Crush the Skull (2015) User Reviews (44)

Mostly Crushed It

[thesar-2 · 7/10 · 20 January 2018]

Almost turned this off several times in the opening 15 or so minutes. Something told me to carry on.

Glad I did. While the negatives up front stacked up, they, like the Jenga game, quickly fell down and the positives began to multiply.

Beginning with Asian actors not only taking major roles, race, aside from a quick non-Asian, albeit racial joke, never was an issue. That was refreshing and progressive. Way to go, guys, not even bringing their heritage up and it was normal. Bravo. Second, such the strong female lead. For such an amateurish film, she 100% acted like a major Hollywood actress.

I digress, let me back up. The movie is about "on-paper" good thieves who upon their last score inadvertently make that their second-to-last and their real last isn't a blast. They encounter a killer with a torture basement and no way out.

The movie is mostly a comedy, though many ideas stem from many horror movies these filmmakers obviously admired. Unfortunately, for the film, the first third or so - when I wanted badly to call this a loss and find another Friday Night Fright, the "comedy" wasn't funny and the direction/camera work/flaws were so film-school reject, it's hard to believe the last two-thirds made up for it in spades.

The jokes got funnier (I found myself actually laughing out loud a few times) and the acting improved as did the cinematography. In that first act, I admired these unknowns were making a movie - that's not an easy task even when most of the stars align, but I felt pity as barely any of jokes landed. Once the first third was over, I forgot this was all-but friends getting together to attempt to make a film and was actually watching a horror-comedy-homage.

Plus, it was a huge plus this wasn't found footage as it hinted at in the beginning. Bravo, again, for not taking the easy and definitely stupid way out for making a real movie.

Overall, while not 100% there and it still felt amateurish at times, once they got their grove and you can spot the dozens of references to subgenre horror movies, you'll probably enjoy this. And yes, references. I believe these people loved the many movies this jammed in and it wasn't about thief or unoriginality.

This is an A for effort. I checked out your IMDb pages. Keep this up and grow more so we can see you get the box-office and praise you deserve.

***

Final thoughts: Horribly, though, I coincidentally watched this as real-life torture and abuse from two "parents" upon their multiple children came out this week. Two Californian "parents," absolutely destroyed their many children with actual torture for their whole lives. Mercifully, one of the kids escaped to get help and hopefully, those "parents" will live long enough to know the evils they did.

So, that all said, despite this movie being made LONG before this incident came to light, it was still kinda hard to watch torture rooms and devices immediately after a true story about the same kinds of malice.

A low-budget surprise

[CrunchyBug · 7/10 · 22 May 2016]

This was a fun one. The dialog and chemistry among the four main characters was what drew me in. Sure, not all the jokes were winners, but the banter was charming and felt natural for the most part. Plus, the choices made by the Good Guys were often smarter than what you find in the average horror movie (regardless of its budget). They seemed to learn from their mistakes and make reasonable leaps of deduction without my "help" (a.k.a. yelling at the screen, "Why?! Why would you DO that??").

I was disappointed with the antagonist side of the coin, though. I get that there was a psychopath vibe being aimed at, but psychopath doesn't mean zombie. Showing no emotion and practically shuffling through every scene seemed more Heavily Sedated than Crazy Person to me.

What really surprised me were the production values. Even in the dark basement shots the lighting was well done and the audio was consistently good in both interior and exterior scenes. So often it seems like sound quality in particular gets thrown out the window when the budget is tiny. Kudos sound folks!

Overall, I'd say it's a comedy/horror film rather than a horror/comedy, but I was entertained. And, most of the time, that's exactly what I'm looking for.

Crushing It

[scythertitus · 7/10 · 16 August 2016]

This is a smart, well written comedy thriller with horror elements that emphasises the comedy over anything else. If you are expecting a tense splatter-fest then you might be disappointed as the main source of humour comes from the incredulity of the comedy placed in a serious situation, which works, but kills any tension that has been built.

The effects aren't amazing but are made up for by good character development, the mains actually being likable, which is rare. There are some pacing issues, you get to know the characters and the situation and then you blink and the movie is nearly over, but it is still overall an entertaining and fun ride.

