User Reviews

The successful psychologist Dr. Karen Schumaker (Rebecca Hobbs) comes to a mental institution directed by Dr. Marlowe (Roy Ward) to evaluate the dyslexic serial-killer Simon "The Ugly" Cartwright (Paolo Rotondo). Simon discloses the sad story of his life, bullied at school and abused by his mother Evelyn Cartwright (Jennifer Ward-Lealand). His only friend Julie was separated from him by his mother when he was a teenager. Simon claims that he hears voices that force him to kill. When Dr. Schumaker earns his trust, she discovers what is going inside Simon's head.

"The Ugly" is an original film with a different combination of drama, thriller and horror. The two nurses are nasty and the plot keeps the attention of the viewer until the very last scene. Unfortunately the conclusion is disappointing and gives the sensation that something is missing to be a great film. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "The Ugly- O Maníaco" ("The Ugly – The Maniac")

Intelligent, attractive psychiatrist Karen Schumaker (Rebecca Hobbs) shows up at a mental hospital to re-assess Simon (Paolo Rotondo)--A handsome, soft-spoken schizo serial killer who left no pattern for a compulsive string of grisly mass murders. Flashbacks reveal childhood abuse at the hands of taunting bullies and an imposing, domineering mother and of his razor-wielding murder spree. It's all because of "The Ugly," his scarred alter ego that compels him to kill. Simon turns out to be so brilliant, he not only gets under Karen's skin... but inside her head as well.

This unique thriller has excellent lead performances, flashy editing, stylish direction and top-notch production values, but the director blurs the line between troubling reality and twisted fantasy far too often and tacks on a clichéd and disappointing ending. An unusual touch was the usage of ink-black blood for the murder scenes. I don't care what the metaphoric implications of that choice are, I found it to be both annoying and ineffective.

Despite those flaws, THE UGLY is certainly worth watching and showcases many talents (in front of and behind the camera) to watch for in the future.

Being Australian and a horror movie fan I'm always curious to see any made in Australia, or in 'The Ugly's case, New Zealand. It's a real battle to get genre films made Down Under and there have sadly been very few good ones over the years. 'The Ugly' is one of those few. It would be easy to dismiss this from the packaging as yet another serial killer thriller but no, it's actually a HORROR movie with a supernatural element (something which inexplicably seems to have passed by a few people, going my some of the user comments on this page!) I didn't recognize writer/director Scott Reynolds name at first, but later I realized that I've seen his 'Heaven' starring Martin Donovan, another very interesting movie. Paolo Rotondo who plays the killer is unknown to me but gives a memorable performance, and really helps this work, as does the inventive editing and playing with narrative, which deftly mixes the past and present, fantasy and reality. The stylized touches such as the black blood also made 'The Ugly' fascinating viewing. I'm highly critical of most contemporary horror movies, but I highly recommend 'The Ugly'. Great stuff!

New Zealand is not a country that instantly springs to mind when one is asked the question of "which countries make good films", and that's for good reason; as they haven't made all that much. One film they have made, however, is this one; The Ugly. And it's not bad at all. While never brilliant, and certainly not matching the claim on the DVD box (on par with Seven and Silence of the Lambs, this is not), The Ugly still represents a minor success within the overpopulated psychological thriller sub-genre. Getting this sort of movie right is difficult because the auteur needs to find just the right balance between scares and intrigue, all the while ensuring that it remains believable. While Scott Reynolds hasn't managed to pull this off to a massively high standard; he's done well in capturing the essence that the film needs, so kudos to him for that. The story follows a psychiatrist that is brought in to analyse Simon Cartwright; a notorious and extremely mental serial killer. However, as she gets deeper into his mind, she finds it increasingly harder to escape...

One thing I love about productions made in countries that don't mass-produce movies is the way that the local accents and dialect always find their way into the movie. The Ugly features lots of thick Australian accents, and it's nice to see in my opinion, as it firmly establishes the movie in it's home country. The film is at it's eerie best when our 'hero' is telling of his crimes and why he committed them. Just like he does with the psychiatrist, Simon Cartwright draws us into his world and it's a fascinating ride to be on. However, this asset is also the film's downfall as the action is never fantastically intriguing, and the plot tends to wander off at times which doesn't allow the viewer to stay in tune with the movie, thereby hindering it somewhat. However, the foreboding atmosphere and interesting array of characters ensure that the film never comes to a complete halt and it's short running time makes sure that the film is efficient and doesn't waste time on needless elements. I certainly recommend this movie, just as you long as you know that it's no Silence of the Lambs.

