Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Comeuppance Reviews A family - high school student Amy Fulton (Pavlovich), her mother Martha (Nascar), her father Forrest (Williams), and Forrest's elderly mother Virginia (Kane) - move into a house in southern California. The problem is, they're constantly moving from place to place because of the completely unhinged Martha. This evil non-stepmother is a psychotic lunatic, and her drinking problem only exacerbates the situation. Everyone knows she's mentally unstable, so Forrest visits a psychiatrist, Shirley (Tucker-Smith), on Martha's behalf. Shirley then decides to go undercover and pretend to be Martha's friend so she can see what's really going on. But what's really going on is DEADLY! Meanwhile, personable, athletic high school student Wayne Hollander (Keller) takes a shine to Amy and they begin to forge a relationship together. But Martha fanatically insists that Amy not speak to any boys at school, much less have a normal relationship. Wayne seems to be the last link to reality that Amy has to try and escape the smothering household she comes from. Will she do it? We're fans of the proto-PM outfit City Lights, and we believe this is one of their best. While its low-budget look may put off some superficial people, we found Epitaph to be engaging, unique and even fascinating at times. Writer/director Merhi blended a melodramatic family drama with some classic horror elements. It wins the audience over when we can see that the filmmakers and performers were earnestly trying. Maybe that's what's so endearing about the City Lights phase in Pepin and Merhi's careers. While some technical aspects may be somewhat lacking, effort certainly isn't, and that should count for something. But that aside, we think this trumps their other horror title, Hollow Gate.Delores Nascar, not to be confused with the popular racing organization, does indeed put in an over-the-top performance. While Nascar did a more-than-competent job, we also felt Karen Black or Sean Young could have played the mother. But while she was busy with her histrionics, Natasha Pavlovich quietly steals the movie. Pavlovich basically carries Epitaph - you relate to her, you feel for her, and she shows a lot of emotion. And this was one of her first roles, she's clearly a natural actress. She also has good chemistry with good old Flint Keller, who that same year, 1987, got more of a starring role in Fresh Kill (1987).So while the dialogue may be delivered in a way that many viewers are unused to hearing (especially when there's tinkling piano behind most of it), we say that's all part of the charm of Epitaph. It's a solid, worthwhile movie, and features a torture scene unlike any other we've seen. Add that to the 70's-style downbeat ending, and you have an under-the-radar horror concoction that more people should see. Although, granted, only a certain segment of the viewing populace, especially today, is likely to truly appreciate Epitaph. That's a shame - if only more people got a chance to see it, more people would appreciate it and talk about it. So that's what we're trying to do here, shine some light on an all-but-forgotten gem.Featuring a show-stopping cameo by Richard Munchkin as a guy at the mall named Warren, we say check out Epitaph.For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com

BillyBC (*1/2 out of *****)It seems the Fulton family has to keep moving from one town to another, because the mother is a homicidal maniac who murders any man who doesn't submit to her drunken seductions. And Mr. Fulton, like any good, caring husband, never thinks twice about burying her victims in the backyard, packing up the family car, and setting off for a brand-new destination. This is an extraordinary movie, and when I say extraordinary, I mean it's extraordinarily moronic. If it had been presented as a dark comedy (in the vein of, say, John Waters's "Serial Mom"), then they might have had something to work with, but, unfortunately, the cast plays it dead-serious. Thus, it is extremely difficult to believe that Mr. Fulton, his traumatized teen-age daughter, and his scared old mother would put up with this madwoman's homicidal tendencies. We're supposed to accept that they would rather keep covering up her murders and moving from place to place than see her `locked up.' Mrs. Fulton offers no redeemable qualities whatsoever to warrant such absurd protection -- she constantly browbeats her daughter about her clothes and boys, she threatens her pathetic mother-in-law around the clock, and she's not exactly a hell-cat in the bedroom with Mr. Fulton (maybe if she looked like Michelle Pfeiffer, I could buy it -- but Michelle Pfeiffer she ain't.) Flint Keller, as the daughter's unlikely boyfriend, Wayne, does the most passable acting job out of this ugly group, and whoever plays Warren (who only has about a 20-second scene) sports the most amazing pompadour-mullet I've ever seen (it is almost -- I repeat, almost -- worth the rental).Lowlight: In the ghastliest scene (and one of the more gruesome scenes I've ever witnessed in one of these kinds of movies), the crazy mother hangs a bucket with a hungry rat inside it over a woman's torso and heats up the bottom with a blowtorch until the rat has to eat its way through the woman's stomach to get out. I guess that should score points for creativity (especially in cheap and otherwise unimaginative crud like this), but it didn't exactly make the movie any more endearing. Go figure.

director-27 This has to be the worst movie since movies came out. This movie doesnt even define cheese. There was one scene where the actor tripped over a power line, looked back at the camera, and kept on going. I even wonder if there was a director at all in this movie. I watched about 5 minutes of it, turned it off, took it back to the place I rented it from, and tore my membership card up.

ttschopp I've seen many, many horror movies, but this one beats it all and I don't mean in a good way. First of all the film was obviously very very cheap. The camera work is the worst I've ever seen. The story is so stupid and implausible, that you got the feeling they wrote the script it in one hour. The actors are all so bad, it's beyond belief. But the worst of it is, that there is no humor at all. There are just some mediocre tasteless gore effects for splatter fans. On the video cover is written, that this film is a psychological Thriller - far from it ! It's nothing but a bad, dumb little movie,that has no, really no qualities. 1 out of 10.