Rock, Paper, Scissors DVD Review (Lionsgate)
Rock, Paper, Scissors (aKa Rock Paper Dead) is a 2017 suspense thriller film directed by Tom Holland (Child’s Play, Fright Night, The Langoliers, Thinner, & Tales from the Crypt). It was written by Victor Miller (Friday the 13th & A Stranger Is Watching) & Kerry Fleming (The End Was Then & Dead Slate). The score was done by the legendary Harry Manfredini (Friday the 13th franchise, House franchise, Swamp Thing, Wishmaster, & Slaughter High). It premiered at Nightmares Film Festival & it won “Best Screenplay Feature”. Released from a mental hospital, serial killer Peter “the Doll Maker” Harris (played by: Luke Macfarlane from Brothers & Sisters, Killjoys, Mercy Street, & The Night Shift) is considered cured & rehabilitated from Dr. Evelyn Bauer (played by: Tatum O’Neal from Rescue Me, Certain Fury, The Bad News Bears, & Nickelodeon).
He returns to his family home after all these years. He is still haunted by memories of childhood abuse from his Uncle Charles (played by: John Dugan from from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, Texas Chainsaw 3D, & The Hospital 1/2) & all his murder victims while being stalked by the former detective that put him away Doyle Dechert (played by: Michael Madsen from Reservoir Dogs, Donnie Brasco, Kill Bill, & The Hateful Eight). His new mysterious neighbor Ashley Grant (played by: Jennifer Titus from Supergator, Cheerleader Massacre 2, Zoombies, & Reprisal) rekindles old desires when he’s trying to move on with his life. Can he fight his urges to kill again or Will be become the monster everyone knows????
Rock, Paper, Scissors was better than expected. This direct to video film sat on the shelf for about 2 years before being released to the public. You would think the combination of the creator of Friday the 13th & the director of Child’s Play plus other stuff like Fright Night would instantly grab the attention of the horror community but I guess not. It had a solid cast that included Tatum O’Neal, Michael Madsen, John Dugan, Maureen McCormick (The Brady Bunch), & Ari Lehman (Original Jason from Friday the 13th & The Barn 1/2). Ari Lehman is actually advertised on the front cover but he’s not even in the feature for more than a minute. John Dugan is only mentioned in small print on the back but he has a very important role in this. Both actors are pretty big names in the genre but for some reason they promoted the movie that way. Speaking of Dugan, he gives his best performance in his entire career in Rock, Paper, Scissors. Uncle Charles is beyond creepy & hard to forget.
I’ve seen way better from Michael Madsen in the past but he actually wasn’t sleepwalking like in some of his other recent flicks so it was fun to see him in this type of production. Luke Macfarlane was decent but I thought a more talented actor would have elevated the overall film. I felt the same way about Jennifer Titus in this, both of them were way too over the top. The special fx was very impressive & the score from Harry Manfredini fit the vibe of the feature perfect. I thought the look of the killer & the victims really made Rock, Paper, Scissors stand out more than your average direct to video low budget horror flick. The writing was all the over place but it was pretty good until the final act. They tried their best to do a few twists to surprise the audience but it just hurt it more than it helped especially the ending. Besides that, I thought it was fun & it kept me entertained for the whole running time. It’s available everywhere right now from Lionsgate. It was also released on Blu Ray with a limited made on demand disc. It’s definitely worth checking out sometime & adding to your collection, RECOMMENDED!!!!
