Bad movie director Frank Zagarino strikes again with the godawful, no-budget "Spiker," about an escaped convict who likes to kill people by driving railroad spikes into them. Go figure. Some young people decide to spend the weekend at one of the crew's late aunt's house. It turns out the aunt was the Spiker's very first victim -- and now he's coming home! We even get to watch him walking along a railroad line at one point. None of the kids are particularly memorable, just cannon fodder, and the guy playing the killer looks remarkably like the Doc from "Back to the Future," sans any facial expressions. The killings are high school level special effects at best. Avoid at all costs.
... View MoreSpiker is set in a small town in Rhode Island where notorious serial killer Adam 'Spiker' Brandis (executive producer & director Frank Zagarino) murdered at least twenty seven people, while being transported from prison to a mental hospital he manages to escape & once again the Spiker is on the loose. Meanwhile teenager Lisa Shaw (Giselle Rodriguez) & five of her high school buddies drive up to the house of her late aunt's which she will inherit one day. Unfortunately the Spiker was driven mad by Lisa's aunt & heads back to the house too where he notices that Lisa looks exactly the same as her aunt whom he once loved. The Spiker gets his railroad spikes out once more & starts to kill off the teens until only Lisa remains...Executive produced, directed by & starring Frank Zagarino this is a throughly predictable, dull & boring low budget teen slasher of the worst kind. Right first off the killer isn't very interesting or a particularly good villain, he kills using railroad spikes but that doesn't amount to anything more than him just stabbing people. His escape is implausible, one second he is having a heart attack (confirmed by the doctor) the nest he is beating up prison guards & dodging speeding bullets & then swimming to freedom in icy cold waters after being shot. The teens are typical slasher character's of the worst kind, they are faceless & annoying & there to be killed off. The subplots are poor with the Spiker & Lisa apparently having some connection because of her aunt & that she looks exactly like her which is never explained & there's this awful thing about a ghost which occasion surfaces but never goes anywhere & is just confusing. The cops are just plain stupid, the victims are stupid & why they just don't make a run for it I'll never know. The film is slow & boring with the first kill not coming for ages, the kills themselves ate unimaginative & boring & the film as a whole is forgettable & predictable.There's zero atmosphere here & Spiker looks cheap & nasty with a really bad video look & surely filming the climax in broad daylight was a mistake. I mean how many teen slashers have their big showdown set during the day? The killer the Spiker looks like Rutger Hauer. There's not much gore here either, the Spiker stabs a few people, there's an axe in the chest & that's about it. Not bloody enough for my liking. There's no nudity either, no scares & there's no tension or build up to the killings which happen abruptly.The film looks as if it was shot in an actual house but it's a bit small & is just too nice, it's just not a good setting for a teens slasher. Spiker looks like it was shot on video & has a cheap look. The acting is poor from a forgettable cast.Spiker is a poor ten slasher with a muddled plot that tries to be a ghost story too, there's no gore no scares & the killer is totally forgettable. One to avoid.
... View MoreI picked this up at a Redbox thinking it sounded like a pretty typical b-film typical slasher flick. I'm a fan of films in this genre, my father having introduced me at an early age.However, this film is one of the worst I have seen."Spiker" is a story of a maniacal mass murderer with superhuman endurance who goes after 6 kids staying at the house of one of their decedents.The previous owner is channeled via séance whom one can seen and hear (of course, being the decedent). In the end, this could have been a good beer movie, but it doesn't even come close to reaching it's potential.The production values are awful and among the worst I have seen. The sound seems slightly muffled. At times, you really cannot make out what is being said despite the conversation should be a normal situation. The set was something of a disgrace at points (here's your 20 year old oven with no dust? WTF?). The acting is sub par, even for the genre, and absolutely uninspired. The cinematography is awful (was their any point to the cheerleader butt shot?).I give the special effects a dishonorable mention. The first 10 minutes of the film were promising, including the BBEG having purple eyes. However, they are not seen in the rest of the film, and the first "motif" death seemed the point where they gave up. Spiker also does a move where he periodically bangs the heads of this spikes together for no discernible reason. Just walking along the railroad tracks *clang*. Going through the fores *clang*. This could be the dumbest trademark move in the history of moviedom.Honestly, I have seen awful movies. I have seen Bloodrayne sober. I have watched Date Movie and not cried tears of pain. I have seen Manos un-MST3K'ed. I have survived all this. Please understand this warning I give to you now.Do not waste your time of day on this trash. You will want those hours of your life back, but unfortunately, you can't get a refund. Consider yourself warned.
... View MoreSerial killer Adam 'Spiker' Brandis(Frank Zagarino, also the director), known for more than 27 deaths, escapes police custody as he's being transported by ferry to an asylum, returning to a place to retrieve a lost love who has been dead for more than 20 years. Three cheerleaders and their jock boyfriends decide to have a shindig at the "old Shaw place" where Spiker will interrupt their evening rudely. Adam's nickname derives from the fact that his method of executing his victims is through the use of railroad spikes. Lisa Shaw(Giselle Rodriguez)is a descendant of Elizabeth Shaw, a pregnant bride whose death has provided a notoriety hanging over her home. Her grave is just outside the home and a caretaker, Clive(David Fralick), often visits it, spooking the group with his presence. Clive has a secret regarding Spiker and Elizabeth Shaw, understanding why the killer is among them, and his reasons for pursuing Lisa who is a spitting image of her aunt. Elizabeth's spirit was invoked through a séance and Lisa can feel her presence(..and see her as well). Lisa also can seem to sense when Spiker is close. It will be a night where the teenagers must somehow overcome the unstoppable force of a killer who operates without emotion.Dimestore slasher with numerous clichés such as a teenager into witchcraft, conjuring up a spirit through a séance..she also loves all things wicked. You have the usual moronic decisions, and dull stereotypes, performed by a rather unappealing brood. The young cast are attractive, but their characters are merely fodder for the maniac to slay. Spiker, as modeled by the "stars" of slasher films, is a practically identical prototype, who seems impervious to pain, attacking his prey in a cold-blooded manner, without batting an eyelash. Zagarino, perhaps known best for his roles in the "Project Shadowchaser" series, has albino hair and discolored face, often seen banging his spikes together as he follows after those running from him. How his Spiker escapes at the beginning is preposterous and hard to swallow, considering the number of security forces present and firepower..and how long he remains underwater as a search for him yields no clues of his whereabouts. The whole storyline with Elizabeth Shaw, Spiker, and Clive serves as a means to mix things up, but "Spiker" is still nothing more than a slasher with extra baggage..."Spiker" is business as usual featuring your basic, typical "stalk and stab" plot with a low budget and mediocre acting(..the outbursts of rage by the jocks towards Spiker who makes quick work of them when he catches them off-guard, is funny stuff). The conclusion is an eye-roller, with Lisa needing Clive's help, rejected because of his past mistakes regarding Spiker and Elizabeth. I guess, the silver lining would be that we get to see the girls in cheerleader uniforms with Zagarino shooting up their skirts from a low angle before their entering the Shaw house. Zagarino's psycho is a huge, colossal bore. Very limited nudity, despite three very appetizing lead actresses.
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