was used for the gore. all practical effects and thats something you cant say about most bigger budget horror films. hopefully they make it into a franchise and the sequel is better becuase this could have been a great movie but ended up being alright.
I can easily say, without exaggeration, that this is one of the worst films I’ve ever had the displeasure of paying money to see in a movie theatre. I take risks and pay to see this stuff because I want to support horror and horror filmmakers and sometimes it pays off with a decent movie. But I wish now my money had gone to a film that truly advanced the genre and didn’t sell it for parts wholesale. Mostly everything besides the gore effects truly stank. An obvious attempt to make a Saw retread (and when will filmmakers give up imitating that awful franchise) this film looks and sounds terrible, is paced atrociously and wastes the talents of some decent actors (Nicki Reed, Keith David). A dispiriting night at the movies to be sure!
“Chain Letter” is a silly little slasher that feels like a weird blend of “Final Destination”, “One Missed Call” and “Kill Theory”, hardly thrilling or creepy, though I have to admit that it kept me quite entertained, mainly because of a few terrific kills (especially the super-cool opening and the brutal kill in the fitness studio) and some nicely atmospheric scenes.
Other than that, it’s full of annoying characters and unconvincing actors (with the exception of Brad Dourif), the script is just terrible and the ending is one of the worst, stupidest and most senseless endings I’ve ever seen,
plus: all the time it felt as if they wanted to do some kinda
‘will-do-for-social-networking-what-Jaws-did-for-swimming’-thing but of course they totally failed in doing so.
First off its not like Final Destination at all its more of a one missed call meets a slasher film and I can say I enjoyed the mix. I actually liked this movie more than I thought I was going to. Overall a fun little horror movie that popped out of nowhere. If you have to have logic in your horror movies then stay far away from this one.
This review is 100% correct!!!! Every this is true
But for some odd reason that I can’t explain, I liked it anyways lol
One skull? Kinda overcriticized. Couple of pretty awesome LAID TO REST like kills, only practical instead of CGI’d (which is nice anytime), fair plot of tech addicted kids being stalked by a technology hating cult – the end was atrociously cut off and disjointed from the rest of the film – but it didnt blow the whole movie. Was pretty good for a modern day slasher – not nearly as abominable an experience as BC laid it down – he’s correct about a lot of the factors, but IT WAS an enjoyable film for the most part.
Mindless slasher and a blah plot (email/cell phone chain-letter killer, yay), but really enjoyed it! Plot holes, things making no logical sense, but didn’t care–Chain Letter is obviously not meant to be brain food..but it sure has some cool kills. Nice to see Keith David around, and Nikki Reed looks so much like a young Cindy Crawford at times that it’s kinda weird. Entertaining if you turn the brain off and don’t expect anything mindblowing.
Didn’t see this film, nor do I want to, I just want to know if it is supposed to be based on Christopher Pike’s Chain Letter novel which I read at the age of 13. I remember liking it up until the end. I thought the plot twist was really lame.
Chain letter wasn’t too bad. The story is a bit lame yes, but the film is pretty well done. The acting isn’t bad at all, and the death scenes are gore were done quiet well. I do hope there is a sequel to this.
I’ve read a lot of negative reviews of this film, and oddly enough, while I can’t disagree with the specific items mentioned in those negative reviews, I still thought the film had a few noteworthy elements.
The film should be better than it is. The idea of s masked, psycho killer murdering teens who delete his chain letter could have worked and it actually should have worked a hell of a lot better than it does (or doesn’t) here.
The first problem is that, as soon as the chain letter plot point is made, the film seems to want to distance itself from it as soon as it can, and the film turns into this weird, anti-technology rant type “movie with a message.” I’m not saying a film can’t have a message, but let’s get real here: do you think people will find deeper meaning in a film where a masked killer brutally murders random teens with a set of chains? Its almost like director/co-writer Deon Taylor is embarrassed that he is making a bloody/gory horror thriller, even as he is simultaneously enjoying making a bloody/gory thriller.
The bloody/gory elements are one of the few things that work in this film and I was actually very impressed with them. They are very well done and very detailed and actually more realistic looking than some much larger films. Particularly, the kill where a guy gets chains wrapped around his eyes and mouth, and then which are used like a chainsaw, is favorite of mine.
And thankfully, actress Cherilyn Wilson also provides a brief but effective topless kill/chase scene, something I’ve seen too few of recently.
