Storm Warning

A classic redneck torture horror film, the kind of which we've had a thousand variations of. What good does it do to have the last 20 minutes be a nice gorefest when 60 minutes before that nothing happens, the visuals are second-rate and sterile, and the whole thing is so uninteresting. I wonder if I even watched the same film as the rest... (2021-05-28)

The exposition is embarrassingly dull and sterile (we only learn that the protagonist is from France and doesn't really like killing anything), but the rest of it pretty much kicked my ass. The first hixploitation since the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre that didn't bore me, physically disgusted me, surprised me, and made me care about the heroes and loath the villains. While stylistically unremarkable and occasionally a little too harsh (don't let the previous sentence fool you, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is somewhere else entirely), Blanks has the film firmly in hand throughout, evoking believable psychological terror and ultimately unleashing an imaginative revenge party that keeps you crossing your fingers for the hot chick and griping surprisingly little about the characters' illogical behaviour or unlikely consequences. And when it comes to physical violence, it has grace and the desired effect (there are two scenes that I'll remember for a long time). I kept telling myself that it would eventually drop somehow and that I could defend a mediocre rating, but it didn't. A small, unassuming, likeable carnage. Horror fans welcome. (2018-05-28)

Simply a blast like a cow. Star Wars belongs to those more original ones that draw you into the story, and you are just all in for those poor victims. Quite a nice sophistication of the main heroine, sometimes you even think she finds it suspiciously easy. Anyway, I'll use my favorite three P's. It shocked, amused, surprised. (2012-12-24)

After Wolf Creek, this is my second encounter with Australian hixploitation (at least off the top of my head), and it turned out better than expected. It follows a pretty well trodden path, the only minor surprise is the proportion of casualties between the good and the evil characters – a small dose of originality never hurts. The yokels look very nasty, the fear for the fate of the heroes pulls you into the action and you want them to take proper revenge on those redneck assholes. At times it’s pretty bloody – there’s one scene that was almost unpleasant (you’ll know when you see it…), and the atmosphere is effective, too. Storm Warning is something I must recommend to horror fans, it’s the best hixploitation film in recent years. 90% (2007-12-22)