The Hamiltons took a path unused by most horror films of the past thirty years: character-driven plot
Video:
One of the two faults of "The Hamiltons" is that it was shot digitally. While most people can get past that for the sake of an excellent story, it can be a large hurdle for less-developed viewers. But, realistically, for a film that literally had no budget, it still ends up looking better than most films shot with a digital camera. Cinematographer Michael Maley does a great job with the small amount of money had to work with, making the widescreen presentation with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio look as good as it does. "The Hamiltons" looks much better than David Lynch's recently released "Inland Empire," which looks horrible and was also shot using the same techniques, but with less success.
Audio:
Here is the film's other noticeable shortcoming. Both the 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital audio tracks sound muffled or have frequent echoes and require a substantial volume increase during the film´s dialogue-heavy scenes. Just be careful to turn it back down once the screaming commences, unless you want the neighbors to think you've got somebody chained up in your bathroom, which I already did.
Extras:
"The Hamiltons" includes a lighthearted yet informative commentary with the directing duo of the Butcher Brothers (Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores) and actor Cory Knauf, where they go into great detail about the complex work that went into this deceptively simple film. Also included are nine minutes of deleted scenes, which were mostly better off getting the cut they deserved. However, the first scene would have added a little more background to the two main victims and could have padded out the film´s short run time of eighty-six minutes. Last up is a four-minute blooper reel worth watching for the amusing antics of McKelheer alone.
Film Value:
The films included in the Horrorfest were all promoted as too gory or scary for mainstream audiences. While most of the films fit well with that description, "The Hamiltons" was something more. Of all of the eight (or ten if you were lucky) films showcased under the After Dark Horrorfest banner last year, who would have thought that the one with the shortest length, least gore, and most dialogue would have ended up being the most memorable. Films such as "Unrest" or "Wicked Little Things" will be forgotten mere moments after they're ejected from the DVD player. "The Hamiltons," on the other hand, has an unnerving edge that runs deep into its stunning climax that changes the film completely and demands an almost immediate rewatch. Which is an extremely rewarding task once you begin to notice all the signs you missed on your first viewing.
One of the two faults of "The Hamiltons" is that it was shot digitally. While most people can get past that for the sake of an excellent story, it can be a large hurdle for less-developed viewers. But, realistically, for a film that literally had no budget, it still ends up looking better than most films shot with a digital camera. Cinematographer Michael Maley does a great job with the small amount of money had to work with, making the widescreen presentation with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio look as good as it does. "The Hamiltons" looks much better than David Lynch's recently released "Inland Empire," which looks horrible and was also shot using the same techniques, but with less success.
Audio:
Here is the film's other noticeable shortcoming. Both the 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital audio tracks sound muffled or have frequent echoes and require a substantial volume increase during the film´s dialogue-heavy scenes. Just be careful to turn it back down once the screaming commences, unless you want the neighbors to think you've got somebody chained up in your bathroom, which I already did.
Extras:
"The Hamiltons" includes a lighthearted yet informative commentary with the directing duo of the Butcher Brothers (Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores) and actor Cory Knauf, where they go into great detail about the complex work that went into this deceptively simple film. Also included are nine minutes of deleted scenes, which were mostly better off getting the cut they deserved. However, the first scene would have added a little more background to the two main victims and could have padded out the film´s short run time of eighty-six minutes. Last up is a four-minute blooper reel worth watching for the amusing antics of McKelheer alone.
Film Value:
The films included in the Horrorfest were all promoted as too gory or scary for mainstream audiences. While most of the films fit well with that description, "The Hamiltons" was something more. Of all of the eight (or ten if you were lucky) films showcased under the After Dark Horrorfest banner last year, who would have thought that the one with the shortest length, least gore, and most dialogue would have ended up being the most memorable. Films such as "Unrest" or "Wicked Little Things" will be forgotten mere moments after they're ejected from the DVD player. "The Hamiltons," on the other hand, has an unnerving edge that runs deep into its stunning climax that changes the film completely and demands an almost immediate rewatch. Which is an extremely rewarding task once you begin to notice all the signs you missed on your first viewing.
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[release]20366[/release]