A quick, down and dirty shoot (as described by the filmmakers) on a very low budget sometimes yields surprisingly good results, as it has in the case of the horror-thriller MADE ME DO IT (Indican Pictures, 2017).
What director and co-writer (with Matthew John Koppin) Benjamin Ironside Koppin set out to do was to get some talented people together and "Frankenstein" (his word) a movie together taking the old FRIDAY THE 13TH and HALLOWEEN slasher templates and doing an homage with a few curves and angles thrown in.
The main victims aren't the usual rowdy, party-hardy bunch--just pensive college student Ali Hooper (Anna B. Shaffer), her younger brother Nick (Jason Gregory London), and her boyfriend Jason (Liston Spence).
Ali's home for the weekend (no keg party or summer camp in the woods this time) but her estranged parents are gone, leaving just her and the guys having a quiet, unpleasantly introspective time of things.
It's just the right situation to be crashed by the standard masked serial killer, but this time he's a stringy, weepy nerd named Thomas (Kyle Van Vonderen) who spends most of his time banished to his bedroom by a sadistic, abusive aunt and living in a fantasy world of funny drawings that come to life and masks that he makes out of paper plates.
Thomas is a "special needs" sort of kid who couldn't hurt a fly--that is, until he puts on his "Barbara" mask, because "Barbara" is just the take-charge, take-no-prisoners sort of person Thomas could never be. And "Barbara" is angry at the world. Very angry.
That's the set-up, and from there MADE ME DO IT takes us into a scary campfire tale where Thomas silently stalks the night in his creepy mask and wields his bloody axe, leaving a trail of bodies all the way to Ali and Nick's house.
Much of the subsequent action is similar to what happens in THE STRANGERS, in which masked killers home-invaded a young couple and terrorized them for no apparent reason.
Here, we get just the same spooky ambience with the inhabitants of the dark, shadowy house (the electricity, alas, has gone off) cowering in fear as they try to elude the unknown stalker, who keeps popping up where they least expect him.
The director builds the suspense well for most of the film, although some scenes tend to meander a bit as Ali gets contemplative about the whole thing. The film spends a lot of time pondering Thomas' psychological state and how he got that way, and our interest in this runs hot and cold.
Meanwhile, Thomas goes off on several freaky mind-trips involving his dead parents, his imaginary animal friends, his horrible aunt, "Barbara" (of course), and other images that come flying at us via various media such as 35mm, 16mm, and 8mm film, scratchy VHS tape, and crude animations--all of which are quite well-done and fun to look at. (These are explored in more detail in one of several making-of featurettes included on the DVD.)
With a rousing final confrontation and a pretty keen twist right at the fadeout, MADE ME DO IT stacks up as one of the more interesting modestly-mounted slasher flicks of recent years, and is way better than watching the usual teen campers getting sliced and diced in the woods by some Jason wannabe.
Release Date: April 12th, 2019 (Theatrical) and April 23rd, 2019 (DVD, VOD).
MORE ON "MADE ME DO IT" FROM INDICAN PICTURES:
West Hollywood, CA (Friday, April 12th, 2019) - The dark, indie thriller Made Me Do It is the latest title to be released by U.S. based distributor Indican Pictures. A psychological look at the creation of a serial killer, Made Me Do It takes a first-hand look at a troubled slasher villain.
Shot with almost complete practical effects, Made Me Do It is a film from director Benjamin Ironside Koppin. And, the film stars: Anna B. Shaffer (“Strange Angel”), Kyle Van Vonderern (“Death Lust”), Cortney Palm and Jason Gregory London. A preview of the film’s upcoming theatrical and home entertainment launch is available now.
Thomas Berkson (Vonderen) is the portrait of a tortured soul. Abused and rejected, Thomas has only one outlet left - murder! Encouraged by the voices in his head, Thomas seeks out victim after victim as his crimes become ever more bloody. Now, he has targeted Ali (Shaffer) and her family. And, this confrontation will leave everyone scarred.
Made Me Do It will host its theatrical release, today, in Los Angeles. This release will be followed by another one on DVD and Digital platforms. In LA, this title will have at least seven showings, at the Arena Theater; filmmakers will be in attendance. On April 23rd, Indican will make this terrifying title available, across the United States, on home entertainment platforms. Horror fans will not want to miss this disturbing look at the creation of a killer, this month!
For more on the seven day theatrical launch visit the Arena website: http://arenascreen.com
The film’s official synopsis: After a lifetime of abuse and rejection Thomas Berkson has found unconditional love – through murder. He has become a serial killer following the voices in his head. Poor college student Ali Hooper, her little brother and ex-boyfriend find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. In this throwback to the classic 80’s slasher films comes this harrowing journey for survival against an unstoppable force of nature.
Director: Benjamin Ironside Koppin. Writers: Benjamin Ironside Koppin, Matthew John Koppin.
Cast: Anna B. Shaffer, Kyle Van Vonderen, Cortney Palm, Jason Gregory London, Liston Spence
More on Made Me Do It: https://www.indicanpictures.com/new-releases/made-me-do-it
The film’s official website: http://mademedoitthemovie.com/
About Indican Pictures
Indican Pictures acquires and distributes feature films to a broad range of entertainment outlets by providing a diverse selection of movies across: theatrical, home video, TV, VOD, PPV and streaming platforms.
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