Come Out and Play (2012)

I knew I was in deep, deep trouble when the director's surname-only name was emblazoned in huge lettering in the credits; he dared go where the great director's of cinema history never went. As many of you know horror films are a beginning step for many a wanna-be filmmaker. Usually lower budget and of course given the whorish ego's of some of these people, a lowering of movie-making standards takes place by making their products more violent and gross than last year's group. So what finally does Mackintosh present for the audience? An unoriginal, highly derivative re-branding of elements that go back decades. Overwrought music that 'tells' you when to be frightened, two main characters that repeatedly follow the script but do not follow the script of what two frightened people would do in real life. Example: A killer kid has the wife and husband in view behind the grate, pointing a cocked pistol at them. But bloodthirsty as these children are supposed to be he never pulls the trigger and is shot to death for his imbecilic hesitation. And does the couple rush forward and pick up another weapon? No they don't. Another example has the husband leaving his 7 month pregnant wife alone in the courtyard, where the walls could be easily scaled and goes for a second, unnecessary tour of the hotel, the whole purpose being to set up his running back to her when she screams. Finally, though there are numerous other examples of bad writing, I would ask the folks who liked this movie, which of the giggling, cannibalistic kid-murderers kept the generator running for this good sized town?

Beth and Francis, a young married couple, are on holiday when they venture to a beautiful, but highly remote, island. Beth is pregnant and the two are hoping to enjoy their last vacation before their baby is born. When they arrive, they notice that while there are plenty of children present, the adults all seem to be missing. Initially attributing this to the after effects of a recent festival, they quickly realise something far more sinister.....Come and play, or Children Of The Corn take a holiday, isn't all that bad, it just struggles With the lack of talent from the adult cast.They aren't convincing as a couple in peril, and their (his) decisions are pretty stupid ones, like for example, lets hole ourselves up in a cell, or lets stop driving after two minutes, because the children would never follow.The children on the other hand as chilling, like a strange hybrid of Zombie and rabid dog. The explanation as of why the children are like this is a little convoluted, but you can almost forgive its shortcomings, and the ending, which you can see coming a mile off.Its not a complete failure, there are some unsettling moments, but its forgettable stuff.

I really wanted to like this remake of Spanish cult classic, Who Could Kill a Child (1975) AKA Island of the Damned. However the movie is so flat it becomes hard to sit thru since I knew the outcome from the very beginning. As for the acting? There was a reason the female lead of the original, Prunella Ransome, won the Best Actress award from the Sitges International Horror Film festival. Oh well, if you never saw the original, you might like this thriller. Keep in mind, it's not as fast paced as most recent horror thrillers. You might enjoy the build-up. Better yet, look for the original on The Dark Sky DVD label. Then you will see true fear.

What a waste of time and money to remake a film exactly like the first one..!!! Especially when the original wasn't even exactly a big hit... duh .. If you had planned on expanding, adding or enhancing it,,then yes otherwise what was the point ?The two main leads like the original were basically brain dead from the start. Nothing they did or came up with made any sense. And to add they were not even likable.. The premise that a pregnant woman can not exert some energy without endangering the child is also ancient crap... I know pregnant women that jog, exercise, dance and work right up to the 9th month..Only reason I gave this steaming pile of manure a 2 instead of a 1 was the island scenery made me feel warm on a cold day...