User Reviews

In this feeble horror tale Chris (Samuel Page as Nathan Watkins), a college student, is offered the chance to join an elite Fraternity by Devon (Bradley Stryker). Unknown to Chris this particular Fraternity happens to be the cover for a vampire coven.

‘The Brotherhood' (known in the UK as ‘I've Been Watching You') is one of the worst movies I have ever had the displeasure to watch. With no real storyline, a poor script and dismal acting this movie appears to be nothing more than a softcore gay porn movie disguised as a supposedly stylish horror movie. If the homoeroticism served a purpose to the story then I would not be as unimpressed but there is nothing in here remotely resembling a horror movie. The story comes across as exactly what it is – a tacked on and meaningless narrative with no redeeming features.

The homoeroticism is not what makes this movie dire, that dubious distinction belongs to the appalling story closely followed by the inept acting and the inexcusably bad script. Veteran director, David DeCoteau's direction was the only real highlight of this movie and even that seemed to be of a particularly low standard. While it may be nice for some to watch a bunch of college jocks wandering around with their shirts off, anybody who wants a half-decent story should look elsewhere. This movie is really nothing more than boring tripe! My rating for ‘The Brotherhood' – 2/10.

Doma Tau Omega is an exclusive fraternity whose privileged members drink blood in order to preserve their youthful good looks. When their hunky leader Devon claps eyes on the firm, muscular frame of innocent college newcomer Chris Chandler (Sam Page), he sets about recruiting the handsome freshman, tempting him with the promise of eternal life, but secretly schemes to enter the young man's body (spiritually speaking, although one could easily be mistaken for thinking otherwise at times) in order to replace his current corporeal form.

Vampire films have long been linked with homo-eroticism, but rarely has the theme been so blatant as in David DeCoteau's I've Been Watching You, a horror film that oozes gayness from virtually every frame. With scene after scene of young men gazing wistfully at each other, exchanging bodily fluid (only blood, thank heavens!), parading around in silky shirts, rubber vests and tight PVC trousers, and stripping to their Calvins, this wasn't quite what I had in mind when I spied the DVD, which caught my eye because of the beautiful buxom woman on the cover: there is a hot chick in the film, Megan (Elizabeth Bruderman), but she doesn't show any cleavage, the only exposed chest area on display belonging to the guys.

Although clearly intended for a different demographic to myself, I would still rate this film as much as a four: it wasn't totally unwatchable, the hilarious homo-erotic content, diabolical dialogue, and crappy acting providing me with a more than a few unintentional laughs (the frat guys' atrocious taste in clothing is particularly amusing!).

Blond super-hunk Sam Page (or "Nathan Watkins"/ as Chris Chandler) goes to Drake college, on a swimming scholarship. Stripping down to his gym shorts for a run, Mr. Page catches the eye of blonder super-hunk Bradley Stryker (as Devon Eisley). Mr. Stryker is the leader of Drake's weirdest fraternity; and, he travels around with good-looking men in sunglasses. Stryker decides he wants Page's perfect body. Page tells super-geek (but cute) roommate Josh Hammond (as Dan Myers) he isn't interested in joining a fraternity. Then, Page admires Stryker's big fraternity pin, and gets sucked in…

Director David DeCoteau is definitely going after something. Page and Stryker make an interesting couple, especially when they play a "three way" love scene; note, the female ("Sandy") is incidental. "The Brotherhood" may have worked better if Mr. DeCoteau had either gone all out, or made the "gay subtext" more subtle. The subtle route is often taken by other filmmakers. The "vampire" storyline is more than a little hard to swallow (if the guys in question are supposed to be vampires).

*** The Brotherhood (2/01) David DeCoteau ~ Sam Page, Bradley Stryker, Josh Hammond, Elizabeth Bruderman

No, this is not Male Model University, but judging by the student body you need to look like one to attend. It's apparent you need a muscular physique, perfectly gelled hair and tight leather duds just to take a stroll around campus. At parties, name drop Nietzsche and make sure you wear a fine suit and tie so you have something nice to puke all over. Never button up your top three buttons, hang out in juvenile high schoolish cliques and always wear shades. No, this thing isn't set on Mars, but close enough: it's set in the minds of horny skeezers David DeCoteau and scripter Matthew Jason Walsh, so any resemblance between this and any real college campus is strictly coincidental.