The Ugly is a pretty good movie up until the unbelievable and unremarkable ending. While the story isn't very original, the director is obviously a fan of Norman Bates, it does hold the viewers interest and one is drawn into the story and looks forward to what will happen next. I do however have a complaint about the film. The ending is stupid and as mentioned above, unbelievable. One previous reviewer stated in their review that "some things are better left unexplained". It is my feeling that endings like the one in The Ugly are the result of a writer/director who doesn't know how to end their movie interestingly. It's not clever scripting but bad writing. Overall The Ugly is an okay horror movie. It does have a fair bit of suspense and a couple of good shocks but nothing too noteworthy. Prior to the ending The Ugly rated an 8 but as a whole rates a 5 out of 10.

This movie is a big mess. I read lot of reviews trying to explain it, but there are too many plot holes left open in the story, making it impossible to find a logic behind it all.

I think it's O.K. when a movie leaves some things open to interpretation, but in this case, everything seems blurred, pointless and confusing, and the people that seems to like this movie the most, are actually those who have filled the many plot holes with their own interesting theories, fulfilling their expectations; but, for the regular moviegoer, who wants to SEE things rather than having to keep guessing what has happened, this is simply not enough. In my case, I thought this movie was pretentious, a little bit boring and never decided which way to go.

"The Ugly" is one of the best horror/thrillers I have ever seen.I think that it ranks up with such terrifying genre classics like "Maniac" or "Henry:Portrait of a Serial Killer".Paolo Rotondo plays Simon,a psychopathic serial killer who,having been abused by his domineering mother as a kid,decides to murder lots of people."The Ugly" is a really suspenseful,psychologically disturbing film which has to be seen to be believed.It's also very violent,even by today's standards-the killings(mostly razor slashings)are cold blooded and brutal.Sure,the blood is black,but it goes well with dreamlike atmosphere of the film.The acting is excellent,especially the performance by Paolo Rotondo is amazing.Simon is the guy we worry about finding hiding behind our doors when we come home late at night.The guys like he really exist in our world.All in all I'd wholeheartedly recommend "The Ugly" for those who want something much more intelligent and unsettling than any mainstream slasher flick.10 out of 10.

Don't waste your time or money with this movie. Its ham-handed attempts at modern day thriller noir are unfortunately pretty cliche. STAY AWAY.

p.s. not enough violence. blood extremely unconvincing.

I was attracted to the Ugly mostly because of its title, which just sounded really good to me. I wasn't disappointed in the slightest, as the film's characters, lighting, pacing, dialogue, and style completely blew me away. The acting is superb, especially from Paolo Rotondo. In addition to all this, the New Zealand accents made it really appealing to me.

This movie was the single worst horror/thriller movie I have ever seen. The acting was terrible, the story is not at all believable, and the special effects are pathetic. The movie uses black instead of red for blood in all but one scene which comes off as cheap and fake rather than creepy. Also one of the rooms in the movie is supposed to have metal doors and you can clearly see that the door is actually wood that has been spray painted silver. There is little attention to how the main character gets away with the things he is doing and why he hasn't already seen punishment. I don't mind a thriller movie that doesn't explain these things if they at least present a story that gets your imagination and lets you know that they aren't trying to follow any sort of reason or rationale. This film moves at a very slow pace with little attempt to build upon itself. The characters leave nothing for you to hold on to and build interest in the film and the settings are forced and don't seem real at all. If you are looking to be pulled into a film and actually care about the outcome of the characters then this is not the movie for you. In fact skip this one all together if you can.

Sort of what you'd get if you took SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and cross-bred it with Neil Jordan's IN DREAMS. Going for a Lynchian feel, director Reynolds owes more to the spookily dreamlike imagery evoked by the writings of Ramsey Campbell. Images make you queasy, disturb and profoundly frighten you, yet you can't seem to quite tear yourself away from them, as if you're having a nightmare with your eyes wide open.

