Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Wuchak RELEASED TO VIDEO IN 2006 and directed/written by Dennis Smithers Jr., "A Bothered Conscience" takes place in rural Arkansas and concerns a hermit father who has "No trespassing" signs posted all around his remote property and he ruthlessly kills those who disobey. He passes this curious hobby on to his son whose conscience can't handle the mounting slayings and corresponding guilt.My wife & I saw a 'film' by a local 'filmmaker' (terms used loosely) that cost $2000 and it was easily the worst 'movie' we've ever seen. Keep in mind that I'm a fan of micro-budget indie horror flicks and am well aware of their typical limitations (bad sound, dubious 'acting,' shaky hand-held cameras, bad editing, etc.). Despite this, they CAN be entertaining, whether the creators shoot for campy & amusing, like "Backwoods Bloodbath" (2007), or thoroughly austere, like "Butchered" (2010). Yet both of those movies cost quite a bit more than $2000, likely somewhere between $10,000-$50,000, give or take. Two great examples of micro-budget indie horror are "The Lonely Ones" (2006) and "Another Kind" (2013), but they cost $100,000 and $120,000 respectively."A Bothered Conscience," by contrast, only cost $2300 and so I was expecting a real dog, like that local 'movie' noted above. Thankfully, that's not the case at all as the film has a professional indie air from the get-go with a superlative score. The entire story takes place deep in the Arkansas forests and the sylvan cinematography is superb, creating an ominous vibe (comparable to the exceptional opening credits of the TV show Tales from the Darkside). While most of the acting is okay at best they're masterful performances compared to the non-acting of that other 'film.' The first 50 minutes revolve around people getting killed in the forest whereas the last 37 minutes reveal the title of the movie. There are some effective scenes in this last act involving a currently popular 'monster' (I don't want to give it away, but it should be obvious).It goes without saying that, to appreciate this movie, you have to enjoy the woods or woodsy outdoor photography. It successfully establishes a foreboding forestry ambiance. But the story isn't tight and it gets tedious after 30-45 minutes of redundancy. It's also marred by minor anachronisms. But things like this can be overlooked in a flick that only cost $2300. Another problem is the lack of quality females until just past the hour mark; and not enough is done with her (Tina Martin) when she shows up, but she's appealing enough for her brief period.Despite these glaring problems, there are moments of greatness, like when a certain character in the last act gets shot and the song "When I Awake" by Hollow Earth Conspiracy is heard on the soundtrack (written by Paul Zlotucha). The sequence is almost worth the price of admission.THE FILM RUNS 87 minutes and was shot entirely in northern Arkansas (Cushman, Horseshoe Bend, Weaver's Chapel & Spring Mill).GRADE: C

dbs630-697-952794 The locations and scenery in this film were perfect. The cast was very believable, especially old man "Keller!" Its the kind of movie that has its roots set in the right place. "Don't go messing around them there parts!" for sure that was the morale of the story. Very atmospheric and chilling, with some very good home grown effects and scares. The editing was good, and the use of "jittery" zombie motion was effective. I have to take my hat off to the cast and crew, it couldn't have been easy to make an indie feature in such a remote part of the country for such a low amount of money. I enjoyed this tale and would like to see a sequel in the making! (Next time get some "home grown girls next door" in their birthday suits!)

Paul Andrews A Bothered Conscience is set in Arkansas & starts in 1974 where Keller McGavin (producer Dennis Smithers Sr.) is very possessive about his land, he hands out rather brutal justice to anyone who trespasses on his land. Jump forward '20 Years Later' over the course of which Keller has tried to teach his son Lucas (Stephen Martin) to follow him in his murderous footsteps, that's about it really...Photographed, written, produced & directed by Dennis Smithers Jr. who is also credited with the special effects one has to say this glorified home video is awful. This is the sort of film that makes you want to give up on the medium, seriously A Bothered Conscience is maybe the worst film I've seen this year & believe me I've seen some stinkers. This is one of the most plot less, pointless, boring & downright awful films I've ever seen. Hardly anyone is even given a name, character development is absolutely zero, there's barely any dialogue in it, no-one is given any motivation for anything (one guy puts a gun in his mouth & commits suicide because his mate might have killed someone. Eh? How does that work?), there's no logic behind anything that happens (one hunter tries to shoot Keller but he has no bullets in his gun, what would a hunter being doing carrying a gun with no ammo in it? Seems a bit pointless to me) at almost 90 minutes in length it feels like it goes on forever with shots & scenes drawn out to tedious lengths & to top it all off there's one of the worst most pointless twist endings I've ever seen. This is a horrible film in every way, seriously it's one of the most plot less & amateurish films I've seen.Director Smithers was working on a low budget but that's no excuse for making such a crap film, if I released my holiday video footage badly edited together as a film that wouldn't automatically make it any good. This is literally home video stuff, these days it seems like anyone with a camcorder think they can make a film & all us horror fans are mugs who will put up with any old crap aren't we? Not me, this is crap of the highest order & I honestly don't know how else to describe it. Although set in 1994 the cars on show are modern contemporary vehicles, during the flashback to 1974 the woman has a brand new modern camera with an LCD display & Keller mysteriously doesn't age a single day between the flashback to 1974 & the later day events of 1994. The gore consists of some fake blood, a few zombies & a headless corpse. The effects are rubbish & the blood doesn't look like blood.With a supposed budget of about $2,300 you can see why this is such a poorly made, conceived & executed film. Shot on location in a patch of forest in Arkansas. The production values are rock bottom & generally speaking it's an eye sore. The acting is awful as well & the guy at the end looks like an idiot in that bright orange hat.A Bothered Conscience is awful, it's one of the most plot less & pointless films I've ever seen & I urge you not to waste your time or money on it. I have nothing against low budget films or the makers but that doesn't mean they are immune to criticism.

Jeff_Free_Jacob Wow! ... While this movie was not great, it was very well made and I jumped a few times. Unlike the new influx of crap horror movies that rely on creepy music and and actor (or 'something') jumping in front of the camera, A BOTHERED CONSCIENCE has some truly scary moments. The good points of the film are in its direction and music score as well as very talented acting by ... um ... amateurs!! The cinematography and editing are astounding and quite realistic. A bad point would be the opening 'kill.' Little was explained why the young woman dropped her beloved camera (and, I instantly thought the camera would have 'somehow' snapped a picture of her demise). Another bad point would have to be twofold: the film opens in 1975, then proceeded "20 years later." That would make it 1995?!?!? I wanted to feel it was taking place today (like I did watching the original TCM upon its release). The 'dream' sequence was quite a surprise as it pays homage to many of my favorites: The EYE, Ju-On, Living Dead (series), and Italian Giallo. I even knew before I saw it there was going to be a 'twist at the end,' but I wasn't ready for it. The images from this film kinda freaked me out. Oh ... if you are going to see this because you want to see gore ... Forget it. There isn't a lot, and what there is is kinda dumb, and uncalled for. Watch it with the lights out, during a storm, alone, at night, in the dark ...