Oh yeah, the so-called plot... Hunky freshman stud-ent Christopher Chandler (Nathan Watkins) is anti-frat, but still wooed by the most popular house on campus. I mean, aren't Devon, Barry, Jordan and Mikhael the type of dudes everyone wants to hang with? No, not really. They're conceited, shallow, boring, and stupid, they throw lame parties and they drink blood to stay young and desirable. Go figure.

DeCoteau began his career exploiting the bods of B-babes like Linnea Quigley and Brinke Stevens and now he's switched to men's bodies, which is completely fair in our more enlightened age. Men deserve to be treated like meat, too, but it's too bad these talent-dry bonehead boy toys ACT like meat. You'd be hard pressed to find more lifeless, listless performances (particularly Bradley Stryker as the main bad guy) but hell, they DO look great in their matching boxer briefs. Save yourself the time and skim through a Calvin Klein catalogue instead. And this thing merits a pair of sequels?!

A bunch of hunky guys with bodies to die for march around - say a few stilted sentences - pull off their shirts, reveal they are vampires and then say a few more stilted words. That pretty much sums up this baaaad film. If you want to look at really hunky guys - go for it. Don't expect much in the way of script or acting though. There is only one actor with anything resembling talent and he's relegated to being the "ugly geek" though he is not. You could drive trains through the gaps in the dialogue - which is too elaborate and wordy for what is being said. Expositional information is related that doesn't fit the characters presenting it. And explain something to me - how does the most popular fraternity manage to have only four members, yet have parties where dozens upon dozens attend - and yet they "rush" only one candidate?

The "best" thing about this film is its blatent homoerotic overtones. There's a particularly cheesy scene in which one vampire helps his novice drink blood from a girl's arm...from the camera angle, for all practical purposes, it looks as if one guy is having oral sex with the other. And the guys seem to hang all over each other and walk around half naked in front of each other for no reason at all. I think this had to have been scripted, shot, directed, or lensed by either a woman or a gay male because it is just "too" much.

I'd like to find out how to become a filmmaker of this caliber because it seems like there is some sort of market for this trash. However, I would imagine that it is probably just as difficult to make a film like this as it would be to make a good one - so why not go the extra mile?

This movie fails on all accounts.

The script is pathetic. The story is weak and the characters shallow. You couldn't set out to write a B-movie script this bad. The plot is so weak that the framework seems like it's designed for pornography.

The cinematography is juvenile. The camera angles are contrived, close-ups are used without good purpose and the lighting always seems artificial. It feels like one never leaves the same simple set.

The acting, save Josh Hammond as Dan, is really bad. The actors' deliveries are monotonous. The range of emotions is zero.

The men are all beautiful, each one an Adonis, but to what end? Adolescent girls and adolescent gay boys will surely revel in these images but beyond that, there is no artful purpose served by the physiques.

I hate to pan someone's work so badly but this movies is truly horrible.

Wow, this movie is even gayer than "HellBent"! What are the odds of that ever happening? I don't think David DeCoteau ever had the intention of making a horror movie… He clearly just wanted to surround himself with athletic & handsome twenty-something boys, so he quickly thought up a scenario about a college fraternity of vampires. Instead of action & suspense, we get an whole army of male students parading in their matching tight white boxer shorts and instead of gory massacres we get insecure boys openly talking about their feelings and emotions…for hours! Two young losers meet each other on the first day of college. Chris has the body of a regular jock, but he's the sensitive type, so he doesn't want people to judge him based on his appearance. The other one, Dan, never stops nagging about how unpopular he was in his previous school. They befriend a girl with an incredibly beautiful rack; still all they ever talk about is their mutual friendship. In come the boys of the Domo Tau Omega fraternity; pretentious little pricks with sunglasses that rule over the university. Their leader – super gay dude Devon – wants Chris to join his elite group because he fancies him. Poor Chris doesn't know, however, that they form the gayest coven of vampires horror cinema has ever brought forward. "The Brotherhood" is a terrible film. There's not even an attempt to build up tension or atmosphere and DeCoteau didn't even bother to insert some cheesy horror effects. The vampires suck, all right. But not blood… They suck at making themselves appear menacing and evil. The dialogs are abysmal and the production values are overall poor, barely disguising the fact that our director is more interested in shooting porn movies. Or maybe put together catalogs for men's underwear. He should do so, and quit misleading fans of horror films. The cast members may be yummy eye-candy (at least, for certain target groups), but none of them has the slightest bit of acting talent. One to avoid at all costs.

