The Axe Murders of Villisca (2016) User Reviews (21)

An axe that needed a lot more sharpening

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 23 May 2018]

'The Axe Murders of Villisca' drew me into seeing it, with a cool poster, an intriguing idea and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.

Found the film to be pretty weak, its worst elements being pretty awful, with a lot more wrong than right. 'The Axe Murders of Villisca' is not great, or good, has a fair share of problems (fairly big ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There are however a few decent, even good, qualities in 'The Axe Murders of Villisca'.

Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric, likewise with the very nice way it's shot. The music is suitably spooky and quirky and doesn't distract at all from the atmosphere, while not exactly enhancing it.

Acting is better than average, the first third was promising and a few scares are effective.

However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary it got. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their irritating and illogical decision making and behaviours insult the intelligence. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it.

Dialogue can be stilted and rambling while the pace is uneven, dragging in a lot of the second half and never is it exciting. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense. The last third badly sags in momentum and the atmosphere completely falls flat.

In conclusion, very weak but not unwatchable. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Surely not the greatest.

[Patient444 · 4/10 · 2 December 2017]

This is a straight forward horror movie that you've seen many, many times before, with all the standard moves, scares, characters and ending.

It brings nothing new, delivers on very few levels, doesn't get you too involved, annoys at times but at least it is not over stretched. A haunted house film like all others, with familiar ghosts and typical reactions leading to the most common finale.

It's down to everyone's personal opinion, I just sat there, watched it and that was all. Didn't do much for me. So watch it at your own peril.

Cheers!

typical teen horror

[trashgang · 4/10 · 7 February 2017]

This horror is based on the actual axe murders that took place in 1912 and were never solved. So it all looked promising but in stead of becoming a slasher flick this turns into a paranormal flick.

Is it that bad, well, it all moves away from the actual story and not having any gore or bloody moments this flick fails to deliver. Before the horror comes in it's all about teens and their love problems and once in the house having a tour it all takes too long before things go wrong. half way the flick they do enter the house again, at night and then it all starts, but it was a bit too late.

The last minutes do deliver the goods but still it's clearly made to have teens watching it. The axe killing people is all done off-camera. The possession entering the visitors is done with, sigh, black eye lenses. Nothing looks scary and the voice being deformed by processors in editing is another big failure.

Of course teens watching this will love the way it was done. But for a real buff it's all to low to really stick in your mind.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 1/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5

um the age is way off

[nmfsd · 5/10 · 20 September 2017]

Most all of these "kids" who are supposed to be in high school are older than college grads, or close to their thirties. The audience isn't blind when they're watching! Other than that, it was fairly entertaining. Some of it was good, some bad. Overall, except for the casting, it was enjoyable if you have nothing else to do.

Well, the Villisca part is the backstory...and that's it.

[jrgnc1 · 2/10 · 17 September 2018]

First of all, I'm quite the fan of this unsolved murder having read all about it and watched the documentaries. So in watching the movie, I kind of had a biased view since I knew so much about the actual story.

The movie house is not the actual house which was much smaller. And the actual house did not have electricity, but did have a telephone. The family never electrified it while they owned it. It also had a barn/stable since the owners were still doing the horse and buggy thing and never purchased the latest invention...a car.

I hate that they turned this into a paranormal movie. The actual story was about a family of 6+2 friends brutally murdered during the night by an unknown killer. It was not paranormal. Why couldn't they have just recreated the original story as a period piece and not turn it into a teen/ghost possession/slasher flick?

A Response from An Interested Party

[navarre_2 · 3/10 · 4 July 2017]

Full disclosure: I'm not just any old audience member for this picture. I've also worked on a Villisca-related project, co-writing, directing and appearing in one entitled "Haunting Villisca." Ours was far rougher than this one, from a production standpoint (I suspect we had a small fraction of this one's budget) and, sadly, we did no better with reviewers.

My own reaction to this one is. . .frustration and bewilderment. I don't care for the picture but I wouldn't, regardless of whether or not I myself had made one. It's lodged very uncomfortably in a very small space: true crime meets paranormal activity meets teen slasher flick. Finding the intersection of those circles is going to be dicey work indeed and, having attempted something like it, we may have to admit that it cannot be done at all.

