Finally the franchise jumps the shark, but still is slightly disappointing. This time Monte Hellman – of all people – took over the directing duties, threw out the first script and more or less wrote a new one together with his old pal Steven Gaydos – who didn’t receive any credit at all. I wonder what happen behind the scenes of Silent Night, Deadly Night III: Better Watch Out, because the end result is everything but exciting – even if it should have been a blast with Bill Moseley as the now brain-dead Ricky (who took over the killer-role in the second film), who somehow wakes up and tries to hunt down the girl having a psychic link with him!
Yes. That’s the story. Moseley walks around with a glass helmet on top of his skull, stumbling around like a zombie attacking people from time to time with an array of weapons. There’s a boring side story with Robert Culp and his partner driving around in their car looking for Ricky, quite similar to what Hugo Stiglitz did in one of those Mexican zombie-flicks he did in the 80’s. Driving around, doing nothing, looking out the windows, talking to other cops and drive around some more. That’s cool when Stiglitz does it, and it should be cool with Culp doing it – but no siree!
I think Hellman had bigger plans for this movie. He wanted to make a more serious sequel, darker and grittier – but just by putting that glass helmet (or what you would call it!) on the head of a pale and sleazy Bill Moseley everything fails. He looks like a humanoid Robot Monster wandering around staring at people. Not sure if I buy the transformation from the wacky, muscular Ricky-Terminator to the Lizardman-Ricky, even if Moseley always is good, but maybe a bit wrongly casted in the part.
At least they don’t change the story from the first two parts, as the first sequel did. For example, in that one, it wasn’t a priest being shot by mistake but a deaf janitor – which also explains why he doesn’t react to what the police scream at him from behind.
You know, Better Watch Out is such an empty, pointless movie. It desperately ties to be something it isn’t, a Halloween-clone. I can’t say it worth watching, but still have a few fun scenes here and there – for example during the final when Ricky (and indirectly his brother) gets their revenge to one person from the other two movies who is one of the few that deserves to be “punished”.
This movie is guilty to be “Naughty!” and deservers a whack in the head.
"This time Monte Hellman – of all people – took over the directing duties"
I seen a few of his films like, The Terror(one of many directors credited) (1963) and Two-Lane Blacktop (1971).
"There’s a boring side story with Robert Culp and his partner driving around in their car looking for Ricky, quite similar to what Hugo Stiglitz did in one of those Mexican zombie-flicks he did in the 80’s. Driving around, doing nothing, looking out the windows, talking to other cops and drive around some more. That’s cool when Stiglitz does it, and it should be cool with Culp doing it – but no siree!"
Some werid attempt by Hellman to recreate parts of Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)?
"I think Hellman had bigger plans for this movie. He wanted to make a more serious sequel, darker and grittier – but just by putting that glass helmet (or what you would call it!) on the head of a pale and sleazy Bill Moseley everything fails."
Or he just wanted a paycheck, put on the autopilot and moved on....
"You know, Better Watch Out is such an empty, pointless movie. It desperately ties to be something it isn’t, a Halloween-clone."
Judging from your description it does sound very boring, but I might give it a shot.
"This movie is guilty to be “Naughty!” and deservers a whack in the head."
hahahhahahha...I see the christmas spirit is getting to you.....good review and thanks Fred.
Posted by: Megatron | December 22, 2013 at 16:08