Reviews (14)

IN THE ARMS OF ....
I take OCTOPUS for what I think its producers wanted: a corny, old-fashioned let's run from the giant monster movie. Sure, it's effects are no where near what a larger budget would have entailed. But, still, there are some pretty neat shots, especially of inky's mouth! Jay Harrington as Turner, is so inept and bungling, it had to be intended. How many times does the slippery terrorist slip away? And poor guy won't shoot a gun in cold blood? Remember---he's not a special agent..he's an analyst. David Beecroft as the demoted captain has a world-weary edge that gives his performance both a sharp and comic bend. And with all the crew going psycho after the octopus attack, it certainly lends credence to the government's psychological profiling attempts. The addition of the ocean liner as the climactic finish also bends convention wisely. And, hey, we had to let Turner be heroic at SOMETHING!!!
Corny but I had fun!

Can't believe it, but I actually liked this movie.
As schlock fans may have noticed, there have been a glut of straight-to-video creature features released the past few years. Most of them have been crap, some have been kind of fun, but without a doubt, Octopus is the most enjoyable of them all. Granted, this isn't saying much, but I'm almost to say this; I actually liked this movie quite a bit, and when it comes to the sea monster genre, the only movie of the past few years to have this beat is Deep Rising, so it's not surprising to see there are plot similarities between the two.

Both films feature a giant octopus and an oceanliner that's attacked by said animal. But the majority of Octopus is set on a submarine transporting a a dangerous terrorist named Casper (Ravil Issyanov). Playing his escort is Jay Harrington as young CIA agent Roy Turner. The captain of the sub, Shaw (David Beecroft), is a rather grizzled veteran, judging from his initially aloof and sarcastic demeanor. Given the movie's title, it's no surprise to see that the sub will be attacked by a giant sea creature and massive chaos will ensue.

For what it is, Octopus is a pleasant gem. This is a monster movie with plenty of action, suspense, humor, and even likeable lead characters. Now how often can you say that about a STV release? Oh, certainly, it's not without its flaws. The story's about as silly as you'd expect and the final scenes defy logic, but it's all in good fun. Really, the only things about the movie that truly bothered me were some of the sets, which are given a cheesy-looking green lighting, which is something that's always been a pet peeve of mine.

From an action point-of-view, director John Eyres does a fine job, given obvious budgetary restraints. The opening chase/shootout delivers quite a few large-scale explosions and flipping cars, though Eyres does shake the camera during this scene too much for my tastes. The rest of the action's even more relentless, with more fun gunplay, shaking sets, and an exhilarating finale set onboard a cruise, an elaborate setpiece involving not only a large ship, but also a helicopter and a submersible.

Once the mayhem begins, there's almost no point of let-up. So it's a good thing the cast has a good sense of chemistry that makes them rather endearing, with nice, unforced humor that's good for some belly laughs. Faring the best are Jay Harringotn as the inexperienced CIA agent and David Beecroft as the grizzled captain, a mismatched pair that grows on you. Rounding it out as a trio is Carolyn Lowery as an enthusiastic oceanographer. Oh, she's hot, too, and almost a dead-on for a young Virginia Madsen (and does anyone else find it amusing Lowery was also in Candyman, as Madsen's rival?)

Most of the special effects and sets are really quite good, so long as you remember that is was probably shot on a low budget without any major players. The monster is the kind of effects work that you know is obviously CGI, but gets more of the "that's pretty cool" response than unintentional laughter. Hey, by the time I saw the tentacles wrapping around an oceanliner, threatening to drag into the sea, I was completely won over.

Octopus isn't the kind of movie that will any major awards, but it's a fun, unpretentious way to spend 100 minutes. The winning mix of action, adventure, and horror adds up to excitement that not even some big-budget blockbusters could compete with.
*** 1/2 out of *****

A good movie
In Octpus a nuclear submarine care toxic chemicals is ground at the botttom of the sea. The radiaoctive materials in to the ocean mutate octupus. That grow to godzilla sized porportins.

This move in my opion is a mondern day version of peter Benchly class movie the Beast. Thilled with action, gore and adventure. Rate R for gore bad language and violence. The CIA gut is histirical. If you like thise she action packed octpusus 2.