This is a nice effort and could have benefited from a little more expansion but works for what it is. There are more laughs than scares but as long as you know that going in then you should have a good time with this one.

a lot to like about this film

[violetbluegreenred · 23 May 2016]

Honestly, I found this very enjoyable and fun. Most horror comedies seem to place the comedy part on the exaggeration of gore (in my opinion), and that's just really never worked out for me. But this attempt - less of a focus on special effects and more of a focus on characterization - is already much better. The actors do a great job at portraying a range of emotions, even if those emotions seem like they would be rather conflicting. Some of the humor was a little corny, but mostly good (especially that pedicure scene)! I thought the pacing of the jokes overall was well thought out so that the flow remained uninterrupted for the most part. The horror was also pretty good. Enough tense moments to balance out the comedy. And I actually got worried enough for the main characters (because I really liked them and found the antagonists plausibly scary) that I had to check the last couple of seconds of the film to make sure they survived before I could continue watching. In regard to the review about the director using clichés without subverting them, I'm not quite sure I agree. Maybe I'm completely misunderstanding, but much of the film was not predictable in my eyes. The beginning set-up was not. The ~tense, emotional~ conversation between the love interests in the first climax was not. The ending was not. I found the acknowledgment and consequent deconstruction of certain horror tropes very noticeable (and appreciated). All in all, I feel like this film is 7.5 stars out of 10, but I bumped it up to an 8 because of the low budget. Certainly worth a watch.

Enough suspense to keep you entertained.

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 7 January 2020]

Did I get bored while watching Crush The Skull? No, not at all, and that's already a major positive point concidering it's a low budget horror movie. There is some humor present, not always hilarious, but I'll admit I laughed a couple of times. To me they could have just made a horror movie without humor with that story, that would have worked even better. The acting was okay, not the greatest though, but you don't pay to much attention to those details as the story is suspenseful. Crush The Skull has enough suspense to keep you entertained and interested till the end, and that's not always the case with movies like this.

A Heist flick turned into a Horror film

[kimheniadis · 7/10 · 4 October 2016]

When we went to Comic Con in Chicago we went to a couple of panels on Asians (or the lack of) in films, so this one really stood out to me since two of the main characters are Asian. And the other thing that stood out was that the main female was very intelligent, even though the guys refused to listen to her. Blair (Katie Savoy), said they should leave during the first heist, but her boyfriend didn't, which caused them trouble. Then in the house, she wanted them to all stay together and go upstairs to call for help, and of course that didn't happen. And there were a couple of other things she called out, but the others ignored her.

I enjoyed the game of cat and mouse that the killer played with them in the house, and the various ways people got killed/maimed were pretty good. There was some humor thrown in to keep from suspense overload, which is always appreciated.

They don't really touch on why the guy is killing people, but in a way that makes it even more scary. Some people are just psycho. Sometimes the acting seemed a little over the top, but they could have been trying to add a bit more comedy this way. If you're looking for something not too heavy on gore, and with a killer toying with his victims, I would say this is one to watch.

Utilizes all the clichés without subverting them.

[Sergeant_Tibbs · 5/10 · 14 July 2015]

Director Viet Nyugen is clearly fascinated with the idea of criminals stumbling onto danger far worse than their own misdeeds. It's a trick Crush the Skull pulls twice in its first and second acts. No doubt it's a theme of Nyugen's two webshorts, 2010's Crush the Skull and 2013's Crush the Skull 2, which feature some of the same cast. But no matter how many times he does it, I'm not sold. Winner of the Nightfall award at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the film version of his wicked concept is a weird hybrid of webisode and TV sitcom. I don't know why this made it to the silver screen. It revels in its punchlines as jokes are punctuated with a Parks and Recreation style zoom. This wouldn't be too bad if the jokes were funny, but they're all obvious ones that would only work in absurd satire but this isn't whacky or sharp enough. Instead it uses all the clichés of horror without subverting them, thinking its melodrama is hilarious but it's just melodramatic. Unfortunately it's completely atmosphereless. There are a few unexpected moments I enjoyed, and it's not explicitly bad, it just falls flat.

5/10

Surprisingly good.

[jaweebelow · 7/10 · 6 November 2021]

Pleasantly surprised with this decent horror/thriller-comedy.

