S.I.C.K.



Synopsis

Ken Hebert (lead actor and film’s producer) invites three friends out to his cabin in thewoods. Oddly, these friends are either people he hasn’t seen in years, or barely knows. Along theway, they pick up another young woman who’s been having some hitch-hiking problems. Thatnight, the stranger tells a gruesome story about a killer clown. And wouldn’t you know it? Oneby one, the cast starts being killed by that very figure.

It’s amateur hour, folks. Looks like a bunch…of friends got together over a weekend anddecided to make a movie. To their credit, there are a few of sharp editing decisions, and therearen’t any obvious technical flubs (like boom mikes coming into the frame). But the movie isshot on video, and has that irredeemably cheap look, the dialogue is Banality On Parade, and wehave to wait what seems an eternity for very disappointing murder scenes.

Audio

Both 5.1 and 2.0 are on offer here, but the results are equally pointless, given the sourcematerial. The only noticeable surround effect (and even this is infrequent) involves the score,which is as cheesy a Yamaha organ exercise as you could imagine. The dialogue is unduly harshdue to sibilance.

Video

The picture is even worse, but what would you expect, given that this looks like is was shoton a consumer camcorder. The edges are plague by ghosting, the grain is atrocious, the coloursare washed out, the night scenes are murky, the blacks are weak, etc., etc., etc. In short, thefullscreen transfer looks like crap. How it could look otherwise is beyond me.

Special Features

Nothing here but trailers for S.I.C.K., House of the Dead, Devil’sPond, Cutthroat Alley and Dracula’s Curse. The menu’s main page, intro andtransitions are animated and scored. Overkill on a disc like this.

Closing Thoughts

Looks and sounds awful, and is awful. There are good, cheap horror movies out there. Watchone of those.

Special Features List

• Trailers