One of the worst vampire movies I've ever seen, this movie feels like it was written at random with no consistency whatsoever from scene to scene. The actors sometimes do their best, but the lead vampire reads every line the exact same way.

The camera work is claustrophobic, usually zoomed in way too close on the actors. At one point, we're supposed to believe something is happening because the camera is being shaken while the actors flop around.

This could have been an interesting movie, if someone had taken the time to edit the script for continuity and give the characters more believability in their actions. Sadly instead, they released this piece of garbage.

Let's see...what was worse? The crappy acting? Maybe it was all the seven minute scenes? Maybe it was the lame writing and poor directing. Or it could be the billing as a vampire movie while it didn't really have any vampires? How about a frat that uses a couple of real Greek letters plus one that doesn't even exist (Doma?) in the Greek alphabet!?

Maybe I'm going about this all wrong. Let's see...what were the good parts? Hmmmm... Nope. Let's go back to what's left: the bad parts. How about that actress with the dirty, limp hair? Maybe it was the un-nude scenes where they all strip to socks and matching underwear?

Honestly, I've seen better film on old milk. My friends and I did kind of make this a sort of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" event, so that was fun. I challenge anyone to come up with a worse movie. Go ahead. Try.

Following the minor success of all-girl teen witch flick THE CRAFT, David DeCoteau made his own Z-grade spin on the franchise in THE BROTHEROOD. These are gay-friendly horror flicks in which female cast members barely feature. DeCoteau is too busy shooting his young male models lounging around in their boxer shorts or getting up to some mischievous hijinks as part of a longevity cult. The British title of the film is I'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU and it sounds like something DeCoteau might have said to his male cast members during audition.

Needless to say that this is a surprising production in that it manages to be sleazy and tame at the same time. Certainly the constant ogling of the young male bodies is off-putting although vaguely enlightening given the amount of films that chronicle female flesh. Sadly, the homoerotic stuff is the only real content this movie has, as nobody was really interested in telling a proper story.

As usual, the acting is horrible from these planks of wood masquerading as breakout stars, and the script is dumb beyond belief. Every dialogue scene rings hollow and there's a general feeling of falsity in the air. Add in an almost entire lack of story and incident and you have a bomb of a film. Incredibly, no less than five sequels followed this mess.

I made myself sit through this BS straight-to-video for what reason again? Boy...well, 1st off, I have no problem with the gay communities throughout the world, but god...some other user had it penned correctly as a homoerotic flic disguised as a horror film. I mean, there's nothing very scary about it.

THIS MOVIE NEEDS TO BE SPOILED! Therefore, basically GQ models who form a fraternity try to get the new hot stud on campus into there lair of bloodsucking...but they're not vampires. (?) whatever...they are led into the frat parties they hold by some annoying actress (whose disinterest in her role comes through in her delivery) and later reveal that the other brothers are in the fraternity to act as catalysts for the main guy's spirit to live in after his time on earth is through. gaw...

This movie gets a 2/10 from me because the later Brotherhood sequels are pure 0/10. Even this one has a better-looking evil lead. That gives it the 2 points...and the original musical score that is reused in the sequels first got played here. Good god, throw it away and damage every copy in your neighborhood video store!

This movie certainly wasn't one of the greatest but it was decent enough to pass a boring saturday night. The cast wasn't the most experienced in making a movie but they sufficed. The storyline was pretty interesting and it was more skilfully written and directed than most straight to video independant films. Although the last few seconds were a bit corny. All and all it wasn't that bad and it's destined to have a small cult following. Would I add it to my movie collection? Yup.

Typical DeCoteau low budget movie that "Works" on two levels. First, it's a teen vampire flick set in Southern California (as in the Buffy oevure). Second, it's an excuse to have attractive males run around in designer boxer/briefs. It probably works better on level two. However, the humor and bonding between the two main characters actually has some depth, and was a pleasant surprise. For lovers of really good "cheese" - just like DeCoteau's new modern camp masterpiece "Voodoo Academy" (the DVD edition). Relax, suspend your critical faculties, and enjoy!

