Film Review - The Damned Thing
Starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Marisa Coughlan, Ted Raimi | Directed by Tobe Hooper | Starz/Anchor Bay DVD Not Rated WS 2006 60min
Review By Xmortis
Another “Masters of Horror” film from director Tobe Hopper, who is known for directing Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Toolbox Murders. In 1981 Kevin Reddle and his parents sit down to a family dinner of ribs and talk about how their town is changing. A thunderstorm is blowing in as Kevin and his Mom rush into the kitchen to bring out a birthday cake for his dad. Black ooze pours from the ceiling, and Kevin’s dad enters the room shooting and killing his wife and then hunts down his fleeing son. But before dear old dad can kill his son, an unseen monster attacks and rips apart the father. Years pass and Kevin is now a police officer who is tormented about what he witnessed as a child.
His birthday is coming up, and he still lives in the house were his mother died. At lunch an elder of the town tells Kevin that he is the same age his father was when his mother died and advises Kevin to speak to God for help. Meanwhile the townspeople are getting crazy, hurting themselves and others. Not to mention, the town is always being watched by cameras all over the place. To make things worse, the unseen monster is back and attacking innocent people. The town is mixed with some people who are scared and others who are consumed with violence. Kevin now must face his past and find out just what this monster is and how can it be stopped. The local newsman is pushing Kevin to his limit and is playing on his paranoia of The Damned Thing that is on a killing spree. Kevin opens a lock box his father left, and inside is a history of a now ghost town and all the brutal murders that happened there many years ago. Now Kevin realizes that his ex Dina and his son Mike are in danger from The Thing and from Kevin himself. It’s a race against time to save those he loves, himself and to stop The Damned Thing!
The “Masters of Horror” series is a great idea and while some of the films are hit or miss; this one is a hit. The plot is good, and the gore effects are amazing and hardcore. Sean Patrick Flanery does a wonderful job as Kevin and really lets you feel his pain and sorrow. The films has a great feeling of dread and hopelessness adding to the horror.
The DVD is packed with extras like a making-of featurette, a featurette on the building of the monster, commentary from the writer, photo gallery, Tobe Hooper bio, and trailers. The screenplay is also included as a DVD-Rom feauture. The widescreen print is amazing and crisp, and the cover art is sweet with a great slipcover. All in all, a great package for horror film fans! Overall, this is a nice buy and a nice watch for horror film fans. Tobe Hooper is back at making great films. I say worth a buy for sure.