While it may seem low budget to begin with, stick with it as this movie is not hindered by this.

The cast is great with some proper funny dialogue, but the film still manages to keep a level of tension throughout. The story is nothing groundbreaking but takes a couple of twists & turns you might not expect.

Altogether a well made, enjoyable movie. 7/10.

Seriously?

[danman-23 · 3/10 · 26 January 2020]

All the characters are unlikeable. Also the main character, if you can call him that, is so annoying, complaining about everyone else messing up and if it wasn't for him in the first place they wouldn't even be in this mess. Maybe before he starts robbing houses he should learn to tell a joke too. Unfortunately in this movie I was rooting for the villain. Sorry for you and your crew.

That's some silly good fun

[LoremIpsum321 · 7/10 · 19 December 2018]

In my opinion this is one hilarious movie. Its silly humor hit right my funny bone.

While there is not really much blood and gore (some is there ofc) the suspense is there, but what really shines are the likable protagonists, and the involved dialogue. Especially from the one-man 'crew', I just say: "You need some food?" xD

I knew it was a horror comedy, but I didn't expect much so I was very pleasantly surprised.

Silly? Yes. But also funny? YES! Well, that is, if you're into that sort of stuff. I'd say give it a go and see for yourself. ;)

Maybe You Need To Be A Drug Addict To Like This

[jackhuntermtl · 1/10 · 20 May 2016]

Main character is by far one of the most unlikeable, stupid, ignorant, people I have ever seen. And that would be fine, except whoever wrote this crap is trying to make that main character look like he has intelligence.

There is ridiculous amount of anti-white male racism here, and anti-police, anti-government, anti-wealth propaganda, really this is like typical black ghetto film about bunch of stupid criminals, except replace black people with Asians. Its insulting to any sane persons intelligence.

Even setting is obviously imagined by someone utterly ignorant about things they are attempting to portray. Palladium plated windows are not bulletproof. Apparently people involved in making of this garbage think they are. Even actually bulletproof window will rupture if you fire several bullets at essentially same spot. Concrete walls do not mean you cannot crack them in a matter of 30 minutes with primitive makeshift tools.

How is anybody intelligent supposed to believe that these four idiots are trapped inside a house when a child could free himself out of it?

And it just gets worse from there ...

Hilarious and Suspenseful Low-Budget Fun

[dougray30 · 8/10 · 21 December 2015]

CtS was a low-budget horror film I backed on Kickstarter some time ago. As is often the case, it takes many months before you get to see the finished product (if ever…there are still projects I backed in early 2014 that haven't delivered). I can't remember exactly what made me choose this film as one to support. I think it was a combination of the plot and the prominence of humor in the film. Actually the film's budget was rather large for Kickstarter standards, about $75,000 (I've backed films with budgets below $1,000 if you can believe that).

The film is the brainchild of Viet Nguyen and Chris Dinh. Chris also stars in the film, while Viet served as Director. The plot is somewhat simple: Ollie (Dinh) and Blair (Katie Savoy) are a loving couple who happens to make their living by breaking and entering into upper- class homes. When what is supposed to be their final job before a year of traveling goes comically wrong, they are forced to go into debt to a local gangster and resume "work" to afford their payments. Because time is of the essence, they agree to join Blair's screw-up brother (Chris Reidell) and his "crew" (the hilarious Tim Chou) in a robbery of a vacation home. Unfortunately, the target property is the lair of a serial killer…and once they break in, they cannot find a way out.

Tight dialogue, great humor and good acting are what pull this film together. There are some suspenseful moments, but things never get too serious, and unlike most low-budget horror films the blood is kept to a minimum. Crush the Skull is one of those movies you need to pay attention to as you watch it or you'll miss some of the ongoing gags and subtle humor. You'll still enjoy the more obvious jokes and fun, but the effort you put into the details will be well worth your while.

The characters are well developed and their personalities dictate their actions and the kind of laughter they inspire. The "basement" sets are very well done, and above all the post-production work on sound and music lift Crush the Skull to an even higher level. Those two areas are often shortchanged in the low-budget world, but this team marshaled their resources well and the finished product is much better for those efforts.

I don't think Crush the Skull is available on DVD or on-demand yet, but I believe it will be shortly. Watch for it, especially if you enjoy dark, intelligent humor mixed with your suspense and horror.

