Review of BreadCrumbs (2011) by Rick R — 21 Aug 2014

"Bread Crumbs" is a 2011 horror that goes for broke in an attempt to combine a disturbing horror plot with a classic, often overlooked, disturbing didactic, fairytale of two children left tend to the elements, deep in the woods. "Bread Crumbs" is directed by Mike Nichols and stars Kristina Klebe, Dan Shaked, Marianne Hagan, Zoe Sloane, Alana Curry, Douglas Nyback, Shira Weitz, Steve Carey, and Mike Nichols. The plot follows a porn crew and cast into the woods to shoot a movie. Unfortunately there is a twisted brother, sister duo using the area as their personal killing field.

The story is pretty cool with a basic principle of setting the characters up for a kill scene which for the most part work without seeming contrived. The drama and action begin almost instantly and manage to keep a steady, straight forward pace through most of the movie without becoming exhausting. The porn set concept brings plenty of flesh to the screen but in the most censored, conservative manner. Nothing really explicit here (by my standards anyway). However, it is obvious that entwining the "Hansel & Gretel" aspect to the story is very much contrived, playing out more like a bit of stretched, nonsensical moments of weak dialog meant to bring the viewer to the breadcrumbs "table". Still the kids are so d*mn dark and disturbing that it manages to pull off a good concept in a, "middle-of-the-road, mediocre way, but it does get there.

The soundtrack and special effects in "Bread Crumbs" really make the film enjoyable for me personally. I can forgive weak dialog, loose story arcs" as long as the effects and sound track hold me to the story and drama unfolding on screen. Nichols does a pretty good job tying it all in to make a fun, standard horror mythos in "Bread Crumbs" with eerie sounds, and a strong attention to practical effects and blood consistency. The film doesn't give us a new look at horror or bring something extraordinary to the genre but it is an entertaining, modern classic that stays true to the roots of the genre. It gave me that 80's feel that I only get with a certain type of horror movie story, I dug the homicidal brother and sister and the unfinished ending is beyond retro! (That is a good thing cause retro is candy for me!).