The picture isn't all bad - some elements are exceedingly well-done - but the more important point, to me, is that the case has not attracted and given rise to the sort of high-achieving work we who are familiar with it believe could be produced.

What's the problem? I wish I knew. I've often described the case as an itch between the shoulder blades, the itch that takes up residence in that one insanely inaccessible spot. You feel you'll go mad if you can't somehow deal with it. So you write a book, you write a song, you make a movie. They're all undertaken with the best of intentions, and they all fall short (Roy Marshall's book, "Villisca," comes the closest to fullness, combining a law officer's obsession over evidence with a folksy charm that lifts the endeavor onto a higher plane, one approaching "art.")

No, I don't like this movie very much. Then again, I don't like ANY of them - my own included - very much. The dragon of history sleeps soundly still; he's not been prodded sufficiently into yielding up his treasure. Someday, perhaps.

Casting? What?

[seochikyo · 3/10 · 18 June 2017]

A good horror movie to me is believable.

The synopsis says: "Three outcast teenagers break into the house in search of answers, but discover something far beyond their worst fears."

Why the f**k would you cast a 31 year old to play a high school senior?

If he was really your first pick for the role, why wouldn't you rewrite the script to make it about a group of friends older than teenagers? Or, if you wanted to keep the plot focused on high schoolers, why didn't you cast someone younger than someone in their 30s??

The movie is whatever, watch it if you're having a boring Saturday night. I would've liked it better had I not felt low key insulted as an audience member that we're told to just believe that these grown ass people are high schoolers.

this is all wrong

[savannawestover · 3/10 · 26 November 2017]

Okay, so coming from someone who lives 30 minuets away from vilisca and I've had tours there and personally know the people who own it this is all a little off, first that's not the house and the murder is wrong, he was a suspect but not the one who committed it they still to this day do NOT know they say who ever it was got on a train around 3 am and left that night. Then not only is that wrong but the murder had entered the house while the family was out and had hid upstairs in a mini closet like storage place. With that being said the movie is okay but just by being someone who knows the WHOLE background story and things about this movie is not correct but its still okay.

glass half full

[rejohnson-28499 · 6/10 · 14 January 2019]

Okay so i am by no means a movie critic but i do like to think i know the horror genre and this movie wasn't half bad. now that being said it also wasn't half good. however, by B-rate horror movie standards, i thought this movie was actually an enjoyable watch. the normal level of acting ability in B-rate movies is pretty expectantly low, but this movie actually had pretty decent acting. i think i would maybe re-work the sound as i needed the closed captioning for most of the movie. the premise and plot behind the movie is actually very interesting and i think could have been so much better had the crew had more time, money, accessibility, etc. i was very pleased that even though one character had a camera, the entire movie wasn't from this point of view. overall i'd say this movie isn't as awful as people are saying. while it does have its downfalls, i believe it is worth a watch if you can't find anything better and are willing to devote an hour and 20 minutes of your time. in final conclusion, this movie is glass half full.

Good idea with too many plots

[CinemaSlant · 4/10 · 19 August 2017]

***SPOILER ALERT***

I'm what I like to call your average movie goer. I don't have high expectations but I like my films to follow a realistic path with plausible situations and outcomes.

First off, I applaud that this is based off a true murder that took place in the early 20th century. But that's about where it ends. From some pretty horrible acting to weird casting choices (a pretty old guy playing a high school kid), to a girl whose lips are so pumped full of collagen its distracting...this film started off bad right away.

I did find it refreshing that the main character was gay, or bi. That became a flaw in the script later when the main girl character kept coming onto him and then there was a kiss for whatever reason. I just didn't understand that. And some hidden love between the two guy characters that didn't play out well. It felt like the script was originally written for heterosexual characters but somewhere someone said..."hey, lets make him gay" but didn't correct the remaining script. I also didn't like the stereotypical situation of the new girl in town being slut shamed for having sex on a video that is circulating the halls months later. (How many times have we seen this?) And then this film opens in June but then the school year starts and then all of a sudden is October to coincide with some Halloween decorations in the school hallway?

