Just one more month and half of the year will be over already. It doesn't seem like it should be June so soon. I haven't been real busy doing reviews so far this year, but I am doing slightly better than last year at least. I was hoping last month would be better, but it turned out not to be. It was my lowest post count so far this year actually. Maybe this month will be better. I haven't been off to a very good start though. Anyway, I started a movie for my other blog and managed to go to sleep during it. Instead of picking back up on it, I decided to watch Deadwood Park (2007), which was just about as long as the other movie, but I did manage to stay awake at least.
When Jake (William Clifton) was a young boy, his twin brother was abducted and never found. Some of his blood was though, so it was assumed that his brother was taken by a serial killer that had been killing kids for many years in the area. The killings stopped after Jake's brother was taken and the truth was never fully revealed to Jake's family and they moved away. Now Jake is back in his hometown of Eidolon Crossing and is looking for answers about his brother and the killer since he was never caught. Not many in the town are very open to Jake sniffing around though, especially the local police. He does find a friend in Olivia (Lindsey Luscri), a local who is also very interested in what happened. Will the two be able to find the killer?
Deadwood Park was co-written by Jessie Seitz and Eric Stanze, who also directed. The first thing I was surprised about this film was the length of it. It clocks in just short of two hours. At times you will feel that it goes on a bit too long. Some of the shots in the now deserted amusement park linger a bit too long, but it is an interesting place so in a way it is forgivable. There is just something about a rundown amusement park that just makes everything creepy even if nothing creepy is going on. The second surprise was the many flashbacks, which also add a lot to the runtime. The flashbacks range in years and subject matter. Some have to do with Jake when his brother was taken and the years following. Some of to do with filling in the story about what happened and about the killer himself. One of the flashbacks goes as far as World War Two and even features actually uniforms and other items from the war.
The story itself is a weird mix of horror genres. It starts off as a guy looking for a serial killer, which never really changes. At some point, he becomes haunted by kids who were killed. Towards the end of the film, if I followed the story correctly, it delves into the demonic. This does manage to keep the story interesting, but it also made it a bit confusing as well. The story seems to advance more thanks to the flashbacks instead of the present day storyline. I had a good idea of who the killer was going to end up being thanks to the flashbacks instead of any clues being offered in the present day. I can't say this was a bad thing, but it did make the present day storyline drag along at times. Instead of advancing the story, it just felt like a waiting game until the next flashback. This changes eventually, probably about halfway through. There are still flashbacks to be found, but the present day starts to take over the main plot.
Despite the story being partly about someone killing kids, we never get to see that happen. I wish they had done that, but not many films do. I really wasn't expecting anything as far as effects go, especially after there is nothing for the longest time. Right towards the end of the film, things do start to get a little gory. Someone loses their head, which was the goriest effect to be found. It didn't offer a lot of blood, but I was still surprised since there nothing up until then. The acting was hit and miss, but it is the supporting characters that did most of the missing. I was fine with the two leads in the story and most of the other actors who played some important characters as well. Not the greatest acting of course, but it is all well and good just the same.
Deadwood Park ended up being a slow burn of a film. I don't always mind these types of films, but this one didn't completely work for me. I didn't mind that there were so many flashbacks just because it was always obvious when it went into one and they do help us understand what is going on. The title of the film comes from the deserted amusement park. It is what the locals now call it. I think this is due in part to finding some of the dead kids there and because the place itself is now dead. The first half is slow, but if you stick with it then I think you could possibly enjoy the story that is being told. It ended up being a pretty good film even if I didn't love it by the end. Possibly worth checking out someday if you haven't already.
3 out of 5 Needed more dead kids
When Jake (William Clifton) was a young boy, his twin brother was abducted and never found. Some of his blood was though, so it was assumed that his brother was taken by a serial killer that had been killing kids for many years in the area. The killings stopped after Jake's brother was taken and the truth was never fully revealed to Jake's family and they moved away. Now Jake is back in his hometown of Eidolon Crossing and is looking for answers about his brother and the killer since he was never caught. Not many in the town are very open to Jake sniffing around though, especially the local police. He does find a friend in Olivia (Lindsey Luscri), a local who is also very interested in what happened. Will the two be able to find the killer?
Deadwood Park was co-written by Jessie Seitz and Eric Stanze, who also directed. The first thing I was surprised about this film was the length of it. It clocks in just short of two hours. At times you will feel that it goes on a bit too long. Some of the shots in the now deserted amusement park linger a bit too long, but it is an interesting place so in a way it is forgivable. There is just something about a rundown amusement park that just makes everything creepy even if nothing creepy is going on. The second surprise was the many flashbacks, which also add a lot to the runtime. The flashbacks range in years and subject matter. Some have to do with Jake when his brother was taken and the years following. Some of to do with filling in the story about what happened and about the killer himself. One of the flashbacks goes as far as World War Two and even features actually uniforms and other items from the war.
The story itself is a weird mix of horror genres. It starts off as a guy looking for a serial killer, which never really changes. At some point, he becomes haunted by kids who were killed. Towards the end of the film, if I followed the story correctly, it delves into the demonic. This does manage to keep the story interesting, but it also made it a bit confusing as well. The story seems to advance more thanks to the flashbacks instead of the present day storyline. I had a good idea of who the killer was going to end up being thanks to the flashbacks instead of any clues being offered in the present day. I can't say this was a bad thing, but it did make the present day storyline drag along at times. Instead of advancing the story, it just felt like a waiting game until the next flashback. This changes eventually, probably about halfway through. There are still flashbacks to be found, but the present day starts to take over the main plot.
Despite the story being partly about someone killing kids, we never get to see that happen. I wish they had done that, but not many films do. I really wasn't expecting anything as far as effects go, especially after there is nothing for the longest time. Right towards the end of the film, things do start to get a little gory. Someone loses their head, which was the goriest effect to be found. It didn't offer a lot of blood, but I was still surprised since there nothing up until then. The acting was hit and miss, but it is the supporting characters that did most of the missing. I was fine with the two leads in the story and most of the other actors who played some important characters as well. Not the greatest acting of course, but it is all well and good just the same.
Deadwood Park ended up being a slow burn of a film. I don't always mind these types of films, but this one didn't completely work for me. I didn't mind that there were so many flashbacks just because it was always obvious when it went into one and they do help us understand what is going on. The title of the film comes from the deserted amusement park. It is what the locals now call it. I think this is due in part to finding some of the dead kids there and because the place itself is now dead. The first half is slow, but if you stick with it then I think you could possibly enjoy the story that is being told. It ended up being a pretty good film even if I didn't love it by the end. Possibly worth checking out someday if you haven't already.
3 out of 5 Needed more dead kids
