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Nailbiter (2013) Online

Nailbiter (2013) Online
Original Title :
Nailbiter
Genre :
Movie / Horror
Year :
2013
Directror :
Patrick Rea
Cast :
Erin McGrane,Meg Saricks,Emily Boresow
Writer :
Patrick Rea,Kendal Sinn
Type :
Movie
Time :
1h 22min
Rating :
4.3/10

The Maguire family is forced to take sudden refuge in a seemingly abandoned storm cellar from a deadly tornado.

Nailbiter (2013) Online

This movie is about a mother (Alice Maguire) and her three daughters who are trying to get to the airport to pick up Mr Maguire, the daughter's father. But on the way there is a tornado warning and the trip starts to get too dangerous so they stop on the highway and run to a house to take shelter. Nobody answers the door so they all get in to the cellar to wait out the storm. But then they discover that there is somebody in the house above them, and then they become trapped in the cellar. But there's more to worry about than the impending storm, and their lives become endangered, by something that's not normal.
Cast overview, first billed only:
Erin McGrane Erin McGrane - Janet Maguire
Meg Saricks Meg Saricks - Jennifer Maguire
Emily Boresow Emily Boresow - Alice Maguire
Sally Spurgeon Sally Spurgeon - Sally Maguire
Joicie Appell Joicie Appell - Mrs. Shurman
Mark Ridgway Mark Ridgway - Sheriff
Aaron Laue Aaron Laue - Lt. Maguire
Ben Jeffrey Ben Jeffrey - Deputy Carr
Michelle Davidson Michelle Davidson - Dina
Allen Lowman Allen Lowman - Tom
Ian Dempsey Ian Dempsey - Sean
Matt Sayers Matt Sayers - Weatherman
Tom Conroy Tom Conroy - Bartender
Jason Coffman Jason Coffman - AA Meeting
Lynn Dhone Lynn Dhone - AA Meeting


User reviews

Marr

Marr

A mother and her three daughters are going on a weekend trip when they soon find themselves caught in the middle of a storm. A tornado heads directly for their car so they seek shelter in an abandoned wine cellar. They discover they are trapped and whoever owns the house wants to keep it that way. Within the shadows something begins to stir. They are not alone in the darkness...

I give it a B- because although predictable, it offers good acting and the feeling of claustrophobia. The characters are also likable and more three dimensional then cereal box creature features. The creatures themselves wouldn't make a five year old wet their pants, but it's the idea that suppose to be scary. Check this movie out if you are a horror fan. It's at least entertaining.
Goll

Goll

Where do I begin. A woman is at an A.A. meeting talking about four months of sobriety and how she is waiting for her soldier husband to return from overseas. Next up is continuous TV and radio headlines warning of the tornadoes heading towards Kansas. So what does recovering mom do; take a drink; no, I wish she would have. Instead she gathers up her three high school age children for a ride to the airport, right into the storm of the century. While piloting the family Subaru Wagon, they encounter a hail storm. The former drinker looks in the mirror and screams at the tunnel of wind headed toward them. They run from the car to the closest house, and when no one answers their calls for help, they break into a cellar. The winds knocks a tree down over the entrance and they are trapped. The youngest daughter tries to squeeze through a small window and is bitten by a strange creature. The wound looks like pellet holes in her arm. A lot of screaming and bad acting follows. A local cops mother lives in the house and she looks a lot like Barbara Bush; it's the only unintentional comic relief. She has somehow begat some kind of Alien like offspring which terrorize the mom and three girls throughout Nailbiter. It is simply awful. Avoid this turkey like the plague.
inetserfer

inetserfer

"Nailbiter", despite its somewhat cheesy title, was actually quite good. The movie is listed as horror, but just don't expect to be scared out of your seat. "Nailbiter" is more of a thriller, the kind that creeps under your skin and leaves you wondering.

The story is about a mom and her three daughters driving towards Kansas city where they are to be reunited with their returning husband and father coming back from military service overseas. But a massive tornado is ravaging the state, and the women get waylaid on their way, having to seek shelter in the cellar of an apparently empty house. As the storm rages, the women find that they are by all means not alone, trapped in the cellar with something beastly stalking outside.

