LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Claudio Carvalho The successful psychologist Dr. Karen Schumaker (Rebecca Hobbs) comes to a mental institution directed by Dr. Marlowe (Roy Ward) to evaluate the dyslexic serial-killer Simon "The Ugly" Cartwright (Paolo Rotondo). Simon discloses the sad story of his life, bullied at school and abused by his mother Evelyn Cartwright (Jennifer Ward-Lealand). His only friend Julie was separated from him by his mother when he was a teenager. Simon claims that he hears voices that force him to kill. When Dr. Schumaker earns his trust, she discovers what is going inside Simon's head."The Ugly" is an original film with a different combination of drama, thriller and horror. The two nurses are nasty and the plot keeps the attention of the viewer until the very last scene. Unfortunately the conclusion is disappointing and gives the sensation that something is missing to be a great film. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "The Ugly- O Maníaco" ("The Ugly – The Maniac")

dschmeding This New Zealand Movie was a real surprise from start to finish. I expected an ordinary horror movie but already the minimalistic opening and the claustrophobic cold feeling of the asylum are great and somewhat different. The movie is filled with creativity especially visually and that is basically just editing and camera work, barely any special effects except for when The Ugly appear. The movie starts in an asylum with central figure and serial killer Simon incarcerated and bullied by his 2 extremely strange keepers. Simon has confessed his killings and is in the asylum for several years. Since not just his keepers but also the asylum director are not just creepy but a little insane themselves he asks for a new psychologist who comes in. From here "The Ugly" goes a little in the "Silence of the lambs" direction with the female psychologist interrogating him about the background of his murders and Simon trying to get in her head as well as getting out of his troubled mind. Although the whole movie is set in the asylum and most of it in the room the both are talking (watched permanently by the odd asylum staff through a strange window to a room that looks a lot like a small cinema) it works with a lot of flashbacks and cuts to several parts of Simons life relevant for his later actions. This is done in a very creative way.. you see parts from Simons troubled childhood and later scenes until the murders are shown all blending together and mixed with the woman interrogating him, characters and scene elements wildly mixed (like the psychologist sitting beside him in several of his earlier life scenes) and jumping through time. I haven't seen so much creativity in a horror movie in a long time... scenes like young Simon running from his bullies and melting to the later Simon chasing one of his victims are just perfect and many ideas like the black blood, his haunting ghosts and Simon not being the remorseless killer but a rather troubled person with an often oddly scared, repulsed and pitiful expression on his face work fine. Its hard to describe the whole thing but if you think a creative mixture of Silence of the lambs, Elements of modern ghost story movies and the all time best of Slasher Movies mixed together in a very stylish and subtle way this one should be your choice. I sure was entertained from start to finish and "The ugly" has a lot to offer... the acting of lead actor Paolo Rotondo as Simon is great and there is some classic scenes like the bathroom scene and the scene in which Simon attacks the psychologist. Also the whole creepy asylum staff is great but in the end "The ugly" leaves many questions unanswered. I didn't get the meaning of the asylum director and his 2 bullies and the finale is also far from self explanatory, yet different and stylish. So even with some flaws in the script (which is pretty complex and seems to stumble across its many time skips in the end) this definitely is a viewing experience.

ponyboyevils A very good horror/thriller. I personally loved this movie and would suggest it to anyone who likes to see a movie that is just different. If you like the kind of movie that will kinda make you think about the movie a while after you see and will make you want to see again. Go and see it.

Gafke I'd never heard of this film before viewing the "Boogeymen" compilation, and was inspired to hunt it down afterwards, believing I might have missed out on a horror film of stunning importance. Indeed, Paolo Rotondo earned his award for his portrayal of Simon, a shy, good-looking and incredibly violent serial killer. Paolo makes his character sympathetic as we flash back to his childhood and see him beaten by his schoolmates and humiliated further by his weirdo mother. We don't blame him when he kills her. We understand, even if it's on a primal level, the bursts of anger that make him kill again and again. We even hope he will win the girl of his dreams, though when he does, we know it's only a matter of time before she too falls under the razor blade. Simon is a complex character, the sort who stops to rescue an injured dog with the fresh corpse of his most recent murder still in the backseat, or refrains from murdering a little girl because she is deaf, and therefore as damaged as he is.The film that surrounds Simon is unpleasant, to say the least. It is disgusting and difficult to watch and not always easy to follow. The ambiguous ending left me just as confused as I was when the film began. It was as though the people who made this film couldn't decide whether they wanted a straightforward story of a serial killer, or a dark fantasy about demons and the supernatural powers of the twisted mind. Everything is hinted at, but nothing is verified, and at films end, you are left to make up your own mind. I couldn't help but feel disappointed, especially since it seemed that Mr. Rotondo put his all into a character for a film that just wasn't worth the effort. It left me feeling sick and depressed.