keshnaitenrut This film had great potential to remind viewers of some of the horror greats like Jason or Michael. Instead it fell flat with disappointing performances from all but Grace Powell and Dylan Horne. Terrible camera work, bad sound broke any immersion that might have been possible. But sadly the first thing I noticed was terrible make up. I have seen first year make up students apply better make up than this movie had. The biggest problem was that nothing made sense. The violence was barely explained, though a back story is mildly flirted with. The only reason even mildly hinted at is a mental handicap. However, that feels like a cop out from a writer that lost the story. All things said and done budget problems like shoddy camera work, terrible effects, and bad make up can be forgiven. If there is a well thought out and intriguing story to watch. Unfortunately this film fails in all categories.

Woodyanders Emotionally troubled hulking behemoth Jacob (an impressive and expressive mute portrayal by Dylan Horne) struggles to resist his more violent impulses. But after his despicable drunken stepfather Otis (well played to the hateful hilt by writer/director Larry Wade Carrell) beats up on his long suffering mother Edith (a solid and sympathetic performance by Krystn Caldwell) once too often, Jacob snaps and embarks on a murderous spree. Carrell offers a vivid and flavorsome evocation of the rural region, relates the riveting story at a brisk pace, does a bang-up job of crafting an intense brooding atmosphere of impending doom, delivers a handy helping of graphic gore, and maintains a grim dark tone throughout. The startling moments of ferocious violence pack a savage punch. Child actress Grace Powell excels as Jacob's sweet and protective little sister Sissy. Moreover, this movie further benefits from commendable work by Leo D. Wheeler as the hard-nosed Sheriff Andy, Parrish Randall as folksy bar owner Chuck, Michael Biehn as Jacob's deranged father Lawrence, Joe Grisaffi as concerned diner proprietor Max, and James Hampton as the feisty Old Man Jack. In addition, there's a tragic element to the plot which in turn gives this picture a substantial amount of poignancy and resonance. Stacy Davidson's sharp widescreen cinematography provides a striking autumnal look. Iain Kelso's moody score hits the harmonic spot. A real sleeper.

bill-blane I do not write reviews or rate movies generally, but my family saw this at Texas Frightmare and the director said during the Q&A after the film to rate it here if we liked it, so, this is my first and here goes. I liked the movie overall. It was another slasher film like many before it. Nothing new, but it was entertaining. The kills were effective and I enjoyed most of the movie. The little girl actress Grace Powell did a really fine job. Without saying too much here, she really had a few people in tears. I didn't like that we were expecting to see Michael Biehn, James Hampton, and Parrish Randall more and they were not in the movie enough. We've been big fans of Michael Biehn for years. James Hampton we've loved since forever. He is a solid actor who is also a nice guy that we've met before at the convention. Parrish Randall is the guy to have in a Texas horror film and he is another really solid actor. This is my only issue with the movie. Maybe those actors could not do more time in the film. The scenes they had were really good and just made me wish there was more of those guys. Some of the other acting was kind of just okay and what you will see in this kind of film more times than not. I liked that there was not a lot of profanity and nudity in the film. My son is 12 and likes horror films but sometimes the language and sex in a film make it a tough call for parents, so it was good to see a horror film that he could watch without me or his mom having to have concerns there. The Jacob character was really a good one for this kind of horror movie though. He had that larger than life force and power that a killer in this type of movie should have and he was more than scary enough. Overall, yes it was another slasher film, could have been better, but it was still fun to see. I give Jacob a 5 for what it did bring though and I am glad they showed it at the convention.

Michael McCasland Just saw the completed edition of JACOB last night at WorldFest Houston last night and I can say that it's definitely worth seeing. The movie is great, the story-line gripping, and the score by Iain Kelso was simply magnificent. Independent horror makes the world stop and take a peek because it's not mainstream and it's work that has a lot of heart in it and that's what makes it worth the while. Dylan Horne did a fantastic job as Jacob and Grace Powell as Sissy. The two together were great together. Jacob for his simple brutal way of seeing things and Sissy for trying to keep him in check. Larry Carrell, Stacy Davidson, Cynthia Lauer, Nick Nicholson, and the rest of the cast and crew did an amazing job.