FRAYED

Frayed is a 2007 horror movie which has only recently found distribution in Australia. It begins with a ghastly act of violence that questions how this movie received an MA rating. The scene is horrific and is really effective in getting the viewer uneasy about what's to come.... if you know the nightclub scene from Irreversible then you will appreciate the type of violence I am talking about. The movie's premise is almost identical to Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween. A child is institutionalised after murdering his mum. His father has been living with the grief for over 10 years when one night his worst fears come true... his son has escaped. Wearing a deformed clown mask he lurks in shadows and butchers unsuspecting victims. It's typical genre fare with some effective imagery. Glimpses of the clown mask in the background keep putting the chills down your spine and the suspense is built up cleverly. The violence throughout the movie isn't too often but it's brutal when he strikes. The movie's downfall is its low budget. Exterior night scenes look great but the lit up interiors look cheap. The acting is b-grade and were they better the movie could be been a real ripper. It's a horror with good intentions but lingers too long on dialogue where its focus should have been on the creepy stuff. So long as you don't have to pay much to see it, only then would I recommend Frayed.

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