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28 out of 40 people found the following review useful: Interesting, but deeply flawed., 20 November 2006 Author: Caustic Pulp from Antioch, CA
"The Hamiltons" has a great premise, and the ending of the film is inches from being extremely satisfying. On its own, an excellent ending...it's getting there that's the problem with the film.The fundamental flaw of "The Hamiltons" is that it's caught between being a serial killer film and a family drama, and unlike "Suburban Nightmare" - which was similar, also an indie, and much better in my opinion - "The Hamiltons" refuses to commit to its characters. It wants you to empathize with them at the same time it paints them as violent sociopaths. In doing this I found the ending disingenuous, and most of the movie was simply too scattered.There ARE strong points to the film. The main character, Francis, is easily the most well-developed character. Although he gets too whiny and, frankly, useless at times, he's able to make the transition into action with aplomb. His relationship with one of the women being held in the cellar of the house is particularly well-written and potent.The problem is that the movie feels forced to bend to genre conventions, and in doing so it makes the other three members of the family unsympathetic in the extreme. The characters of Wendell and Darlene are written well as sociopaths, but the problem comes when the film wants you to identify with them and accept them as part of this family, and you can't imagine why anyone would love them even if they WERE family.The film is worth watching, but the script really could've used another run through editing to work out the kinks.
31 out of 47 people found the following review useful: Efficiently captures the spirit of 70s and 80s horror, 6 March 2006 Author: dgaither from Mountain View, CA
I saw this film at Cinequest, the San Jose Film Festival, in March of 2006. The Hamiltons is a movie with writing and directing credit going to "The Butcher Brothers". I think this is a name we will be seeing more from in the future. They've managed to put together a good old-fashioned scare fest, with some very powerful shocks along the way, all while using very basic gore and makeup effects.The movie is about a group of grown siblings, whose parents have died, who are living together as a family unit, trying to be a "normal" suburban family. But they have a terrible secret. Part of that secret is that they abduct and kill people (mostly lovely young women). The rest of the secret is what keeps us involved throughout the mayhem that follows.They've managed to create an atmosphere similar to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, without being quite so gruesome or so unrelenting. Mixed among the powerful killing and torture scenes are scenes of banal domestic dysfunction. They are obviously big horror fans and sprinkle the movie with references to the movies genre fans love.My only complaint is that they overindulge in camera tricks. Some of the tricks are very effective. In the pre-credit scene a woman is killed, but the violence occurs in a series of extremely rapid cuts (I'm guessing maybe 3 per second) which keeps us from quite seeing what's happening. This allows our bloody imaginations to do much of the work and keeps us from noticing how simple the make-up effects are. I would like to have seen them use this technique again, but instead they went on to try every camera trick they could think of.The youngest brother is camcording much of the family action, he says for a school project. This gives the directors an excuse to have many square-cropped, bouncy scenes, with jagged edges around the objects and low resolution. Other scenes are grainy with a shot-on-videotape-in-poor-lighting look. Much of the movie is in high-resolution, beautiful 35mm. Then, even more distractingly, they start mixing up the resolution and cropping mattes, so that we get a high resolution square shot, supposedly from the camcorder, so the actor can look good in close up. There's a couple of scenes where the shot alternates between two actors in dialog and one of them is shot in the grainy tape-look format while the other one is in high-res 35mm. Nearly all of the violent scenes are augmented? by quick-motion, tracers, vibrating cameras, or something else to add impact not present in the action itself. I'm sure they had fun playing all these camera games. The problem is that it draws us out of the story. I spent much of the movie's time thinking about such things, instead of wondering what they were going to do to those poor girls next. There are a few soundtrack scares, but they don't overdo this.If it ever gets released, I'll want to see it again. The camera tricks do not make the movie unwatchable, they're just distracting. It's a much better movie than a lot of low-budget horror and it left me with the kind of feeling I get from the old 70s and 80s slashers, but it's not as graphic.
