THE CHOKE (aka AXE in the UK) is a slasher produced supposedly as a straight-to-DVD movie. I say "supposedly" because the title of the movie does not have the "V" in brackets to indicate that it was a made for DVD movie (even though it does have the appearance of one).The plot is simple – a band is holding a gig in a former meatpacking factory and they are killed one by one.I think most would agree that the movie was never going to be a masterpiece, but this does not excuse the faults here. Even straight-to-DVD movies such as BACHELOR PARTY MASSACRE (which has a very low IMDb rating) have a lot of redeeming qualities and sometimes come off as being one of the so-called "so bad, they're good" movies. However, THE CHOKE falls far short of being either a serious slasher (such as HALLOWEEN) or being a "so bad it's good" movie (such as THE NAIL GUN MASSACRE).The movie does start off good with a character killed using a drill. The blood effects were very cheesy but understandable given the very low budget. But, from there onwards, it's downhill all the way.There are so many faults in THE CHOKE that I could spend all day talking about them. But, a few obvious ones stand out and I'll go into them.The aforementioned gig that the band holds seems to start off with around 50 people present but after the music stops, there seems to be only around 8 people left (and yet they're all meant to be locked in!).The characters in this movie are not likable at all. Most of the band members are aggressive foul-mouthed morons or just downright weird. No one really cares about what happens to them, and even their supposed friends forget about them when they've been dispatched. The highlight of the movie is the presence of a homeless man who seems to regard the meatpacking factory as some kind of church (seriously!). He spouts some really funny lines for no apparent reason. But sadly, even his presence can't save the movie.There are too many scenes of people walking around and talking without any characterisation. Around 65 minutes of the film is spent watching characters walk around talking. Characters disappear for long periods of time without explanation. As in other straight-to-DVD movies such as CROCODILE and GRIM WEEKEND, the characters spend a lot of time swearing at each other aggressively without any provocation at all. There are plenty of over-the-top outbursts (mainly from the male characters) and one nearly results in a full-blown fight. In fact, the format could be said to go as follows: characters walk around--murder takes place--characters walk around--murder takes place. You get the idea.The dialogue is terrible and it seems that few lines are spoken without the f-word being used. Perhaps this was meant to be funny, but it just comes off as sad. And more to the point, we have all seen this done a thousand times before (usually to much greater effect).The movie is totally devoid of any suspense at all. The dead bodies serve to provide the only indication that the characters are in danger. A maniac is running around loose and yet the characters just behave like total morons. They make little attempt to get out of the factory or find a weapon with which to protect themselves. And much of the time, they don't even pretend to be scared.In the same vein as DRIVE-IN MASSACRE, the killer is not seen at the time the murders are being committed (with the exception of the final murder when the killer's identity is revealed). A random weapon appears out of nowhere to kill the victim in question. There is no one seen stalking the characters at any time. In DRIVE-IN MASSACRE, this served to make the film funny (unintentionally of course), but here it is not funny at all.And, as another reviewer has pointed out, the soundtrack includes music that is very bad, even for those who like punk rock. The extras look uncomfortable dancing to it. The score (at the end, there is no music at the beginning!) consists of a band of Sugarbabe wannabes singing some very bad song that is completely unrelated to the movie.Don't misunderstand the points made in this review. This reviewer likes bad movies (such as THE NAIL GUN MASSACRE and BACHELOR PARTY MASSACRE) as much as the classics (such as HALLOWEEN and Friday THE 13TH). But, it seems that THE CHOKE tried too hard to fit into one of those categories without fitting into either. And even as straight-to-DVD movies go, this is a poor effort.On a positive note, the film does contain some fairly good gory murder scenes. But, when the surviving characters do not take the situation seriously, these scenes lose their importance quickly as the intensity they provide disappears into oblivion.Fans of the traditional 1980s B-movie slashers should take steps to avoid this movie. And fans of the classics such as HALLOWEEN and Friday THE 13TH should do everything in their power to avoid it!

If anyone else have had the misfortune to watch the Juan A. Mas (among others) directed "The Coroner" from 1999 they will understand that I almost decided not to watch "The Choke" after knowing Juan A. Mas had something to do with it. But I must say things have gotten very better. Mr. Mas made a giant leap forward. The Choke is a good suspense packed film with a nice twist to it. The actors are okay though the lines are somewhat forced. But that's not their problem. Also hats off to the writers for making a script in 6 days (I was told in the DVD extras). Worth a watch on a Sunday evening with a bag of potato chips nearby. I give this film 5/10 - and I wish Mr. Mas and all involved in this the best. You've done a rather nice job.

Yeah, basically I liked the movie a lot, and thought it was rather entertaining. It is a you either love it or you hate it type of film. I would give it a nine out of ten. This movie keeps you guessing throughout the entire thing. You are not sure who the killer is until the very end. The acting is not the best in my opinion, but I think that adds something to the movie. It makes it kind of funny. The Choke is a "slice 'em dice 'em" movie, but you are not going to be grossed out by a lot of gore. I also thought the background music was amazing! I would like to hear those bands, but I can not find anything about them. I would definitely recommend people watch this movie. So, that is about it.

After seeing this I can happily say thats there is a direct to video horror flick that 80's slasher fans can enjoy. Everything that a person hoping to find a gem in the rough is present in this movie. Over the top characters, Well done gore effects, Teens locked in some type of building, and a surprisingly not so obvious killer. This movie is really cheesy but in a good way, I'm glad I gave it a try. Far far better than most direct to video horror flicks. However like Iv'e said about some other movies, this one should be watched solely by people who are fans of campy slasher films and not someone looking for a movie that will actually scare them. Everything about " The choke" pleased me. And the special feature is pretty fun to watch too.