Night of the Hell Hamsters (2006)
Re-read that title once or twice and tell me you would not watch a movie with a title like that. If you say you wouldn't you have no imagination and no soul.
For some reason imdb.com had this listed under recommendations for me, and after I stopped laughing at the title I checked into it. The film is a short, sixteen minutes with credits, from Britain, and can be found on youtube. Being the curious person that I am, I gave it watch and while it was nothing special, it certainly lived up to what the title promised- a silly little horror short about killer hamsters.
Plot
The plot is quite simple, a young baby-sitter is visited by her boyfriend who has brought her something she has been begging for- a Ouija board. Unfortunately, he has intentionally forgotten the board so they can instead partake in what teenagers in this situation are expected to do. However the baby-sitter, Julie, played by Stephanie Ratcliff, is adamant, and rather then give up, she makes a mock up board out of one of her young charges alphabet puzzle and an empty shot glass. Her boyfriend Karl, played by Paul O'Neill, provides the final ingredient- blood from a bite given to him by one of the children's pet hamsters. A quick made up summoning speech is made, and as to be expected, the two wind up summoning something they shouldn't have- a something that decides to possess the pet rodents. You know what comes next.
Thoughts
Right off the bat, this movie is silly- it involves possessed hamsters killing people- you are not getting an Oscar quality flick here. That said, it is well shot- while not professional by any means, it could easily pass for an independent b-movie on the cinematography alone. Likewise, the cast, which is essentially the couple, are well acted- they play the parts of a teenage baby-sitter and her boyfriend as those roles are want to be played in a b-movie; not perfect by any means but enjoyable. The script is tight, sticking with cliches and movie quotes that tie in with the scenario, and an interesting twist at the end that while not spectacular just added to the film's charm. If this were to become a full length film I'd definitely watch it, because there is enough humor to be built upon and it'd be interesting to see how far it can go. However as a short it works, because it fits nicely into the genre it is a part of- it's funny, it's bloody, and it's cheesy. Hell, where else are going to hear the line "guinea pigs ate your mother?" and have it make perfect sense? That's what I thought.
Conclusion
I love bad movies, I love b-movies, I love cheesy movies- they are my bread and butter and I'd much rather watch them then some of the quote 'good' movies that are out there for one simple reason- heart. More often then not, it's the low budget b-movies that are made with the most heart, because they don't have much else to work with. They may not have the money, the cast, or the effects but they have a dream, a vision, and the drive to get it done one way or another, and that is something I respect. That said, it is killer possessed hamsters killing teenagers-if you don't know what to expect going in then you are a fool. Sit back, relax, and have some laughs for fifteen-sixteen minutes. It can't hurt, certainly not as much as the bite of an evil demon hamster.
3.5 Homemade Ouija boards out of 5
That's all out of me, until next we meet I'm the Drew and I Be Awesome
If you want to check out the flick here are the links (it's in two parts for some reason)
part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdcQ7lBro0s
part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcZIY9d6TNk&feature=related
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