I enjoyed the story, even though it was far from scary. But the story managed to lure me in and keep me wanting to see what happened next. The director, Patrick Rea, was really good at building up suspense and letting the movie progress in a way that let us slowly in on the events, piece by piece. It worked out so well, and I found myself to be thoroughly entertained throughout the entire movie.

Acting-wise, then "Nailbiter" was good as well, there was a relatively small cast to the movie, but they all did really good jobs with their roles, especially Ben Jeffrey (playing officer Carr) he was really great.

"Nailbiter" had a really great atmosphere to it, and the sense of dread and claustrophobia in the cellar with something unknown lurking outside was just such a nice touch. They managed to pull that off quite nicely.

If you enjoy scary movies, horror movies, thrillers, etc. then you definitely should give "Nailbiter" a chance, it might just grow on you. Despite being overly scary, "Nailbiter" does manage to impress and get under your skin. It is a movie that leaves you wondering what was just exactly happening there in Wellsville.
Steamy Ibis

Steamy Ibis

Nailbiter draws on the venerable "small town with a secret" sub genre of situational horror. Not a bad way to go. In this instance a mother who is a recovering alcoholic drives to KC with her three teen-aged daughters to meet their father on his way back from overseas deployment. Waylaid by a tornado in their path, they seek refuge in cellar of a seemingly abandoned farmhouse.

Of course neither the farmhouse nor the cellar are really empty, as the women come to learn.

Directer Patrick Rea fumbles around the obviously low budget, using shots that serve to emphasize just how low the budget must have been. When the "bear" does appear, it's given short shrift (although already a horror film cliché, Rea might have done better to use speeded up motion for the haunter rather than a bit of face here or a clawed hand there). The girls manage to McGuyver their way out of the cellar in ways that couldn't be more predictable--not to mention just plain silly (who else is tired of seeing people fire nail guns like rifles, ignoring the fact that as a safety feature their barrels must press against whatever is being nailed to prevent injury?).

The rest of the script is just pro-forma bits of horror/suspense tropes put in just because.... Why is the mother an alcoholic? Why take the time to depict her in an AA meeting? The answer may seem apparent nearer to the end, but it isn't, not really.

All in all Nailbiter feels like a very first film the director wasn't particularly passionate about. It could have very good, very suspenseful if shot with greater care.
Manona

Manona

Nailbiter was better than I expected. These days a lot of low-budget horror movies have been disappointing. So, it was nice that this came along and did something a little different.

The plot involves a mother and her three daughters living in Kansas awaiting the return of of the father. They are going to meet the him at the airport when they get sidetracked by a tornado. They find the nearest house and, unable to get inside, hide in the cellar. This turns out to be a huge mistake as the family upstairs is connected to a group of carnivorous monsters that tend to get riled up during storms.

One thing that was special about this was the plot didn't advance in quite the way I expected it to. I thought for sure they weren't going to harm these girls, but I was very wrong. There isn't a lot of on- screen violence but what's there is enough to create tension.

The acting was pretty strong, if a little spotty, good for a low-budget horror anyway. A few of the performances do stand out, especially the Sheriff and the oldest daughter. The music was robust and does a good job of setting a tone and providing cues. The monster make-up is good but underused. I don't think you ever really get a good look at a whole one. Although there are a couple nice scenes where you get close ups of their faces.

Lastly, The film sets itself up for a sequel and given the context I would very much like to see it. This has a solid premise and a bigger budget and some more action would suit it nicely I think.
Andromathris

Andromathris

I thought this was going to be a remake of the 1999 short film Nailbiter, but I was pleasantly surprised with the introduction of the film. Being from the Midwest, I quite enjoyed the initial seen with the incoming tornado that prepared the storyline for the rest of the film. The story is unique and interesting, but the dialogue and common sense of the characters fall flat. The thought process of the characters is similar to that of elementary school children. The "creatures" are well created, but they get no screen time, and the same can be said about the violence and gore that most horror fans expect from films like this. In my opinion the ending seemed completely out of place setting the film up for a sequel, but I don't think the writer or director realized this. My two-cents, a lot of potential ruined by sloppy dialogue, acting and screen direction. However, interesting story, cool looking creatures and nice effects make this movie watchable if you are into the horror genre.
Carrot

Carrot

Damn it is hard at times to write a review for a great film, and I find it even harder to write one for this awful awful film. It sort of sounded OK, but it took all about 10 minutes work out where this one was going to.

