This utterly forgettable addition to the White Trash Terror genre covers all the old clichés, adding no new ideas, and even less suspense. With clockwork inevitability, you know that any flashlight beam will reveal a body; any race across a field will involve bear traps; any utterance of "everything will be OK" is an ignition key for immediate violence; and that villains die ironically. The direction is incompetent, building up absolutely no suspense for the formulaic scenes. Rather than react naturally to a threat, all the women simply must start screaming hysterically. Of course, the slowly approaching murderer will never actually reach his victims. Of course, the troublesome outboard motor will come to life at the last second, and be used as a weapon. Of course, like all superlative victims, the fatuous bubblehead wears a target from the beginning. Of course the parents commit the ultimate sacrifice. Of course there's a false ending. It's as if the script were bought from some film maker's 99-Cent Store. Thankfully, that detracts from the performances, which range from the occasionally solid, to the more consistently awful.

Despite the previous reviewer nasty comments, this movie was enjoyable from start to finish. You can tell the people reviewing the film don't know much about film-making nor acting, while Sidesho did have a well-worn plot, the acting was above average for this genre, and the lead actors, J.R. Reynolds and J.D. hart had quite a good chemistry and did a great job throughout the film.As usual, J.R. Reynolds develops his character with well-timed movements and the attention to detail we've come to expect from him. His portrayal fit the part of the Carney Barker to a T, hitting the character on the nose with pitch-perfect subtleties that bring an understated feel to an over-the-top role, with greedy pandering, nervous ticks and disgusting mannerisms that make you feel uneasy every time he comes on screen.J.D. Hart took a boring character and made him as believable as possible, slowly changing from a weak and ineffectual father-figure to an angry and determined madman wiling to go the distance to save his family, making the transition with perfect timing and grace.It's hard to understand the vitriol of the previous reviewers, their weak writing skills are matched by even poorer powers of observation and a lack of knowledge of this type film. We find this a lot with amateurs, it's a lot easier to blather on with obscenities and ignorant commentary than it is to convey information intelligently, especially for a film they clearly didn't understand. Ignore them.The actors in Sidesho easily outperform the performers in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, even the Hills Have Eyes' cast never brought the level of terror displayed by the girls in Sidesho.Yes, the special effects were weak, but that is a result of a low budget rather than a fault of the Director, who did a fine job moving the film along.The script was obviously intentionally made to follow the horror formula, as with most Horror films it paid tribute to many typical element of the genre,a Chase through the forest, a creepy sideshow front man riding shotgun over deformed freaks, an innocent family wandering into trouble, and a small amount of nudity as is par for the course.The original soundtrack was mixed hot in many cases, but the opening song was a fine piece reminiscent of Leon Russel, and the opening titles were very clever and well-rendered,using legitimate old sepia-tone photographs and blending the Titles in with a 3D look.The 'surprise ending' was also de-rigueur for the genre, two surviving family members are rescued by the Sheriff, and the reveal allows us to see he too is deformed, the film ends with the sheriff taking them back into the carnival and an uncertain fate.Rent or buy Sidesho, you will be well entertained and your movie collection will be enhanced by this fine example of the low-budget family horror film.

I blind bought this movie and am pretty upset that I paid as much as I did but I would say that it's at least worth a rent for some cool deaths and laughable acting. It is not a good movie in any way but I must say that I was pretty darn entertained. I guess it could be called so-bad-it's-good.As I said, the acting is awful, I feel like I could have done a better job showing, at least, any emotion. The story is nothing new and has been done better. I guess I just have a soft spot for any carnival-esquire type film. I would say rent this or download it but definitely don't buy it. It is not worth more than one watch.

Side Sho surprised me as I thought I was in store for yet another dreadful independent horror film from Lionsgate. Boy was I wrong. From the imaginative opening credits to the "feel-at-home" setting of riding with the family, to the building terror of the shocks to be displayed, Side Sho is a solid horror film that will satisfy most fans of the genre. Great effects, attractive nubile young ladies, creepy freaks and good production values made it a wise rental. I have read varying reviews of the movie online, and I'm glad I took a chance with it. Some described the film as The Hills Have Eyes in the swamp, and I guess that is somewhat accurate. However, it is by no means just a simple knock-off of that famed film. Side Sho is well-above the common horror film out there, but yet not the best to come down the pike. Try it, you'll like it.