Moving onto the plot. There was just WAY too much going on with characters and their backstories that it detracted from the ghost story of what really took place during the so-called ax murders from 1912. It seemed the kids would get possessed randomly by I guess a mirror reflection..but they would all be coming in and out of possession. Pair this with the characters own tragic stories.....I really have no idea what was going on. What we are left with are characters running around trying to kill each other but dealing with their own demons. You didn't even have the gore satisfaction of a horror movie as all the bludgeoning took place off screen.

The good things in this film was a cameo by Conchatta Ferrell (you'll know who she is when you see her) and it was filmed well. By that I mean the production value was high enough it didn't look like a terrible independent student film.

I say pass on this unless you really have nothing else to watch. I give it 4 **** only because they took a risk by having the lead be a gay man...even if it didn't make much sense later in the script.

A fresh new horror story

[bearfaceproductions · 7/10 · 4 February 2017]

At first sight of the trailer, one might think that this is another clichè horror film. That's what I had thought, until I actually saw it. The clichè of exploring a haunted house and finding something that surprises the characters, but this is actually justified with the great story development.

When the characters: Caleb, Dennis and Jess, are introduced we quickly relate to them and are drawn in with their appealing and realistic personalities. Each of their story is developed nicely throughout the entire film, which is something I don't frequently see and am glad this film did.

The actors portraying these characters do a solid job. Every piece of acting feels real and convincing. And aside from them every other secondary character, is played greatly as well.

The script itself goes at a great pace for the first two-thirds of the film. We are immersed into a compelling dark atmosphere of suspense. Slowly the story takes a turn for the intriguing as it starts to develop nicely.

My only problem with the film was the final thirds of the film. The movie builds a great deal of suspense, but when the final act comes it is short lived and falls flat. It could have been better if it was stretched out a little more and got to see a more intense climax.

As for the scares, it has its moments. One jump-scare was very predictable, but when we get to see the movie starting to take momentum, some moments are jaw dropping, leaving the viewers shaking and kinda nervous.

The movie is never boring and it keeps you glued to the screen. Much of this is joined by great cinematographic shots, which I gotta give it to Tony Valenzuela, he has an amazing artistic point of view.

Although I was slightly disappointed with the films climax, I strongly suggest giving this movie a watch. It has a breath taking story, very atmospheric and appealing. Plus the characters strong background story is very interesting.

Pretty Good

[demented_one · 27 July 2017]

I liked this movie. Sure it has been done 1000 times, this one was the first horror movie I've seen that had a gay character as a lead role, and not comic relief.

For fans of the genre this should be a great 'lights off, late night' type of movie.

They didn't explain the 'possession/unpossession' which seemed a little ad hoc whenever it suited whomever wanted a scary scene here, a talky scene there. So there was no system or logic or folklore to back it up.

good flick, worth a watch

Just awful.

[jcain1635 · 2/10 · 20 June 2017]

This movie wasn't worth the hour and small change I have given it already, so I'll make this brief.

The editing is passable. Barely. The saturation is trash. Orange and blues. You know the drill. I imagine if there were any scenes in Mexico they would add a grain and throw some chickens on the floor. Not very creative.

The acting is sub-par. Sean Whalen shines, as expected, giving the movie the campy cheese it so desperately needed. Unfortunately, he is only on screen for roughly three minutes total.

The sound is bad. The subtle ques that make a horror movie are cranked up to eleven to the point of being obnoxious. Too-loud heart beats, footsteps, all the sounds sound like they come from a cartoon. There are some clear ADR moments too where the mouths don't quite match up.

The cinematography is barbaric. I've seen better camera work and blocking in student films.

The plot is incoherent, to the point of being funny. Personal character revelations and progressions feel so forced and bizarre that my amusement at how unlike real people the characters act is all that got me through the movie.

Also, when a character goes evil, their eyes go grey in the cheesiest effect I have seen for a movie of this budget in a long time.

Just skip it.

Disappointed

[smmiller247 · 1/10 · 24 October 2020]

My sister and I have stayed overnight in the Villisca Ave Murder House. I am familiar with the story and what actually happened.

The movie was centered around the three teens and their experiences. It had nothing to do with the Villisca murders.

This movie had a few details correct, but a lot of inaccuracies. There were a lot more facts of the actual murders that could have been included that would have added authenticity to the movie.

