Acts of Death
Acts of Death is an independent horror movie that follows the exploits of some worthless theater majors in college. I know, worthless theater major… like there’s any other kind. Anyway, one night a group of theater kids get together to initiate a girl into their little clique. Things go wrong and she dies. The next night the group of kids are all staying late to rehearse and, surprise, they start getting picked off one by one. Yep, it’s like the filmmakers got the plot straight out of Slasherography 101.
The direction by Jeff Burton is pretty good for a low-budget pic. The equipment that is used to film the movie is rather substandard, but Burton overcomes this challenge and captures an almost professional look. The budget shows in a few places, but visually it’s not enough to ruin the movie.
What is bad about this movie is the story and the large amount of plotholes that are contained within. For one thing, the students are all trapped inside of a school building… that has electrified windows and doors so no one can break into them, supposedly. However, nothing is stopping the students from smashing out the windows to escape, but they are theater majors, so I guess I can give them a break for their stupidity. My favorite plot hole is the complete disappearance of Reggie Bannister’s character. One minute he’s there, the next minute he’s not… or maybe I fell asleep amidst all of the poorly enacted Shakespearian monologues and bland theater jokes. The film is also pretty predictable, especially in the beginning of the movie where one scene gives away the meat of the film… only a theater major wouldn’t put two and two together and figure out who the killer is within the first half hour of the film.
The acting is your typical B-movie shit. Reggie Bannister plays a janitor whose role was clearly tacked on just because they could get a C-list celebrity to play the role. Bannister phones it in on this one again… I’m beginning to think his performance in Phantasm was just a fluke. The rest of the cast is filled with actors who easily pass for theater majors and a guy that was once on Babylon 5. The only person worth any money in this cast is Finn Wrisley, as Felix, who manages to produce a dry sense of humor that stands apart from the rest of the cast’s pithy dialogue and poor performances. Too bad he’s really short and will probably never find work in mainstream movies, because he has the skills to create some unique characters.
The other terrible thing about this movie is the lack of nudity. I know what you’re thinking; you’re thinking that I’m just some horny pervert that wants to see boobs… and maybe you’re right, but in this film I think it would be justified. The film is basically full of hot chicks, way hotter than are normally seen in low budget horror films, but it never really delivers. There was one scene where I thought it was going to pay off with some lesbian action, but then a dead body is revealed killing the mood completely. It’s just not fair to be a chesticle cocktease like that. It doesn’t make anyone like the movie any more, so if you don’t have the money to get the girls’ tops off, don’t even bother with a fake lead into sex.
Acts of Death is your typical low-budget, slasher film. The film could use an upgrade in writing, but I’m still curious as to Jeff Burton’s ability with the camera. I liked what I saw visually from the director, so with a little money and a tight story with no plotholes, I’m confident that Burton could make a good movie… as long as he leaves the theater majors out of it.
Final Synopsis: You can skip this one and feel fine about it. If you want the experience of being annoyed by overly dramatic douche bags just go sit in on a theater class at a university… seriously. Once, I had to take a theater class to graduate from college, and when I was in there I watched some hideous scag hold up her muffin (not the love variety) in the middle of class and say, “Oh, muffin. How I love thee,” in her best old-timey, English accent. That wasn’t the worst part… the rest of the class full of theater majors laughed their asses off like it was hilarious, while I held onto my pen in a vice-like grip and tried to keep myself from running across the room and burying it in her jugular… so if you want that type of experience without having to move from your couch, I guess this movie is worth a watch.
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