BRILL
THIS MOVIE IS GREAT GOOD SPECIAL EFFECTS GOOD ACTION GOOD PLOT MUST BUY NOW
P.S SEQUEL IS POOR CASH IN NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS ONE

8 Arms of Awesome Action!
Incredible action! Incredible characters! Incredible effects! Incredible octopus! Incredible plot! Incredible villain! Incredible ending! Incredible movie!

Those are the top 8 incredible reason to love OCTOPUS! Do the Rock-topus, baby! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

RIPPER OFF
John Eyres can't be totally blamed for directing this flick. The script must have seemed innovative and challenging at the time. However, I'm sure once he got into it, he must have been as disappointed as I was. The movie opens with a young girl (AJ Cook from Final Destination II) being pursued by a mysterious serial killer who has evidently wiped out all her friends. Five years later, Molly is taking a class in serial killers (do they really offer such stuff?). Her professor, the disturbingly sinister Kane (played with exquisite boredom by Bruce Payne), tells his class to think outside the box. Ho hum...but of course what happens is that this little group of serial killer students are being wiped out one by one. Enter Jurgon Prochnow in perhaps the most ridiculously funny performance ever given by someone who got rave reviews in DAS BOOT, and the plot sickens. Prochnow is so horribly bad, and whoever did his hair, well they certainly aren't touching mine!
This is also an incredibly sadistic movie, the murders being totally over the top; most of the film is shot so darkly you can't tell what's going on, and there's little redeeming qualities, except for a few tense scenes. The ending is so cryptic, you don't know what the heck really went on.
Could have, should have been better, but barely a decent time waster.

Failure every which way
If you are looking for a movie about the real life Jack the Ripper, this ain't it (one or more of the reviews below are obviously thinking that this movie was the From Hell movie starring Johnny Depp, which it definitely isn't).

If you are looking for a movie based upon some facts of the Jack the Ripper case but going off in a new direction, this isn't a good bet either. It's a typical low budget teen slasher with just enough loose mentions of the Ripper case so they could throw a name on it to catch all the people looking for the other movie. It basically steals the plot of Scream 2, replacing the nonsensical links to the first Scream movie with nonsensical links to the Jack the Ripper case.

If you are looking for a scary horror movie, this ain't it either. The characters are all idiots. For supposed top students in serial killer studies (that all look like teen models, right) none of them act in a way at all realistic for someone in their position. It's like basing a slasher movie at a music camp but with characters who can't play any musical instruments, except worse than that, because these people aren't just dumb for supposed serial killer experts, they make boneheaded mistakes that cheerleader characters in other movies are too smart to make. So right off the bat you couldn't care less if the characters die, which makes it hard to feel any horror. But then the movie manages to miss most every opportunity for suspense and instead makes fuzzy references to things that never appear onscreen but might have been interesting if they had.

If you are looking for a good cheesy teen slasher popcorn movie... nope, not here either. The ending is horribly muddled, the pace is bad, the dialogue is ridiculous, and the romantic or sexy parts they usually use to pad the storyline for those films are entirely absent.

And it doesn't even work as a movie so bad you watch to laugh at its unintentional jokes, because it's just not entertaining. It's not a "Hah hah hah. How stupid" kind of thing, more of a "What? They can't be serious, how lame."

There were a couple scenes and one or two actresses that might have been good in another movie, if only the people writing and producing it had picked what kind of film they wanted to create and then put a little effort into it.

STELAR RIPPER
The rating for this totally off by a thousand! This made jump quite a few times. This movie is not as scary as some other movies I have seen in the past. The other reviewers must have been half asleep when they watched this movie. Do not let the rating and the reviewers ratings discourage you. If you are a Jack the Ripper fan you will love this movie. The can be a little bit twisted,so you will have to pay close attention to the movie.

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME
what has happened to hollywood???!!!! why are films like this even alowed to be made, as if thats not enough its storyline is not even orininal it uses almost the exact same story as another thriller film, the only difference is that the other film is actually worth watching.

We've seen it all done before...and better at that!
I live in Holland. Though that doesn't have many advantages, sometimes straight-to-video fodder like RIPPER comes out over here months before it does in the States and that then gives me the oppertunity to cast my verdict a little earlier before any of you American horrorgeeks can.