Terrible writing/acting

[bruingal-28746 · 15 June 2017]

The title and plot sound interesting, but within the first 30 minutes I knew I was done! lol First, When the 3 teens visit the house for the tour, they are shown the murder weapon plainly hung on a wall above a fireplace with only a rope around it and no one guarding the place at night- it's not realistic to me, but rather dumb, that a murder weapon and historical artifact would still be there after decades....someone would have stolen it by then. Second, The two boys who claim to be "paranormal investigators" didn't even have proper equipment - instead they brought candles and began asking questions in a circle as if doing a seance?! Please. They would not have been the first, or last, group of teens to break into that house at night....unfortunately, the lack of talent and convincing performances led me to stop watching after only 30 minutes.

One Curious Decision After Another

[danhundt-18597 · 2/10 · 15 October 2020]

The only reason this gets two stars instead of just the one is because I found the locations and establishing shots thereof strangely charming. Otherwise, just about everything in this movie is abysmal. The casting is just bizarre and the ages of the actors stretch credulity beyond the breaking point, the characters' backstories are hamfisted and seem to only exist to explain otherwise unexplainable decisions they make, and the true story the movie is named after seems to have almost no bearing on the plot whatsoever, like the writers thought it was an interesting enough event to simply lift the name but not to bother incorporating any of what actually happened into their story about people researching said event. At no point in the movie does anyone make a decision that a normal human being would make in those circumstances.

I was particularly impressed that the directors were even able to find a woman willing to act the part of the female lead, whose backstory was incredibly insulting and - as it turns out - entirely pointless to the character, since it never really drove any important plot point. At the very beginning of the film, it is revealed that the main antagonist (jock bully) has made a sex tape with her and put it on the internet and everyone in her high school has already seen it; she is considered promiscuous by her peers. She then proceeds to..... hook up with the protagonist with amazing ease, with very little time spent together and no particular chemistry on display, and with no easily explainable reason why they'd be feeling frisky at that moment, all of which seems to lend credence to what her fellow high schoolers have been saying about her. Truly one of the most terribly written characters I've seen in a movie. There is no actual artistic merit to be found anywhere in this film.

Giving this a 1 because they think Maryville is in Iowa.

[mlovelaceb · 1/10 · 22 October 2020]

First of all, Maryville is in Missouri, it's about 30 minutes from Villisca so the part where Jess asks why anyone would move to Iowa is irrelevant because if she is going to school with Caleb, who is in the Maryville Paranormal whatever and who lives in Maryville and went to school in Maryville, then she moved to Missouri and not Iowa. I went to college in Maryville and have unfortunately had to make that drive around Clarinda and Villisca multiple times and both towns are kind of terrible so if she had truly moved to that part of Iowa she wouldn't have even had to ask that question sarcastically because it's obvious that the only reason anyone would ever move there from Chicago would be because they decided to be a farmer or got a job teaching at Northwest Missouri State.

Two, I can confirm that the place is not guarded . Unless things have changed in the past 5 years, and they most likely haven't, it isn't guarded and most of the time no one is even there. There are several paranormal sites in Northwest Missouri/Southwest Iowa that NWMSU Bearcats frequent and having been to a lot of them I can confidently write that they aren't guarded. Most of them, including Villisca, are in the middle of BFE away from any real population of people and they don't need to be guarded. Being that this place is probably 2-3 hours from the nearest major airports there isn't a lot of people going to these areas because they are out of the way and a pain to get to. I've probably driving through Villisca about 10 times and have never once seen anyone stopped at the axe house.

Also it would not shock me if they had a murder weapon out in the open. I haven't been inside but I do remember a friend telling me something like that.

Good story, not much else.

[ndag7 · 4/10 · 20 March 2021]

You know, first things first, if you're going to make a movie about high school kids messing around with a haunted house, wouldn't it make sense to use actors who could at least pass for high school age kids?? Most of these "kids" look like they're in their late 20s or early 30s. Lots of facts about this real life unsolved murder are messed up, but most that watch the movie probably won't care as much about that. The supernatural element feels forced, and would have likely been better received if they'd just stuck to making it more about a gory multiple murder scene and less about the spirit world. Overall the movie definitely missed the mark on a well-known tragedy in the Midwest.

