User Reviews

After being released from a psychiatric hospital, a war veteran committed for the disappearance of his girlfriend originally conducted by a coven of vicious vampires sets out to find them again, and when he finds them targeting the girlfriends' younger sister tries to stop them once and for all.

This was a solid if somewhat problematic genre effort. One of the best features here is the uneventful if serviceable storyline featuring the type of action necessary to move this one along at a solid clip. The main setup of the initial attack turning everyone in town against him to the point that he gets institutionalized rather than deal with the truth of the situation gives this a fine starting point as the series of interactions here make for a good enough piece about his condition affecting the reputation of the incidents. Since his prognosis helps out with the idea of the vampires staying hidden as no one believes him, the sympathy generated here is rather nice when it becomes apparent that there's a hidden meaning behind everything that slowly gets revealed the longer this goes on. The other big issue here is the strong vampire action that takes place here where it's confrontations involving the guy taking down the coven. The initial setup with the hotel party getting to wipe out the series of guests while also offering a rather likable series of setups that point him as a scapegoat for the massacre so everything is handled quite nicely as a fantastic starter. The later scenes offering his attempts to get the creatures to let him know where they're hiding out which also serves as a way to bring the younger sister into this film has some fun with the chaotic action of the frenzied vampires going crazy grabbing whoever they can and taking them out in graphic fashion. When the finale manages to bring about some intriguing action and plenty of reveals that have a great impact on the storyline, these come together to give the film a lot to like. There are some drawbacks with this one that hold it back. The main issue here is the fact that this one spends way too much time on the idea of trying to build up the wrongful incarceration idea and him being released to a corrupt police unit that just doesn't have the kind of immersive setup at the beginning of this one. The whole idea of framing him for the crimes gets more context later on but it's all so flimsy in the first half that there's nothing inherently logical about the whole incident when the exploits of the crime became noticeable with him being held in contempt for the whole thing following this along. The other issue here which piggybacks off of that is the slow pace at the same time so it takes a while to get these features involving some underwhelming elements making this take a while to get going which bring this down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

I don't know where to begin.

If you ever wondered what would happen if a low-budget adult film tried to masquerade as a vampire slayer epic, "Insane Like Me" has your answer. And it's not pretty.

The movie stars Britt Bankhead, bless his heart, he puts in an effort that would make a middle school drama teacher proud. Britt is a so-called "war hero" turned vampire slayer. Let me tell you, Britt tries so hard to be the stoic, brooding hero, but his performance lands somewhere between awkward high school play and unintentionally hilarious spoof for most of the film.

From the very first scene, the film's production quality screams "amateur hour." The lighting is so dim you'd think they shot it with a flashlight. The cinematography would be right at home in a questionable late-night cable flick, complete with bizarre zoom-ins and cringe-worthy close-ups.

The dialogue, oh the dialogue. Most of the characters spoke in a tone so wooden, you half expect him to sprout roots. The interactions between characters are so stilted and awkward, you'll be wondering if this was actually a rehearsal gone horribly wrong.

And then there's the action-or lack thereof. The fight scenes are a slow-motion disaster, complete with laughably fake blood, punches, and vampires that look more like they've come from a costume store clearance bin than the depths of darkness. When Britt swings his plastic-looking hatchet furiously, you can almost hear the crew trying not to laugh.

As if all this wasn't enough, the film throws in some interludes to steamy scenes that seem more at home in an adult film than a horror movie. "Joey Greco scenes" These awkwardly shot interludes are not only out of place, but they also highlight just how bad the acting really is. It's like watching a bizarre mashup of genres that should never, ever meet.

"Insane Like Me" is a disasterpiece of epic proportions. If you're looking for a good laugh or a film to riff on with friends, this might be your perfect pick. Otherwise, steer clear and save yourself from this cinematic calamity.