The Laughing Mask (2014) Reviews

• Didn't care much for it.

  paulhunterkirk2015-01-11

  Im obviously in the minority here but I just didn't care much for The Laughing Mask. The character was cool looking and all but the movie definitely was weak in the blood and gore department. The actors weren't really all that, Kate was hot but that was about it. Story was OK, everything else really not that special from what I could see. Scoring was not good at all but the old times songs made it better. I wanted a Michael Myers type killer and unfortunately didn't get that, its much more of a thriller type but I didn't like the ending much either. Has some cool scenes and it could be a slasher but I was kind of let down by the lack of blood. Chainsaw scene was good though.

• The Laughing Mask fails to deliver..

  GFilmsEnt2014-12-24

  The film poster has a great image with a guy in a very cool mask harking back to the 80's with films like Friday The 13th, My Bloody Valentine, and Halloween. So going in to this film I had some expectation that this was going to be a cool throw back to those days. The picture starts with a girl tied to a chair with the killer and his ghostly laugh. The killer looks through his vast array of weapons choosing one, and as the girl cries out, he kills her. So far a good start but sadly the film will only have a few good parts throughout its short run time. Let's start with the script, which was a rehash of every other horror/revenge type film you've seen before. There are two plot lines moving at the same time between the cops looking for a drug dealer/pimp and the killer who is killing off all the bad guys, sound familiar? The dialogue was awful throughout the film and characters said things and did things that were just Laughable. The film tries to have a surprise twist ending of who the killer and drug dealer are, but honestly it was easy to figure out 10mins into the film. The music did not help at all as it did not have the creepiness nor suspense that would have taken the scenes to another level (Think how Halloween or Friday The 13th would have sounded like with no creepy suspenseful score.) music is 50% of your film. The editing had its issues but I have a feeling it was the lack of good direction during production. The camera work was okay, but there was nothing special about it as the camera was used in its basic level. There were no creepy lighting, no creepy angles, no real attempt at a visual style. As I understand it was shot in 4k on a Red but honestly it looked more like a regular DSLR camera. The film missed out on having any tension, suspense and cool kills and horror moments, well except for the Jack In The Box scene. The audio was almost completely ADR which leaves me to wonder what happened to the NAT sounds in the recordings. It is a tough thing to do ADR, and if you don't do it right your film comes off as a badly dubbed Chinese film. There are several good programs out there that could have fixed the NAT sound if they had issues with it. The acting was a hit and miss throughout the film, but it might go back to the weak script as some of the actors, specifically the two leads had some good moments. Now there are some parts in the film that I liked, like the strip club scene where the killer faces off with a bouncer and pulls an Indiana Jones then calls over for a drink and pays for it and another scene that also got some good laughs was as the killer goes to kill the final victim with a gardening shears. But in the end the filmmaker missed out on making a really cool horror mask into the next villain icon. Instead we are left with as a cheep knockoff of The Punisher and Dexter.. Over all the filmmakers get an A for the effort but an F for the film.

• Actually was pretty entertaining

  wildblueyonder2018-03-11

  Admittedly, it does start to drag in the beginning and is kinda cheesy and low budget at times... I almost gave up on it, but glad I stuck with it. It picks up nicely and has a very solid end. The killer is the best part of the movie, for sure. And while the acting many times does really leave something to be desired there are also several moments of good dialogue, and as I said I thought the killer for sure was well acted. Perhaps the best thing about the movie is that there are several very funny moments but it doesn't stoop to like 'B' movie humor - it does keep a straight face (pardon the pun couldn't resist...) Give it a shot - just remember you might have to stick it out for a little bit but worth it, IMO.

• Definitely NOT a horror film

  tictoctyler2014-11-11

  Those of you who saw several posters and stories about The Laughing Mask within the last few years and like myself were expecting a horror film will be somewhat let down with this film. If you don't watch it till the end... I was expecting pure unadulterated gore honestly when I first saw the shot of the dude with the Chaisaw I was like "YES"! Then I got to see this film recently and although my thirst for gore remained unquenched, I was surprised to see a very well put together thriller with horror tendencies.. And then I was hooked. This is definitely not a slasher film, not a torture porn or gore fest. This is a thriller in the veins of "along came the spider" and others starring serial killers. The plot revolves around the murder we first witness in the beginning of the flick. Jaycee Johnson was murdered in cold blood by this laughing maniac and we pick up 6 months later with her husband Jake (played really well by John Hardy) who conjures up a plan to have The Laughing Mask come after him in hopes to find his missing daughter.. There is definitely a cool subplot involving a gang of thugs called Rancors and a very interesting twist in the end, so if you're looking for a gore fest stay out, but if your'e looking for a cool thriller with horror tendencies, a good story and a kick ass killer I suggest this movie for sure.

• Surprisingly good

  jacktheripperblog2014-11-16

  I received a screener of this film to review and was pleasantly surprised. The story revolves around the Laughing Mask Killer and Jake Johnson's plotting revenge against the killer. The first act is really slow to be honest, after The Laughing Mask's initial appearance we get a lot of back and forth between Jake and Kate (Sheyenne Rivers), I didn't care much for Kate as a character, she was kinda one note, bitchy and the performance ranged from very very good to blah in like 3 seconds.. Jake Johnson was a puzzle, I thought at first that he was boring but as the story progressed we see he is nothing but. I loved how he went from rage to passive in a snap. The second act things pick up a little bit and it would get spoilery but its really good. Wer'e introduced to a bunch of disposable characters (there just to be killed) so their acting really doesn't hurt the movie a bit. The "pimp" for example was terrible but again, cannon fodder so it worked 3rd act the film takes a huge turn. There's a great twist ending and everyone should absolutely check this one out. Its a great film specially for a indy project. Love the laughing mask character, it was the highlight for me The bad things are very few. The film is short and runs pretty fast, some of the effects are not fantastic and some of the non main characters acting was not very good, but overall this was a very enjoyable movie.