Do appreciate horror and don't have any bias against low budget. Just want to make that clear, before anybody thinks that there is bias on my part against both, judging from me being negative about some recently, so there was no negative judgment passed before watching 'BOO'. The low rating, poor reviews and not particularly promising concept made me not expect too much but the creepy cover/poster did peek some interest and am on a low-budget horror completest quest.

'BOO' really is as bad, well lets change that to dire, as the rating and reviews say and am not saying that in a way that's ignorant or saying that my opinion is objective. It's my genuine opinion, meant with no disrespect or condescension (no fake reviews accusations here in this review, though can see where those that have panned the film and have mentioned that are coming from). There are not an awful lot of films seen recently or in general that have no redeeming merits whatsoever, 'BOO' is one of them.

It is a cheap-looking film for starters. Lets make that amateurish. Am aware that the budget is low but that is no excuse for the production values to look as if the crew were not even trying to do anything that would overcome that obstacle (plenty of modestly-or-less budgeted films have done that). Not even the location evokes any kind of eeriness, and even if it did it is completely wasted by chaotic photography, monotone lighting and afterthought-like effects. The sound is far too obvious and telegraphs any horror attempts far too early, not to mention poorly balanced, not balancing well with the dialogue, and intrusive.

Not that the writing was anything at all to write home about anyway. There is no flow at all, no personality and the cheese and cliches pile up. The story is even flimsier than the thin concept, what little there is of one (most of it is uneventful) is painfully dull, and further hurt by that there is nothing scary, suspenseful or creative in any shape or form. Everything is just so predictable and bland.

There is a lot of ridiculousness here too, and none of the characters are worth investing in or interesting. Have a lot of dislike for implausible and stupid character behaviours, and 'BOO' is full of it. The threat is as far away from creepy as you can get and is used poorly, too little and too obviously. The acting is reminiscent of random people being selected off the streets and putting them together with no rehearsal time.

Summarising, dire. 1/10

A religious family in Detroit gets "Booed." They need to copy the chain letter and pass it on which they don't. Everyone knows the consequences of breaking a chain letter. James, the father, (Rob Zabrecky) loves reading the Bible and the Dewey Decimal System. His wife Elyse (Jill Marie Jones) lost a child decades ago and still drinks heavily about it. The teen girl (Aurora Perrineau) is suicidal and the young boy wants to copy the letter.

The characters didn't impress. The camera angles were bad. The film doesn't get intense until the last 20 minutes. Who has a Viewmaster?

Guide: F-word. Sex. brief partial nudity.

A highly dysfunctional suburban family find themselves beset by evil spirits on Halloween night. Director/co-writer Luke Jaden relates the enjoyable and engrossing story at a constant pace, takes time to develop the characters, ably crafts a spooky ooga-booga atmosphere, and stages the shock set pieces with aplomb. The solid acting by the capable cast helps a lot: Jaden Piner as scared son Caleb, Rob Zabrecky as uptight religious fanatic dad James, Aurora Perrineau as rebellious teen daughter Morgan, Jill Marie Jones as bitter drunken pillhead mom Elyse, and Charley Palmer Rothwell as Morgan's concerned boyfriend Ashton. The uncompromisingly bleak bummer ending packs a jolting punch. Jon Natchez's shivery score hits the shuddery spot. Nicholas Wiesnet's sharp cinematography provides an impressive polished look. A worthwhile fright film.