Expected more

Excellent but underrated film

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

GIFTS FROM STRANGERS is a modern-day indie horror flick which seems to have been made for the Youtube generation. The main character is a video blogger and the subject matter of the story is pranks of the kind you can watch all day long on Youtube. There's no horror other than at the 'twist' ending, but at least at 45 minutes it doesn't go on too long.

Just watched this and thought it was a really good, well made and actually creepy film. The acting was OK for the budget and made for believable characters. I was very surprised by the quality of the effects. I haven't seen many better films made in this style and there is a lot of them made that should be embarrassed by just how well it can be done for next to nothing. I can't wait to see what other stuff they have made. It could have been made into a longer film easily and actually wished they had. I would recommend this film to anybody who enjoys a good scare to watch it.

Full Disclosure - I know the people who made this film.This is a good first effort from the Dos Caballeros Films, whilst the film itself has faults, the premise behind it is a solid one, Youtuber gets gift from fan and then things start to happen.This is where there are issues whilst the film is trying to use the footage from a Youtuber you never really engage with it on any level, as it is just a vehicle to get to the rest of the idea. And this is never really explored past the first 10 minutes or so. This is a shame as it could've been used in such a fresh an new way The Direction is good with the actors giving a fair to good performance although some of the time the dialogue feels forced and we are never given time to explore the friendships and make connections with any of the characters. The script could have done with a few more passes as this is where much of the film falls down as much of the information we are given feels shoehorned in, also we are given no explanation as to why the protagonist is constantly filming or why others are filming either, especially the antagonist, and its unclear at times if we are seeing from the perspective of the camera or from the view of a character. This pulls you out the film. Many TV shows have done this effectively such as the Outer limits or The Twilight Zone without the forced nature.With regard to the antagonist, the imp aspect of the film is never explained outside of two exposition scenes there is no journey of discovery for the protagonist and we are given all the information with regarding to the imp in one hit. Also the director relies heavily on the jump scares that unfortunately we can see coming from far away, the teasing of the protagonist is much more effective and the frames of the imp inserted work so much better than seeing the imp in the full, less is more in this case.The Camera work is good, but in places, the shots taken from someone who is supposedly just filming don't work they feel staged and as if going for the strange arty angle, not off the cuff as it should be.Whilst there is much to applaud what was accomplished with the low budget and the director is aware of the limitations of such and uses them to the films advantage. there is much within that makes the film feel disjointed.In Closing Gifts From Strangers feels that it wants to be an art house film disguised as a horror film and this hasn't meshed properly. The Director/ Writer shows a lot of promise as do his actors. they understand the limitations of what they are capable of which is a good thing but push further forward in the future I will follow all involved with this production in the future with interest and the Youtube distribution of Films, not just fan films, is the way forward in the future. Kudos for that.As for the fake names in the closing credits please just use who did what in future as this felt unnecessary.

I honestly enjoyed this. I felt very drawn in to the story line as it is something I am very into any way. There is small suspense in this movie as well. To be honest I thought I'd get bored (sorry lol) but I Wasn't, I'm surprised lol!!! The acting (considering not professionals) ain't to bad either. Very well thought of and played out. Look forward to more from u. My only criticism is this site (sorry) it was a nightmare to register and it insists I have to make my review at least 10 lines long before it will submit this! Ha ha so am just putting it out there to bulk up this review to this as some little film! Again, great little film, really enjoyed it. Xxx