30 out of 46 people found the following review useful: The Hamiltons is a thinking person's "horror" film with a slow pace., 22 November 2006 Author: Molly Celaschi (carlykristen) from United States
The Hamiltons 2005 (Theatrical "R", After Dark Horrorfest) – Directed by The Butcher Brothers, Winner of the Santa Barbara Intl Film Festival and the Malibu Film Festivals.The Hamiltons are an unusual family that recent lost their parents. The family now consists of older brother David, who is struggling with his homosexuality and the pressures of running the household, the twins Darlene & Wendell, who are devious troublemakers, and younger brother Francis, who is coming to terms with his family and his place in the world.The film starts out explaining that The Hamiltons siblings recently lost their parents and they have moved several times within the past couple of years. Twin Wendell soon kidnaps two young girls and it becomes apparent that The Hamiltons are not as they seem. Sensitive Francis grows weary of their ways, but is scared to be alone. Does he decide to do the right thing or stick by his family no matter what?This is not by any means a typical horror film, but a thinking person's horror film. Those looking for gore and scares will be disappointed. It has an original story with great dialogue showcasing real problems within every family. It is ultimately a very accurate portrayal of a real family dealing with growing pains that features a slight twist at the end. During the end scene, you hear Francis giving a creepy voice-over almost giving it a documentary feel.Cory Knauf gives a solid performance as Francis, the young man that has so much to say, but cannot. He really shows how torn Francis was in his decision and the isolation felt by many teens struggling to find their place as they hit adulthood. Mackenzie Firgens gives a great turn as twin Darlene who is vicious and sexy at the same time. You will love the scene where she chases Kitty through the house. (And maybe the one where she kisses her own brother!?!)My only quibble is there is minimal gore and violence. During violent interactions, the camera turns away, so very little is caught on film. There is also an opening scene with Brittany Daniel that looked frightening at first, but there were some jittery camera movements and it fizzled with no pay out. Bottom Line: The Hamiltons is a subtle "horror" film with a slow pace. This is more of a thinking man's (or woman's) horror film. Gorehounds should pass.Rating: 7/10Molly Celaschi www.HorrorYearbook.com MySpace.com/HorrorYearbook
21 out of 29 people found the following review useful: "Family Dysfunction" Gets A Murderous Makeover..., 29 March 2007 Author: Christopher T. Chase (cchase@onebox.com) from Arlington, VA.
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
For lovers of sensitive teen dramas centered around dysfunctional families...have I got a treat for you! THE HAMILTONS will take you back to your high school days of discovering books like CATCHER IN THE RYE, RUMBLEFISH and THE OUTSIDERS...only this has nothing to do with gangs. It does deal with a troubled young man, trying to find his place in the world, and also how he fits in with his VERY unique "family unit." Frances Hamilton (Cory Knauf), confused, withdrawn and in constant turmoil, documents his day-to-day life with his siblings, following them around with a camcorder as he records them and his thoughts in a video journal.Older brother David (Samuel Child) carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, along with his role as 'man of the house', the legal guardian for everyone else since their parents died. The twins, volatile 'bad boy' Wendell (Joseph McKelheer) and Goth-obsessed Darlene (Mackenzie Firgens) aren't willing participants in the family, unless it involves being with each other. They're as close as a brother and sister can be...actually closer than what's considered appropriate.The Hamiltons struggle to be good neighbors and put on the best face they can...when they're not shredding off someone else's. They do the best they can anywhere they live, until people start disappearing, and they have to move...AGAIN. Struggling with their murderous, nomadic existence and what it takes for them to survive, Frances is at a crossroads...should he pitch in and help them continue to do what they do, or should he tear the whole family apart in the hopes of finding a more "normal" way to live? If you enjoy 'family dramas with a twist' like George Romero's MARTIN, GINGER SNAPS or even the unconventional psycho-thriller MAY, THE HAMILTONS will definitely be your cup of blood. The Butcher Brothers have carefully fashioned a tale that will keep you engaged even if you figure out the 'family secret' well before the ending.The actors turn in solid performances, but especially the ferocious effort by McKelheer and Firgens, and Rebekah Hoyle as Sam, the latest victim who may hold the last chance for Frances' most desperate wish.I'm afraid that hard-core gorehounds seeking maximum carnage may feel cheated. When this film was part of HORRORFEST last year, it was sold as a 'slasher' film in the trailers, which is only half-true. Set your mood for something a little more nuanced and different, and you'll be ready to meet THE HAMILTONS.
