Methinks all the superlative comments for the flick is the result of nationalistic pride, cause it sure isn't because the film is as "awesome" or "super duper great" as all the Kiwis commenting make it out to be. At the most, THE LOCALS is okay. It's sometimes too amateurish. The acting is subpar, the script is pretty silly, and the direction ranges from okay to head-shakingly bad. The lighting, in particular, is just awful. Most of the film takes place at night, and you would think this is great for mood, but not so here. Completely useless lighting. Night is basically day, what with all the brightness. Their use of day-for-night is also horrendous. Take the kitchen scene early in the film. It's supposed to be an intense, scary scene, but it looked like a stage at a High School play. Did these Kiwis just decide to light EVERYTHING? I think so. Every single scene is lit to within an inch of its life. And it's not even good lighting; the mentality seems to be, "Put more light on it! More! More!" No creativity at all. Just grunt work.
Conclusion: If a film is made in a country not known for its films, have doubt when the only people throwing out the superlative comments are ALL from that country/part of town. That's a major tip off right there.
My score: 4/10 (just because I like cheap, schlocky horror films like this)
Conclusion: If a film is made in a country not known for its films, have doubt when the only people throwing out the superlative comments are ALL from that country/part of town. That's a major tip off right there.
My score: 4/10 (just because I like cheap, schlocky horror films like this)