gigan-92
One of those rare mounds of sh*t you happen to stumble upon as you innocently search late night television for a flick to watch. I can only ask what was the point? Generic storyline, pathetic creature designs a given, and effects that came straight out of a Play Station 1 game. Pretty gory, nothing especially well done though. Tom Savini would wipe his ass with this tripe. I can't think of a single reason why AMC would display this crap on FearFest Fridays, which are usually pretty memorable. This movie is by no means a classic, not even fun to laugh at. It just sucks. If the title alone doesn't send you packing, let me assure you the time spent watching this you could have read a book, took that nap you've always wanted or at the very least get your taxes done.
Curtis G.
The only reason I had to watch this movie was because a friend was on the crew. He told me that it was widely regarded on set as one of the worst productions ever. We watched it together and he gave a running commentary. Despite the low budget, it was actually pretty entertaining. However, instead of relying on primitive CGI to animate their clay demon, the directors should have shot the movie the way Spielberg shot around finicky mechanical sharks for "Jaws." The piñata wasn't bad-looking, but when it transformed via cheesy CGI, it really drew attention to itself. There were some very effective practical gore effects, so it wasn't as if they didn't have options. The cast was serviceable and the girls were hot (Lara Wickes was adorable and I fell madly in love), but the filmmakers violated the sacred pact between the horror genre and its male viewers—namely, if we're going to watch your no-budget movie, we want some nekkid boobies in return. The single instance of partial boobage from Daphnee Duplaix was pretty weak, and also raised some questions. For one, you can't get a Playboy Playmate to disrobe? And for two, how exactly does a director ask for the shot they used? "OK, guy, pull her top down a little--CUT! Moving on..."So in the end, not so terrible. Here's a tip, though: Mute the TV and play the soundtrack to "Predator" instead. You'd be surprised at how much better the movie seems.
RandyHickey
This was far and above Jaimie Presley's acting tour de force!! Incredible story about a midget trapped in a Pinata suit. Astounding special effects! The monster really pops! The dialog is so compelling that it's religious to be in it's godlike presence! I'm getting a tattoo of the movie cover tomorrow! College kids trapped on an island looking for underwear whilst being picked off one by one by an evil lava skinned Pinata?!! BRILLIANT! I'll have what they're smoking! Speaking of fires.... At the end when the lava dwarf is cast into the campfire and is dispatched? This scene in particular spoke to me on a cosmic level. They literally fight FIRE with FIRE! Genius! I'm just sorry that this masterfully crafted work of truly talented artists was passed over at Oscar time! How did the academy miss this TREASURE!!?? I'm sure Stanley Kubrick would have this on his coffee table were he still alive. If I may dare to say the only thing to make it better would be if they had had a monkey companion maybe to lighten up the headiness of this terrifying drama. All beginning directors should see this so they have an example of cinematic perfection to shoot for! I feel grateful, nay Blessed to have sat in the glow of it's greatness. Truly a Film For The Ages!
danabunner
I don't understand why this movie isn't on the Worst 100 list. I've seen 7 movies on that list, and this one is worse than any of those. If I gave a 10th grade class an assignment to create special effects and they turned in the ones in this movie, I might feel sorry enough for them to give them a D. I hope they didn't pay the special effects team more than $500. Not only are they embarrassing poor, the animated figure doesn't look like the costumed figured used in the close ups.Meanwhile the acting is so stiff that one is left wondering if the final footage came from the 2nd or 3rd reading of the script. Or if the script was simply being written an hour before the filming.If you are looking for a silly horror movie to watch with a group of friends for laughs, this is a very good candidate. On that scale, I would give it an 8.
AD
