The first film that comes to mind when watching House of Carnage is that this film is in fact the poor mans Texas Chainsaw Massacre, without the chainsaw. The film even begins with a description of the bizarre events which occurred. The only thing that is really different is the concept of how the killers become who they are. It is mentioned in the film that the killers are born from the women victims that killed. The women before they are killed are transplanted by a demon seed that creates more killers and it’s passed on though to each family. However it’s really not shown in the film as to how it’s supposed to happen. But we do have one sick ass killing family of guys whom are just like the family from Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
The film is very low budget and the production value will most likely turn many viewers away right from the beginning, however once the story and plot are established and we get into the killing and the gore, the film begins to get a lot better, and although the effect of being as scary as the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is not there, you still get the chill and uneasiness of what going on in the film. You begin to fell for these female victims and the hell their being put though. However the film does have it’s flaws, some of the girls in the film don’t scream when their being stabbed or beaten. There is a lot of scenes and dialogue that are obviously taken right from TCSM, which makes the film seem less unoriginal. However House of Carnage does contain a lot more blood and guts.
As far as acting goes, this is where most of my complaining is going to come from. The only actors worth garnishing a good performance from are the killers and a few select girl. The rest of the girls performances are pretty bad, and very unrealistic. How many times does a guy have to hit a girl in the head with a hammer before she stops screaming. I mean the director can be blamed for poor directing as well. But most people know that one or two hammer shots to the head are going to knock you out. However you as a viewer know that b-movies are not meant to have good acting, but rather are there to entertain, and nothing else.
As far as effects go, get ready to see one hell of a gore fest. The effects are really good for a low budget horror film. I mean they looked pretty dam good. Some of the make-up effects could of looked better, but overall it looked good. I really want to know how they did that tractor trailer scene. The set design was pretty good, with what they did. The killers hideout is obviously an abandon house in the middle of nowhere. But the filmmakers did a great job dressing the place up and making it look like many killing went on way before the victims in the film were there.
Overall, House of Carnage is pretty much a film that is more or less a homage to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or as I stated above the poor mans TCSM. . Which is kind of funny because at the end of the film we find out who the killer is and one of his lines is “The Ax is family” Kind of funny if you ask me.
However believe it or not this film is actually a sequel to another 4th floor pictures production titled Day of the Ax. I have never seen Day of the Ax so I don’t know if it’s another homage film to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but after watching House of Carnage I must admit that it’s was a pretty decent Low budget film. What the director did do right is he got straight to the point with the film, rather than take us on a wild goose chase. However be warned that this film is probably not for the typical horror fan, who might just be turned off by the production value. But all in all it’s a not a great film, but it’s overall entertaining.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
