Dead Hooker in a Trunk (2009) Reviews

• Just Awful

  matt_asimpson2011-08-16

  I read some pretty positive reviews for this film, and am always willing to support indy film. but seriously WTF! I just payed 7 bucks to rent this, I feel so strongly about it that I will ask for my money back from the store. I could only sit through 20 minutes of it. When the movie starts the first thing you will notice is just how terrible the audio is. quickly followed by the lighting, camera work. and editing. you will not know what the hell is going on. Then when the performances start you will face palm at the writing and execution. The thing that bothers me most is that the film makers have cast themselves in the lead roles, when really, if they cared at all about film making, they would have stayed on the other side of the camera, at least that way they could have attempted to limit the damage of every other terrible element at work. 0 out of 10

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• A true Grindhouse Joyride

  hauntedtree2010-05-26

  Amidst the list of other movies attempting to pay tribute to the grindhouse spirit at the Pollygrind Festival in Las Vegas, NV. The Film "Dead hooker in the Trunk" was the highlight of my time. The twin sisters (Jen and Sylvia AKA Twisted Twins) delivered an extremely well executed film. Basic story is about a group of teenagers driving around town in their black Camero notice a strange smell coming from the car. They pull over and open the trunk to find a dead hooker hidden in it. It just gets crazier from there. You might have a hard time catching your breath between each crazy event! They did an amazing job considering what their budget probably was. The script was well written, the cinematography was decent, the special effects where low budget which actually added to the charm of the film. Also I have to mention that the twins are not only beautiful but they are good actors.(something that is often overlooked in films in this caliber) This film was a true passion project. Not only did the sisters star in this joyride, but they produced and directed it. And I can't forget C.J Wallas, who played the "Goody Two-shoes". He is also credited for the cinematography, editing and composing of this film. If you are looking for the normal multi-million dollar cookie cutter action film filled your high priced actors, expensive car chases, explosion or even the latest 3D animation, you won't enjoy this film. But you are looking for some fresh new faces and good old fashion story telling, check this film out. I am anxious to see what Twisted Twins do next!

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• The Soska Sisters have to be taken on their own terms

  m-a-elsewhere2014-06-08

  Spiritual awakening in the scenic byways of western Canada...but only sort of. Less extreme horror exploitation than a null-budget anarcho-punk statement from identical twin sister auteurs Jen & Sylvia Soska (a.k.a. Twisted Twins), DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK is the visual equivalent of lo-fi riot grrrl garage rock—mashing up Robert Rodriguez, Harmony Korine, Nick Zedd, Amos Poe, and Eli Roth, with an occasional whiff of Greg Araki. The movie has to be taken on its own terms. In keeping with a homage to no wave and grindhouse esthetics, the Soskas apparently consider continuity to be cisgender heteronormative fascism imposed by imperialist capitalist elitism: exterior shots filmed before & after a snowstorm are spliced together; one character's severed limb randomly appears re-attached; it seems that a lead role had to be reinvented on the fly when the actress cast for the part didn't show up on set and the only available substitute was the cameraman. Some viewers can roll with this; others can't. Still, the script is energetic, brutal, funny, often quite sparkling, albeit the actors mumble and stumble through any dialogue more complicated that "F*&K!" The plot? There's a dead hooker in the trunk: roll camera and--ACTION! More specifically: Geek, her severely hungover twin sister Badass, and Badass' equally hungover punk-rawk pal Junkie are giving Geek's friend Goody Two-Shoes a lift home from his Christian youth ministry when, en route, they discover that someone's stashed drugs and a corpse in the boot of Badass' car. So...call the police? It's not like they had anything to do with it, right? Well, that's another problem-- BADASS: "Last night is really fuzzy..." Thus the quartet, uncertain whether they're psycho-killers, have to find an informal way to ditch a cadaver in suburban Vancouver in broad daylight in winter--and pious Goody Two-Shoes demands they do so while respecting the dignity of the deceased. Plus, they're all being hunted by the real murderer or murderers. Complications, mayhem, mutilations, homicides' 'n' hijinx, along with gratuitous everything and a cameo appearance by God, ensue. It all hangs together—often barely—by dint of the Soska sisters' relentless fan-sensibility attitude.

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• This movie is just plain bad

  maximuspain2011-09-17

  I won't warn you of spoilers, but I will warn you of this awful, awful mess of a film. I read many reviews praising this disgrace to the skies, which made me eager to watch it. The high hopes I had for this film were crushed completely within the first quarter of an hour. I really don't know where to begin pointing out the countless shortcomings of this film, nevertheless I will try my best. First, the allegedly refreshing and convincing story turned out to be among the most illogical, inconsequent crap ever written. The dialogs, oh my God, the dialogs. They were so freaking awkward. The actors were even to explain how they feel due to the lack of both storytelling and acting skills of these "genius" twins and their cast. And the specious argument of gore is neither valid nor justifiable for this film. The effects are cheap in the cheapest sense of the word, far from convincing and some were even ridiculous. If the movie were labeled a comedy that would be okay, but according to its official IMDb page it's not. The wild mix of genres, by some reviewers considered innovative, proved to be half-baked and shallow, and therefore unsatisfactory. One review I read compared the movie to a roller-coaster, and I can sort-of agree to that. Only I think it's a BROKEN roller-coaster! Don't ride a broken roller-coaster, even if it's only figuratively spoken, it can cost you an awful lot of brain cells. P.S.: I recommend re-watching "The Horribly Slow Murderer With The Extremely Inefficient Weapon" instead of wasting time for this abomination.

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• A Stupid Debut

  rogertbop2011-08-02

  DHIAT's so-called "originality" did not distract me from its oddly paced, and often disengaging, story-telling. It seemed as if the Soska Sisters abandoned all, if any, logic in their script to boost its own bizarreness and eccentricity. Movies don't exactly demand realism (nor do I), but in this case it resulted in a laughable story that just felt too unbalanced to offer room for its humor to surface. In other words, they tried too hard. Whether they tried too hard to be witty or weird, humorous or homage-y, the Soska Sisters didn't know which direction to take their debut so they ended up taking all of them. Their decision made DHIAT a tangled and stupid effort. The dialogue was so stereotypically and poorly written, it literally had me finishing the sentences the actors were saying. (Ever heard that about a Tarantino flick?? Yeah, so don't go comparing them with QT) The acting, at times, was convincing… But how hard is it to act like a whore, a nerd or a religious douche? I guess I understand why people really like it though; it's a (moderately) violent homage to Grindhouse films, that actually has a pretty fun sub-plot about a masked serial killer that's worth mentioning. The Soska Sisters did their best considering their budget and will be welcomed with open arms in the horror community. Personally, I think they will be receiving a bit more than they deserve.

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