User Reviews

Just finished watching an unusual little movie on Amazon Prime. It's called "How not to make a horror film" and it's an indie film about a young filmmaker in Australia who writes a horror screenplay, gets it funded entirely by people he knows and people he pitches it to. No corporate or government funding at all. So he fights against all odds, all the naysayers, and even the elements themselves and eventually becomes a household name, so the name of the movie becomes sweetly ironic, right? Wrong. Oh, so very wrong. No, nothing so simple or formulaic. Fresh with a very limited supply of family savings, he arrives at the set, an abandoned hotel in a ghost town. This is where the house starts to fall in on him, both literally and figuratively. From divas in a picture whose total budget is $30k, to dishonest vendors cheating him just because they can, to makeup girls getting in a rollover accident on an errand to buy tape, the universe has decided this movie will not be made, and it will not be gainsaid on the matter. And indeed the universe does indeed win this fight. So is it a comedy in the vein of "The Money Pit"? Oh no, not a bit. So why is it that I think you should see this movie? It's really simple: this movie is about grit. This movie is about a "Damn the critics, full speed ahead" attitude that absolutely drives a project to its finish, no matter what. It's about setting your jaw, doubling up your fists, and entering the fray determined to finish, even knowing in advance that the likely outcome is that you're gonna get your clock cleaned. It's about taking on the impossible, and doing it anyway, even if it tries to rip your heart out in the process. It's about finishing your dream with your blood, all your finances, the last tatters of your reputation, every bit of effort you ever thought you could make, and several bits of effort you never thought you could make, even if after all is said and done, all that is left at the end is you and your tears, and a shattered dream that will never be. So why do it? Because the dream is not the point. YOU are the point. The things you learn in your failures, the small victories that make you feel like a king, the resilience and wisdom you gain from your failures, and the undeniable strength you get from fighting the good fight with others - those things are truly the most worthwhile, because they will fuel your future success. People think success is easy because they see its results so often. And sometimes success IS easy, but the other 99.44% of the time, it is the result of countless sacrifices, long hours, hard work, and a bulldog-stubborn refusal to quit. The vast majority of the time, success will demand more than you've got. That's OK, just never give up, and you'll find enough on the way. So watch this movie for those very things - and the knowledge of how not to make a horror film, of course!