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I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

A group of friends travel to a wilderness area to play a survival game. Soon they unexpectedly find themselves in a real-life survival situation.The first thing movie fans will probably notice about this film is that the score comes from Hans Zimmer, who has since become legendary. The score is remarkable, and if this was truly Zimmer's work, it is among his most fun and moving scores. You will not hear another score like it. Although not widely know, Frank Darabont (who is now a huge director), got his start in the art department on this film. Marianne Maddalena, the right-hand woman to Wes Craven for most of his career, was also a production assistant for "Zero Boys".Writer-director-producr Nico Mastorakis decided to cast largely unknown actors. Presumably, this was done for budget reasons. Despite this, he did land Kelli Maroney, who he now says was "never any trouble" and has nothing but high praise for her. Daniel Hirsch was carried over from "Sky High", but could hardly be considered a known actor, especially since no one saw "Sky High".Among the main cast is Nicole Rio, who is a horror icon in her own little way. She does not have a long list of credits, but 1986 brought her both this film (her debut) and the better-known "Sorority House Massacre". Being that her father and brother were in show business, it is something of a mystery why she seems to have more or less dropped out before she ever got going.The biggest name in the film (besides perhaps Joe Estevez) is Kelli Maroney, who is definitely a horror icon. She will forever be identified with "Night of the Comet". Had the 1980s horror boom lasted a few years longer, she probably would have gone from genre favorite to big screen success. Apparently she butted heads with the director on "Zero Boys", being more strong-willed than he was hoping for. He may have forgotten this.Other reviewers have noted that the gruesome sequences anticipate the so-called torture porn horrors of "Hostel" and "Saw". And this is a fair assessment. The movie has an unusual scene of tone, starting out very light-hearted, but then getting quite dark. The 1980s slasher film often can be seen as dark comedy, but the torture scenes here are too gritty, too dirty to have any humor at all. This takes away from the enjoyment of the picture, but it does make you wonder if "Hostel" or "Saw" was in some way influenced by this grit? Besides giving us a beautiful 2K restoration, Arrow Video has put more than a couple features on their 2016 blu-ray. We have audio commentary with star Kelli Maroney ("Night of the Comet"), as well as new interviews with Maroney, writer-director-producr Nico Mastorakis (very humorous), and actress Nicole Rio. And two music videos! Want to read more on the film? Check out the fully-illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by critic James Oliver.***

Steve, Larry and Rip (Hirsch, Shell and Moses, respectively) and their girlfriends, Jamie, Trish and Sue (Maroney, Carson and Rio, respectively) go deep into the woods of California for a paintball expedition. You see, the aforementioned dudes are "the best" at paintball. Surely something to be proud of. Collectively they are known as "The Zero Boys". After holing up in an old cabin, the young adults are stalked by a murderous madman and the terror begins. Will they ever get out alive? Like Masterblaster (1987), The Zero Boys is a mix of popular genres of the time, borrowing from survival movies, wilderness horror, slashers, and even Romps (what we call 80's teen sex romps for short). Imagine a not-as-good take on Just Before Dawn (1981) mixed with Friday the 13th ,1980 (Jason is even mentioned in this film, as is Stallone, so it's no wonder this movie must have been seen by the Saw (2004) and Hostel (2005) filmmakers, who clearly stole from some of its horror elements and must have liked its "ironic self-reflexivity" which also paved the way for the Scream series). Of course, throw in the paintball from the aforementioned Masterblaster, and this is what you get.On the down side, the 'Boys are unlikable and you don't care about their plight. If they're being picked off one by one, so much the better. Not a lot happens in this movie, and the last third is very hard to see, as it's at night in the forest with minimal lights. So there's minimal action AND you can't see it. If the characters weren't so annoying, this would be a different experience entirely. Plus there's no main, recognizable, understandable villain. That's also a major no-no.On the up side, in the first half of the movie, there is some energetic and interesting camera-work, as well as some cool music by Hans Zimmer, who later became a soundtrack big shot. There's a lot of un-PC dialogue which is always great and preserves the "totally 80's" vibe.Just imagine director Mastorakis' take on 8mm (1999) meets White Fury (1990), crossed with his own Nightmare at Noon (1988). While movies like this never get credit for being ahead of the curve, as discussed in our Bloodmoon (1997) review, The Zero Boys has what must be the first Taser on screen (and what a Taser!), as well as some pioneering use of video as part of the plot. But the problem is that it is all over the map genre-wise. So was Masterblaster, but that worked and this doesn't, mainly because it takes itself so seriously and has jerks for protagonists. Sadly, Mastorakis seems to lose interest as the movie goes along, and the movie suffers for it. Not surprisingly, the viewers' interest wanes as well. All they had to do to turn this movie around was to give it some characters you care about and a strongly defined villain. But no. Apparently that was too much to ask. There's really no excuse for these silly errors.Released by Lightning Video, The Zero Boys starts out not without some merits, but it's like starting at the top of a roller-coaster that goes slowly down into a valley but never comes out of it.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

I saw this movie as a youngster and it scared the snot out of me! I've been on the search for it ever since to add to my movie collection. It is amazingly rare and hard to find however, and very few people have even heard of it. Zero Boys has a good story line over all. A group of friends go off into the woods to have a weekend of paintball wars and a good time just hanging out, when all hell breaks lose. It makes you wonder what you would do in the same circumstance. You might we a weekend warrior, but what sort of warrior would you be when your life really is in danger? The characters are ones you may have seen before but the actors do a good job, the environment is familiar and pretty, and the ending is not at all what you'd expect. Over all it's a really good horror flick. I highly recommend it!

Out for a day of kicks with three girls,Steve,Larry and Rip(three college buddies who enjoy playing war games)stop at a remote wilderness cabin as a storm approaches.They've walked right into a nightmare trap set by two deranged killers."The Zero Boys" surely doesn't live up to its full potential.This film is quite dull and there is absolutely no gore.There are some moody shots and a little bit of suspense,but there is not enough violence for my liking.There are much better horror films which are quite similar to "The Zero Boys" for example "Scarecrows","Hunter's Blood" or even the recent "Wrong Turn".Check them out instead of watching this disappointing movie.5 out of 10.