Overrated

Just perfect...

best movie i've ever seen.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The slasher genre is filled with clichés and the viewer is often left longing for something new. However, if you can make a horror film that makes up for clichés with genuine fear and dread, audiences will enjoy it. Stevan Mena's 2004 film "Malevolence" is a stand-out among the disreputable rip-offs. It's not without its flaws, but for a low budget film that got the direct-to-DVD treatment, it's much better than one would think. And much more creepy, as well.The plot is fairly simple: after four people rob a town bank and take a mother and daughter hostage, they hide out in a deserted, lifeless house, hoping to figure out how they will handle the money. What they don't know is that a few houses down, a killer is hiding out, and has set his eye on his new targets.Stevan Mena has an obvious love for the more classic horror films of the 70's/early 80's, when such movies as "Halloween," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," and "Friday the 13th" came out. And with that, a low budget, a nifty choice of a photographer, and some eerie music(by Mena himself, who also edited and produced the film, and wrote the script), "Malevolence" scores big on the genre scale.The setting of a little town that is right next to a slaughterhouse sets the tone for a "Texas Chainsaw" style horror film. The film is a lot like Tobe Hooper's film in that it is brutal, but not in the way "Hostel" was brutal. Actually, most of the violence is quite minimal. Mena favors tension and atmosphere over splashes of movie blood.The film's tone is also a highlight. Nothing is particularly fun about "Malevolence," and neither was "Texas Chainsaw." Right from the start, the mood is heavy, and we're in for a frightening ride.Lighting is also key to the horrific experience that "Malevolence" offers. The film mostly takes place at night, and instead of staying in pitch blackness, the movie's moon sends a glowing ray of light onto the scenery, bringing more atmosphere to the film.Mena has crafted an excellent, foreboding score that is not overly used. There are moments when the music will instantly echo John Carpenter's score for "Halloween," and I love that. The music is original and disturbing. More points for Mena.Now, here's where "Malevolence" is flawed. There's only one quirk that can be found here, and that is in the casting. The acting is decent, but nothing particularly special. In such instances of danger or horror, the cast delivers the screams and the struggle for survival. But when it comes to the more dramatic situations, mostly involving the robbery, the cast can be slightly wooden.Otherwise, there's really not much wrong with this film. It is malevolent enough and made well enough to get a good recommendation, and for a film that went straight to DVD, that's rare. For Stevan Mena, "Malevolence" is a very good first impression. It doesn't beg for attention, but it definitely deserves it.

This was a pretty scary and very decent horror movie! Director insists very much on John Carpenter Halloween style, but still the movie has its own rhythm which is soo creepy! I love the way that director plays with the camera - it is so tense! Done in the classic slasher style scenes are not made in modern explicit bloody ways full of fountain blood splashes. Still they are much more scary than any other Hollywood horror movie I have seen for a very long time. Once again, director goes too far with imitating good old John from time to time with Michael Myers image, music and even identical scenes from time to time. Still, I am nicely surprised by this movie and the reason I am posting a comment is because I believe that this flick is unfairly underrated.

In my opinion, what you see is what you get with Malevolence...and that is a bleak,nasty little gem.Eerie and unrelenting, with a splash of satanic 'offering, I loved it!From the awesome shots of the 'works and surrounding ghost town, to the little moments of people being watched and not knowing it, this film impressed me on several levels and never tried to be anything it wasn't.That being said, slasher is a sub-genre that many so-called horror buffs do not get.It's not the Sixth sense, it's not Hostel.It's not an intellectual quandary or a slop-fest of intestine.Just watch Malevolence for what it is and you should be fairly satisfied.

Malevolence is a film that borrows elements of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th. The score is haunting and well done. The movie has it's tense and scary scenes and is well shot however, the acting is mediocre at best and I'm being generous. The dialogue or script is awful. Especially at the end. There is a scene between a so-called FBI agent and a local cop and it's painful sitting through this. For a few minutes my attention was held during some truly haunting and creepy moments and then another scene minutes later had me laughing because it was so awful. Especially one scene between a mother & daughter in a van throwing dialogue back at each other in quick succession. Oh how painful that was. I've seen worse but this was disappointing because some of it is so stupidly done. Don't buy it-just rent it so you can take it back.