David DeCoteau's film "The brotherhood" has brought the word 'bad' to new levels of badness. Bad acting. Bad effects. Bad everything. This bad film just oozed rottenness from every bad scene... simply bad beyond all infinite dimensions of possible badness.

Well maybe not that bad, but lord, it wasn't good.

It is nonsense to say this is a "gay" horror film. We see these same shots of women in conventional horror films and don't think about the director's sexual orientation. Would this be considered gay if the director was a woman? I think not. This film is meant to be a beefcake horror film for the ladies. And while it delivers some handsome faces and a few fleeting shots of boys in their

underwear, it's strictly G-rated stuff. Indeed, I've seen more nudity in G-rated films from the 1960s where bare butt shots of men and boys can be seen in

"Planet of the Apes" or "Maya" where 15-year-old Jay North appears nude from the back side. The "Brotherhood" series films are surprisingly bloodless and nudity-free, which bucks the trend for horror films and teen sex comedies and may be why so many people feel a bit "cheated." One wonders why on direct- to-video releases David can't push the envelope a bit and show more explicit nudity of either sex. Probably because the video rental chain which finances these films through pre-production distribution agreements would decline to participate. Or it may be that the young actors who appear in these films draw the line at showing their gear or bare butts. But if you're going to have a scene where nudity is the logical costume, as in a shower scene, it doesn't make much sense to show guys showering in their underwear -- something we have seen in more recent DeCoteau films. There is a similar problem in "The Brotherhood," with the frat initiation ("make- out") scene being more logical as a nude scene.

On another point, since so many have commented on why the protagonist wears black boxer briefs, this is an obvious nod to Alfred Hitchock's use of a black bra on Janet Leigh in "Psycho" after she turns "bad." (Before she turns bad she is seen in a white bra). Or more classically, the boy in the black briefs is akin to the outlaw in the black hat.

A vampire (sort of) fraternity on a college campus tries to recruit young, innocent Chris.

Horrible. It looks great and is well-directed (this has to be seen letter-boxed) but the script is full of stunningly bad lines and (with one exception) ALL the acting is horrendous. And the script! The main character Chris (our "hero") comes off as an obnoxious jerk--you could care less that he's going to be attacked. And the fraternity leaves a book describing their whole history out in the open for anyone to read! Chris' roomie is the sole saving grace in the picture. As played by Josh Hammond he's actually very funny and full of life. He's the only bright spot here.

Some posters complained about the guys being in their underwear all the time. Please! This doesn't happen until an hour into the movie! And it's shot from the waist up. And the guys do look good--they were hired for their looks and bodies, not talent. There's plenty of homoeroticism here. I'm giving it a 2 for good direction and the handsome, hunky guys.

In the special edition DVD there's an audio commentrary by director David DeCoteau and "actor" Bradley Stryker. It's fun, lively and more interesting than the movie itself. In a particularly amusing aside director DeCoteau says the homoeroticism was unintentional! Right!

Oh my! What a funny movie! I've been really depressed lately, and this was just the movie to cheer me up! Wow! I don't know what it is -- perhaps I have a higher tolerance for cheesy movies. It wasn't a waste of a film as far as I'm concerned -- I've been laughing since the very first 30 seconds of the film. Yes, the script totally sucks, and the direction totally sucks, and the acting totally sucks, but it's fun in a hokey kind of way. I especially liked the lines (paraphrased):

Chris: "You're vampires?" Devon: "No, vampires wear capes and turn into bats. I drive a Mazerati and spend an hour each day in the tanning bed."

The film was mildly homoerotic -- merely suggestive. Loved the underwear scenes.

Most of all, I think I've enjoyed reading everyone else's comments -- they're hilarious! :)

The writer had a good plot, but the writing is just plain hokey. Many of the scenes just go on and on with this forced, contrived dialogue that had me squirming in my chair. The sarcasm went too far as well. The actor playing Devon has a nice body, but his performance was noticeably stoic compared to the other actors. Despite being a low-budget film, some money was put into the sets. I would have laid off of the thunder and strobe lights though. If it was lightning and thundering that much here in Oklahoma, I would be hiding in the bathtub. The odd thing is, it never rains in the movie. The idea of a gay vampire movie is a good one; however, it was poorly executed in this movie.