We're not Robbers! We're Swingers!

[wandernn1-81-683274 · 6/10 · 17 May 2020]

+1 Star for opening Sequence, The hook got my attention!!!!

+1 Star for a Great Line!!!

-1 Star For Dumb Sheriff Deputy... not calling for backup immediately when the situation required it and not following other common protocols

-1 Star For Sappy Scenes near the End and the Goodbye 'Crew' Speech

+1 Star for the laugh at the end!!!

Okay this is no big winner by any stretch, but it wasn't bad. Entertaining and worth a watch if you are a horror fan that really doesn't mind the genre being made fun of a little.

Comedy and horror don't mix

[LaverneandShirleysucks · 1/10 · 9 February 2021]

If this were a straight up horror it could've been so good because the premise is great. But the comedy injected throughout the film fell flat and out of place each time and to the point where it became annoying. And the more the film went on the more absurd it became. Not recommended.

couldn't wait for this movie to finish

[michelleharvey666 · 27 June 2016]

I'm with J S on this one the acting was terrible i think they have tried to make a comedy horror b grade version of the horror movie "the collector" which I loved...

But this movie from the beginning isn't funny and wasn't scary at all... They have pulled an idea from the sequel to the collector called the collection where a woman is found that has been imprisoned and they try to help her escape and then find that she is in fact helping the murderer and in on the whole thing..

This movie is a total waste of time unless you are at home stuck in the rain and have nothing else to watch and still watching the rain would have been a lot more entertaining...

And the jokes in this I actually laughed once because they were so stupid... The whole ringing the police because a murderer is holding us against our will and we will tell them we're white and that will get the police here quicker,.... Like we haven't seen that before but at least other movies I've seen that type of scene its usually funny....

If you want to watch a good horror comedy watch Tucker and Dale Vs evil or Shaun of the dead and give this a miss :)

Meh... I've seen worse 🤷‍♀️

[michelelavell · 6/10 · 7 May 2019]

It held my attention for the most part. Had a few interesting twists... not a complete waste of time 😁👍

Deserves way higher than 5.7

[andrewmcl83-170-764416 · 7/10 · 16 September 2019]

You can't go into this movie expecting a horror movie, it's a comedy through and through and it IS FUNNY.... I just wish they would have let the first guy live a little longer bc he was the funniest, I'm not going to say his name so I don't have to put this in as a spoiler

An 'empty' thriller

[Leofwine_draca · 2/10 · 8 May 2017]

CRUSH THE SKULL feels like nothing more than an indie rip-off of THE COLLECTOR. It tells of a gang of thieves who decide to burgle a house they haven't encountered before, only to run afoul of the serial killer who just happens to live inside. While this is a well-shot movie for the genre, it also happens to have no menace and no sense of foreboding either. The antagonist isn't present so the viewer is just left with endless scenes of the main characters wandering around an empty home. If this is your idea of fun then so be it, but it certainly isn't mine.

Missed the punchline...

[jmb-68085 · 6/10 · 29 July 2018]

Along with the main character that constantly misses the punchlines of his jokes, this film did a bit as well. However, for a low budget black comedy it is entertaining, slightly gory, and all around fun. It doesn't do anything really new or different but is worth a watch for sure.

If There Is A Question About How Long Someone Has Been Held Captive, Just Check Their Pedicure

[Foutainoflife · 4/10 · 3 December 2018]

So this film is about a group of 4 finding the hidden underground lair of a serial killer while attempting a burglary. Not a new idea but when it is done well, the concept can prove to be an captivating thriller. This falls short but I am willing to give credit where credit is due.

First my complaints. These are some of the most inept criminals ever. They don't do their homework. They try to be funny but just come off as stupid and they are some of the most out of breath people ever. (The heavy breathing really got old.) When you finally see the killer you have to stop and try to figure out why this type of character would be living in a house like this. They didn't fit each other. The acting left a lot to be desired and the special effects were cheesy. Where were all the other captives?

What I liked was this genre of movie. I also liked that they tried (somewhat) to make the lair look like it had some ingenuity to it. I also appreciated that they made the house impenetrable from the inside. Getting in was easy but getting out wasn't.

