UHM - Review - Simon Says

Director William Dear has had quite an interesting track record when it comes to films, starting his directing career with light-hearted films and family comedies, like Harry and the Hendersons, Angels in the Outfield, and Wild America. Then, out of nowhere, comes out with a film like Simon Says -- a strange, gore-soaked horror slasher starring Crispin Glover. In my interview I conducted with Bill last year, he said he was always fascinated with the genre and after he declined to direct someone else's horror flick, he decided to write his own; something that sophisticated veterans of the genre can appreciate. Despite the familiar storyline, the film actually stands out in the long-line of others within the survival sub-genre.

The story follows the stereotypical group of college friends (the stoner, the slut, the couple, and the outsider) who set out for a fun weekend adventure in the woods. They take a detour in a secluded little town where they encounter Crispin Glover's character "Simon" and his twin "Stanley" in the local shop. Shortly after, they make their way to a nearby cemetery where a couple strange townies point them out to the best spot to set camp and party without the hassles of the outside world. After their spot is picked, they go about the things college kids normally do in these films -- drink, smoke, have sex, and get killed! Yes, it doesn't take long before Simon decides to off the group, especially when he fancies one of the ladies as his "dream girl".

Writer/director Bill Dear set out to make an outrageous, gore-soaked slasher and successfully delivered the goods. Crispin as Simon and his twin Stanley are definitely an odd couple characters, with their country accent and strange high-pitched way of talking, these guys are the type to avoid if you ever find yourself in their path. The movie offers a number of fairly original kills and sequences that you wouldn't normally see in these types of films. I loved the way Simon would dress up in camouflage as he stalked the girls; it's amazing how he blended in with the background. It turns out that he's not only quite the dresser, but also the engineer, as he has placed various traps and mechanical devices around the forest encase he faces a "runner". He practically owns these woods, so there's really no escaping him.

The movie doesn't try to deliver an original premise or hide who the killer is; we know immediately who is doing the killing, so there's no silly who-done-it premise, because any veteran horror fan can usually pick out the killer in the first 15-minutes of watching a film. Bill Dear pretty much knew this, so he just gave us fans something we love to see -- lots of violence, interesting characters, and blood. Now, the movie is gory, but it isn't gratuitous, so don't expect a none-stop gore-fest. There's just a good amount in the scenes that call for it (mostly when someone gets caught up in one of Simon's traps). The flick also doesn't play too much on the comedy, like other films. Normally the "stoner" or minority will offer the most comedy, which is true in this as well, but he doesn't spew out pointless dialogue like they normally do. There was one scene that involved him taking puffs from his spliff even after rolling around and trying to avoid a series of pick-axes being thrown at him thanks to another trap, as if that would help his predicament!

Crispin owned every scene he was in, with his over-the-top character, Simon. The man certainly knows how to play the weird creepy guy quite well. Close to the half-way mark, Simon encounters another group of campers, this time commando-wannabe paint-ballers, that help serve up the body-count and give us a break from the regular group. This proved to be a smart move, because centering on a small group of people for too long can grow too tiresome and likely drag the pacing. Speaking of which, after the hour-mark the pacing does suffer quite a bit, which is the only downside I found in the otherwise enjoyable flick. Bill has already said that he plans on continuing with the Simon character by delivering a sequel, but I would imagine it wouldn't be in the cards until the first gets a proper release. I know I'm definitely down for a sequel. I don't believe a distribution deal has been made yet, so there's no telling when this film will be available for the general public, but keep an eye out for it when it's released.

OVERALL

Bill Dear successfully delivers a fun, outragious slasher with plenty of kills and guts to please us fans, and doesn't bother to center around a who-done-it fair that are normally dominant in the sub-genre. If you like your slashers with clever deaths, lots of gore, and interesting characters, then give this a check.

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unknown :

Posted 54 days ago

When I first heard about this film and blake lively as apart of it I was very excited but when I eventually did get to watch it, I was so disappointed that it SUCK, although there's a good part you'll definitely laugh at it's lameness, plus blake's part was just like a few mins, as one of the new victims.

Nikita :

Posted 124 days ago

ok. i finally found it on a website i liked it alot except for the fucked up brothers that was gay "YOU FORGOT TO SAY... SIMON SAYS" haha so bad i was mad that zach died i thought he would live he was funny , funny voice hah

Nikita :

Posted 129 days ago

omg im so pissed this movie ain't out yet and justin where do u live in the us cuz it might have come out there, wen is the relese date for this film. i wanna see it so badd

Justin :

Posted 155 days ago

awful, totally awful. rented it last night. waste of money j

Oshorir :

Posted 243 days ago

As usual Crispin Glover (Mr. Willard) played quite great on his double role. It has some cool & creative killing scenes. You'll enjoy the flick...believe me.

Michael :

Posted 329 days ago

Margo Harshman is awsome as the lead actress i hope she gets the lead in a lot more movies Simon Says is scheduled for release in late September and hopefully it will be on DVD soon after that i give it a 10

Daniel :

Posted 380 days ago

I KN0 I AGREE WITH H0RR0R Z0NE L0L. THIS M0VIE L00KS LIKE A 7/10. N0T SURE YET. I HAVE T0 SEE IT.

frightie :

Posted 380 days ago

I've done a lot of reviews in the past, where I would give a flick mostly positive comments, but still give it a 6-rating, which isn't a low rating, in my opinion. It just shows that it had the potential of being a very good movie, but had a thing or two that I felt could have used more work on. In this case, I felt it dragged on a bit too long after the hour-mark. Despite the rating, it's still an otherwise good watch.

Casshole :

Posted 381 days ago

Looks pretty good..anyone know when this is supposed to come out?

Horror_Zone :

Posted 381 days ago

Why such a low rating if you liked it so much?

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