The music score is terrible, the so called special affect would have cut it 50 years ago, but it is 2012 after all, and damn I expect more from films these days then this rubbish.

I think the story it self is not bad, but the acting is as wooden as a plank! and it just feels wrong, cheap came to mind, but thats even a complement! So to sum it up, unless you have nothing better to do, damn no, don't waste your time on this, life is just to short! A very very solid 1 out of 10
Itiannta

Itiannta

After spending a portion of my evening yesterday watching Nailbiter i knew my conclusions about independent films are right. It IS possible to make a decent film with a low budget if your plot is okay. i was kinda depressed when watching Cell Count (awful) a few days earlier and became even more depressed when I read the reviews that were stating over and over again that even though that film had such a small budget it was really okay..no it wasn't.

Nailbiter on the other hand knows its limitations, it spends its money well to set up the scenery using some workable weather effects to imply impending doom for our 4 main characters ( instead of just using radio and television to say the weather is really bad and a storm is coming) so its easy to get the feeling for the film way in the beginning.

Our four main characters ( all women,which is refreshing) are on the road to pick up dad who is coming back after doing a tour abroad. They have to flee for an upcoming hurricane and their hiding place gives them more then they bargained for.

Although most of the events take place on 1 set; a cellar, the interaction between the mother and her three daughters is good enough to maintain a serviceable amount of tension and excitement, which is needed because it takes a while before something happens. The script uses this time wisely to gives the characters some ( not too much) meat on their bones so that you actually care what happens to them ( and yes not everyone is going to make it).

Problems ( both for the survivors and the viewer) arise when they finally get out of the cellar, budget restrains kick in, the twists near the end don't really work and it all ends with a whisper instead of a bang. And you come to expect more because of the fact that the main characters are quite expendable.

Good points; A lot thank god, decent acting from most of the actors. A decent story with a fair amount of tension and serviceable FX.

Weak points, key actors like the mother don't always convince; the turnaround from one of the daughters from a rebel teenager to channeling Alice from Resident Evil or the godmother of monster fighting Ellen Rpley isn't that good. and the lazy plot device regarding a cellar that has all on its shelves to fight the monsters and survive the night is a bit too easy for its own good.

all in all a nice little monster movie and a decent time waster, recommended.
Modigas

Modigas

Okay, I really honestly think that Hollywood thinks the flyover country between New York and Los Angeles is entirely occupied by inbred mutant monsters, and that's why they pretty much have contempt for the rest of the country.

So we have a recovering alcoholic mom who is going to drive through tornadoes with her three daughters to meet her returning veteran husband at the Kansas City Airport. Incidentally, the whole plot point of her being a recovering alcoholic is introduced, and other than having a few scenes where she encounters alcohol, nothing is done with it.

Equally introduced and goes nowhere is the boyfriend of one of the daughters who just wants to have sex with her, but she's playing with him. Why was this in the movie? No reason.

Well, they eventually get trapped in the storm cellar of a town where the whole population is some kind of shape-shifters who turn into monsters when there is a storm.

The payoff is nihilistic garbage where the people you are supposed to like are killed by the monsters.

Honestly, it's garbage where I guess some technical people were trying to build their resumes... I'm really sorry I invested any time into it.
Hellstaff

Hellstaff

If you like werewolf movies or disturbing southern-Gothic, then like everyone else, you probably won't enjoy this film. Should it have be made in the 1970s, you could excuse the woeful special effects, poor/cheap camera framings, and just terrible terrible acting. There's a quite a few dragging-your-hand-down-your-face moments.