As singled out in other reviews here, Paolo Rotundo manages to temper the character of Simon with a sense of humanity, something you'd never dream of associating with a serial killer. This hearkens back to earlier little diamonds-in-the-rough from Down Under, like Richard Franklin's ROAD GAMES, David Blyth's DEATH WARMED UP or the more fantasy-oriented films of Peter Weir like THE LAST WAVE or PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK.

Like SE7EN before it, it disturbs and disorients you on some pretty deep levels, then gut-punches you with a shockingly unexpected ending, which may not make it something you want to see over and over again. But for fans of this particular genre, it's definitely worth a look.

well i've just watched it and well it was good. if you like this genre you might be entertained by it. good performance by Rebecca Hobbs.and great directing by Scott Reynolds. about the story it could be better.a lot of cliches (traumatized-kid-turns-into-a-killer kind of thing...) even though its not bad.in my opinion,the ending could have been better .and when i say this i dont say sad ending.just not as good as it could have been.

I really thought I was going to enjoy this after reading reviews and seeing the ratings on here. This film was awful. I don't know if they ran out of money, or if they ordered the wrong fake blood or if they're just morons, but the only scene that had red blood was the very end. All the rest of it was black and looked like the actors drowned in an oil spill. It was a mess as a whole, and the plot was garbage. Was it a supernatural story, was it a serial killer psycopath movie...you never know, the story keeps changing and never makes up its mind, and the ending leaves you thinking what the hell is wrong with people who reviewed this title before I saw it....

Don't waste your time, the 90's have much better movies to offer than this boring, slow, indecisive pile of junk

A great movie this one! Filmed liked a reality movie, with a documentaristic feel in several of the scenes, this slasher movie from New Zealand is a real kick, a magnificent example of great cinema with a good idea, a novel approach to direction, and very creative sequences. The story of a serial killer who heard voices is almost commune in today horror's cinema, but Reynolds and his cast make a great impression on the viewers and the result are fantastic. Never in a long time my attention to the screen was so taken as in a few key moments of this little gem of a movie. And for the first time in years of horror movie watching, I was a little upset and moved after seeing this film. Great job, Scott!

The Ugly might be New Zealand's answer to The Silence of the Lambs. It's always engaging and stylish, but with a bit too much psychobabble and cliched "mommy hurt me, so now I kill women" backstories. That said, it executes these cliches with a good deal of panache and excitement, so that you don't have a lot of time to stop and think "oh, gee. I feel like I've seen this before."

On a dark and stormy night, a psychiatrist named Karen arrives at a mental hospital to size up a serial killer named Simon. It soon becomes clear that Simon might be an expert manipulator and that nothing he says is true.

The Ugly loves flashbacks. We get all kinds of flashbacks from Simon getting bullied by his classmates, to his first love, his abusive man-hating mother, and to all his murders. Some of these are executed quite well with tons of interesting transitions and director Scott Reynolds shows a good degree of style in these scenes. He's also made the choice to make all the blood that emerges from Simon's victims black instead of red (perhaps making one think that Simon sees his victims as less than human?).

Story-wise, The Ugly might not be anything we haven't seen before, but it has enough fresh takes, style, and good performances to make it worthy of recommending.

I wanted to see The Ugly when it was released in cinemas, but I didn't actually get a chance to watch it until I rented it a few years later. Now I regret not seeing it in the cinemas when I had the chance - this movie would have been awesome on the big screen!!

Simon Cartwright, a convicted serial killer, is a patient at a local mental institution under the care of two abusive orderlies and the sadistic Dr. Marlowe. Simon requests outsider Dr. Karen Shoemaker to re-evaluate his mental state, and through a series of interviews she learns more about his past and about his crimes. The use of disjointed and out of order flashbacks tease us with glimpses into Simon's past, and as the movie progresses, we see Karen being drawn further and further into Simon's fantasy world. As she begins to be affected mentally, so too are the viewers.

