electra_complex
SPOILY SPOILERSI'll admit to being a dyed in the wool horror fan, even the worst of the worst horror I enjoy on some random scene.I loved this movie, judging by the posting boards I'm in a minority but something here really appealed to me.I thought it was torture porn which (when done right) is very good, not my favorite genre but still good. I realized this was not the case when following the abduction of the two girls at the beginning we didn't go immediately to a blow-torch or chainsaw.There are some subtle hints about what's really going on plus some red herrings, witness Darlene's awkward holding of the knife and fork and when Francis throws the breakfast that David cooks in the trash.Other weird things that add to the mystery are 'Lenny'; a feared thing in the basement that needs to be fed but is so loved that Darlene, who is not a compassionate kind of girl, sings tenderly to. David who is really trying to keep his whole family together despite his paternal kindness, (cooking breakfast, trying to chat to Francis about school, scolding Darlene for being late, trying to protect Francis from Wendell) but kills the men he brings home and buries under the house and the aforementioned Wendell and Darlene, twins who are..ahem!...still wrapping their legs round each others heads, if you catch my meaning, they also like to indulge in murder and sexual manipulation.I saw some stuff that made me falsely assume cannibalism, the fact that David and Wendell worked at a slaughterhouse, that Francis refused to eat the roast at dinner and vomited when the others did, some of the tools in the basement and when Francis tells us in V.O at the beginning that Wendell went to jail for biting off a mans ear in a parking lot.The style is like a movie diary in some parts as it's being filmed by Francis as a class project and in the usual 'third wall' fashion for the other parts. The theme is that Francis is a square peg in a round hole, not unusual for most teens. He has a skateboard, likes metal, smokes weed etc etc, he has two older brothers, one who he thinks is lame and one who beats him up for being a 'pansy', he isn't close to his sister as they have nothing in common, he also avoids 'Lenny'.He is not pleased at the girls Wendell has tied up in the basement and tries to connect with one of them by feeding her and asking her about her life. The other girl is dragged away a few times and eventually doesn't come back, the girl Francis is helping begs him to let her go as she fears she will soon end up facing the same fate as her friend.We are only told what is really happening by David who drags her away while Francis, who has been weakening by degrees through the movie, is asleep. As David is telling the girl what the problem is the twins are upstairs killing Darlene's friend Kitty, This scene was when I thought I had really nailed what was going on, I remembered as Wendell kidnapped the girls the moon had been full and as Darlene and Wendell lowered a bloody and dying Kitty into the bathtub with yips and whimpers I changed my mind from cannibals to werewolves, finally after the girl from the basement is rescued by Francis who bashes David on the head to save her we get the REAL story, Davis comes to find Francis who is crying as the girl lays dead and we see the blood on Francis' mouth and his fangs.David explains that he too was like Francis and tried to resist but he accepted, as Francis must, that they need to drink blood. Lenny is actually a younger sibling, they are feral and indiscriminate until they learn self control, now he is old enough to leave the box and as Kitty's uncle is a sheriff The Hamiltons must now become The Thompsons and move yet again.I loved it but as a drama rather than a horror movie, not a lot of action and gore but plenty to think on, even after the twist is known.The acting from all is excellent, Samuel Child is awesome as David and Mackenzie Firgens as Darlene gives some much needed estrogen and as a female I'm thrilled that she was portrayed properly, no fuzzy pink bunnies and no cliché where she was the one with a conscience (for as Stan Smith said 'only women have feelings, they come from their ovaries')So there it is, a modern day twist; vampirism as a hereditary blood disease passed from parent to child, please don't let people put you off, if you enjoy movies where the focus is on the acting rather than the blood and the story rather than the sensationalism then see it
absolutelysameed
starting was very average just like in any slasher movie but suspense builds up gradually .At one stage when i came to know that the family kills people in their cellar,i thought that these are just mentally retarded psychopaths just like in every slasher movie but i was amazed to know that they are vampires. The murder of kitty was also very exciting and terrorizing, overall the movie seemed to be really nice especially in the second half but in the end when they revealed Lenny i was expecting him to be some scary creature and i was so looking forward to it,got really excited about it but was disappointed and also relieved to see he looked like an ordinary kid.And they way it ended when David introduces his family and himself to their new neighbours it really left me wondering what will happen next seems to very full of suspense.
jjdosha
In my opinion, this is a "vamp" film. I saw this film as the first lineup for The Eight Films To Die For, part of the After Horrorfest from the year 2006. Watching it a 2nd time, I notice a few extra details but overall, this is the "other middle class side" of Interview With A Vampire, told from the life of a compassionate sibling. One would call this a horror drama, but the film is explosive with introspect, which is why I could call this film a "right of passage" for horror fans. Although, if may or may not be the "Citizen Kane" of vampire films, I do advise horror fans to take a look at this film; it offers some ideology for the genre.
kshitij (axile007)
Hamiltons,is one of the movies featured in the after dark horrorfest 2006.The movie is about a family which actually appears strange ,and they are hiding a secret about their existence.Into the movie and you will notice one thing for sure that the family is not normal but what are they and what they want ?Nothing much is explained or implied,so you have to keep your senses out and enjoy whatever is being shown.But still if you are a horror movie fan like me then you will be impressed with some of the sequences and amount of gore in the movie.Overall,there isn't much to say about this movie apart from the fact it gives you a good company when you want to spend a lonely night..!!!