14 out of 20 people found the following review useful: the thompsons..., 19 November 2006 Author: rivertam26 from United States
Like most of the festivals entries Hamiltons makes for an interesting watch a film thats all ideas and little execution. Although impressive for it's obvious low budget the film falters in it's final twist and becomes dreadfully long during it's drawn out and obvious conclusion. The film is about a family of murderous outcasts trying to survive after there parents have died. They kidnap people , drain the blood from them and feed something locked away in their basement. There's some nice darkly humorous performances from Mckellhar and Firgens and the rest are just so-so. The film never feels realistic or very disturbing for that matter. But for the first half taps into an oddly humorous and dark mixture which is a surprising accomplishment. The next half isn't so successful as it receeds into film oblivion with unrealistic twists into a ridiculously cocky finale that turns the entire film into utter crap. It's a shame though there is no doubt that some talent was involved with this production and although deeply flawed it remains original and creative. too bad that when it comes to the delivery it completely fails on every level.**/5
17 out of 26 people found the following review useful: "The Hamiltons" Brings A Whole New Meaning To The Term 'Dysfunctional Family'., 31 March 2007 Author: youshotandywarhol from Oregon
Another one of the eight films that was part of After Dark's Horror Film Festival, "The Hamiltons" is an intriguing little horror film/twisted family drama that will have you interested and disgusted at the same time. This independent horror film focuses around a family of four, consisting of three brothers and a sister, their parents both deceased. Francis is the youngest, who is withdrawn and spends most of his time filming his unconventional life with his camcorder. Darlene is a wild goth girl with an attitude, and her twin brother, Wendell is a bit of a tough guy and a ladies man. David is the oldest, the "man of the house", who is struggling to take care of his siblings and deal with being a homosexual. The Hamilton family may seem like a basically normal bunch on the surface - but little does anyone know, they also kidnap innocent people and tie them under their house and proceed to murder them.Interesting premise, eh? I thought so myself. Far from your conventional horror flick, "The Hamiltons" contains one of the most twisted suburban families you'll see on screen. The story itself is pretty original - well, at least I can say I've never seen a film quite like this before. The film balances itself out, teetering on the brink between a horror/crime film and a psycho family drama. Script-wise, the film is really quite impressive. It has a few faults here and there (this would mainly be the trouble finding any sympathy for a couple of the characters of the family, when it seems the writers were poking at that), but overall the writing is clever and keeps a couple of important plot-twists pretty well hidden until the appropriate time to reveal them. It does drag it's feet a little during the middle of the film, which could have been a problem - luckily it isn't necessarily uninteresting because the character interaction is really compelling.The acting here is surprisingly good, the leading actors are mostly unknown (besides Brittany Daniel of "Club Dread" and "Joe Dirt", who has a small role in the opening scene of the film), but I thought everyone performed well and the characters were pretty believable. The film is shot in a strange fashion, and it gives it an almost documentary style, which puts the audience in the moment. The picture is very bright and clear - it captures a realistic effect. There are a few shaky, jittery camera movements, and while I felt they were over used in some areas, they add a nice effect to the film. The big revelation near the end of the film was near genius, and the conclusion is almost perfect. I won't spoil it for you, because it would essentially ruin the biggest plot twist of the movie.Overall, this is an interesting little flick with some great things to offer. It's not your typical horror movie at all, so don't expect one - but if you want to see a different type of horror film (a little slow moving, but heavy on character development), check it out. It's not a perfect movie, but I thought it was pretty good. If you thought your family was different, wait until you see "The Hamiltons". 7/10.
12 out of 17 people found the following review useful: My first of "8 Films To Die From"...or is it "for"?, 21 June 2007 Author: TheatreX from Louisville, KY
This is the first of these "8 Films To Die For" collection that I've seen and it's certainly not made me want to see any of the rest...although I've heard at least a couple of them are decent. I don't know, this wasn't terrible but it didn't really do much for me. Your basic dysfunctional cannibal family in suburbia kind of thing, mom & dad died, the family sold the farm & moved to San Francisco (?) where they continued to bring home stray food sources whenever possible. The best part of this was the creepy Goth sister, who of course invites a friend over from school that never leaves. Anyway, of course we have a butcher shop in the basement and so on and so on. This family is sort of like the white-bread version of the Sawyer Clan, they're nasty & they do bad things but they ain't go no soul. I see a lot of reviews from people that liked this, and I guess I don't know what I missed, but I found it to be very mediocre & I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, really. 4 out of 10.
