Director
Jeff Burton
Cast
Nathaniel Nose Chase Masterson
Derek Dubuque Trevor
Finn Wrisley Felix
James Ohngren Corey
Reggie Bannister Gus
DVD Release Date: August 14, 2007
Rating: R
Running Time: 103 Minutes
The Movie
Some snobbish uppity theatre students are ready to break the rules of the school and not conform to the regulations that tie them down. They decide to break into the theatre one night and show the new girl what is needed to be a part of their troupe. A little drinking, some Shakespearean lines, and a little bit of hazing to properly initiate her are all set to make for a fun night. But things don’t go according to plan and she ends up dead.
Scared over her death, the kids all decide to keep it a secret and just get on with their lives since it was an accident, but no-one would ever believe them. They are in for a lot more than they bargained for, though, as the next night strange things start happening. One by one they are being picked off by someone looking for revenge for the fallen girl and they have no idea who.
There really isn’t much more to Acts Of Death then that. The movie starts off with the kids breaking into the theatre so you really are never given much of an introduction. Herein starts the main problems with most horror films. If you don’t get to know your characters; then you could really care less whether they live or die. That old cliché rings true here because as they are picked off, you won’t show any concern, trust me.
Nothing can really be said on a redeeming scale because the acting is bad, the story is lame, and everything is predictable. Ok, scratch that; Reggie Bannister is in it. It is always nice to see the old horror greats getting bit pieces here and there even if it is a film as low as this. Oh, there is one cool death scene where a girl gets impaled, but nothing more. Acts Of Death is as unoriginal and as paint-by-numbers as you can possibly get for a film that should have been made twenty years ago.
The Video
The film is shown in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format and I do believe they used a handheld camera to shoot and only one of them. It looks alright, but is truly nothing special at all.
The Audio
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Sound and isn’t too good. There are times almost nothing can be heard as the music fades, so does the dialogue. And then when you least expect it WHAM, a loud note for a “tense” moment in the film happens and you’re sent searching for the volume button.
Special Features
Trailers – Haunted Boat, Grim Reaper, Dead Clowns, Brutal, and Mummy Maniac
The Inside Pulse
Lionsgate continues to work for that record of seeing how many horror films they can actually release. Sure it doesn’t matter if 90% of them are awful, Lionsgate will sign them. Acts Of Death can be seen in any eighties slasher out there today. All you have to do is pick up one and replace the setting from a camp, sorority house, or neighborhood with that of a school. But if you want my opinion, pick up the older films first because everything from the acting to the production was done better then this one. Chances are you’ll get some special features too. Acts Of Death: Cut, Print, Suck!
