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Lack of good storyline.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

A young boy watches as his seemingly loving father goes violently berserk shooting his mother point-blank with a shotgun claiming, "The damned thing found me." Running frightened out of his wits, the child climbs up a tree with daddy in hot pursuit blazing his shot-gun in a state of madness. The child watches as some invisible force throws his father up against the truck ripping him apart. Twenty something years down the road, he has grown into a boozing, deeply traumatized man, a sheriff in a nearby town named Cloverdale, hoping that the damned thing will remain in Sturgess, Texas, but deep down(and as the forehead scar certainly reflects)he knows the past will come back to haunt him just like his other two generations of Reddles. Sheriff Kevin Reddle(Sean Patrick Flanery, wearing the traumatized history of his past etched into his troubled, wounded face)has installed video equipment into his home watching for that terror he fears will return, as his estranged wife and young son live in a trailer separate from him. Soon Cloverdale citizens are killing themselves and each other as loud thunder and vicious lightning noises the damned thing's return. We see in one sequence where Kevin's wife Dina(Marisa Coughlan)is taken over by the invisible force almost leading her to the murder of son Mikey(Alex Ferris). It's one example of many where rational, normal people react against type in extreme, unsettling ways displaying cruelty towards those around them. What is the damned thing and can Kevin somehow prevent history from repeating itself? Does this past incident in 1959 where a town slaughtered themselves after the Reddles drilled a certain well dry have something to do with the outbreak of violence taking place in the present? It is mentioned by a newspaper writer that perhaps an evil force was released when the Reddles started drilling for oil, could chaos have actually been unleashed on innocents? In describing the myth from stories in his childhood, Kevin tells us that those who found the townspeople dead in the streets from a past slaughter explained an overwhelming force they felt.Describing the force that is overwhelming people, I guess Dina describes her experience best..that which went through her was like a poison.If you are watching this for an exhilarating experience from the plot, you'll feel rather unsatisfied and perhaps even mystified. But, if you want pure blood and guts, Tobe delivers that in abundance. Expect entering this horror tale, lots of over-the-top violence, there's bloody carnage on display. People being blown away by shotgun blasts, one woman whose upper torso is pulled from a car as shredded flesh and blood splatters where her legs use to be, a man bashes his head with a hammer, Priest Father Tulli(Ted Raimi, how's that for casting against type!)blows a deputy's brains out with his own pistol, etc. Often, Tobe often uses frenetic camera-work, I'm guessing to communicate the panicky situation at hand during the action where characters are running for their lives from threats. The oil monster at the end is something to behold, I'll tell you. The film has narration from Kevin explaining his terrifying past and his fears. We see in one eerie scene where the scar on Kevin's forehead opens to reveal a demented grin..with teeth and tongue emerging!

Ah, what can I say? I was rooting for Tobe Hooper, as a longtime fan of the man's work, to hit one out of the park this time around, since his episode "THE DAMNED THING" opens Season Two of MOH. Last season, his entry, "DANCE OF THE DEAD" had its sketchy moments, yet still (at least for me) managed to compel me to stick with it...with a lot of motivation coming from Robert Englund's bravura performance as the "M.C." I'm sorry to say that this time around, Tobe and writer Richard Christian Matheson fall far short of the mark. And I think a lot of the problem comes from the source material. It's a commendable ambition to attempt to adapt material as classic and timeless as the stories of a well-known author like Ambrose Bierce, but the chilling terror from his stories lies in the brevity and the strong imagery they evoke.Set basically in the past, via a series of journal-like entries, the original story would've proved problematic to adapt on a limited budget, so I can understand why Matheson brings the scenario into modern times. But given that there's only an hour to tell the tale, no matter what you do with it, there's just not enough time to do the kind of set-up that Hooper has done in the past...getting us all comfy with the characters and their relationships, so that our concern for their welfare magnifies the horror of their grisly fates that much more. Sorry to say that I sensed none of that going on here at all.The other signature Hooper touches are here: the oppressive sense of oncoming doom, the extreme gore (although it's more literal than psychological here, which dilutes a lot of the shock value), and an atypical ending to the story. But Sean Patrick Flanery, who is usually pretty good, underplays the lead character almost to the point of being catatonic, while the supporting players are all stock characters, (except for Ted Raimi, whose priest seems to be a complete loon from the get-go, so his later rampage comes as no surprise to the audience whatsoever.) Just like there are certain songs that some singers should never attempt, there are some contemporary American authors whose work shouldn't be adapted by some writers or directors. I wish Tobe and Richard better luck on their next endeavor, since this one really didn't work. (Honestly...maybe Don Coscarelli should've tried this one, while Hooper and Matheson could've been given a Joe Lansdale story to tackle. Now THAT might hold some great possibilities...)

I've read other reviews that claim that Tobe Hooper's The Damned Thing is the best of the series to date and I'd have to agree. Not since last season's John Carpenter directed entry Cigarette Burns has there been an episode this well made. Hooper is in his finest form since the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Maybe that's due to the location of this film being the lonestar state as well. Whatever it is, the mojo is back people! Everything about this episode is superb. From the extremely literary script by Richard Christian Matheson adapted from a short story by Ambrose Bierce to the cinematography to the cast. and what a cast it is! Marisa Coughlan as the spunky ex wife does a fine job. Ted Raimi breaks from form as a priest who succumbs to the madness and delivers the finest performance of his career to date. And then there's lead actor Sean Patrick Flanery. Hands down this is Flanery's film. He owns this role and the film that goes with it. I have never seen him deliver a performance like this. I was glued to the screen every second he was on camera. What a kick off to the second season. If every episode is this well done, season two will be a definite step up from the first season.

I can't believe MOH chose to open their second season with this stinker. Seriously, I've seen better horror films on Youtube. I have to assume the previous glowing review it got was from someone involved with the show. Maybe Tobe Hooper himself.Bad acting. Bad directing. Bad story. Random characters that come out of nowhere just in time to be killed. No real plot to speak of, and an ending that seems tacked on from a completely different story. Plus a lot of voice-over exposition from the main character - never a good sign.Hopefully the episodes will get better from now on. Frankly, I don't see how it could get worse.