More Than a Ghost Story

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 24 January 2017]

"Villisca" is a ghost story based on the house where the notorious and still unsolved 1912 ax murders took place. Three outcast teenagers break into the house in search of answers, but discover something far beyond their worst fears.

Director Tony Valenzuela and producers Kevin Abrams and Seth Caplan had come to writer Owen Egerton with a story based on Tony's own visit to the house years before. He described voices, dark images, and, most intriguing of all, a sensation that the house was compelling him to commit acts of violence.

Upon joining the team, Egerton returned to the house with Valenzuela, and recalls that "the tour guide told us his own story of becoming infatuated with the house, revisiting it over and over and finally moving in next door. Tony nods along as the young man describes his uncanny and uncomfortable attraction to the spot. It's a house that invites obsession." The team spent the night at the house, with Valenzuela and Caplan prepping, and Egerton getting a feel for the living space. He says, "Do I believe in ghosts? I'm not certain, but I do know that when a rock hits a pond, the water ripples out. I could feel the ripples of that crime. I could feel it as a presence. I'm not sure if that house is haunted, but I was haunted." That session resulted in a story not just about the murders themselves, but a secondary layer concerning the "presence" left behind and three high school students who are affected. Ultimately, the casting also brought along some noteworthy actors in supporting roles: Sean Whalen, Jon Gries, and Conchata Ferrell, whose faces will be familiar even if you might not know their names.

Reviews have been trending negative, though it appears people are more upset about their expectations than the film itself. Matt Donato writes, "The Axe Murders Of Villisca is too familiar a haunted house story to be anything more than generic." To some extent, he is, of course, right. There are only so many ways to tell a ghost story. But you have to admire the team's commitment to originality, whether or not you think they succeeded. The script had been around since at least 2013, and therefore had to be modified when coincidental similarities came up in "The Conjuring". No matter how coincidental, the creators did not want that comparison to be made unfairly.

Noel Murray is more forgiving, writing that "it's refreshing that Egerton and Valenzuela have at least spent some of their 78 minutes beefing up the characters and relationships". Some of this does seem forced, such as how quickly Jess becomes attracted to Caleb, despite knowing nothing about him. But these aren't the one-dimensional teens of a slasher. Murray is also critical, though, asking, "Was an actual horrible ax murder not scary enough to support its own movie?" I think that Murray is offbase here. Yes, you could tell a grim story about such a murder spree. Or you might even turn it into a courtroom drama. As Egerton notes, "The murders were followed by a massive but sloppy investigation and two widely publicized trials, both ending in acquittal." But that was not the point, so it seems unfair to criticize a script (or film) for what it never aimed to be.

If anything, the movie should be applauded for drawing attention to an exciting, unsolved case. Being in Wisconsin -- only one state away -- I had never heard of this case, and now I am compelled to find out more. Those interested might seek out "Villisca" by Roy Marshall, and perhaps this would spark interest in a new book or documentary? Anyway, "Axe Murders" is out now from IFC Midnight, and well worth a visit if you want to explore a trans-generational ghost story in America's heartland.

This is who you are

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 9 August 2017]

Three teens with horrific events in their past, break into the Villisca murder house. Sh** happens.

This is a ghost story not filmed on location. They used a bigger house. In 1912 there was an actual unsolved ax murder in the house, which is said to be haunted and one of several hundred of America's most haunted site. They work the events of the past into the script. The film had decent character development, "B" acting and a fair sound track. The gore was taken out. We see an ax being swung and then a person covered in blood. I still didn't get the whole covered mirror thing, seems like it was worked backwards. Caleb, (Robert Adamson) the main character's last day of school was around Halloween from the decorations. They never managed to work Halloween into the script, the killings happened in June.

The web site for the house offers tours and overnight stays, for just a tad less than the Biltmore.

Guide: F-word. Sex. No nudity.

Awful

[Ripshin · 7 August 2020]

The usual garbage, made even worse by an incomprehensible final thirty minutes.

Everything was thrown at the wall, to see what would stick. This is absolutely inept on so many levels.

Just pointless. Streaming sites need to do better than is pablum.