Now, on to the movie...

The subtitle monicker LETTER FROM HELL may have this appear to be a cash in on the Johnny Depp/ Heather Graham movie, but don't be fooled. It is more in the SCREAM/ I KNOW WHAT YOU DID... vein.

And it isn't a very good movie.

The word 'rip-off' clearly comes to mind. Let me explain a little about the plot and you'll know what I mean. A girl is attacked by a serial killer who butchers her friends and she only narrowly escapes. Cut to 'five years later' and the girl is on campus where her criminology professor is giving a course on...you guessed it: serial killers. Before you can say 'haven't I seen this all before?' the killings have started and the girl and her classmates are the soon-to-be victims of a smart (?) killer who imitates (gasp) Jack the Ripper. So, from then on not only do these kids have to fear for their lives, they also have to find out who the killer is, in a very dull whodunnit subplot by the way.

Alas RIPPER should have been called RIPP-OFF but though there aren't many, I'd also like to name the good points of this movie.
Bruce Payne (as the professor) is a good actor. I like him. He's become a real B-movie regular (HIGHLANDER: ENDGAME anyone?) and it's too bad the heavy from PASSENGER 57 has ended up like this.
Next to him we also have Jurgen Prochnow hamming it up (but in an entertaining way) as a police detective on the trail of the killer, and English pin-up Kelly Brook as the bimbo/ slut student of the group. She really is gorgeous, but is killed off way too soon in the movie. Finally there's a little spark of energy in the finale and the revelation of the killer. I myself figured it out before that, but for you who don't; it shows that the writer of RIPPER isn't a complete knucklehead and hints at what this movie could have been...namely so much more.

In the meantime, if you wanna watch a good horror/ murder mystery I recommend a few Italian giallo's like DEEP RED and DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING. ... Read more

Description

Meet the executioner! David Keith stars as Joseph Meeker, a convicted killer who comes back from hell to wreak havoc on those who bear his curse. Not even the electric chair could stop his lethal revenge. One man, Michael Silvano (Martin Kove) can bring justice to this immortal killer who acts as his own Judge & Jury. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

the pits!
I gave up trying to figure out what was happening in this dimly lit, barely watchable exercise in lunacy. David keith portrays a psychopathic killer who returns from the dead. Can you guess what he does? Yeah, you're right. he goes right after those old mean people who were responsible for putting out his lights. I think I've seen this plot device since the days of Lon Chaney silents. At least from a couple of hundred Boris Karloff back-from-the-dead B movies. Nothing makes any sense. the characters are so repulsive and slimy--even the victims--that you care for none of them. this flick is only for those who are desperate.

Thomas Ian Nicholas makes it interesting
This is a bad horror flick. But I'll give it two stars,just because Thomas Ian Nicholas is in the cast. He is a terrific actor,and always gives a good performance ... Read more

Reviews (11)

RIPPER OFF
John Eyres can't be totally blamed for directing this flick. The script must have seemed innovative and challenging at the time. However, I'm sure once he got into it, he must have been as disappointed as I was. The movie opens with a young girl (AJ Cook from Final Destination II) being pursued by a mysterious serial killer who has evidently wiped out all her friends. Five years later, Molly is taking a class in serial killers (do they really offer such stuff?). Her professor, the disturbingly sinister Kane (played with exquisite boredom by Bruce Payne), tells his class to think outside the box. Ho hum...but of course what happens is that this little group of serial killer students are being wiped out one by one. Enter Jurgon Prochnow in perhaps the most ridiculously funny performance ever given by someone who got rave reviews in DAS BOOT, and the plot sickens. Prochnow is so horribly bad, and whoever did his hair, well they certainly aren't touching mine!
This is also an incredibly sadistic movie, the murders being totally over the top; most of the film is shot so darkly you can't tell what's going on, and there's little redeeming qualities, except for a few tense scenes. The ending is so cryptic, you don't know what the heck really went on.
Could have, should have been better, but barely a decent time waster.

Failure every which way
If you are looking for a movie about the real life Jack the Ripper, this ain't it (one or more of the reviews below are obviously thinking that this movie was the From Hell movie starring Johnny Depp, which it definitely isn't).