A confusing tale which confronts issues like popularity, and fitting into social groups... oh and some kind of vampire ritualism too. It's too easy to throw this movie straight in the Buffy/Dawsons Creek, bin... but hey, that's what the bin is there for!

Teen acting is often a little on the stiff side, especially in a teen movie like this. Very little charisma, but a whole bag of enforced "cool", which they do quite well. There is a consistent street-wise-cum-spooky atmosphere, but also a gross inconsistency whereby these supposedly most popular guys in college are never seen to do anything in or around the college. Strange! We hear about their popularity and even good grades, but don't see any interaction at all! So a cool, likable individual (Chris), doesn't want to join a fraternity and become "Mr Popular" because that would make him un-cool and un-likable? His room-mate, "Who got thrown out of chess-club for being too geeky" would love to be "Mr Popular", and if he was would spend all his time doing really un-popular things to other people and school buildings! It's a teen movie... geddit?? The whole vampire idea is quite good, not a fang in sight, but a wickedly cool lair. Their catch phrase, "Blood Brothers", links well to the fraternity idea and their vampirical past-time. It's a well designed fantasy, and even a good story for teen vampire fans.

But, and there's always a but, it doesn't quite hang together. Watching this movie leaves you feeling something is missing. Maybe that the college disappears as soon as the movie gets going, and then exists between Chris' bungalow and the Frat house itself. There is more than just a hint of Homo-eroticism, with the number of fit young men crawling around each other in their underwear. Hey, maybe all fraternities are like that? A little more than 'blood' brothers perhaps!! Whereas a little more female interaction would have made the film a tad more credible... even if the guys are all gay! Also, and probably most annoying was the lead female (Megan), who put on an especially grating, gravelly drawl of an accent, and managed to deliver all her lines slowly, without breaths, or even pauses between words. Ick! Maybe that's the only way she could come across as 'cool'... or was she 'uncool' being a psychology major and all. Oh, I give up! And finally, so it's a budget film, but did it have to end quite so abruptly and unspectacularly and uninterestingly?

So, I'm now left with a shell of a film, that has a couple of good ideas, and does flow through to an albeit rather abrupt ending. This may be a favourite with some unquestioning young teenage girls... I'd say around 11 or 12years should do it! So how on earth did this flick get a 15 rating?? One thing is for sure, "Lost Boys" this ain't! I rated a "4"

I laughed, I cried, I wet my pants. Having been attracted to the box cover on the Blockbuster shelf -- it was right there next to another film with hunky guys with their shirts off -- I knew going in the film would be bad. If it had been at least passable it would have already aired on SciFi, it's 85 minutes stretched to cover two hours. But I thought I could at least get a few good laughs and enjoy shirtless men cavorting about with the occasional exploding vampire death thrown in for gores sake. Oh but this was just PAINFUL to watch. Yes the guys are either super hot or dorky cute and the director never misses an opportunity to pose said actors without shirts or pants, but why oh why did he have to write the most horrible, stilted, expository laden dialogue ever to grace B-movie heaven? The scenes drag on forever -- I spent five minutes fastforwarding through one and the angle, action and characters never changed! -- the acting is horrendous and the homoeroticism while present is never really used to anything more than wink-wink nudge-nudge effect. As for gore there was none, just kayro syrup used to laughable effect.

Yet somehow you can't hate this film. I don't know why. Perhaps its all the brilliant pecs on display, the well intentioned riff on straight T&A movies or the joy the director obviously took having five cast members and $100 to work with. Whatever you do though, don't watch it alone. After all, why should you and only you be subjected to this piece of c***?

I have a style for watching movies. I try to find stuff in them, or "points", that make me glad I am watching this movie. This is the first movie I have ever watched that didn't have any points. This is the worst thing ever to be called a film, and I have seen "I, Zombie." If it isn't the terrible acting job done by most of the cast, then it is the horrible "special" effects (It's always lightening but never raining). The movie has plot holes and one of the longest, most useless scenes in movie history (You will know what it is if you watch this waste of film). In the end you are left with $3.50 less in your pocket and a reason to boycott movies forever. If you think I am being over-dramatic, then go to your local video store and pick-up the abomination know as "The Brotherhood."