However, the film’s biggest fault is the extreme confusion and unintentional humor it creates. Take, for example, a scene of our hero, played by Nikki Reed, doing some research on the computer. In the montage sequence, we see her going on endless web page after web page, and we see her needing to get up and walk around, and take her glasses off and rub her tired eyes and she’s writing pages and pages of notes, and we’re thinking, “Man, she’s really doing some serious sleuthing here!” and then we realize that, within the movie itself, about three minutes have elapsed. I found myself laughing out loud, as this seems like a “Simpsons-esque” joke.
Again, I’ve seen the film but I don’t know who the killer is. In fact, I don’t think the film knows either. I think the film thinks it tells you, but it doesn’t.
Though it could have been fun, “Chain Letter” has so many flaws, that I wouldn’t worry at all when I delete it.
‘Chain Letter is a welcomed addition to the Slasher genre.
It has a great cast and above par acting.
The gore and effects are well done original and abundant.I have the unrated version. Chains being the main weapon of mass destruction,along with a few other clever ways to meet the grim reaper..
I love Noah Segan who has become quite the scream king of late with movies such as Deadgirl,Cabin Fever 2,Someone’s Knocking at the Door and All about Evil. too bad he doesn’t get that much screen time due to getting chained early on.
I found it to be fresh and nicely atmospheric.There is of course a message in the movie about too much technology and the price some pay for the sit at your computer on social networks and the text instead of face to face communication set. The only compliant I have is I wanted to know the origin of the disfigured psychopath who was bumping the kids off,it’s safe to say they are saving that disclosure for Chain Letter 2 which I’m sure is either in pre production or at least being thought about.It’s a must see for slasher lovers.
I thought I would really like this movie, even after reading a lot of negative reviews just because it’s a modern slasher movie with a bit of a twist. I was sadly mistaken though.
I wouldn’t even consider this a ‘slasher’ film. There are hardly any deaths but a few and most of the film, especially the second act is boring. I really don’t recommend this at all. It really really is just not good and it just ended out of nowhere and was just really stupid. Avoid at all costs!
bloody-disgusting often has shitty movie review, I was once again right. An enjoyable little flick.
Curiosity got the better of me. Chain Letter is bad movie; its sloppy, scare free and don’t get me started on the horrible plot…yet there is some amusement to be had here. Yes, im talking about the kills which ranged from above average to excellent; yeah the rest of the film may be shit, but the kills somewhat redeem the film in the sense that it’s watchable. Proceed at your own risk!
This movie is TERRIBLE. What an embarrassing flick to be a part of. None of the story lines really went anywhere.
Plus, JESUS who sits around talking about chain letters anymore?!
Great kills, copious amounts of gore, and killer story make this slasher worthy of your time! Make sure to score the unrated dvd version if possible!
Couldnt even finish this movie. Terrible acting, we’ve seen it all before and the gore is useless. I think the gore age is passing. We need horror films with substance.
Chain Letter is a horror film revolving around a strange chain letter that has to be sent to five different people, and if you fail to do so in 24 hours or delete it, you die. It is a fairly simple premise and one that does feel a little late to the party, especially given who pretty much nobody even gets chain letters anymore thanks to spam filters.
Despite the somewhat basic premise, Chain Letter does have a few things going for it. For starters, it has some fairly brutal kill scenes, including one at the beginning that really sets the stage for the violence of the movie. The Killer, who I will also call the Chain Man, is a freakishly large, apparently burned man, who uses custom made steel chains as his means of killing people. He actually gets quite creative with some of his kills and never does the same thing twice.
The performances were solid enough and some pretty recognizable actors were on hand with Brad Douriff, Betsy Russell and Keith David all taking part. The younger cast of victims was decent enough, at least good enough to set the stage of your typical group of high school horror movie victims, with jocks and nerds all labeled accordingly.
The movie does try to tell a somewhat interesting deeper story. That of the dangers of technology and how being too connected can be a bad thing or a good thing. The killer makes use of technology to track and help terrorize his victims. While a tad heavy handed, it was interesting to see them trying to reach out to something larger within the confines of a slasher flick.
Ultimately there were a few issues that kept the movie from really reaching greatness. Some of the logic issues in terms of the rules the killer put out, how and when people were killed and sometimes why some people were killed immediately while others waited for a while before dying. Perhaps they ran out of time and/or budget to complete everything, as I did feel that corners were cut a few times.
