ThiefHott Too much of everything

GazerRise Fantastic!

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Michael Ledo This is a low budget indie film which combines the 1947 Hollywood Black Dahlia slaying with modern times through a haunting if you couldn't tell by the title. Holly(B-movie goddess Devanny Pinn) goes to Hollywood to see her institutionalized blind half brother Tyler (Noah Dahl) who just shot his parents, one of which was her father too, of which Holly seems unemotional. Dr. Brian Owen (Britt Griffith)cares for Tyler. Britt is perhaps best known for his uncredited role as "the tattoo zombie".Holly stays in a room that has the TV from "Poltergeist." The boring present is eventually interrupted by boring flashbacks to 1947. The acting is as bad as the direction, dialogue and writing. It is on the low end of the indie films, barely keeping its head above the cheese. The concept for the film isn't bad, although it has been done a gazillion times before, normally with "Jack the Ripper" but not the Black Dahlia.Not worth a Redbox rental even with Devanny Pinn.Parental Guide: Deals with rape and abortion. Shows a woman with a coat hanger. Near nude shower scene with strategic arm placement. IMDB claims it has the F-bomb in one scene, although I didn't recall any in my Redbox version.

foutainoflife We need to talk about this for a moment. Let's start with the horrific reality of how Elizabeth Short died. This woman was tortured for days and died from hemorrhage and shock resulting from concussion of the brain and lacerations to her face. She had also been mutilated after death. The postmortem mutilation consisted of her nether region being shaved, a criss cross pattern cut into that specific area, she had lacerations to her breast and thighs, she had sections of her flesh removed with the most disturbing section being a rose tattoo that she had on her thigh being placed inside her vagina, she was bisected, drained of her blood amd her body was scrubbed clean. There was no presence of seman but since her body had been washed but she was believed to have been sexually violated. She had been missing for six days and it was believed that she had been dead for between 8-12 hours when her body was discovered. This was truly a horrific murder. It is the stuff of nightmares and she, unfortunatly, lived it and no one has ever been held accountable for her brutal death.With that said, it is understandable that there have been many movies made about this crime because it is truly terrifying to know that there is this type of evil among us. I really liked the idea of this film. How would the ghost of Elizabeth short haunt this earth? She could want revenge. She could feel confused not understanding that she had died at the age of 22 or she could possibly be a sort of guardian angel for women who she believes to be in danger. There are a lot of things you could do with this concept. So with this film, um, I'm not satisfied. I know it is a B movie but I believe that I know how to give credit where credit is due and the only thing that this film has going for it is the fact that it revolves around Elizabeth Short's death. That's it. Not much more to say. The acting lacked realism. The sound wasn't good. The scenes were choppy. Maybe I missed it but the story about how she came into Tyler's life wasn't explained. I thought the cave scenes were stupid and unnecessary. The lady they picked to play Elizabeth Short looked nothing like her. I found it strange that they chose the name of Norma Jean for Elizabeth Short's friend when there has been no evidence that they knew each other as such. That scene was supposed to be set in 1947 but Norma Jean started going by Marilyn Monroe in 1946. It just wasn't good for me. Check it out if you're curious but you've been warned.

jamietreetalker I saw this movie in Gettysburg, PA at Phenomenology 105. I don't want to give it away, but you might not think of certain actors in the same way ever again once you've finished with this film. For me, it was extremely disturbing, but loads of fun! I loved the story line and the modern twists inserted into this scary little tale. I thought it was very clever and well executed. I was thoroughly impressed with the cinematography they were able to do on such a small budget. The way the scenes were directed and filmed conveyed very clearly what the filmmaker wanted you to experience. I felt very enthralled, amazed, disgusted, and somewhat uncomfortable throughout most of the film. To me, that's a good film. I think that says a lot for the filmmaker and the actors. Wonderful job!

joshuatree0103 This profoundly gripping film written and directed by Brandon Slagle was nothing short of brilliant. Slagle took the infamous story of Elizabeth Short, otherwise known as The Black Dahlia, and gave it a uniquely haunting twist that is guaranteed to thrill viewers of multiple genres. His creative writing took this film to a whole new level of intensity and suspense with its supernatural spin and horror combination. Lending to this well told story is the incredible performances by a well chosen cast. Devanny Pinn captivates the audience with her stunning portrayal as the beautiful sister to an institutionalized boy, played by Noah Dahl. Pinn's performance is both persuasive and increasingly disturbing as the main target of brooding evil by both the spiritual realm and the deranged vengeance of Dr. Brian Owen. Britt Griffith gave an amazingly disturbing performance as the dark and calculated psychiatrist (Owen). His superb ability to show the inner struggle between good and evil was absolutely astonishing. Griffith has been compared to Jack Nicolson in "The Shining" and there is no question why. Just like Nicholson, Griffith doesn't even need to speak to evoke a sense of unsettling fear and uncertainty. It's as if his eyes are the window to his soul, and his menacing glare says it all. Let's just say that Griffith is the epitome of creepy and downright unnerving at times. Also noteworthy is the sadistic tension between Griffith and Pinn's characters that, through their synergistic performances, is made palpable. To lend to the creep factor in this film is the performances by Brandon Slagle and Cleve Hall. Slagle left me feeling his characters anguish and despair, while at the same time intriguing me with his crazy and erratic behavior, never sure what his next move might be. Hall portrays a perverse evil that is so sinister that it provokes an immediate sense of anxiety and terror. Alexis Iacono's eerie performance as the spirit of Elizabeth Short was marvelous. A true highlight for Iacono was an edgy shower scene that was well played and convincingly haunting. Jessica Cameron as the lovely Marilyn Monroe was impressive and delightfully entertaining, as was Noah Dahl in his role as a young man who is institutionalized for the murder of his parents. Both Cameron and Dahl were fantastic in their supporting roles adding clout to Slagle's choice in casting. This was one of the most entertaining and intriguing Independent films that I've seen in years. I found myself putting the pieces of the story together while watching intently for additional clues in an attempt to predict the next twist. Slagle kept me guessing, making this a thrilling tale that kept me glued to my seat.