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A psychotic killer is mysteriously
killing off beautiful people once again, but can this direct to video blood-fest compete with the rest of the class?
Almost as if it were multiple movies in one, we see different chapters in this villain’s career as he gets revenge
from his scorned childhood; add deep mental problems and you get the recipe for one deeply disturbed killer.
Amusement, a horror movie with similarities to Saw, Valentine, Captivity, and so many others, lands near the bottom of
the totem pole when listed with its peers. I admire the attempt of using different sequences/storylines for the killings,
giving it sort of a Twilight Zone feel, and allowing each actor or actress the opportunity to shine individually, but that
couldn’t make up for the fact that there just wasn’t a script. And as much as I liked the idea of multiple and
different storylines, I do feel that if they would have made one of the first two sequences into the whole movie that it would
have been more entertaining, especially if they would have used the demented clown costume throughout. Plus it would have
gone much better with the tagline which the movie goes by: "It’s funny... right?"
The acting as well as the sets were beyond expectations, if only the story were as polished. It starts off promising, at
least for the first few minutes, but things get confusing shortly after. Holes in the storyline kept me from getting involved
in the movie, there were many times where I sat there wondering how they did that... what they would have done if things that
they couldn’t control happened another way... and of course where the hell is the plot? The killer, a Michael Myers
wannabe on Ritalin, is the biggest hole in the story, character development would have been ideal to keep the audience interested...
that way we can fully understand what drove him as a killer. The one thing I couldn’t believe about him was the fact
that he just wasn’t smart enough to pull off each step of the murder, they show us a mentally challenged child-like
murderer... and we’re supposed to believe that he has the capabilities to pull off each trap, disguise himself to surprise
the clueless victims, and pull off the precise timing that was needed to catch each victim even when he couldn’t control
the actions of others around him. A better depiction of the killer would have made a better movie. There are so many questions
that will never be answered unless we’re blessed with "Amusement 2: Is It Funny Now", and by the looks of the horror
genre today... we’re likely to see one.
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