Kruel

Director - Robert Henderson
Starring - Kierney Nelson, Dakota Morrissiey (Boondocks), and Adam Vernier (G.I. Joe: Retaliation)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Beware of those you trust"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Coulrophobia.  Coulrophobia is the abnormal fear of clowns and for some this can be a crippling and debilitating fear.  However, for some, they hold fond memories and if you are like me then some of your favorite films involve these goofy fucks.  Growing up I loved several films that involved clowns like Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Stephen King's It, and most recently 100 Tears.  Now it seems like so many killer clown flicks are popping up here and there with no end in sight.  Recently, I was sent the horror film Kruel to review from Midnight Releasing.  Knowing how much I loved these other clown flicks I could not wait to check this one out.  Thanks Midnight Releasing for sending this one my way!

     The film follows a young teen girl who just discovered that her boyfriend of several years has cheated on her. This rips out her heart and her parents refuse to cut her some slack when she comes home late from her date with him when he finally told her.  We jump forward a few days later and she is babysitting two young boys when they hear the ice cream truck.  The boys rush outside but the youngest runs back inside because the clown in the truck scared him.  She goes out to speak with him but he is an unusual man that creeps her out.  She returns back to the home to babysit but her ex-boyfriend arrives and the two argue in which time she loses sight of one of the kids and he turns up missing.  The police is notified and they soon find his shoes at a pond nearby.  The girl is distraught and refuses to forgive herself for not watching the kid but her ex believes he is alive and tells her about a strange man he knows around town that has been fishing with no hook and bait on his pole.  The two track this man down and find out that it is the clown in the ice cream truck but they get caught.  Soon her ex is killed and she is kidnapped by the man where she learns that he is unstable and kidnapped her and the young boy in order to make the perfect family.
     I hate when I get a movie and the artwork fucking lies to me.  I hate when they paint this picture that the movie is one kind of a flick but then the movie itself is completely different.  Kruel made me think I was getting into another mild-budget horror flick involving a killer clown when, in fact, all I was getting into was a man who wore clown paint for less than 5 minutes as he stalks a young girl like it was a Subway commercial (too soon?).  The acting in this one is top notch and really surprised me.  The entire cast was perfect and worked very, very well with each other.  Kierney Nelson was great as the lead and really brought the emotion without overdoing it.  This is spectacular considering her age and how actresses with double the on screen credit as her can't even pull this off.  My favorite performance was from the film's villain, J.T. Chinn.  He was very convincing at portraying a maniac that has lost touch with reality.  I would love to see him find more roles like this.  The story for this one was strong but a bit of a let down.  The film lacked the clown action that I expected after I first looked at the cover but does make up for that in other ways.  The story flows very well and felt like a more macabre approach to the story set forth in the Masters of Horror episode Family.  This was a fun angle that I honestly did not see coming.  Finally, the film did not have an on screen bloodshed or kills.  Hell, the film pretty much lacked any real bloodshed which made it feel almost like a thriller instead of a horror flick.  A few good kills would have made this one a hit.  Overall, Kruel is a well made horror flick that has some great atmosphere and an amazing cast.  Sadly, it lacks the blood and gore most of us would love to see in our flicks.  Check it out because it is well worth the time just remember you will end this one dry.