An American Terror (2014) User Reviews (15)

Decent Grindhouse Effort

[captainpass · 5/10 · 20 January 2024]

Not really my cup of tea, but not nearly as bad as some reviews suggest. Yes, the lighting (or lack thereof) is an issue, but gaffers tend to inflate the budgets of zero-budget productions, so . .

Anyway, Garcia appears to have aimed for the Roth/Zombie market and this one is pretty decent if that is your thing (though I would add that most of the gore is suggested here rather than depicted). The acting is decent. And while most aspects of the plot are hardly original, the subordinate plot-line involving the homecoming is a bit different than anything I can remember seeing (though it is wrapped-up a bit too conveniently).

Finally, Garcia appears to have tried, somewhat unevenly, to include some art-house style camera work here and there. For example, there are a few vignettes toward the end that, while straining credulity as a story, do work as atmosphere. Oh, and the ending is a bit of a throw-back to a different era. I actually liked that aspect of the film.

An American Flop

[sgtgunner-1 · 2/10 · 2 February 2015]

I really wanted to like this movie. Based on the initial stars (7.4 at the time) I was expecting a throw-back to the vintage slasher films. What I got was a mess of choppy sequences followed by a few minutes of actual dialogue, then some weird angle nonsense. It seems like they used every scene transition from every horror movie they could get there hands on and just couldn't decide on one.

I also could have done without whatever filter they used to film this...some sort of a greenish hue was cast over everything.

One review refers to Friday the 13th, Halloween, etc... as a benchmark for this movie. This is nothing like those movies. The 'lunatic' reminds me of one of the Spy vs Spy birds from the Mad Magazine.

I'm convinced that the good reviews were given by people affiliated with the creation of this film.

The acting is not horrible, but there is no character development so you don't really care what happens to any of them. I didn't even remember which character was which..though the Mohawk fellow seemed to be the best actor of the bunch.

I've watched a lot of B horror movies and have seen quite a few decent ones and some I recommend to watch as a time waster...This does not fall into either of those categories.

I gave it two stars because I have seen worse, but not by much. Also, there was mention of awards being won for this film in another review...I don't know how true that is, but I would hate to see the other movies this was up against if that is the case.

Terrorizing viewers with crap editing, camera-work, story..

[DBLurker · 1/10 · 4 June 2016]

First things first. See that poster? That guy is in the movie, except the guy in the movie is a fat hillbilly guy wearing the same gear. Right there, the movie fails. Hillbilly's are NOT scary, no matter how edgy you try to make them (in this movie's case, watching a cartoon and making love to a doll.. I think, I couldn't tell, whole scene was 99& darkness).

Second, the protagonist is a emo dude who wants to do a school bombing/shooting with his friends. Right there? You stop sympathizing with him even till the end, when he changes his mind (and how is he not in custody over planning it all? they just let him get back to the school next day..) Third, the moment our "heroes" enter the lair of the guy on the poster, whole movie turns the contrast up 50% and increases the darkness level in all scenes. That means, good luck recognizing what is going on in 99.9% of the scenes. You won't be scared, you'll be just really REALLY annoyed.

Fourth, the "big bad" guy on the poster is beaten up and defeated by two scrawny kids. Rest of the movie is a crappy school bombing plot, that never happens. In whole movie, only two people get killed and that includes a cop and the kid who bombs that cop. Yeah, that's the real terror, school shooting/bombing.

So basically, this movie is trying to make a statement on school shootings, telling all of the nerds who get beaten up that "Don't shoot up the place, it isn't worth it.. just take the beatings and humiliation." There, I saved you the trouble of watching the movie. That was the message all along. Go watch some good horror movie.

TIP: How to watch this movie for free? Turn off your monitor/TV. See that dark screen? That's the movie. Enjoy.

An American Failure...

[Krackoon · 1/10 · 25 March 2015]

'A group of friends hatch a plan to get revenge on the bullies who have been tormenting them. In doing so, they stumble upon an underground torture chamber filled with unspeakable horrors. ...'

While the director may be attempting something old school, like 'Halloween,' or 'Friday The 13th,' he pretty much fails at every aspect. The acting is fairly bad all around, and I'm not talking in a humorous way either. What really drives these types of films - is the villain. If you don't have a good villain, you really don't have anything to fall back on, and that goes for the old school 'classics,' as well.

The villain here, or seen on the cover - end up being two different killers. The guy on the cover looks passable for a straight to DVD flick - Unfortunately, the guy on the cover didn't make it into the final release (Maybe the guy in the actual film ate him?) Instead, we get a 400 pound hillbilly who spends his time getting his inspiration from Woody Woodpecker reruns, kidnapping attractive cheerleaders, and having intercourse with his toy doll. Now, most real life serial killers are known for their sexual acts before or after killing their victims - but not this guy. I'm not sure why horror films avoid this detail, but I haven't heard of many serial killers who would choose a toy doll over an actual victim.