There's been a lot of criticism over this movie, mostly claims that the characters weren't believable enough or that the SFX were bad. To really appreciate this film you have to pull your mind away from what's conventional and try to see what the director is trying to do. Scott Reynolds isn't trying to follow some set 'horror movie' pattern or copy a particular movie genre. In the movie, "The Ugly" is a monster inside Simon's head, and that's what Reynolds is trying to do- get inside our heads, disturb us and shake us up a bit. This is done through the creepy atmosphere of red and blue colour themes, and the black blood adds to the surreal mood of the movie. Some of the characters are a bit unbelievable but this adds a 'Twin Peaks' feel to the film. And as for the ending, some things are better left unexplained, people!!

This movie is very violent and creepy, and guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. If you like it, tell all your friends about it! I give it a 8.5/10

Insane asylums are places where the most violent people from society are housed. Now, writer/director Scott Reynolds has selected one such character for a dramatic feature called " The Ugly. " The story centers on a very troubled young man named Simon Cartwright (Paolo Rotondo) who has spent years in a maximum psychiatric prison. Convicted by the courts as a serial murderer, his horrendous crimes have earned him great publicity and notoriety. So much so, that a strict and harsh prison warden Dr. Marlowe (Roy Ward) believes Cartright, to be violently and incurably insane and not to be trusted. However, a court medical order has granted, permission for a noted and re-known Phychirtrist Dr. Karen Schumaker to interview the dangerous killer. Inside the harsh environment, brutality is a by-word as the killer/inmate hopes to convince the visiting doctor, that after years of imprisonment, he is cured. He seeks to explain that ever since he was a child, both his abusive mother and a series of bullies and violent co-workers have created his dark side which haunts him with 'visiting' demons which cause him to act out. For the audience, we watch to see which story is the one which will emerge. Good dramatic acting from the cast and an excellent shadowy setting will offer us a chance to see for ourselves. Convinced, I recommend we all take a good look at who is the better lier, before we trust anyone. ****

I'd never heard of this film before viewing the "Boogeymen" compilation, and was inspired to hunt it down afterwards, believing I might have missed out on a horror film of stunning importance. Indeed, Paolo Rotondo earned his award for his portrayal of Simon, a shy, good-looking and incredibly violent serial killer. Paolo makes his character sympathetic as we flash back to his childhood and see him beaten by his schoolmates and humiliated further by his weirdo mother. We don't blame him when he kills her. We understand, even if it's on a primal level, the bursts of anger that make him kill again and again. We even hope he will win the girl of his dreams, though when he does, we know it's only a matter of time before she too falls under the razor blade. Simon is a complex character, the sort who stops to rescue an injured dog with the fresh corpse of his most recent murder still in the backseat, or refrains from murdering a little girl because she is deaf, and therefore as damaged as he is.

The film that surrounds Simon is unpleasant, to say the least. It is disgusting and difficult to watch and not always easy to follow. The ambiguous ending left me just as confused as I was when the film began. It was as though the people who made this film couldn't decide whether they wanted a straightforward story of a serial killer, or a dark fantasy about demons and the supernatural powers of the twisted mind. Everything is hinted at, but nothing is verified, and at films end, you are left to make up your own mind. I couldn't help but feel disappointed, especially since it seemed that Mr. Rotondo put his all into a character for a film that just wasn't worth the effort. It left me feeling sick and depressed.

Wow! This film is strange in format in that the first time you view it, it can leave you a little confused or flustered and can come off as just another horror film. But the beauty is...it isn't. This film was designed to be watched multiple times with the use of the pause button. As odd as it seems, Scott Reynolds has left numerous clues (read easter eggs) throughout that completely explain the ending and all the events that lead up to it. Between subliminal images hidden in the rapid cuts and well placed scenes that seem extraneous at first, The Ugly delivers with a brilliant storyline that makes perfect sense as long as you devote the time to a second or third viewing. It's well worth it, every time.

"The Ugly" is inventively directed, challengingly structured (it doesn't follow any straight chronological line; it continuously mixes the present with the recent past, and then the recent past with the dim past), disturbing and has at least one incredibly suspenseful scene (the one where the killer is hiding in the bathroom). But it is also more pretentious than it has to be, with some serious slip-ups along the way (it has at least five "false scares" too many, and even a "double false scare"), and offers no new insights into the mind of a serial killer (abusive mother, bullies in the school, he hears voices, etc.). Scott Reynolds is undoubtedly a talented director and I would be interested in seeing more from him, but hopefully in his other films he has put the direction more in the service of the story. (**1/2)