Serum
Serum
R | 30 October 2006 (USA)
Serum Trailers

While searching for a "cure all" serum, Dr. Edward Kanopolus, "Dr. K", is being pressured for results by the pharmaceutical company funding the project. With time running out, tragedy and desperation drive him to make decisions that will jeopardize the lives of everyone around him and ultimately unleash a terrifying monster on a killing spree.

Reviews
n-boettcher

A must-see movie for everyone who enjoys horror films and is open to a low-budget project! "Serum" is a well-made movie with a scary story that reminds one of a classic horror film. Right from the beginning, with the opening sequence, I was captivated. I especially enjoyed the performances by Derek Phillips and Lizabeth Cardenas, who really added to this film because they were very believable and made me more invested in the story. Also, the music and score were great. Both are essential in horror films -- the right music at the right time increases the tension and makes everything scarier. That was true with this film. So, go ahead and let "the chaos begin!"

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w00f

"Serum" starts out with credits that are quite reminiscent of the "Re-animator" movies, and it owes a lot to them. The story is very similar; a mad doctor develops a serum that he believes will alleviate pain, sickness and death, but he's apparently not a big believer in clinical trials and so winds up with a brain-eating zombie on his hands in the person of his nephew. The zombie even looks like one of those from "Re-animator," and in fact some of the make-up effects in "Serum" aren't bad. Unfortunately, the script is pretty slow and unbelievable in quite a few places, resulting in a soap opera feel for most of the first 3/4 of the movie. For some reason, the director feels compelled to tell us the time of day every few minutes by flashing it in big white letters across the screen. I can't see why this was important, other than being an attempt to provide viewers with a sense of time passing; sometimes, that wouldn't be present otherwise as the plot plods along.There are a number of moments that just don't add up here. For instance, one victim is bludgeoned with a sledge hammer, but when we see the victim's head up close, there's no sign of that trauma. In another scene, a character runs down a fully lit hospital corridor (we can see the circles of light on the floor, in fact) with a flashlight in hand, looking for all the world like he's walking in the dark... but a moment later a second character walks down the same fully-lit corridor without one. These are just a couple of examples; moments of what look like directorial or editorial sloppiness crop up quite frequently throughout the movie."Serum" is better in some ways than much of what goes straight-to-video as independent horror lately. In terms of technical items — sound and photography, for example — it's got a more polished look than a lot of what lands on a DVD. On the other hand, there's still a good deal of wooden acting (particularly by one of the lead characters, the mad scientist himself!) and nonsensical moments that have nothing to do with suspension of disbelief and everything to do with writing and continuity. Maybe these are things that the people involved with making this film will eventually get more experience with, though. One of the problems with low-budget independent horror lately is that the filmmakers often set out to remake more popular movies that had bigger budgets, and that almost never works out. It didn't in the case of "Serum," anyhow.

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ry-martin

I liked this movie. It was fun to watch but it wasn't something you take too seriously. Basically you had two guys who like to party and spy on a topless sunbather, a crazy doctor who performs creepy experiments on corpses with his drug-addicted assistant, a hooker (who isn't hired for what you might think) and a monster who eats peoples brains! What more do you need! It was a bit corny and over the top but that's what I liked about it. A low budget horror movie for sure, but I thought it looked and sounded good. The dialogue was funny and it had some great action scenes. Bottom line – even if it was a low budget film - it was entertaining.

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wrlang

Serum is about a crazy doctor that finds a serum that is supposed to cure all diseases through the power of the mind. Instead it creates some kind of monster that needs to eat human flesh and brains. The mad doc creates some zombies out of cadavers and has some problems. There is a very long lead into all the action with many scenes getting you acquainted with the characters. The mad doctor's nephew gets into a car accident and the mad doc tries to use his new serum on the boy. The results are not good. This is a class C film with OK acting but some troubles directing and some continuity errors. There isn't much zombie action in this one and the effects, while adequate, are nothing special. You can fast forward through the slow parts and get some enjoyment out of the action scenes. Watch out for some nudity and bad language.

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