Perkins' 14 (2009)

Excellent but underrated film

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Ten years ago a string of 14 abductions took place in a small town. All of them were children with the final one being deputy sheriff Dwayne Hopper's (O'Kane) son Kyle. This has shattered the town and Dwayne's family as they have never been solved. He's alienated from his daughter Daisy (Beesley) and his wife Janine (Mihut) is having affair behind his back. One night he comes across Ronald Perkins (Brake) a local resident brought in on a small charge to his jail. Hopper has a creepy suspicion about the man and sends a deputy to Perkins house. The deputy finds the 14 abductees locked up in the basement and he frees them. Perkins has spent the last 10 years turning these kids into savages and killers and they quickly kill the deputy and are loose in the town. Hopper tries to collect his family and keep them safe as the town is being over run by the 14 killers. They eventually take refuge in the police station as Dwayne must fight with himself whether to kill his son or try and save him. This original horror tale is a breath of fresh air. The story by Jeremy Donaldson and screenplay by Lane Shadgett raises interesting moral issues about main character Dwayne Hopper. His love for his son has driven Dwayne beyond reason on many occasions as he must face the toughest choices. Director Craig Singer keeps the story moving and some of the deaths are very bloody which should please gore fans. The movie never gets cheap and moves to a chilling ending which seems perfect for this tale. Patrick O'Kane is very believable and convincing as Dwayne Hopper and his performance carries the film in some places. By no means is this a classic, but Perkins 14 is a fresh and scary idea in a world of remakes and sequels.

For once I thought this film is telling a father who will manage to fight his own fear to understand the situation of his son from being one of a perkin's victim. Yet I was wrong, he's weaker than he looks... The first scene till the middle scene is clearly shown that he's great & I'm startin' to admire his bravery. However, in the middle to the end the father become completely an idiot by letting a prisoner go out by herself, killing his partner for being weak in the critical situation, her wife crawling alone I thought he will accompany her from behind in darkness, & for being weak with his son. I understand for his feeling but need to know that the son is missing around 10 years so it would be hard to recognize his father since the son is still a little brat when he's kidnapped, also his mind is totally screwed. Ahh... Honestly I really like this movie actually in the beginning but hate it when going to the end, it's so terrible for the character's roles.... Overall the movie itself is not so bad from the environment even though the camera angle sucks, & what I really like is the prologue... The case of the father for missing his son is totally outstanding, & the middle of the movie were good. Also the mother is hot, too bad she's a slut! Then the followed scene to the last at the building were sucks as hell! The ending came to be like that, so is there any plan for a sequel? I think it will need for exterminating + mutilate the 14 victims....

One a night shift, deputy sheriff Dwayne Hopper (Patrick O'Kane) finds out some terrible things about Ronald Perkins (Richard Brake) and the disappearance of 14 children-one of whom was Hopper's son. Well, Hopper kills Perkins in a fit of rage, and the next thing you know 14 nearly unstoppable zombie like killers cause mayhem in town with only one thing in mind-kill for Perkins.While it sounds great, "Perkins 14" is a mess from the get go. How could a movie with such an inventive premise go wrong? Well, for starters, the acting (save for Brake, whose performance as Perkins is bone chilling) is universally awful and largely amateur at best. While it's satisfyingly gory and has some decent moments in direction (I love the use of color schemes which bring to mind directors such as Argento, Bava and Fulci), the script is terrible and ends up being uninteresting, while the conclusion is too anti-climactic, the plot-holes are too gaping, the characters are uninteresting and the editing and score are jarring. I could go on really.So why am I giving it 3? Because it's at least original, has some nice gore and has a few interesting moments. In the end though, it reminded me somewhat of another bad horror movie I've reviewed called "Frozen Scream" in that it has a great premise, yet it all goes to waste and feels like a letdown.This is also the 4th of this years "8 Films To Die For" I've seen so far. As of now, the gory and blackly comic "Autopsy" is the only one that I've enjoyed, as the others have been decent but disappointing ("The Brøken "), a total mess (the film reviewed within) and pedestrian and dull ("Dying Breed.") So far, this years Horrorfest has mostly been a letdown. Too bad really. Maybe the next one will have more good entries. If not, then maybe they should just stop now.

Today's horror movies are a far cry from the ones I grew up on. Rarely, if ever, do you find the hard-edged rawness of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or the original "Halloween" in today's highly-polished offerings. "Perkins' 14" is an outstanding exception. Watching this movie is akin to riding a very, very scary roller coaster. It starts off easily enough, building up a great back story and creating empathy and understanding for the main characters. Then, suddenly, you're plunged into a hellish heart pounding ride that leaves you, at the end, trembling with sweaty palms. The acting in this movie is superb and believable, the story is unique, the directing is masterful, and the photography is amazing. At first I had an issue with the dark appearance of this movie. However, on second viewing I realized it contributed to the entire ambiance and storyline. Considering the time constraints the director, cast, and crew were under, this movie turned out beautifully. I doubt it would have in less capable hands. It is my opinion that Perkins' 14 will go down in cinematic history as one of the top horror movies of all time. For those who doubt it, remember that "Halloween" was widely panned in it's day by critics who were unable to see the future of the genre. For those of you who like happy endings, look up "Disney" and/or "Pixar", because this movie won't give you one. What it will give you is honest-to-goodness hardcore horror, which is what a good horror movie should do. Watch it if you dare.