I suppose you could call this a spin on the werewolf genre, only instead of a full-moon being the catalyst for changing, it's mid-west thunder storms, and instead of turning into werewolves, the creatures are more like hairless werewolf with fish eyes and nails for teeth. Get it? Nailbiter..
Porgisk

Porgisk

I would never begrudge anyone's opinion but who are these people who didn't like this movie at all? For the record I'm not affiliated in any way to this movie or the company that produced it. I'm just a fan who knows a good movie when he sees one and "NAILBITER" is a damn good movie! The story is of a mom and her three daughters who are seeking shelter from a tornado that is bearing down on them. They are in their car headed to the airport to pick up dad from the airport (He's returning home from the war). Unfortunately the cellar they end up in is the worst possible place they could be because something unnatural is lurking above ground. Something that isn't human, and it's hungry...

"NAILBITER" doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is, a good thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout it's running time. I saw it last year at the NYC Horror Film Festival & I can attest to the very positive reaction it received from the crowd. What really sealed the deal for me was the vagueness of the creatures and their origin. Are they werewolves? Zombies? Vampires? Something never seen before in a film of this ilk? You'd have to watch for yourself and decide but they are effective & scary to boot! Director Patrick Rea has a way with the camera that lets the audience in but only so much...that way the film remains tense & eerie. The actors all did a fine job with the taut & mysterious aspects of the script and the look of the film belies in meager budget, it's a seriously good looking movie.

The title fits the film just right as I am currently growing myself some really long nails so I can chew em' to the nub when the promised "NAILBITER 2" reaches the screen! Again, if you didn't like it then you didn't like it but tell the truth...didja really see it?
Mogelv

Mogelv

This movie is about a mother (Alice Maguire) and her three daughters who are trying to get to the airport to pick up Mr Maguire, the daughter's father. But on the way there is a tornado warning and the trip starts to get too dangerous so they stop on the highway and run to a house to take shelter. Nobody answers the door so they all get in to the cellar to wait out the storm. But then they discover that there is somebody in the house above them, and then they become trapped in the cellar. But there's more to worry about than the impending storm, and their lives become endangered, by something that's not normal.

What can I say? The acting was terrible, the script was cringe-worthy, and the plot is very overused; people trapped in a small area, getting bothered by some unusual presence. I think it could have been okay, but the way it was presented just made it very boring. There were no scary moments, which can be fine if the movie has an interesting plot that will keep you entertained without being scared every 10 minutes, but there was nothing. Nothing that intrigued me to keep watching, or put me on the edge of my seat, or made me want to see a sequel. In my opinion it was just a very,very badly produced movie.
Gaeuney

Gaeuney

Nailbiter is one of those rare gems that spark from a truly made independent film. For a film done with a miniscule budget and no major stars, it delivers a good story with good effects. It's an award winning film that is worth your time.

Nailbiter tells the story of a mother(Alice Maguire) and her three daughters(Sally, Alice and Jennifer)that are en route to the airport to meet her husband returning from Iraq. There is definite tension within the home due to the as the mother's problem with alcohol, the oldest teenage daughter's rebellious behavior, and the quiet middle daughter that appears to be getting lost in the shuffle.

Amidst the awkwardness of the long drive a tornado threatens to interrupt the family's reunion. As they try to find shelter it's apparent that the danger of the weather is a real threat. After they are forced to take refuge in a storm shelter in the middle of nowhere, events take an immediate dangerous turn; they are now trapped in the cellar by a fallen tree.

The house nor the storm shelter beneath it is empty and it's soon apparent that someone or something is intent of keeping the ladies in trapped. An escape attempt leaves the youngest daughter attacked and bitten by some type of creature that is fast on it's feet and has razor sharp teeth. With no way to contact anyone for help the ladies are alone to try to survive.

The story moves along at a steady pace and the setting of the dark, dank cellar makes their plight even scarier. Patrick Rea does a great job of bringing the viewer into the storm and it's aftermath. So many times we don't care about characters in movies. As a viewer you want to see them escape. You want to see their realization and understanding of what madness they stumbled into. Nailbiter works with some great elements to make the viewer feel the terror of being trapped. The camera angles are intentionally sharp and short to give the illusion of an enclosed space while also showing the space as dark and absent of light. And without light, you can't see the dangers around you.

