Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Good idea lost in the noise

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This is a great independent b-movie. The budget was a million dollars (a lot less than most mainstream movies), and they spent that money very wisely. This could have easily been shown in theaters and gotten solid reviews. The acting is surprisingly decent. I felt connected to the main characters. They didn't go over the top like with so many other b-movies, and they had such good chemistry I wouldn't be surprised if they were friends outside the movie. The storyline is not completely original and there are some cliché moments, but the story moves fluidly and is executed well. If this had been a mainstream release, my rating probably would be 7 or 8. Since it's a good independent, which is severely lacking in the horror genre of late, I'm giving them an extra point. If more independents were this good, I'd be in horror heaven.

Midnight Movie is a supernatural slasher film that has gathered some inexplicable praise. It even apparently won best film at the Chicago Horror Film Festival; I don't want to watch the runners-up.The plot has a group of movie theater patrons becoming trapped when a cursed horror film from the early 1970's is shown. The film within the film is a variation on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre with a group of hippies breaking down and seeking shelter in the home of a psychopath. The murderer from this film within a film comes out of the screen and begins killing the audience members, sort of like the much superior 1985 film Demons.I worked in a movie theater. I was never a projectionist, but I did visit the booth from time to time. I know what 35mm film projectors are supposed to look like. What's more the filmmakers of Midnight Movie should know this as well since this is their field. The film within a film here is playing at a movie theater on a 16mm projector and consists of one reel. How long would that make the film within a film? I would guess fifteen minutes, maybe twenty. Also, throwing in a line about how cheap the theater is does not justify the set up. A cheap theater would run second run product of recent movies. A black and white horror film from the 1970's (?) which is known for having caused its director to go insane would not be randomly playing at a mom and pop theater in the 21st Century. This film would be showing as a gala event at a film festival or a cult theater like The Alamo Draft House! Midnight Movie is a lame horror movie with a promising central idea. Unfortunately, bad directing, bad acting, and too bright lighting (almost like a soap opera) kill all the tension. Nothing, nothing in this film (or the film within a film) convinces for a moment.

A midnight showing of an early 1970s horror movie turns to chaos when the Killer from the movie comes out of the film to attack those in the theater.The 70s film sure does not look like a film from the 70s -- way too clean, for example. Adding a VW bus does not make it an old movie. (I suppose I could dismiss this as a joke.) I appreciated seeing Brea Grant (playing Rachael), a friend of Killer Reviews. She may not be a major character, but still nice to see her in horror films just the same. Rebekah Brandes (playing Bridget), I am not familiar with -- but she could make a fortune as a Taylor Swift lookalike.Horror Society's Bryan Schuessler wrote that the film was "one of the best slasher films that I have seen in awhile" and a "smashing success". Fangoria's Michael Gingold gave it three out of four skulls and says the film "cleverly juxtaposes the reel and real terrors, and occasionally subverts expectations." My praise may not be as thick as theirs, but I have to admit that I did not want to see this movie, but ended up finding it pretty decent.Low budget? Yes. Greatest movie ever? Hardly. Better than the average independent film? If you like slashers, certainly.

Sure, it's B-Grade, the killer's costume is awful and the acting isn't particularly good. But why do we need any of that in a slasher? Since the days of Scream the slasher has been my favorite sub-genre, and finding fresh new entries can be hard. That's why I was delighted to discover Midnight Movie.The film takes it's time establishing characters and showing off it's creepy story. Speaking of which is quite interesting.When things do pick up, they never stop coming. The gore is delightfully over-the top and the slightly stupid characters make for speedy, fun deaths. Unlike many others, I had no irks with the killer's weapon and thought the setting was brilliant.However, MM is not for the feint of heart. Beforementioned gore and a helping of scary atmosphere and set pieces make things rather horrifying for the typical slasher fan. So proceed with caution, oh weak stomached viewers.All in all, MM is fresh, inventive and delightfully insane. Everything you could ask for in a slasher.