Razors Ring is Low-Budget Indie Horror that is Well-Acted and has a Decent Concept
If only the Razors Ring writer/director had hired a better composer, sound designer, special effects team and editor.
Written by James “Crypticpsych” Lasome
November 22, 2010
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Release: January 16, 2008 (USA)
Written and Directed by: Morgan Hampton
Starring:
Wayne Casey as Scott
AnnieScott Rogers as Red
Paul Schilens as Razor
Lisa Wharton as Julie
Scott (Wayne Casey) is out for a jog when he notices a car speeding toward him. As he watches, the car skids suddenly and kills a dog crossing the road. Two people come out of the car shortly thereafter who, rather than being worried about their car or the dog, forcibly abduct Scott at gunpoint. These two, Razor and Julie (Schilens and Wharton), appear to be convicts who are just out for kicks as the dog is part of a Toxic Avenger-esque car accident points system. As they drive, they come across a picnicking family along the roadside. Julie, at the wheel, decides to run the car through the picnic. Scott, at the last possible second, attacks the two and causes the car to swerve off course… but not before the car strikes and kills an old man in the party.
Unfortunately for our mismatched trio, they picked the wrong family to interrupt. The family abducts THEM in vengeance and takes them to their secluded compound in the middle of nowhere, keeping them restrained in a dusty shed. As time goes on, they physically abuse the group and degrade them in preparation for a meeting with the head of the clan, “Red” (Rogers). “Red” seems nice on the surface (she makes sure to keep them well-fed, for instance) but has a tendency to let her darker side seep through. Soon, Scott and his unlikely compatriots find themselves in a situation that grows darker and more dangerous by the day. Scott also�finds himself tormented with
strange dreams that appear to be trying to tell him something. As their numbers dwindle and their captors intentions become known, those remaining must find a way to escape the sadistic clan.
Probably the best thing about Razors Ring, a low-budget indie combo of Splinter and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, is the great acting. Every major character in Razors Ring (and some of the minor ones) give surprisingly good performances that are at times miles ahead of the production values of the film in which they work. Of particular note are Casey’s performance as Scott and Rogers as “Red”. Scott is, with the exception of the movie’s horrible and utterly unnecessary ending twist, an extremely likeable main lead who the viewer wants to see survive the ordeal. While he does suddenly develop MacGyver qualities at one point (and, along with the other captives, sometimes take this situation a little TOO easily), mostly he comes across as genuinely human. Rogers, similarly, takes what could be a simple, over-the-top villain role and turns it on its head by giving her character a sweeter, grandmotherly side. I’ll admit she caught me off-guard as a result when she first appeared, but I grew to find her performance one of the most enjoyable in the film.
Hampton should also be commended for a generally well-shot movie. The cinematography seems a touch washed-out, much like the aforementioned Texas Chainsaw. With the exception of one shot in which a practical effect can’t be seen until AFTER it’s been mentioned because of the darkness in the set, most of the film is well-lit and competently filmed. That being said, he can’t do everything by himself.
The most egregious error of Razors Ring was horrendously bad and repetitive music. The composer for this film needs to stop making music that sounds like he fell asleep on keys for 10 seconds before moving onto the next bit. His songs during the finale of the film are passable, but having to survive 60+ minutes of terrible scoring to get there is unforgivable.
Unfortunately, that’s not the only auditory hell Razors Ring throws at the viewer. Whoever was in charge of sound editing needs a refresher on how 
to insert sound effects into scenes so that they actually seem organic to the scene. Almost every single one in the film; whether it be a phone ringing, a punch landing, or a gun firing; sounds incredibly fake and artificial. Also, whenever a reshoot occurred in the film’s production, the viewer can easily tell because the sound quality of the dialogue will vary from line to line and actor to actor within the SAME SCENE. There are even moments in the beginning after Razor and Julie capture Scott where their lines are drowned out by the engine of the car!
Last, but not least, the editing and special effects in Razors Ring have serious issues. Fight scenes are either just horribly choreographed or abysmally put together so that the viewer never believes a fight is really occurring on screen. A few scenes are held way too long (we don’t need to see the entire group of people leave the room, Editor, we get it). Special effects are deplorable. A character getting an electrical shock, while passable, was nothing anyone with a passing knowledge of computer graphics couldn’t do. A scene involving a train accident ends by cutting back to footage of
the train from before the incident even occurred that we’d seen less than�2 minutes prior. An explosion is, by far, one of the worst attempts at filming an explosion effect on the cheap I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen other low-budget movies do explosions well, which only serves to make this one that much more disappointing.
Overall, Razors Ring is a movie that, while being well-acted and competently shot, can’t overcome the shortcomings of its editing, its special effects, its sound design, and its music. I think Morgan Hampton has a good movie in him, I just have serious doubts about the rest of his crew.
2 Freak Heads (out of 5)
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