SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

BA_Harrison Fred Vogel, director of the (mostly) effective faux snuff August Underground trilogy, takes the basic plot of Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead—a group of people travel to a remote abandoned building where, one-by-one, they fall victim to an evil spirit that possesses their bodies—and gives it the ToeTag treatment: the characters are universally loathsome; there is plenty of swearing and female nudity; and, of course, Vogel (with help from make-up FX guy Jerami Cruise) delivers oodles of violence and general nastiness.Unfortunately, despite sounding like a gore-hound's dream-come-true, The Redsin Tower is actually a rather disappointing film that suffers badly from an uneventful beginning (a good 40 minutes pass before anything really interesting happens), some rather confusing moments and an unnecessary sub-plot (featuring a psycho ex-boyfriend of one of the girls), and bloody awful lighting that often makes it impossible to see what is going on.Vogel would have done much better if he'd 'borrowed' more than just the plot from Raimi's 1982 masterpiece for his first stab at a 'real' film. Had he emulated the actual structure and pacing of The Evil Dead, which was a non-stop horror roller-coaster ride, then the result might've been much more successful. Instead, the first half of the film is wasted watching a despicable bunch of losers do nothing but take drugs and talk about sex; the second half is spent watching them stumble around an old building in the dark before being killed. And with absolutely no-one likable in the whole movie, it's hard to give a damn what happens to them anyway.Even those viewers who settle down to watch this film purely for the gore will end up feeling a tad cheated. Although there are some violent deaths (my favourite being when a pretty goth chick gets axed), everything is shot in such poor lighting that it's almost impossible to see any of the bloodletting clearly. It's a shame that the only special effect that really sticks in my mind is a very silly looking bat creature.With his undeniably powerful faux snuff movies, Fred Vogel certainly made a name for himself on the underground horror circuit. However, if he wishes to create such a stir with fans of more 'traditional' horror films, then he really needs to come up with something better than this.

DVD_Connoisseur "The Redsin Tower" is, for me, the most disappointing film of 2007. Hyped as a major underground genre film, the release on DVD was a much anticipated affair. In fact, I held off watching the movie for several weeks until I was really in the mood for what I believed would be a splendid treat. I wish I hadn't bothered.While the opening credits promise stylish production values, the film soon starts to descend into a chaotic mess. While early scenes are okay, the moment the film intends to start building tension, everything falls apart.This is a poorly executed vehicle and a lapse in form for Vogel and the Toetag gang. Coming across as a poor man's "Evil Dead meets Dark Waters", this is a film that will disappoint many, including die-hard Toetag fans.5 out of 10 for the stylish opening credits, a decent soundtrack and solid effects. While some of the dialogue is entertaining, the film immediately starts to suffer as it enters genre territory.A genuine wasted opportunity.

Jason VanMason If you don't know, the makers of this film made several faux home movies, supposedly taped by serial killer and rapists documenting their exploits. They were certainly different and truly scary. The film makers use some of the same techniques here but its not nearly as effective. The characters are a bunch of losers who decide to drink and get high in a haunted building. A sub plot has a jilted boyfriend pursuing one of the loser girls. The girls and their male friends, played by actors obviously too old for the roles, chatter away, make out, talk trash and do what real losers do....but its not much fun to watch. In fact the goofy boyfriend is a lot more interesting. He is somewhat appealing in a geeky way and even though he flips out and turns into a stalker, you feel a bit sorry for him. The others have no real life apart from getting stoned and drunk and aren't even likable, just boring losers.The set is apparently a basement with utility tunnels, one of which appears to be a cave. At least it doesn't have straight walls like a building would. Why they call it a tower is odd. There are no stairs. All the action seems to take place in the basement. And its a small set. We see the same window over and over even though the people comment about the "maze" they get lost in. The gore effects are quite good but they don't start until we have been put to sleep by the endless chatter from the dopey girls. The camera work is pretty good too. The lighting is so low key and dark that lots of the good gore stuff is really hard to see. I know its supposed to be a dark old haunted place and all but a bit more light would have made the effects much more entertaining. Its also rather sad to read comments from persons obviously involved in making the film trumpeting this film as a "10" in press release language. Nobody talks like that. It doesn't fool anybody.This movie will be liked best by fans of the makers earlier work. For other viewers its average at best.

mogsgame My immediate reaction to The Redsin Tower was this: ToeTag is going places. Watching this pitch black horror film, i was amazed that the makers of August Underground, which i consider to be the most disturbing film experience i have ever had, have made something completely 180 this time. Redsin Tower will earn them an enormous following. They have made a great, sinister, hard edged movie that has mainstreme appeal, but without sacrificing their dark integrity.It's hard to gauge Vogel's actual directorial talents from the August films, of course, but he proves a natural behind the camera in his first "traditional" attempt. It is one of the most ambitious independent horror films of recent years, and Vogel and crew take the narrative into astonishingly diverse and original directions. As a filmmaker he has a great eye for Americana, subtle character interactions, color pallete (lots of eerie, Argento esquire blues and reds), pace...and of course, BLOOD AND GUTS!! The movie is on the surface throwback to teen body count films like Slaughter High, The Evil Dead, and Night of The Demons, but i link it thematically to films like Carrie and The Exorcist. This is the most perceptive teen horror film in ages, understanding that all the horror is an extention of awkward young feelings and tumult. Which isn't to undercut the other macabre places this film goes. ToeTag juggles a lot of different themes and styles here, and almost completely succeeds. If this were relased nationwide i can imagine it becoming as successful as Hostel and Saw-it's that professional and well made. I already think Vogel should be placed at the forefront of the "Splat Pack", and this film is just further evidence of his sinister genius.I won't say anything about the plot. I'll just say any expectations are going to be totally destroyed+the ending is absolute genius. ToeTag is one of the most important genre forces today, and this awesome film should catapult them far past the underground (not that i would ever want them to leave!).