If you are looking for a movie based upon some facts of the Jack the Ripper case but going off in a new direction, this isn't a good bet either. It's a typical low budget teen slasher with just enough loose mentions of the Ripper case so they could throw a name on it to catch all the people looking for the other movie. It basically steals the plot of Scream 2, replacing the nonsensical links to the first Scream movie with nonsensical links to the Jack the Ripper case.

If you are looking for a scary horror movie, this ain't it either. The characters are all idiots. For supposed top students in serial killer studies (that all look like teen models, right) none of them act in a way at all realistic for someone in their position. It's like basing a slasher movie at a music camp but with characters who can't play any musical instruments, except worse than that, because these people aren't just dumb for supposed serial killer experts, they make boneheaded mistakes that cheerleader characters in other movies are too smart to make. So right off the bat you couldn't care less if the characters die, which makes it hard to feel any horror. But then the movie manages to miss most every opportunity for suspense and instead makes fuzzy references to things that never appear onscreen but might have been interesting if they had.

If you are looking for a good cheesy teen slasher popcorn movie... nope, not here either. The ending is horribly muddled, the pace is bad, the dialogue is ridiculous, and the romantic or sexy parts they usually use to pad the storyline for those films are entirely absent.

And it doesn't even work as a movie so bad you watch to laugh at its unintentional jokes, because it's just not entertaining. It's not a "Hah hah hah. How stupid" kind of thing, more of a "What? They can't be serious, how lame."

There were a couple scenes and one or two actresses that might have been good in another movie, if only the people writing and producing it had picked what kind of film they wanted to create and then put a little effort into it.

STELAR RIPPER
The rating for this totally off by a thousand! This made jump quite a few times. This movie is not as scary as some other movies I have seen in the past. The other reviewers must have been half asleep when they watched this movie. Do not let the rating and the reviewers ratings discourage you. If you are a Jack the Ripper fan you will love this movie. The can be a little bit twisted,so you will have to pay close attention to the movie.

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME
what has happened to hollywood???!!!! why are films like this even alowed to be made, as if thats not enough its storyline is not even orininal it uses almost the exact same story as another thriller film, the only difference is that the other film is actually worth watching.

We've seen it all done before...and better at that!
I live in Holland. Though that doesn't have many advantages, sometimes straight-to-video fodder like RIPPER comes out over here months before it does in the States and that then gives me the oppertunity to cast my verdict a little earlier before any of you American horrorgeeks can.

Now, on to the movie...

The subtitle monicker LETTER FROM HELL may have this appear to be a cash in on the Johnny Depp/ Heather Graham movie, but don't be fooled. It is more in the SCREAM/ I KNOW WHAT YOU DID... vein.

And it isn't a very good movie.

The word 'rip-off' clearly comes to mind. Let me explain a little about the plot and you'll know what I mean. A girl is attacked by a serial killer who butchers her friends and she only narrowly escapes. Cut to 'five years later' and the girl is on campus where her criminology professor is giving a course on...you guessed it: serial killers. Before you can say 'haven't I seen this all before?' the killings have started and the girl and her classmates are the soon-to-be victims of a smart (?) killer who imitates (gasp) Jack the Ripper. So, from then on not only do these kids have to fear for their lives, they also have to find out who the killer is, in a very dull whodunnit subplot by the way.

Alas RIPPER should have been called RIPP-OFF but though there aren't many, I'd also like to name the good points of this movie.
Bruce Payne (as the professor) is a good actor. I like him. He's become a real B-movie regular (HIGHLANDER: ENDGAME anyone?) and it's too bad the heavy from PASSENGER 57 has ended up like this.
Next to him we also have Jurgen Prochnow hamming it up (but in an entertaining way) as a police detective on the trail of the killer, and English pin-up Kelly Brook as the bimbo/ slut student of the group. She really is gorgeous, but is killed off way too soon in the movie. Finally there's a little spark of energy in the finale and the revelation of the killer. I myself figured it out before that, but for you who don't; it shows that the writer of RIPPER isn't a complete knucklehead and hints at what this movie could have been...namely so much more.

In the meantime, if you wanna watch a good horror/ murder mystery I recommend a few Italian giallo's like DEEP RED and DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING. ... Read more