The occupant of the home are an elderly lady whose son happens to be Sheriff and is full aware of their visitor. Although it's not clear what they plan to do with their captors, it's evident that they are aware of the creature on the loose. It seems they know and are expecting worse things to come.

In a twist that is highly original, the creatures and their behavior are affected by the storms. The worse the storm the worse the aggression. A tale of small town secrets unfolds into an unique new horror sub genre that has the potential to be an Indie cult favorite.

It's obvious that Nailbiter is a "no budget" film and thus there will be things that are not perfect. I would have liked to see the creature have more screen time and the characters do a little more in way of escape attempts. I also would have like to see more by way of the towns people toward the end of the movie. Nailbiter ends with a bang and there are rumors that a second film will definitely be made.

I hope that Mr. Rea has all the tools at his disposal to make his film exactly how he wants. He will def be a major player in horror. He has over a half dozen of short films under his belt that are excellent. Nailbiter is his first feature film and it's a solid debut worth checking out.

There is a big difference between Independent and no budget film. Independent/low budget films are what Scy-fy shows.
Dusho

Dusho

Several friends, whose opinion I trust, recommended this movie to me. I didn't have high expectations because it is often hit or miss with low(ish) budget movies. This movie was a pleasant surprise. The story is about a woman and her three daughters on the way to pick up the husband/father from the airport. Trapped in a storm they take refuge in a cellar and encounter some...interesting "people." One of the most impressive things about the movie was the writer/director's ability to avoid overdone clichés and tropes. The women are resilient and intelligent as well as interesting.

The acting and special effects may not have been Oscar worthy, but they were good. I didn't find myself distracted by either which is a sign of an enjoyable and carefully made movie.

This is a movie that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys horror movies and doesn't need an extravagant and overwrought Hollywood heavy weight. I'm looking forward to seeing more from the maker's of this film.
Jare

Jare

First time reviewer, but this was a tragedy that called itself a movie, and more than enough inspiration for me to sign in and write. Name a component of film-making and this atrocity cussed it out and b*tch- slapped it in the face.

I adore horror. Even the most avid horror fan would be shocked at the dogs I have sat through and thought were OK. Don't get me wrong; there are other movies I would rate a "1" and feel was on par with this one, but something about this particular piece of crap just insulted me. Maybe it was the acting, particularly Erin McGrone's. She made me want to punch someone in then face and cry. There's something desperately wrong when the kids' acting is far superior to the adults'. Then there was the script writing, which was probably done by two drunk orangutans.

I guess the part that pushed me over the cliff was that the concept was actually a GOOD IDEA. I wish Eli Roth had somehow been involved in the production, due to the mix of natural disaster and horror (a la Aftershock.) I hate to see ideas with potential go to sore waste. If it's this bad, it should be a standard one-aspect movie.

A waste of precious time on earth.
Vikus

Vikus

This movie starts well. The movie seems very promising, little different than typical Hollywood slasher type movie. Without giving much away, I would say that it starts with a severe storm. A mother and her three daughters take refuge in a basement. Then something weird starts to happen. They find out that they are not alone and there is somebody else. There are few scares but the situation never develops into anything. The biggest flaw is lack of any story line. Things keep happening without any connection and meaning. The actors have acted well for a low budget flick but they are never allowed to develop properly. Terrible direction and lack of a story line is the main cause of the disaster. The movie doesn't go any where and wanders in confusion and ends with a thud. Overall it is a low budget mess and better avoided.
Ann

