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DISTURBED (2009) Review

DISTURBED (2007)

Disturbed is quite the family affair – literally! Co-directed by Brian McLaughlin and Randy Aldridge, the majority of its central characters are played by members of the Aldridge clan. The stoyrline is pretty typical: Killer escapes from prison & goes after family involved in his incarceration, parents out of town, kids left to fend for themselves, cops portrayed as dumbest people alive, etc.

Swearing revenge upon congressman Fontaine and his family, misogynistic killer Charles Mason (played by co-director Randy Aldridge) escapes from the California State Prison and heads straight for the Fontaine’s residence. Ashley (lead actress Melissa Deverian) has her hands full taking care of siblings Alex (Alex Aldridge) and Peyten (Peyten Aldridge) while their parents are out of town, as well as maintaining a day job as a real estate agent. Upon hearing the news of Mason’s escape, Ashley fears her family will be the obvious target, which falls on deaf ears as the kids decide to have a drinking party and invite their fellow underaged friends. This is the point where the film’s sense of time continuity becomes an issue. As there are no supernatural elements within the film’s context, it makes no freakin’ sense that the killer can be in three separate locations at the same time! Mason manages to be murdering people at the Fontaine’s old house, inside a kid’s car attacking him AND in the Fontaine’s new residence upstairs. Obviously, all of these scenes were supposed to take place at different times within the same night, but the way it was edited does not portray this effectively. A minor squabble though, for a pretty decent low-budget thriller.

For viewers with an intolerance for uncomfortable situations, there is a rape scene of a semi-graphic nature that was a bit of a surprise – considering how tame the rest of the film is up to that point. However, it was cast in an elegant, golden light that made the victim beautifully vulnerable afterwards. Of course it’s still upsetting to watch, but the soft tone made me start to care about Ashley’s character and empathize with her more.

DISTURBED is entertaining despite a lack of originality and a handful of flaws. It’s pretty cool that an entire family household was involved in the making of this film, and I wish them luck in the future. Hopefully the next film won’t have a blatant Michael Myers ripoff killer (who awkwardly grunts and groans quite amusingly), a little more character development (what was the point of the goofy jogging principal – Comic relief?) and less brutal shifts in tone.

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