17 out of 29 people found the following review useful: Boy oh boy..., 3 November 2006 Author: there-we-go from United States
This was a very interesting film. I'm not much of a horror/slasher fanatic, but I can appreciate a good story line. This one has a pretty decent plot behind it, but something was lost along the way. I enjoyed the way it was shot--with the younger brother's video project changing it up a bit from the norm. The family includes a set of twins and I think the relationship between the two of them is pretty bizarre, but actually it added a lot to the film. The character Lenny keeps us interested throughout the whole movie, trying to figure out who/what he is, and that was a totally off-the-wall twist. Francis is a relatable character--young teen full of questions and despair, and his development throughout the story was worth observing. It's definitely a strange one, but I got a real kick out of it. I especially like the ending sequence(s) where they start to explain themselves..totally weird. I recommend it, if nothing else, just for the laughs.
22 out of 39 people found the following review useful: Loved it!, 20 November 2006 Author: miss_sirriamnis from United States
The description of this film did not excite me overly, as I really despise the "people being horrible to other people" subgenre of horror. Boring.But, there was a projector glitch in the previous Horrorfest film I'd been attending, and they gave us free passes, I was already at the theater, I figured "Why not?" I very nearly walked out in the middle of the opening sequence, because it looked to be very much a "people being horrible to other people" cliché, but I decided to stick it out and I'm glad I did. Best film of the festival.I thought the story was engaging, and while the violence and gore on camera was minimal, it was effective. After twenty minutes, I WANTED to see how and why this family was so screwed up. While I started to have my suspicions about the twist at the end, it wasn't until just very shortly before it was revealed.
4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: The Family that Slays Together .... Well, you know the rest., 8 September 2007 Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls
You never really know what to expect from the debut horror movie brought on by a directors-duo that refer to themselves as "The Butcher Brothers". They very well could be a pair of ambitious young filmmakers with inventive new ideas and an aversion towards political correctness, OR … they could also be a couple of phony and untalented hacks that only want to cash in on the contemporary extremely popular horror genre. After seeing it, I can only conclude that "The Hamiltons" is a bit of a mixed bag. The main storyline, albeit seriously derivative of other horror franchises, has potential and features a handful of ingenious ideas, but still the overall elaboration of the screenplay is unsatisfying and the film definitely required the touch of an experienced director. The film opens with a grim, "Saw"-esque scene set in a filthy basement, where a terrified girl awakes and finds her friends dead. Something vile and aggressive prevents her from escaping, but we can't see what it is because the screen turns black and the girl's screams fade away. Although never really confirmed, I can only assume that the intro sequence took place in the basement of the Hamilton family's last home. The younger son Francis, always carrying around a video camera like the freak in "American Beauty", introduces his deranged siblings and explains how they moved houses six times already since their parents passed away two years earlier. They keep moving around because the oldest son David and the twins Wendell and Darlene are a strange breed of cannibals and they keep hitchhiking girls imprisoned in the cellar. There's more fishy stuff going on in this family, for example the incestuous tension between Wendell & Darlene and the mysterious fifth family member – named Lenny – who always remains locked up in a cage in the cellar. Francis has moral issues with his siblings' life styles, but he's too weak and too afraid to revolt against them. "The Hamiltons" occasionally benefices from an uncanny atmosphere and the morbid set pieces, but the pacing is too slow and the titular characters are too implausible to evoke disturbance. Also, in my humble opinion, The Butcher Brothers are unworthy of their cool name because the amount of gore and graphic bloodshed is sorely disappointing! Still I can't be exaggeratedly harsh, because it nevertheless remains an interesting & experimental new horror flick. The script brings homage to "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (for example, the oldest son David works in an abattoir) and offers some effectively surprising twists near the climax, like Francis' eventual fate and the long-awaited confrontation with Larry. Worth a least one viewing, especially for tolerant horror fanatics.
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