Ann

If Hitchcock was alive today, this is the film he would be putting out" Plot-A mother and three daughters get caught up in a tornado and take shelter in a storm cellar. While trapped inside the cellar, they quickly discover that they are not alone. Review-Patrick Rea, I first discovered thru his short films in August 2010.( If you have not seen a Patrick Rea short film, you are truly missing out on something amazing) This is a director who if The Twilight Zone was looking for ideas and fresh concepts they should call him up and fire up the series again. He is quite frankly one of the best new directors of 2012, with the film to beat in 2012. Patrick Rea is a very smart director, and he treats his audience with respect as well as the material. This is clearly a director, who knows his limits, but what he lacks in budget, he truly makes up for in old fashioned suspense and tension. They did not call this Nailbiter because the title was catchy. This film is definitely the edge of your seat, what is that noise, how they will make it out alive nailbiter. Patrick Rea, is becoming the second coming of Alfred Hitchcock. And I will go one further, if Hitchcock was alive today and making films Nailbiter would be his latest creation. Like Hitchcock in his time, Rea is very familiar with what is what in the genre right now, and instead of caving in and succumbing to it, he is trying to revolutionize it and take old concepts and make them feel new. And with Nailbiter, Patrick Rea created a film that may not change the genre overnight but with any justice in this world of film, should put him on the map. To describe NailBiter would be like taking Rear Window and mixing it with the Descent. And that does not even begin to do this film justice. This film is so much more than a monster film, so much more than a suspense or family drama. This film is a masterpiece and should be on every critic and fans top ten lists in 2012 easily. This film has so many twists and turns, and even hints along the way that it makes the audience pay attention. From the mom and her three kids on the road to go pick up dad, to the girls trying and avoid the tornado to them being trapped in a cellar. This film just creates such a tension, that you just want to fast forward so bad to see where it is all leading to. But, that is the fun of this film. It is like a Christmas tree full of presents. Each one you get to just makes you crave the next one and next one. This film from start to finish had me entertained, from the script to the characters there is not one flaw in this film. This film deserves an audience. If Bravo puts out another " Top 100 horror films of all time" show, like they seem to do once a year ( lord does number one film of all time change every time they do that show)this film should be on the list. This is Patrick Rea, wait till you guys see Nailbiter, and you will not be let down.
Flas

Flas

It's hard to find NEW ideas these days! So many horror movies are just the same old thing just redone over and over. But this is new- a group of people in a small town that instead of having their evil activated by the moon, like werewolves, their beasts are caused by a tornado. Something that is already very terrifying to a lot of people and extremely destructive in its own right actually causes more fear in this small town by activating many of the residents of this community into flesh eating, nail toothed demons. That would give Taylor Lautner something to cry about! So, the story is a great thriller about how the people of this town have no choice but to dispose of this young family to keep the secret of their town safe. And, of course, what better place to live when tornadoes make you a monster than Kansas?
Kamuro

Kamuro

Like the title says, I'm from Kansas, used to live in the Wellsville area, so... well it seemed almost familiar to me. Anyways, I've been in almost the exact same situation. Well..., minus the f***ed up monsters, demons, or whatthef***ever they are. Hmmm..., anyways, this almost puts and interesting take on us Kansans. Almost makes it seem like there's something cool in this fly over state. Anywho, this move is just plain bad. The acting is special education drama club drop out level. The make up and effects are just plain stupid. This is definitely not a movie I can recommend to anybody for any reason, ever. Unless you are stupid, drunk, high or all 3, then there is absolutely nothing about this movie that is interesting or even watchable. Hell, if you can find something positive to say about this horrible piece of s***, then you are clearly all 3, and probably more stupid than all else.
kewdiepie

kewdiepie

Wow. There's bad acting........and then there's this...

I read another review where they said "really well acted" It's not possible that we're watching the same movie.

In all honesty, this is, hands down, the worst attempt at film making I have ever had the extreme displeasure of suffering through. At the 38-minute mark I turned off my TV......I've never done that before.....that should tell you just how horrendous this movie is.

On the bright side? Well, I now have a benchmark from which all really, really bad movies can be compared.

I am wondering if this was the Director's first attempt? And the cast, writers and producers' first venture into cinema? If so, they get a mulligan.........if not, then they need to make it their last venture into cinema.
Llallayue

Llallayue

Where do I start?

The Story was non-existing.

Acting was pretty mediocre even for independent low budget horror movie standards.

Background score was abysmal, loud and totally inappropriate for most part of film's run time.

Much hyped creature effects has less than 10 seconds screen time.

Less said about the film's screenplay the better.

