The Ugly

[DylanDog]

I had read lots of good things about this film so I finally sat down to watch it last night. Then I searched to archives to see what the rest of you thought of it only to find that, surprisingly, no-one appears to have ever brought it up. It's a pretty good flick, if I do say so myself. It's got a rather standard psycho-thriller storyline, but it's filmed rather convincingly and really builds to a pretty good climax. The story is your basic "big time shrink counsels famed serial killer" stuff but what made it interesting for me was that some of the characters outside of these two seemed the creepiest of all. The patients shunned regular doctor is a real specimen and the orderlies are the most threatening people in the whole movie. Many flashback scenes are told with the shrink sitting in on the action as he (the killer) relives his memories so the scenes tend to blend really well. It doesn't come off as cheesy as you may think. The finale has a very creepy look to it that I think all can appreciate. Anyone else checked this out? If so, was there some significance to the color of the blood that I'm missing?

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"In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, 'Make us your slaves, but feed us.'" (Dosteovsky's Grand Inquisitor.)

[David Austin]

Dylan, I KNEW you'd like The Ugly.

I think a lot of the original topics on the film took place back on the old board, when the film was first released (1998). Scott Reynolds is an incredible new talent whose work never fails to impress the hell out of me. His last film, HEAVEN, was nothing short of brilliant. You gotta see it.

Methinks the blood was black because of Simon's very strange dreamscape...he sees himself as a disfigured freak, and I'm guessing he sees those around him as less-than-human. Nevertheless, it looked really cool.



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"Pat yourself on the back and be sure to let your board buddies know what
a Keyboard Commando you are."

[DylanDog]

Your comment about him seeing those around him as less than human seems to make sense except what about the Julie character? I was more interested in why


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his last victim actually had red blood? Very dark red, but red nonetheless. Perhaps meant to suggest he had in fact formed some sort of respect for her after all? Perhaps, he even meant that he was really cured (of his delusions), yet had begun to like killing as he suggested earlier and continued? Oh well, all in all, a cool flick. I didn't realise that it had been 3 years already since this movie came out (and since the board changed to boot! Although I still don't recall this film being discussed. Fuzzy memory perhaps...)

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"In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, 'Make us your slaves, but feed us.'" (Dosteovsky's Grand Inquisitor.)

[Griff [Mola]]

I vaguely recall posting about this as soon as it hit Aussie video, 3 or so years ago.

I also vaguely recall the movie itself as I had double vision for half its duration. Ah, when we were young...

I guess a revisit is just about due.

What's the story with HEAVEN? New Zealand or U.S. production? I may have to sniff it out.

[Mike B]

I'll just chime in and say that I agree.

I caught this one on DVD a few years back, and was pretty surprised by how good it was, and how little fanfare it got even from horror fans. It's certainly one of the better serial killer films to come along in recent years.

Mike B.