So much average

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Blistering performances.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Seriously warped horror comedy about an unlikely trio, a demented family of weirdos driving across the desert wreaking havoc on whoever they meet. A mute, seemingly autistic brother, Norbert who communicates through his ventriloquist dummy, Dummy(..voiced by Bruce Weitz)and psychotic foul-mouthed sister Angelina(Paydin LoPachin, a real blond babe with things that come out of her mouth that make a ghetto gangster blush)were left to fend for themselves after their mother overdosed on heroine. Sent to live with an uncle, who would sexually abuse Angelina(..perhaps shaping the monster she would become)while Norbert closed his eyes in horror, they would soon murder him, winding up in a foster home before chopping the fingers off a kid who insulted them. Blaming Norbert, Angelina and Dummy concoct a plan to break him free from his asylum, hitting the road to Vegas, often killing various victims for their vehicles, and kidnapping a female traveler, Robin(Katie Chonacas)who is to carry their family's seed. Angelina is quite a cold-hearted sociopath always scheming while tormenting Robin (..who tries endlessly to find ways to escape), while constantly at odds with Dummy who begs Norbert to leave her behind. A running gag has Dummy a isolated entity who can speak and move on his own away from Norbert..hell, he even has fantasies of naked chicks! We watch as Angelina's trail-blazing psychopathic ways leads to a countryside manhunt for her and Norbert as Robin attempts to get away before she is killed.A great deal of the film shows the crazy antics of a demented family, but the film is more or less a gore-less, colorful send-up of killer-clans-on-the-road thrillers. This movie is built around the often very obscene dialogue, particularly the nasty mouth of Angelina who often blatantly asks strangers if they are looking at her tits(..or telling them that they would love to do sexual acts towards her). Rocky Marquette is really a tight-lipped innocent with the misfortune of growing up with a sicko sister and dummy he too attached to. Dummy is a vessel to communicate, and Norbert is very dependent on it, as a crutch you could say. The trio as a unit are seemingly unstoppable, until the cracks start to show and Angelina's violent streak(..along with Dummy's desire to break free from her hold on Norbert)gets out of hand. It's only a matter of time before their "happy" union sours, and Robin pleas towards Nobert and Dummy begin to work. I can understand why many hated this film. It doesn't really have a plot, but is a series of comic vignettes showcasing Angelina's unpredictable nature and her manipulative hold over her brother and dummy. And, the way the film embraces Dummy as a vehicle for humor(..and he is one ugly wooden creation)and the twisted acts performed by Angelina so that she and her posse can continue their quest for Vegas won't always appeal to everyone(..or even most people). I found it entertaining and sick in equal measure. The film doesn't know when to quit and is always bizarre. The director includes several B&W sequences featuring the trio at times. Paydin LoPachin is a knockout and the director often loves to focus on her face with the camera. She rarely cracks a smile when delivering her profane zingers. Plenty of time is spent showing how Angelina keeps Dummy in check by threatening his livelihood with matches. There's incest played out with Angelina initiating contact with her brother, and this might be the first time I've ever seen a dummy giving head.

It's not a sequel or a remake, and sadly, is the most original American horror film of the year. I thought Paydin LoPachin who played Angelina was excellent and wish her an accomplished film career. The dummy was hilarious and the music was awesome too. I came into this with negative expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The people who hated this flick were ones who actually took this seriously. The film wasn't made to be taken seriously--just like LEPRECHAUN. This is better than LEPRECHAUN in my opinion and I have seen in FOURTEEN TIMES and it hasn't gotten old. Am I obsessed? Probably--the reason being is because it is the most original American horror film of the year which is frankly quite depressing. Hollywood is really lazy and remaking all of these great classics is completely unnecessary and stupid. Go into this with bad expectations and leave feeling pleased with this light comedic horror which is laugh-out-loud funny.

OK, "Saw" the ad in Fangoria, Dimension Extreme brand more often good then bad, Weinstein brothers always good for a laugh , "FROM THE WRITER AND DIRECTOR OF LEPRECHAUN" first one good, the rest ugh !!!, spotted the DVD looking lonely on shelf, rented it not expecting much.What I got though was 80 minutes of perverse glee !!!!.Don't get me wrong, I'm not much for horror/comedy.I like my gore straight up.But this demented tail is Chucky, Billy and Howdy Dudie with a twist of John Waters. A wonderful abnormal film for wonderfully abnormal people.Give it a try if you enjoy movies that that are outside the main stream. Cudos for the actors playing the sister and the brother. Cudos for Mark Jones, the guy who created Leprechan and who hatched this baby up. And razzies to gorehounds without a sense of humor .

First thing to think about: Don't enter this movie thinking a serious horror movie. It's nothing like that. I guess in a way I blame myself for not liking it, expecting something at least a little bit like Dead Silence.This movie is mainly a comedy, or at least I thought so, because I was not frightened one bit. The voice of the dummy is not scary it all, in fact it reminded me a little of Chris from Family Guy.The soundtrack is the worst of recent films. Painful songs that they play over and over again.Don't expect any cleverness or thrills from this flick. You may get some laughs, but overall, this movie is not good.