phoenix1955again When I first watched this movie, I had no idea that there were actually a series of disappearances up in Alaska that locals believed were the work of a serial killer but were unsolved. I am a huge Malcom McDowell fan since "If" and I watched it purely for that reason. I also work in a court system, and I know all too well that some cases never get solved. So, I found the plot satisfying albeit with a disturbing ending, the acting well done and the camera work masterful. The suspense comes not so much from guessing who the killer is as that is pretty much revealed early in the film, but from the cat and mouse game played by the killer with the authorities.However, in light of the release of The Fourth Kind and the press about it, NOW I find myself wondering if this were an earlier attempt based loosely on the same cases that The Fourth Kind is based on...At any rate, all in all, a good use of my time watching this film.

Robert W. The Barber sounded interesting enough...it sounded straight from the pages of a Stephen King novel except it takes the setting and location of a far north Alaskan village where everyone knows everyone. Dark, harsh, betrayal abounds but some minor and yet major things drag down this indie film which many seem to praise. It isn't your run of the mill Horror film which is definitely a good thing any time you can break that mold and still be entertaining. The Sound editing is atrocious...it's like watching a bad Japanese Godzilla film, the sound is that out of sync which normally is acceptable in a low budget picture but it's so bad it becomes almost unbearable. The story and direction is the high point of the film both kudos to director/co-writer Michael Bafaro. Unfortunately the real story in this can't be told in the restriction of the hour and a half the film is given. You can't fully get the feel for each character especially The Barber himself. The setting is not quite used to the advantage of the story although they attempt it but constantly verbally reminding us of the darkness they have six months of the year. There desperately needs to be more back story and more of a connection between these characters who live so closely together in such dire circumstances...the way Stephen King always brings about in his small town horrors. Instead the movie is bogged down with blatant profanity, and unimaginative communication between the characters.Malcolm McDowell takes the lead as the secretly psychotic Dexter Miles. He's adequate but in the hands of a much better actor the role could have flourished. We never get a real feel for his deep psychosis or a background or reason for his sheer insanity. Despite meager attempts by a voice over to understand him we don't get inside his mind. His performance is like the film...low budget. He's a low budget actor who doesn't really impress but is just adequate. Jeremy Ratchford on the other hand gives the really impressive performance of the whole film as Chief Vance Corgan. He's dark, and moody, and emotionally disturbed by things in his past. He's chalked up as being over the hill, a few loose bricks, not really smart but in fact he shows the slightest glimpse of being a brilliant cop, and the only one who really sees things no one else does. Ratchford deserves great credit as being the stand out performance in the film. Garwin Sanford drags the cast down as the foolish and vapid FBI agent Crawley. His performance is a joke and he treats it as such. He's not believable as an agent and is at least twice as inadequate as Chief Corgan in his crime detection. John B. Destry is also worth mentioned as he does a pretty decent job as one of the victim's husband. A little deranged and he plays crazy better than McDowell who gets top billing. I have to say none of the rest of the cast is really worth mentioned. No one else does a stand out job and a lot of the town folk behave more like it's a joke than a real film. The cast is just not serious enough for this film.In the hands of a more powerful film maker, a much more brilliant cast, and a deeper story this could have been a real treat to behold although it was nominated for several independent awards. Perhaps I am being too harsh on it but I really loved the premise and the story and direction and I wanted more so badly that it's too bad there wasn't. For entertainment purposes it was fun to watch, a decent thriller with little to no actual violence or gore. Unless you're a real die hard Horror fan or love low budget flicks there really isn't any reason to see this one. On the other hand it won't kill you, it's not bad at all...just an average little film. 7/10

VisionThing This is one of the worst films I have ever seen. Unfortunately it is not even bad in a funny way, just plain bad. But interestingly it was so bad that I felt compelled to try and find out why exactly I found it so displeasing.The setting -- little Alaskan village swallowed by long dark winter -- is very moody, and would give nice background to a movie. Also, rather nameless Jeremy Ratchford serves a surprisingly solid performance as the artless police chief. However, both of these achievements are completely wasted in this nadir of Malcolm McDowell's eventful career.As there are definitely no deeper levels to this movie, I presume that this is supposed to be a study of absolute evil, journey into the dark side of human mind, portrait of a psychopath... Which could still be put together in various competent ways, despite being quite a tired idea. One could make a decent horror flick, for example -- but there are no horror elements in this film; no gore-fest, nothing shocking, no scenes that would fill you with fear or suspense. One could also weave a thrilling whodunit, with vivid characters and clever plot twists -- but there are no believable characters, there is no-one you would like or care a bit for, nor is there much logic to any of the characters' actions (or anything else, for that matter; in fact most things in this movie are wildly illogical, if you somehow manage to pay attention and still keep on watching).With the inconceivable storyline and silly, sketchy characters one could still accomplish a refreshingly different looney-on-the-loose movie by adding either black humour or sheer slapstick to the mix. Alas, there are no jokes, no humour of any color, not even good one-liners here.What you do have is recklessly overacting Malcolm McDowell, wooden Garwin Sanford who seems to think he is in a comedy, and a whole set of goofily portrayed Alaskan variety hillbillies. This added to a completely pointless script and more logic mismatches and continuity problems than in Plan 9 From Outer Space amounts pretty much to nothing....SPOILERS AHEAD... The only thing this movie has going for itself is the way the story is told, how the viewer is led to believe s/he knows the truth from the very beginning. Now I must admit that I am not too fond of films with umpteen plot twists in the end, and having no plot twist is kind of a plot twist in itself, only in this case it does feel like an anticlimax instead of a touch of genius. The only amusement there is to get from this movie is pondering "can this really be all there is to this movie?" Sadly, the answer is yes.

golemdw When I originally sought to rent this movie I thought I was in store for a suspenseful horror type movie. I thought I would be guessing who the killer is as the body count grows. After all I discovered this movie on the "horror" shelf. What i actually discovered was a movie with nothing to offer, the most boring, pointless, worst movie, i ever seen.The movie begins with a body being discovered by two drunks in the woods of a city in Alaska on the final night of daylight. You already know that the barber did it. AFter this there is no movie left. The barber gets mad because he didnt think the body would be found until spring and begins to go on a "rampage". During this rampage about 5 people are killed and there is NONE, ZERO suspense, or blood involving the murders. The movie drags on as an FBI agent and the local police cheif try to figure out who the killer is. The thing is the audience already knows and there is no fun in watching the movie. There is no script, no clever detective tricks, no suspence, no drama, etc.I beg you, do not see this movie even if it looks tempting on the "horror" shelf. The thing is there is no category to put this movie with. I guess they put it in the horror section because the horror is actually wasting and hour and 34 minutes of your life when you could be doing something more useful like watching paint dry or observing grass grow.