So, I'm reviewing these two movies together for a few reasons. None of those reasons are because they're very much alike in plotline. Some similarities are just personal. Here is how they were alike, from my point of view:
1. Both took multiple sessions to get through. This was partially because of my schedule lately and also partly because they overlapped with a timeslot that something more interesting was on scheduled TV.
2. Both take the "slasher" genre and give it a sort of unusual spin. "Spaceship Terror" (great title when you find out where it came from, BTW), as you can guess is a killer in space. Not an alien monster though, as the Amazon Art might suggest.
"Dead of Knight"( notice that "K" in "Knight"?) is about a Medieval ghost that goes on a killing spree.
3. Both are technically very well put together for indie movies. Audio is mostly clear. Very few drastic changes in volume. Picture quality is clear at worst, artistic at times. Special F/X are fair to excellent. Costuming is solid. While the acting is somewhat uneven (More so in "Dead of Knight), the leads give mostly solid performances.
4. Both suffer from pacing issues and a little too much exposition. "Dead of Knight" spends so much time explaining how one character is "pure of heart" that it's nearly an hour before the real story seems to get going and then it stalls again for awhile. "Spaceship Terror" is a "maze" kind of movie, so the rules of the game are constantly be updated...and then broken.
With the similarities out of the way, let's take a look at each individual movie.
"Spaceship Terror" is an isolation movie with "torture porn" and slasher influences, set in space. I'm not really a torture movie fan, so it lost me there. That's not to say it isn't good. From the torture movies I have watched, it seems like a solid entry. Just not my mug of coffee.
For a 2011 production the CG and chroma key F/X are good to excellent. The spaceships were sub-par compared to big budget affairs, but nothing you would have blinked at had it appeared on mainstream TV ten years ago.
The gore F/X are spot on, even disturbing at times, which I am sure was the intended reaction. I may have missed the motivation for our killer, but it didn't seem like it mattered to the plot and if it doesn't matter to you, that's fine. It's often overlooked in more modern slasher movies and was usually pretty lame in later entries of the 80s, the golden age of the genre.
There are scantily clad women and there's nudity, but it's mostly for creating that "vulnerable" feel for the characters. This is definitely NOT one to watch with kids in the room. Much of the violence is over the top. There are some surprises, some unique kills and a few moments that are so out there you'll question your sanity for watching.
Overall, a violent roller coaster ride once it finally gets rolling. If that's what you're looking and you don't mind that it's mostly mindless, you'll enjoy this one.
Don't have Prime?
Never fear. "Dead of Knight" is available on YouTube with ad supported viewing. "Dead of Knight" on YouTube.
1. Both took multiple sessions to get through. This was partially because of my schedule lately and also partly because they overlapped with a timeslot that something more interesting was on scheduled TV.
2. Both take the "slasher" genre and give it a sort of unusual spin. "Spaceship Terror" (great title when you find out where it came from, BTW), as you can guess is a killer in space. Not an alien monster though, as the Amazon Art might suggest.
"Dead of Knight"( notice that "K" in "Knight"?) is about a Medieval ghost that goes on a killing spree.
3. Both are technically very well put together for indie movies. Audio is mostly clear. Very few drastic changes in volume. Picture quality is clear at worst, artistic at times. Special F/X are fair to excellent. Costuming is solid. While the acting is somewhat uneven (More so in "Dead of Knight), the leads give mostly solid performances.
4. Both suffer from pacing issues and a little too much exposition. "Dead of Knight" spends so much time explaining how one character is "pure of heart" that it's nearly an hour before the real story seems to get going and then it stalls again for awhile. "Spaceship Terror" is a "maze" kind of movie, so the rules of the game are constantly be updated...and then broken.
With the similarities out of the way, let's take a look at each individual movie.
"Spaceship Terror" is an isolation movie with "torture porn" and slasher influences, set in space. I'm not really a torture movie fan, so it lost me there. That's not to say it isn't good. From the torture movies I have watched, it seems like a solid entry. Just not my mug of coffee.
For a 2011 production the CG and chroma key F/X are good to excellent. The spaceships were sub-par compared to big budget affairs, but nothing you would have blinked at had it appeared on mainstream TV ten years ago.
The gore F/X are spot on, even disturbing at times, which I am sure was the intended reaction. I may have missed the motivation for our killer, but it didn't seem like it mattered to the plot and if it doesn't matter to you, that's fine. It's often overlooked in more modern slasher movies and was usually pretty lame in later entries of the 80s, the golden age of the genre.
There are scantily clad women and there's nudity, but it's mostly for creating that "vulnerable" feel for the characters. This is definitely NOT one to watch with kids in the room. Much of the violence is over the top. There are some surprises, some unique kills and a few moments that are so out there you'll question your sanity for watching.
Overall, a violent roller coaster ride once it finally gets rolling. If that's what you're looking and you don't mind that it's mostly mindless, you'll enjoy this one.
The trailer for "Dead of Knight" spells out most of the plot. It's a shame the movie didn't jump into the fun as quickly as the trailer sums up most of the major plot points. Honestly, this one nearly lost me in the first 30 minutes or so, but it opened with an intriguing scene and had some truly beautiful shots scattered amongst the merely capable ones. There is one character in the main circle of friends who is nearly Jar-Jar annoying in his overacting, but the rest of the characters are pretty solid, if not two dimensional. The pace is slow and not in a "building suspense" kind of way for a good 45 minutes or so. Some of it is real story and character building stuff, but some of it is just dialogue to hit that feature length mark. (I've been guilty of this myself, so I hold no grudges, but it doesn't make it a positive point). Bringing the Knight action in and mixing it up a bit early may have helped here.
If you're a fan of the old "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" series you may remember the episode where he encountered a Medieval Knight. I couldn't help but get flashbacks to that from this. Our knight in "Dead of Knight", however, is more than a lumbering suit of armor. He has a mission, feelings and lines. You can see in the trailer that there may be some unintended humor. This movie definitely takes its kill scenes less serious than "Spaceship Terror" did, but I enjoyed them more. No unnecessary torture, but still, the occasional pang of regret when certain characters get it. Not a lot of surprises, but one or two. The detectives try to incorporate that dry "Law and Order" humor they used to have when they first found a body, but it just didn't seem to fly most of the time. Once or twice though it really hit the mark. I'd suggest this one for fans of horror with a motivated killer that has clear intentions and who like their heroes smarter than the average "kids in danger" around them.
Both are streaming on Amazon Prime, currently.
"Spaceship Terror" on IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1965108/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
"Dead of Knight" on IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1367177/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1Don't have Prime?
Never fear. "Dead of Knight" is available on YouTube with ad supported viewing. "Dead of Knight" on YouTube.
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