This movie while being a B movie was not all that bad for its low cost production. Being the first in a series of (currently) three movies it does over do a few scenes. The best example being the long walking shot going around school grounds. What few special effects there were, were good. An all around Good Vampire movie.

Dan (Josh Hammond) joins the University of Drake and shares a room with the handsome abstemious athlete Chris Chandler (as Nathan Watkins). They become close friends. They meet Megan (Elizabeth Bruderman), who invites them to a party in the best fraternity of the campus, leaded by Devon Eisley (Bradley Stryker). Chris in invited to join the brotherhood, where deep dark secrets are disclosed. "The Brotherhood" is a kind of "Lost Boys" and "Buffy" in the same plot, and it is not bad for such a low budget movie. The story uses unknown teen actors and actress and only a few locations, but there is a good chemistry between the characters of Chris and Dan, some good lines and the film works on DVD, being a good entertainment for the fans of this genre (probably teenagers girls will love this movie, since the male cast is very handsome). My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Irmandade de Sangue" ("Brotherhood of Blood")

THE BROTHERHOOD (2000)

(UK: I've Been Watching You)

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Lomoscope)

Sound format: Stereo

A high school jock (Nathan Watkins) is targeted by the leader of a vampire cult (Bradley Stryker) who needs to transfer his soul into Watkins' body to survive...

Following the unexpected success of his gloriously homoerotic horror-thriller VOODOO ACADEMY (2000) - particularly the unrated DVD version - veteran director David DeCoteau (CURSE OF THE PUPPET MASTER, PRISON OF THE DEAD, etc.) Took a commercial gamble and formed his own company - Rapid Heart Pictures - dedicated to the production of low-budget teen movies with a beefcake twist. Unfortunately, their maiden venture is a bust, for several reasons. Firstly, it was shot in less than a week (!), which precludes a certain degree of cinematic flair (despite DeCoteau's wasted use of the 35mm scope format), and the plot is driven by dialogue rather than action - too much dialogue, in fact. Secondly, whereas "Voodoo" overcame numerous plot deficiencies by stripping its hunky cast down to their designer underwear at every given opportunity, THE BROTHERHOOD is a great deal less forthcoming in this regard. Indeed, DeCoteau claims the film's blatant gay undertow is 'accidental', despite the unsubtle narrative device of a monstrous entity which takes the shape of a beautiful young man in order to seduce (figuratively speaking) another equally beautiful young man. Furthermore, the movie contains an eye-popping set-piece in which the two male leads shed their clothes and ravish a young girl who's been hypnotized into submission, though the coverage is focused almost exclusively on the guys themselves...

DeCoteau's insistence that his movies cater primarily for teenage girls (contrary to remarks made on the US DVD release of LEATHER JACKET LOVE STORY, where he specifically encourages gay viewers to check out the Rapid Heart catalog) suggests a reluctance to challenge established mainstream parameters. In other words, he's trying to have his cake and eat it by indulging a commercial preoccupation with beautiful young men whilst refusing to pursue the concept to its logical narrative conclusion. In his own defence, DeCoteau argues that many actors - particularly those most suited to this kind of movie - are unwilling to perform nude scenes, though this argument seems particularly bogus. Refusal to do a full-frontal is one thing, but if his actors won't even allow rear-view nude shots, then the likelihood of a daring, sexually unambiguous horror film from this particular stable seems remote, to say the least. Here, for instance, very little attention is lavished on Bradley Stryker's ultra-buff torso, except for a couple of sequences during the latter half of the film, and the equally hunky Donnie Eichar (playing an axe-wielding doorman) remains fully clothed throughout! The movie lacks audacity and courage, in spades.

All this would be immaterial, of course, if the production schedule had allowed for a stronger storyline, less reliant on prolonged stretches of mundane dialogue. For all that, however, THE BROTHERHOOD is assembled with a fair amount of professional skill, and most of the acting is fine (Josh Hammond steals everyone's thunder as Watkins' not-so-nerdy sidekick). Teens may enjoy the simplistic storyline and sumptuous young actors, but there's little here to engage a wider audience. Followed by THE BROTHERHOOD 2: YOUNG WARLOCKS (2001).