Intruder (2008)

I enjoyed this low-budget movie. The killings, score, and story were all old school and fun to watch. The performances were solid and the ending had a nice twist. The "killer clown" thing didn't really work for me (I'm not a fan of the whole clown slasher bit), but the gimmick wasn't over-used. The movie probably would have worked just as well if the killer wasn't wearing a Halloween mask.The gore scenes were well done - with one that stands out as one of the most disturbing I've seen in a slasher film. The cinematography, while dark and grainy, was well done and nicely edited together. It takes place mostly in one location, which can be annoying, but the filmmakers smartly segment the film so that each major sequence occurs in a different part of the house. Nice.I personally like homemade flicks and cut them a good deal of slack, so keep that in mind if you're considering the film. It's a solid no-budget horror, but only if you're into that sort of thing.

I watched this on Netflix VOD thinking it was a remake of the 1989 Scot Spiegel film. I didn't pay attention to the plot summary, and viewed if for the better part of ten minutes before realizing it bore no resemblance to the previous movie. In fairness, there are about ten movies called "Intruder" or "The Intruder" on IMDb, so I suppose it's my bad.This film was a curious entry into the slasher sub-genre. It had no budget and an unknown cast, but pulled off some nice, tense moments. There's a quirky suicide motif running through the movie that felt completely out of place and disjointed, but gave the movie an eerie feel that mislead me into thinking it was going to be smarter than it really was. Strange. Ultimately, Intruder (2008) is a slam dunk if you love those back of the shelf grade z blockbuster flicks, but be warned if you expect splashy effects and production value from your entertainment, as you will find neither.

To be honest, I'm not a horror genre\slasher film enthusiast but a student of mine recommended INTRUDER to me so during the most recent storm that buried the east coast I thought I'd stay home and give it a whirl. The first thing that struck me about INTRUDER was that it had a slick visual style to go along with solid editing. The film wasn't inundated with buckets of blood but rather kept my interest with its psychological motif. The acting was more accomplished than the usual low-budget horror film and it was clear to me that the director has talent. If you're going to give INTRUDER a go, keep an open mind because there is more beneath the surface of this film than the traditional low-budget horror works that get churned out on a daily basis. It was a very nice surprise.

This movie's WAY too smart for its own good. The basic story involves a mentally disturbed young woman and her companion being terrorized by a brutal predator on Halloween Night. Plot-wise it's "been there, done that". Unlike the original – superior – Spiegel film from '89 (which this is not in any way a remake of), the director is clearly trying to put a good deal of depth into this film (next time, let's have a little less character development and more decapitations, ce va?) To give credit where it's due, there's a solid amount of craft involved here. The director has a good visual style, and the performances are strong (unlike most low-budget slashers). There are some solid suspense scenes, and a decent amount of gore and nudity (more of the former than the latter). There's also a sex-murder scene that is one of the more stylish and effective I've seen in recent memory (and includes a shot you would only expect to see in a gore-porn film). The film never really transcends its budget. The fx are mostly (reasonably effective) flash cuts, and a few of the shots don't match (particularly in the first act). The sound design stands out as quite strong, but some of the elements are tinny and distractingly under-recorded.Still, Intruder will hold novelty if you're into atmospheric horror on a budget. The principals are talented people, and I get the impression that novice filmmaker Caiafa probably has a really good film in him (he comes across as intelligent in the informative DVD director's commentary). It moves at a gazelle's pace (the 85 min running time felt like a half hour), and has a few superb scenes. But as far as killer clown exploitation goes, I'll take my blood and guts without the side of drama, thank you very much!Saintthomas1985 (check out all my reviews!!!)