Overall, the director made mess of what seemed like a somewhat interesting premise.
Gholbirius

Gholbirius

OK,so at first it seemed like a decent film,everything went pretty good.. the whole storm/tornado theme was convincing untiiiiil.... they got locked in that cellar....!The acting was very bad.. the music/sounds that these cheap "gollum" looking creatures were making made me think it was a horror comedy of some kind.. it had nearly 0 blood or anything gory... and the special effects were bad as well and really outdated for a 2012 film...!Especially the scene where the girl is supposedly caught in the tornado while in the car was that bad that it made me laugh and then she just disappears just like that... it seemed like they just wanted to end it.The story itself wasn't that bad... but it was really bad made so i couldn't even finish the film but i fast forward it for the shake of it... cheers!
Amarin

Amarin

While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I would like to say that Nailbiter is very well-acted, extremely well-filmed and the music is top-notch! What more can anyone want who are fans of great creature features!! None of that stomach turning gore...or the stupid female roles for this director. He is without a doubt, a class act. His women are strong role-models who are not portrayed as mindless, sex object "victims"...To me, that is a fabulous turn of events in a genre that has grossed (and I mean "gross"ed) millions of dollars making women look stupid and using its female characters as "objects/victims"!!! Nailbiter is a true depiction of the Midwest and its terrible storms (read the news lately?) and if you read the interviews about Patrick, the storyline about out-running the tornado and seeking shelter in a cellar actually happened to him. These writers are consummate storytellers who wrote a story about what they know and have experienced and...embellished it with a "terrific" flair and strong characters...these are vital parts of making Nailbiter a totally fun ride.
grand star

grand star

I was expecting a lot from NAILBITER after the first five minutes. After all, in those five minutes I found out it was a well-shot and initially engaging film, one that took the time to develop character and situation unlike so many these days. I was hoping for something better than the usual run-of-the-mill horror guff.

Unfortunately after just a handful of minutes NAILBITER gets significantly worse when the main characters find themselves holed up in a cellar to escape from an approaching tornado. After this point, they're trapped in the cellar FOR THE ENTIRE RUNNING TIME. In the dark. There's a mutant monster on the loose, yes, but he's barely glimpsed and seems incidental to the main storyline, which is just about those women sitting around in the cellar and complaining. Of course, there's time for a ridiculously over the top ending along the way.

The film is very underwhelming for the genre. None of the cast are familiar and none of them give very good performances; none of the protagonists are likable either. Bloodshed is kept to a minimum, and the horror itself is limited to those dumb jump scares that work for very few people these days. In other words, there's virtually no reason to watch this.
Qumen

Qumen

...is while you're wondering when this well-intentioned misfire will be over. Co-written and directed by a young Kansan auteur who is apparently more at home in the short form, "Nailbiter" is far from a terrible film, but sadly not much closer to a good one. It just is what it is: heavily derivative make-work, yet another illustration of Sturgeon's Revelation.

The acting is nowhere near as bad as some have claimed here, with a particular nod to relative newcomer Meg Saricks, but the cast is hampered by mostly uninspired dialog (and plotting) and a few too many "oh, c'mons!" to ignore. No, I'm not going to bore you with another recap of the story, but the set-up is particularly clumsy, what with our little band of heroines ignoring tornado warnings for nonsensical reasons and then falling prey to a whole series of unlikely occurrences, stupid decisions, and unwilling suspensions of disbelief (Please, oh, please, oh, please! Just how many times do we have to put up with the dropped cellphone signal gimmick?) It's just plain lazy writing, say I.

Sadly, I can't really claim any good reason to even review films like "Nailbiter," other than to perhaps warn a few people away from them, as well as express my displeasure with the sort of deceptive marketing that promotes them, the blatant cherry-picking of unreliable blurb whores, and the indiscriminate websites that host said mavens. "Delivers serious tension" - Ain't It Cool News. Liar. "A stellar claustrophobic and paranoid horror thriller" - Cinema Crazed. Not. "Sharp and deadly" - Bloody-Disgusting. What, your ticket stub? "Ingenious, creepy, delightful" - DreadCentral. Who are you sleeping with?

All I know is this one didn't cost me a dime, but I still feel cheated out of the time I spent with it.