Random Ramblings of a Madman: One of the reviewers of this film has been a member of IMDb for 15 years, and has 1 total review, which just happens to be of 'An American Terror,' which he makes a case for best film of the year. As you can probably tell, we're not in agreement.

Terrible

[gorehound-27840 · 1/10 · 13 September 2019]

Absolutely without a doubt, make no mistake about it, terrible.

What is this supposed to be?

[calebheiland-88466 · 2/10 · 9 May 2019]

The editing in this movie is terrible. At first we have these kids who want to shoot up a school. Now I'm getting some thriller vibes. Then, they go to underground and a friend is killed by a fat man in where this film becomes a slasher horror. Then a drama when he stops his friend from destroying the school. Then a cheesy high school romance movie where he stands up to the jock and gets the girl. All of this (acted terribly with bad editing) in the span of 84 minutes.

Way better than I expected

[Kiri_Jolith98 · 6/10 · 10 May 2015]

While this isn't the best horror/slasher movie in history, it is a very pleasant surprise. The "Evil" in this movie is more than just some demented freak in a junk yard, it's the evil that we do to each other to make ourselves feel better. The underlying themes of bullying and kids struggling just to make it through high school are pretty effectively presented and you find yourself understanding where the frustration and anger comes from, even if you don't agree with their extreme methods. In addition, the film even tackles complex ideas like redemption and equality, not something you routinely see in a slasher flick.

I was very pleasantly surprised, the movie had a creepy villain and some characters you can root for in earnest. Not the best movie out there, but there are way worse movies to watch on something like Amazon instant video or netflix.

The underside of bullying.

[dgos17 · 10/10 · 24 February 2015]

This movie is really two stories in one. It has the cool, slasher side, which can be brutal at times and the even more prevalent story of bullying in high school. I feel it very realistically shows how even seemingly tough kids can't handle bullying. As a parent, I feel all kids need to be taught how to treat each other. I felt for these kids and could understand why they wanted to do what they did. The acting was amazing. Even though the majority of the cast is younger actors, their range is wonderful! This movie hits you in all the right spots getting it's point across. It makes you think back to your high school days...did you witness anyone being treated this way, did you treat anyone this way, or were you the one being bullied. I love that it took a horror film to so brutally show us how painful bullying can be. It's gritty, gross, tense, and disturbing...everything you want in a horror/thriller!

Not too bad of a film. I enjoyed it for the most part

[danieltrue16 · 6/10 · 3 May 2015]

It wasn't that bad to be honest. For being what it was, and independent film, it was well done. You can tell the movie wasn't made with a huge budget, camera shooting was a bit strange and I had to get used to it, but the story line was pretty good.The acting takes a bit getting used to IMO. I liked how 2 stories mixed into 1, and the ending was something that I liked. All in all, it's a great movie to watch.

Pros: Great story line, editing, some gore. It's different from a lot of the crappy horror films that have come out as of late. Cons: camera work was a tad strange for me, the acting could've used work.

I give a 6.5 out of 10.

A much better film than expected.

[shaun8305 · 7/10 · 13 June 2021]

I'll admit I didn't have high expectations of this going in. The story sounded like your generic torture porn fare. What we got instead was a movie that was surprisingly better, and more engaging than expected.

The story revolves around a trio of teens who are routinely bullied by the popular kids. Filled with pent up anger they plot a mass shooting of the Homecoming Dance after being inspired by Columbine and other mass shootings. The one planning the whole thing is the clear psychopath while the others are following his lead. It's when they go to steal guns from a redneck that the torture porn elements kick in.

So let's start with the negatives. First the acting isn't the strongest, it's about as average as it can get. The second is the color scheme of the film just felt, off. It just didn't do it for me. Lastly the killer was unremarkable. I didn't even know it was Brian Thompson until I saw him listed here.

The positives is simply the story. It was really the strongest aspect of the movie. The characters, especially for those who were outcasts were relatable, and while you may not fully understand the need to kill, you can understand the anger caused by being bullied. It's really the slasher elements that feel almost out of place in this movie, but it does serve a purpose to the overarching theme of the movie. I was quite pleased with this one, and definitely recommend giving it a watch.

Actually really liked it

[wildblueyonder · 8/10 · 11 January 2019]

This is why I often read the reviews before passing on a low rated flick... sometimes I just don't get the low ratings. I mean hey, MOST of the time I do - there is a ton of crap out there - but I mostly enjoy stories and I'm not in it for the polish and the effects.

And this was pretty good. A somewhat familiar theme/themes, and some fairly wooden acting.. but overall kept my attention and didn't make me feel like I wasn't entertained at all afterwards.

So probably more like a 6 or 7 but gave it an 8 because the 4.2 it was at when I saw it not even close to fair. Enjoy.

Columbine? Nope! Colum-just-fine!

[bodyguardjst-81694 · 7/10 · 18 December 2022]

Loved the movie. It's like two movies combined into one. I thought the acting of the high school rejects was very well done, and very well casted. This movie deserves a higher rating. It also goes to show you, that as a nation we need to address the bullying problem, as an abused kid wanting to harm others will find a way to do it even with out firearms.

