Movie Review Flashback

Flashback (2003) 

Directed by Michael Karen 

Written by Michael Karen

Starring Valerie Niehaus, Xavier Hunter, Elke Sommer

Release Date January 1st 2000

Published March 24th, 2003 

I love bad horror films!

There is nothing funnier than a truly inept horror movie with ketchup for blood, goofy camera tricks standing in for special effects and acting that is on par with your local community theater. Unfortunately, truly inept horror movies that willingly except their ineptitude and go ahead anyway are few and far between. Flashback, a German horror movie dubbed into English by our friends at Lions Gate is a truly inept horror film, and it has a few truly hysterical moments.

Jeannette is our heroine, locked away in a mental hospital since the brutal murders of her parents by a serial killer. Now haunted by nightmares Jeannette can no longer recall everything that happened the night her parents were killed. She lives in the asylum by choice, but has now been convinced by her therapist that she is in good enough shape to rejoin the real world. Jeannette's therapist sets her up with a job as a live in French teacher for a group of spoiled rich siblings.

As soon as Jeannette arrives at her new home, strange things begin to happen revolving around Jeannette's visions of the man who killed her parents. The killer used a sickle and wore women’s clothing and suddenly the family's own sickle and one of Jeannette's dresses has gone missing. Of course soon after that, people start dying. Still, don't think you know where this one is going as Flashback has a twist for you.

It's not a great twist and your not likely to be surprised, but the fact that you guess the twist long before the idiots on screen do is part of the fun of bad horror movies. Of course, the best thing about bad horror films however is gruesome, brutal, poorly staged murders and their aftermath. Flashback has a couple of good murders including a girl who's body is dumped in a thresher and her remains are showered on a pair of workers trying to figure out what was jamming the machine. There is also an old woman crushed in the gears of a ski lift. Good times!

Flashback is not a good movie but as bad horror movies go, it's priceless. Ridiculous, forgettable and disgusting, if you like poorly dubbed German horror movies, Flashback is right up your alley.