After disturbing the home of a murderous family in an abandoned film studio, three boys are stalked back to their homes that very night.
Sheesh! Pregnant women don’t exactly have the best of luck when it comes to this deliciously demented duo. But enough with the Inside (2007) jokes! (Ba-dum-tsss…)
While most of the film’s second act seemingly discards the bloody and violent nature of its opening minutes, it does a decent job of replacing the guts and gore with a suspenseful atmosphere. Its staccato-style strings punch the nerves during those moments of darkness combined with the bizarre killer’s cruel natured cat-and-mouse games.
The separate home invasions of the three boys go together much like a horror anthology. And although the body count climbs steadily but surely, for the most part the level of gruesome action is inconsistent. So much so that the first two break-ins play out and cut out like segments of a Creepshow movie.
Among the Living does have some original moments amongst a bundle of familiar tricks of the trade, but the dynamic of our villains feels borrowed from Jordan Baker’s 2013 movie Torment, which also featured a family of deformed killers who abducted new members to join their bloodthirsty brood.
LAST WORDS:
It’s not original, but it has elements of the bizarre. It’s not consistent, but that gives it the occasional sense of unpredictability. There’s tension for those who like suspense. There’s blood for those who enjoy gore. Could the state of horror on DVD this year finally be looking up? Solid horror entertainment.