Methodic (2007)

Waste of time

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This was something I wanted to check out from the moment I learned of its existence. Chris R. Notarile is undeniably one of the most important additions to the new generation of filmmakers and I have been very much impressed by his numerous small budget short films. It was only recently that I heard of Chris' first attempt at a larger budget movie. I looked it up, gave it a watch, and enjoyed what I saw. "Methodic" is the story of an average young boy like any other named Nicholas Matthews who is consumed by a malevolent entity known as Dollman. After murdering his parents he is found to be not guilty by reason of insanity and is committed to a sanitarium where he resides for the next twenty years. Shortly after being visited by his sister Lana, he escapes. The evil is unleashed and the body count commences. Does this concept ring any bells? It makes perfect sense that John Carpenter is so influential for Chris and any other indie filmmakers, considering how "Halloween" is one of the most successful low budget independent movies ever made. Who would've thought that a William Shatner mask painted white would become so iconic? Every slasher flick owes something to the movie that originated the formula. After Rob Zombie beat Chris in acquiring the rights to remake "Halloween", Chris altered what he had already done: made up his own premise and "Methodic" was born. "Methodic" was given poor reception by many viewers. It was released during the time when Chris' filmmaking standards were still modest and not quite on par with his later works. I'm among those who have said that the story and the characters should have had more development and that some of the acting wasn't top-notch. However, I do believe that the pros outweigh the cons. Niki Rubin and Brandon Slagle were great in their roles and I also admired the character Dan Grant as portrayed by Tony Dadika. Even Mack the Dog delivers a fine performance. But of course the character that steals the show is the Dollman, the world's first basher monster who executes his victims by means of hammers, his fists, a baseball bat, a golf club, and even a frying pan. There's a fascinating concept behind Dollman that makes the character a significant icon, but elaborating any further would be a spoiler for newcomers. The soundtrack too is very well done. It gives you chills and makes everything seem all the more intense. Additionally for lovers of trivia, Charles Cyphers who played Sheriff Leigh Brackett in the original "Halloween" was casted as the police chief. An excellent touch! So is Methodic without flaws? No. But what movie is? Haters have to consider the limited budget and resources at Chris' disposal. Accomplishing any kind of movie under those circumstances is anything but a simple matter. For what it is, Chris gave it his utmost effort and I really feel that he should be applauded for getting "Methodic" made at all. Much as I would've liked to see what Chris R. Notarile would have done with a Halloween remake, I believe that "Methodic" was the perfect opportunity for him to express his own creative ability. It's a familiar, but fresh horror experience with a unique vision and all the elements that fans of the genre can identify. It's debatable whether it holds up or not. As for me, I was invested all the way through and I am without regrets. Chris R. Notarile has taken cues from past errors and his filmmaking standards have since improved a tremendous deal. It's a practice any artist must adopt. At the rate his success is going, I would love to see more "Methodic". The movie has opened many possibilities that I hope to see executed with the high quality and top-notch techniques that Chris is becoming known for.

I'm serious! I don't understand the jealous hatred some "reviewers" post about this film both here and especially on Amazon. I guess it's true. Those who can't do, BASH! Speaking of "bash", METHODIC has the distinction of being the very first "basher" film! Anyway, sure there's a similarity to HALLOWEEN, but director Chris R. Notarile freely admits his love of that film and that METHODIC was originally intended as a reboot / remake of the John Carpenter classic.All that aside, METHODIC starts out on familiar ground with a small boy who kills his parents, but quickly develops into it's own interesting and original story where we learn that the entity known as "The Dollman" is more like a virus than a spirit so anyone can't become The Dollman. This theme is explored more in the short sequel METHODIC 1.5 and that film shows where the storyline is going and it has nothing to do with HALLOWEEN !! As for the acting, Brandon Slagle, Niki Rubin, Tony Dadika and Stephen Muzzonigro completely nail their roles and the supporting cast is equally as good with standouts being Daniel Werzinger, Christine Allanach and Roberto Lombardi (who's storyline features heavily in METHODIC 1.5). Also, having Charles Cyphers in the movie is AMAZING! Visually, METHODIC is stark and disturbing in all the right places and the music really enhances the visuals. Pick this up if you like old school horror with a good story. If you're into body count movies about drunk teens, pass on this!

I am a fan of well made, low budget horror films, this is not one of them. For starters, the acting fluctuates between mediocre and terrible, the camera work is pretty bad as well and there is not really a scary moment in this film. Their are also so many unrealistic things about this film its not funny. For one, this kid of about 10 goes into the mental institution for 20 yrs, when he escapes he breaks into a house and finds a sewing machine in the closet and somehow knows how to make his own costume, then he kills the girl in the house, finds the keys to the car and drives off. I guess he was taught these things subliminally since he was unresponsive for 20 yrs. Many of people in the beginning of the film prior to the 20 yrs are the same people after showing no signs of age, I think the special effects in this film are limited to a couple of tubes of vampire blood that you can get at K-Mart. The highlight of the film was a lesbian sex scene between a decent looking blonde & a Miss Piggy looking brunette, and that wasn't even very good. Do yourself a favor and pass this one by.

I was really impressed with this film overall. It left you wanting more and eager to see the sequel after viewing it. The acting and story were superb. The film progressively got better and better as it went along. Now before you say it's similar to Halloween, it is. The director, Chris R. Notarile states that Halloween was an inspiration for this film and originally he was hoping to do a remake of it. Which Rob Zombie beat him to. Anyway, Chris R. Notarile's new horror icon, The Dollman is on a whole other level though and nothing like Michael Myers. But, the Dollman will scare you just as much if not more! Also, the movie is totally original in the sense that it's the world's first "Basher" film, ever! Now that's impressive.The director really got some talented actors for this film which included: Brandon Slagle, Stephen Muzzonigro, Niki Notarile, Charles Cyphers, Tony Dadika, Dan Werzinger, Thomas Daniel, and Christine Allanach. All of who portrayed their characters really well and helped bring the director's vision to life. The lovely Suzi Lorraine and Damien Colletti also portrayed their characters well in their scenes but had smaller roles. Oh, in case you didn't know, Charles Cyphers was Sheriff Brackett in Halloween 1 & 2 so it was great seeing him in this horror film. Wish he was in it even more.I must say though, out of all the actors I was most impressed with newer actor, Stephen Muzzonigro, who played the Nicholas Matthews / Dollman. His looks behind the mask and movement were great. Then when he came out from behind the mask, he was a totally different character! I also thought he could of played detective Colin McDermott really well (based on his performance outside of the mask). Not taking anything away from Brandon Slagle's performance in playing that role.This was the director's first full length film. That in itself is very impressive considering how good this film turned out. Looking forward to seeing more of his work or the sequel. Methodic's ending definitely leads it into a great sequel where it will answer more questions about the mysterious Dollman too!