Crush the Skull

Not funny enough to be a parody or scary enough to be an actual horror movie, Crush the Skull lies in genre limbo, but is somewhat redeemed by strong performances and the occasional exchange of quirky dialogue. Co-writer and director Viet Nguyen crafts a story that seems to be generic torture-porn fodder: four thieves break into a house only to discover that it belongs to a serial killer—with hidden walls and rooms for committing atrocities on his victims. This discovery comes too late, however, as the robbers end up being separated and picked off one at a time. What lightens the dire subject matter is that the criminals are a bunch of lunkheads who have stumbled their way into this failed break-in for a lot of wrong reasons. Riley (Tim Chiou) angered his girlfriend, so he wants to make up for it by buying her the breast implants she wants. Connor (Chris Riedell) is a poor leader but needs to prove he can organize a big score. And his sister, Blair (Katie Savoy), is trying to watch out for Connor while also giving her boyfriend, Ollie (Chris Dinh), a chance to redeem himself after a botched job. Added to the mix are one of the monster's still-living victims (Lauren Reeder) and, inevitably, a doomed cop (Lincoln Hoppe). A strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)