The actual Psychopath was well done. I kind of wish we new more about his back story, or perhaps an alternate ending where one of the trio later takes the plague bearers mask and becomes him.

Take away from this? Don't rob rednecks, and don't pick on the skinny tall trailer park kid that's weird.

It is sad that the movie was rated so poorly.

One of the best in the genre in a long time

[joedream · 10/10 · 1 August 2014]

An American Terror a throwback to the great films of my youth but it is a plausible story tangled and weaved intricately amongst a tangible, clever message; one that does not get lost. Nor does the entertainment value ever diminish because it is trying to do something with the subject matter.

Graham Emmons , Louis MacDonald, Taylor Hulett, and Joe Abplanalp do incredible jobs as each of their characters gets their moments to show off what they can do. I am especially fond of Abplanalp's performance in this. He really has a nice balance in this movie, knowing when to do all that his character needs to do, and how to use subtle movements and small noticeable expressions to give you the senses you need at critical moments. He has an interesting quirk within his eyes but he never really uses that as a crutch, something that could have easily happened. You see the type of character he plays all the time go way over the top and I like that he was able to stay within the framework but also that he took advantage of his moments.

Of course he is under the guise of a very talented Writer/Director in Haylar Garcia. Haylar is careful and detailed but he really sets a pace to the film that gives you opportunities to absorb when you need to absorb, get anxious when you need to get anxious, and frustrate you to no end. These are the 3 essential elements in my mind that create a successful horror film. Haylar accomplishes the rarity that you find these days in any film, not just horror, he really edits himself well. I am sure there were times where staying in one direction and not getting excited about going the other direction had make him crazy but he really stayed on point throughout. He also has some incredibly bright moments with dialogue. Moments that will catch on as more people see this movie.

Graham Emmons is a great caretaker and leader of that conduit that is Haylar's vision. He knows at some point the audience is going to turn to him and he does all he is supposed with that. In fact the entire cast has incredible chemistry and they all give you the sense that they know they are in something special so they are careful, calculating, and perfect for the screen.

Another great element that adds to this movie's success is the incredible production design. It uses the full potential of live locations and gives it that little bit of special feeling you need when you figure out where everyone is and what is going on. The details are very well covered here. Another common theme you will find with the movies that make my list this year is how the sets and designs are as much a character in the movie as the actors are. An American Terror probably has 2 of my favorite examples of that this year, cop cars and junkyards.

Anton Fresco cinematography moves flawlessly throughout the engaging moments and settles you into the rare moments that Haylar allows you to catch your breath. Along with that, there are some great cutaways and overall aesthetic shots that just keep you right there and in the moment.

As I said earlier this movie actually marries 2 nice genre ideas together and while it is such an awesome homage and throwback to horror genre of my youth, Haylar is good to throw in some of the more recent ideals that have worked from some of the better movies of the last 5 years. I think keeping it current really plays well in this instance but the nostalgia homage makes it unique.

I think having the message this movie does also lends itself to standing out and being different. Make no mistake for me I liked the outright horror elements the best but you can't help but get absorbed to think about what is trying to be said here.

That's what makes this movie a best of year candidate and one of my favorites of 2013. I am happy to hear that after a year and a few months of traveling the world in festival after festival, winning award after award that it is going mainstream for the masses to be able to see.

If you are a fan of Halloween, Friday the 13th, and even something like Cabin in the Woods or Saw you have to see An American Terror.

A Great Tribute To Classic Horror

[lsethbarnett · 10/10 · 8 April 2015]

This movie is a great tribute to some of the best classic horror films with a new and surprising spin. It is not just a violent movie but one that has a solid core that causes reflection on its content. For fans of classic horror or Rob Zombie films, this is for you. I am amazed what this group could do with a low budget. There are dark moments and some terrifying sequences wrapped up in pure frustration by the characters. I would highly recommend this movie to any true fan of the genre. It is hard to stop watching this heart pounding ride through a labyrinth of fear and excitement. It has a similar feel to House of 1000 Corpses with a modern twist with plausible realities. It is almost two great horror films in one taken the viewer to a new level of thrill.

ONES? AYSM??????

[HarrySmooth · 8/10 · 24 August 2023]

Ohhhhhhh my GAWD! How could ANYONE sit thru this movie and call it a ONE? I give it a good SOLID 8 for Costume and Acting alone!

The "Sets"? In a word INCREDIBLE! I was on the edge of my seat, (once it got rolling lol) from the time those boys went down the ladder, then WHAM! S**t starts rolling from there to the end!

GREAT "Hack em Up", Weirda$$ Bird Nose Man! Flick! Lol , but no BS, this is a Very Entertaining Flick, with a lot of what you watch a Flick like this for!

SAW! The leader in Mechanized Torture Meets "WeirdoA$$" BirdNose Man in a showdown! I can't wait for "AAT" TWO!!! They said it was comin, and I'll be RIGHT Here waitin on ya Baby!

BRING IT!

Yer ol Pal Harry.