[Amusement]
Plot:A detective and a psychiatrist question a woman about three stories involving a clown, a hotel, and a convoy.

Cast:Katheryn Winnick, Keir O'Donnell, Laura Breckenridge, Jessica Lucas, Tad Hilgenbrinck.

My Thoughts:Modestly amusing.

Review:"Amusement" is the movie that could never catch a break. Much like alot of other horror films such as "Trick R' Treat", "Case 39", etc.....the movie was set for a theatrical release, then yanked, then posted, then yanked again. This all happening when it was under the Picturehouse banner. Then Picturehouse lost their house, going bankrupt and so "Amusement" fell into limbo. That's until it was picked up and then set for a DVD release on the 20th of January.

But the question is, why did this movie have such a hard time getting any traction? Was it just a bad movie? Well...not exactly. The film follows three girls, Shelby (Breckenridge), Lisa (Lucas), and Tabitha (Winnick). All three went to elementary school with a weird kid who showed them horrible things, the last straw being a twisted science project which gives new meaning to the phrase.."mousetrap". The kid was sent away, and now fast-forward years later, when the girls have become young women (similar to the trio in Valentine), they find themselves confronted with the weirdo yet again.

Only this time he's all grown up. But his twisted sense of humor still remains. Which spells trouble for the girls. This movie has a storyline similar to the 2000 slasher film "Valentine", only in the case of "Amusement", the killer isn't exactly in love with the girls as much as he is just fucked in the head. He also doesn't want to kill the women right away, a plot point which is carried out in an anthology-esque fashion where three stories involving a highway convoy, a hotel, and a clown...all connect the three women and the killer. They are told as a detective questions Tabitha about the events and who was responsible for them.

The stories basically are set up as the killers trap to capture the girls so he can do horrible things to them. The clown story is is by far the best one. While the convoy story is reminiscent of a scene from a "Joyride" sequel, and the hotel story just does not hold any water except for a neat but fatal trick which is played on Lisa's boyfriend. The film really shows the potential to be scary, especially during the clown segment where Tabitha returns home to find the babysitter gone, and the kids all alone.

The question is, what happened to the babysitter, and does a creepy clown with red hair which somehow mysteriously got into the house hold the answer? But I think it's weak link is what kept it from getting released right away. The distributors knew the clown story was the best segment the film had, and the other two were average at best. Hence, it's a flawed film on the surface. But underneath the surface, "Amusement" does show flashes of brilliance with it's pacing and unique story.

The killer who's nicknamed "The Laugh", is indeed a psychopath, but he has a distinct laugh which he uses to chill the girls to the bone once he catches them. He's also a gadgetist, which means he creates little gadgets, contraptions, and traps to capture his prey. A plot point further elaborated on during the hotel segment where Lisa enters the hotel to try and rescue her friends from "The Laugh"...and his backstory is further delved in to. Nothing great here in the line of kills though.

There's that one cool kill from the hotel segment, but not a high body count nor many unique or memorable deaths. The films ending is pretty gloomy yet at the same time visually impressive and chuckle-worthy in a few spots. And Winnick, Lucas, and Breckenridge all give great performances. Breckenridge however ended up doing "Hit and Run'' after this film, a MAJOR step down in my book.

"Amusement" isn't a great movie, but it'll break the monotony of psycho slashers which use the standard chase and scream to entertain the viewer. "Amusement" tries to be smarter than that, and in some ways succeeds. But is also held back by starting on a weak note, and ending on a weak note.

Positives:Good performances by Winnick, Lucas, and Breckenridge. An interesting story and an equally interesting killer. The clown segment was awesome, and the film is visually impressive in many areas.

Negatives:The first and last segments are weak, and not very many kills.

Overall:Two out of four stars.





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