Chemical Peel (2014)

Let's be realistic.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Gathering together for a bachelorette party, a group of women awake to find that a chemical spill has been accidentally unleashed nearby and is slowly affecting the group forcing them to try to fight off the deadly virus before they kill each other.For the most part this here wasn't all that great of an effort.What really ends up hurting this one immensely is the fact that so much of the film's running time is simply spent on the girls turning on each other and offering little in the way of making them appealing which is crucial and important in such a situation. Considering the initial reason why they're getting together in the first place and what's the entire purpose of their meeting, it tends to just waste so much time here going for the type of useless subplots that do anything but make us believe that they're friends. While the snapping at each other in the beginning when they're still unsure about the entire situation does make some sense as the slowly- dawning threat is gradually unveiled which affects the group differently is certainly understandable, there's little need to carry this out as much as it does into the later half by showing them continually snipping at each other for completely unneeded and useless natures, from their backstory about the dead friend, the meeting with the friends and all the other rather unneeded parts here that makes the group quite unlikely to be enjoyable to be around. Even more puzzling here is the fact of what the purpose of bringing the local hunter into the group was supposed to serve as there's little point in him being there. He's so late into the film that regardless of how much he got exposed to he should still be far more infected than he really is, the addition to the body count isn't all that needed and in reality shows off another in a long line of continuous bad decision-making by the group which is the last big flaw here. Avoiding common sense by ignoring the strange toxic gas-cloud surrounding them and going outside, failing to even seal up the house until just about the hour mark and finally tuning out the emergency broadcasts by staying around each other when they have the infection instead of staying in isolation is a major series of missteps that furthers the situation more than normal and really holds this one back all-together. About all this one has going for it is the fact that the graphic representations of the infection against them are quite fun, from the various bloody sores to the opening blood-vomiting and finally the graphic meltdown that still comes hidden away so as not to get the full-effect of the situation but gets just enough to matter. As well, it does score well in their panic and confusion when the entire reveal is found out and it remains watchable enough throughout, but on the whole the flaws more than outweigh the positives here.Rated R: Graphic Violence and Extreme Graphic Language.

Chemical Peel is a hell of a clever little genre-bending psychological thriller/horror from some indie filmmakers who kind of know what they're doing. At first glance, it may just look like another low-budget horror thing thrown together, but once the sh** gets going, you realize it's anything but. It's no masterpiece by any measures, but a valiant effort from some first-time filmmakers.Watched this on Amazon and it actually intrigued me so much, I had to buy the DVD, too. I've actually watched it several times over the last week and every time I do, I notice something different. Specifically, with the characters. It's the little nuances -- an empty seat in a car, a Jesus-Christ pose in the shower, the Freudian slips in dialog, etc.-- that really stand out from others in the low-budget horror realm. I don't want to give too much away, of course, so I'll keep it brief.But I will say that it's really interesting how the filmmakers gave each character (at least the five main ones anyway) a very specific psychological arc and how each one really responds to the terrors that happen differently. Too often in films nowadays, when disaster strikes everyone becomes the same boring character and that doesn't happen here. In Chemical Peel, each character is her own person. And that's another thing, bravo to these filmmakers for the all- woman cast and not being afraid to actually make them feel real. Oh, and also thank you, Chemical Peel, for Angela. I love Jordan, Elise and Ray too but Angela is one of the more fascinating complex, darkly funny characters I've seen in a horror flick in long time. It seems like the more negative reviews about this film focus on hate for her, even ones that go as far as to express how much the reviewers would love to physically assault her. I personally think those kinds of statements say more about the reviewer than they do about the character, but hey what do I know?Anyway, I can honestly recommend this film to anyone who likes character-driven horror stories. Though it's clear the perfect ratings are most likely friends/family of the filmmakers and the 1 star ratings are just trolls, Chemical Peel is better than the 5- star rating average it currently holds as this is far from your average movie.

No there's no ghosts, zombies, or insane serial killers, but something worse than all of that combined; a chemical spill going airborne! Burning your skin, making you gasp for air, driving you mad and insane with panic, fear, terror.Through the whole movie I wondered: why I am torturing myself, but I couldn't walk away, now I am seriously considering a gas mask and protective gear! The acting is not the best, but who cares, the story and unfolding drama is so compelling, that it makes this movie more than a horror film, a fair warning for all.As a young man, not far from where I used to live, a terrible explosion burned people, houses, cars,and no movie before made me feel back to that horrible event. and I shiver thinking what if instead of gas, it had been a mix of lethal chemicals traveling fast for miles and miles? And that is the reason "Chemical Peel" is a movie to watch if you want to scare yourself, this upcoming Halloween,after that you won't need a ghost story!

So many "OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! That was so gross!!!!" moments! I really loved how this horror film attempts to explain the 'monster' instead of leaving you asking so many questions.The character development is not lacking as we quickly love our leading lady and loathe the agitator. Lots of solid revenge moments and one epic shower scene (don't worry, its all bloody gore)! I hate when horror films have blood that is fake but it LOOKS FAKE! This looks like the real deal, especially when its all over the floors and our heroes. After seeing this film at the premier, I can't wait to get my copy and watch it this season. I am pretty sure my face will peel off with all the extras on the DVD and I can have a digital copy to take with me where ever. Yay!