My other observation was how completely absent most of the parents were in this movie. How is it in a town where a brutal killer is stalking high school kids, that none of the parents seemed all that concerned by what was going on. In fact, the final kill scene struck me as very odd in terms of how they could be discussing what they were discussing and not think to check in on their daughter.
Logic issues aside, Chain Letter was an entertaining and fast paced horror film with some solid gore and kill scenes. While not really scary, it did feature an entertaining plot that could have used a bit more developing. While I would have liked some answers about the killer at the end, perhaps they were leaving it open for sequels.
From the horrible opening scene to the terrible ending, I knew this cheap slasher film wouldn’t be anything special.
Likes:
The cast was good, especially Nikki Reed and Brad Dourif.
Decent suspense and brutal death scenes.
A hot stud who bites in the first 20 minutes.
The bathroom scene with the killer and the girl.
Dislikes:
The storyline
The soundtrack
Not scary.
Not enjoyable.
The opening scene.
The ending scene
It’s not a good movie and it’s not recommended. I like slasher films and horror films are the best, but this wasn’t horror, it was cheesy and forgettable.
Fuck this movie. This is the dumbest shit ever, if you want to see the biggest cliches in any horror movie in the first 15mins check this out. I couldn’t even get through the first 20 mins. I was bored, angry, the acting sucks (well acting in horror movies is never good but here it blew big balls) you got every cliche in the books. Avoid this shit film.
HOLY SHIT WAS THIS MOVIE FUCKING TERRIBLE. I mean, it was actually so bad, that it almost came around to being good again at how laughably terrible the cast, plot, dialogue, directing, soundtrack, and effects were. Nothing at all redeeming about this movie, and I feel like this should be included in some sort of exam to test people for mental disabilites.
Q: “Did you enjoy the film Chain Letter?”
A: “Yes.”
Clearly, this person has had part of their brain removed and should be institutionalized. More information here:
http://thewolfmancometh.com/2011/08/29/chain-letter-2010/
This was by far one for the dumber movies that I have watched. Im sorry that I sat through the whole movie hoping that it would get better, It did not. The ending was terrable, that acting was poor, and the storyline was retarded.
I will get my little praises i have for this film out of the way first. I enjoy takes on Urban Legends, and these days there arent alot left. This wasn’t a bad rendition of what anyone in this or the last generation has experienced and heard about at least a few times in their live, which admittedly tweaked my interest.
Again i wont lie when i say that the beginning scene when she was about to be split one way or another from the cars did make me squirm a little bit and made me hope for a brutal effect of mutilation. Kind of a clever idea as well.
But just then it cut to the title sequence and i was pissed. No blood and gore :/ And from then on out it just turned into your typical teen slasher flick. Not a whole lot of artistic agenda in this one; which is why i find it funny that its tag line is “The Art Of Killing.”
Just a bunch of cheap scares reused in the worst ways possible making for a rather bland build up and ending. Simple, every day slasher formula, nothing new to the genre. Slasher really isn’t my genre anyway so i wasn’t surprised when i found it dull. If you are a slasher junkie then this may be your calling. If you don’t dig Slashers or you want a brutal, mind fuck of a film then skip this.
Starting to watch the begining of the movie you will expect an obivious digust, as the main carried is a lead on the repugnent teeny bopper film “Twilight” (Nikki Reed.) It appear’s to be your typical b-grade collage kid’s get hacked to piece’s by dude in a mask. Movie star’s the typical basic horror personality’s, the wierd geeky girl (played by Reed) who is somehow bestie’s with the fake tanned cheerleading hot chick of junior high (played by unknown most likely porn star.) Which for starter’s if totally off from reality, as i was the junior high weird chick. The middle of the movie drag’s on with unrealistic murder scene’s, slasher movie’s are alot scarier when they have a certian reality to them. It’s like you can actually see yourself in the poor kid’s situation. Sadly this was not the case with “Chain Letter,” as when the killer ironicly wrap’s a chain around one of the kid’s head’s turning his brain’s into mush soup. You notice that they haven’t even bothered to put a skull in the boy’s head. The filmed is finished with a total anti-climatic ending involving an angry black guy & a dredful script. Still i have to salute the director for attempting this intensity of gore whilst still maintaining a bareble script. The film was still a spit in the face compared to the same genre classic’s like “Hill’s Have Eye’s” & “Texas Chainsaw Massacure”.
Thank you & goodnight.
Leema.