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Other films and I mean plenty of other films
have attempted the seedy underground of Suburbia bit, ad nauseum, and
very few can pull it off well. The horror genre has taken this tired bit
and added a slight sense of a twist to it, all with the advent of
increasing the unpredictability of the formula. What could be lurking in
the large house of this upper crest family? Well, let’s just say “The
Hamiltons” is like “Spider-Baby” except set in modern times with much
more twists and turns. I was often led to believe that the film set down
on a cannibalistic family, and I was wrong… in some respects. It’s
difficult to give away the entire plot twist here, but “The Hamiltons”
was entertaining for the fact that it was so twisted.
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As I said, the formula of the seedy
underbelly of Americana has been done and failed miserably,
but The Butcher Brothers manage to accomplish it somewhat. I
found “The Hamiltons” to be twisted and often times utterly
morbid. Adding monotony to the lives of these characters
works, and it works well most times, because I bought these
characters. They were so unlike an actual family, which is
what helped their interaction with one another. |
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They’re wholesome, and loving toward one
another, but only in their own ways. The Butcher Brothers draws out the
mounting tension for as long as possible, letting slip only bits and
pieces of the plot elements before us. Not only will we sit wondering
what’s going to happen next, but I gather many will decide to try and
decode what these characters are about. It’s a damn good mystery, that’s
for sure. The two stand outs among the mostly forgettable cast are
Joseph McKelheer, and Mackenzie Firgens who are just utterly
entertaining as the demented sadistic twins of the family who just can’t
help but raise hell with one another. The two just have an electric
chemistry together, and I had fun watching them torment helpless
victims. “The Hamiltons” has a considerably low-key atmosphere that
promises a powder keg that’s bound to explode any minute, and when it
does, blood pours.
The Butcher Brothers can never seem to know
what to do with these characters once they break out of the house and
their own little deeds. The characters just are never as three
dimensional once they break out of the walls of their abode, and that’s
a shame. The chemistry between these people left a lot of potential for
them to wreak havoc and it never came to pass. Samuel Child is sadly the
worst of the bunch giving a brutally over the top and cheesy performance
that never measures up with the others. Beyond that, the creative team
just prefers to reference horror classic after horror classic from
“Martin,” to “Re-Animator,” and they don’t raise a competent argument
for their film’s worth. In the end, “The Hamiltons” simply isn’t
anything original or innovative, it’s all really just a horror movie
we’ve seen time and time again, in spite of the twist. And the writing
draws out one particular victim for the sole purposes of the pay off in
the second half, and it becomes so blatant it progresses into
meaningless exposition that doesn’t really come into play late in the
film. And can someone tell me what the hell was the point of the
constant Wilhelm screams? Not only were they clunky, but they just
shoved me out of the narrative. For shame.
Hell, it’s flawed, and it’s unoriginal, but
with the overall atmosphere, and solid performances, “The Hamiltons” is
a demented and deliciously engrossing horror film about the perfect
family with a few demons in their basement. Hell, I had a blast.
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