Brilliant and touching

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Every time I watch a movie by Tobe Hooper, I end up thinking, "How is it possible that the same man that directed this crapfest could also direct The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?" Maybe what I *should* be asking is, "How is it possible such an untalented director could possibly make The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?" I'm not difficult to please. I thought The Mangler was stupidly entertaining, kind of like a winking nod to horror fans. "Hey, horror fans! We had Robert England and Ted Levine available for a few days, so we threw together a cheesy movie for you! Sorry it sucks so bad, but we only had $1000 to spend." That's OK, Tobe. I understand. It's the thought that counts. And who doesn't love a movie about a serial-killing laundry machine that chases people down the street? Call it a guilty pleasure.But, seriously, what the hell is this? This is horrible! It's a pastiche of Lovecraft tropes (small town in the middle of nowhere, otherworldly fungus, quotes from the Necronomicon, human sacrifice, and zombies) thrown together with some quirky comedy about a single mother moving out to the middle of nowhere and becoming a trainee mortician (don't even ask), with absolutely no attempt at cohesion or good story-writing. Did they get Tobe Hooper, because Fred Olen Ray turned them down? It sure seemed like it! All this *might* be forgivable, except for the ending. The ending makes no sense whatsoever, and I subtract 5 points merely for that *huge* continuity error. With another point docked for bad CGI and another for the atrocious script, that leaves us with a 3/10. Very generous, indeed.

What an odd little horror film, one that has stayed with me even though I have not seen it in several years. A mom and her two kids move into an old funeral home in the middle of nowhere and everything that can go wrong, does. The place is haunted and beyond repair. The first half of the movie is atmospheric and suspenseful, while the second half is a zombie spoof. Take your pick. Denise Crosby, of PET SEMETARY fame, plays the mother. I have to wonder about Tobe Hooper. The films starts off with a sense of eeriness and dread, and then becomes something else entirely, which is not necessarily a good thing. At any rate, the first half is sure to get ya. I am reminded of 1981's DEAD & BURIED, for some reason. Maybe it's the small town setting. Or the zombies.

Tobe Hooper is best known for 2 horror-classics: Texas Chain Saw Massacre(1974) and Poltergeist(1982). Although, he had some help from Spielberg on the second one. But that was a long time ago. His remake on Toolbox Murders was not a great film but with Mortuary he hits a new low. Since the story takes place in and around a mortuary, he must have thought: that is scary enough. So no exciting story with thrills. In the first half, nothing happens at all, and the characters are annoying and very irritating at times. Miss Crosby once starred in the great Pet Sematary (but that was also a long time ago...) The effects in the second half are rather fake, some are o.k. but overall they are not convincing (like the entire cast for that matter).I'm still wondering why I finished watching til the end, I guess I had some hope considering it was a Tobe Hooper movie. But I really hope he has retired since this turkey..

In 1974, Tobe Hooper struck lucky with the low budget horror 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. This has lead to the director getting himself on many a list of horror fans' favourite directors - but for me, he was only ever really average and his filmography since his debut does nothing but prove that. Mortuary only serves in proving it further, as while my opinion of the film isn't quite as low as the average review; it's clear that this is a terrible movie and certainly not the work of a director with as much experience in the genre as Tobe Hooper. The basic plot sees a mother, her son and her daughter go to live in an old funeral home so the mother can take up a position as the town mortician (despite having no experience in such a job). This base leads to a whole load of other plots that spring from it. For a start, we've got the son's developing friendship with some of the locals, the story of the deformed boy who lives in the bowels of the funeral home, and also some strange fungus that attacks people and turns them into zombies...It's clear that this is not going to be any good right from the word go, but in fairness to it; the first half of the movie actually isn't all that bad. There's nothing special about it, but Hooper introduces his characters well and sets the scene for the horror. It's not long, however, before the film descends into complete messy stupidity and by then it's better to sit back and laugh at the proceedings. Hooper has got his cast all wrong here too. I don't want to sound mean, but a film like this really needs a pretty lead actress to keep concentration up, and Denise Crosby doesn't really suit that role; and also fails to put any effort into her performance. The son character is obviously meant to be cool, but Dan Byrd is too dorky to carry it off and the fact that he's so young looking doesn't give him any credibility. Child actress Stephanie Patton is not bad (the best performer of the three central ones), and Alexandra Adi is the best thing about the film. Despite all its flaws; Mortuary is at least not completely boring, there are a few amusing moments (mostly for the wrong reasons) and certain set pieces work well. But this is not the work of a 'master' and in that respect it is disappointing.