Look , this isn't a big budget blockbuster but I was able to sit through it. It needed some work and polish. I'm just trying to give the best review I can on a movie that doesn't have a lot to offer but it was a semi-good effort put forth.

Clever and fun!

[saphira_dragon-80270 · 7/10 · 20 February 2019]

We enjoyed it. A nice horror comedy with some thrilling bits! We had a fun time. Give it a peek!

One of those films - you either like it or hate it

[Looking_for_a_thrill · 4/10 · 24 May 2016]

I'll go straight to the point - if you like nonsensical and silly type of low budget films or 'have a laugh' (as in teenagers laughing at anything), this could be just the film for you. That's nothing wrong with that - pure silly fun. However, if you are one of those viewers who likes working things out, evaluating the sophistication of the plot or the level of engagement that you get from the script, you should walk away now.

I had not read anything about this film before watching it. I was really frustrated by this film right from the beginning. It was actually painful to watch the plot develop. But half way through, I realised that it was meant to be funny and silly, I said to myself - relax, it's a horror comedy ... But why should it take a while before I realised that it was a horror/comedy? I think the poor jokes - which another reviewer mentioned being 'not funny' - have got something to do with it.

Real leaders don't tell people they have leadership skills

[nogodnomasters · 8/10 · 5 December 2017]

Ollie (Chris Dinh) is a robber who can't tell a joke. His girlfriend Blair (Katie Savoy) is level headed and laughs when she is scared in addition to supplying us with "third reel" cleavage. Through a comedy of circumstances involving a robbery gone bad, our couple teams up with Connor (Chris Riedell), Blair's brother, who insists he has leadership skills. His assistant is the equally inept Riley (Tim Chiou) who has cased a house for two weeks before they decide to rob it.

This just so happens to have been the house in an earlier scene that had locked rooms and a serial killer, Jack Taggard (Walter Michael Bost). They get trapped inside and run through the formula. The banter makes the film light and watchable. There are enough slasher elements in the production to classify it as horror in addition to comedy/thriller.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity. Could be a keeper

Not bad at all. Worth the watch!

[suruata · 6/10 · 23 December 2017]

It's not often that there are these combinations of crime heavily supported with subtleties in comedy and an ancillary horror plot. Was a bit skeptical at first wondering how well distinguished the pillars of horror could be maintained as subverted and yet with appraised use of ridiculously familiar dysfunctional humor blending irony behind the life of professional theft that usually entails competence and sophistication. And of course, having a plan after initial plans. In a relevant way, this echos back into actual living by alluding the rapacious and eagerness we stir in ourselves for a close bargain only to risk biting on our conscience when we know we have so many "strikes".

As of now, I think this is the first film (I personally can recall) to a nail a solid use of this mixture, however it is not free from plot and character discrepancies. The comedic aspect was solid although out, but the horror element unfortunately forced itself to drag along with a this occultation between heist, entrapment, and obvious impractical team work that evolved more into a nice little mini course of adventure. Which supposedly adds to the layer of humor already.

What is it worth pointing out would be the backstory's lack of continuity (barely), the ambiguity of the event progressions (especially between scenes), and the quality of the antagonists characters. It was a bit difficult for me to take the killers seriously at all, or maybe that was part of the comedic aim.

Camera techniques, lighting, sound and main "protagonists" acting performances were the strongest. Plot, editing, and attention in more distribution to characters could have used more work. But can absolutely give the acclaim for the film's comedic material and character interaction. Not so much in fulfilling horror and a strong story, but at least the character tropes and nuances gave way for something more than simple entertainment.

No comedy what so ever, bad acting

[sita_chez · 2/10 · 31 March 2017]

With it saying comedy I thought something would make me laugh, anything but no not one single laugh. Four idiots break into a house without really checking it out prior, turns out it belongs to a serial killer..... Even as it's clear with absolutely no furniture or personal items in the house that no one lives above stairs they decided to rob this guy. The acting is dreadful, not even acting class good. I'd give this a miss if your looking for a good one.

The serial killer stalks around like a zombie rather than a psycho killer. I didn't even care if any of them got free they were so dreadful. Nothing thrilling, nothing scary and nothing remotely funny, the three tags that were used.