7.6 /10 1 Votes
80% Rotten Tomatoes Running time 101 minutes Initial release 31 October 2014 Written by Michael Aguiar Language English language | 7/10 IMDb Directed by Michael Aguiar Country United States Director Michael Aguiar Cinematography William Schweikert | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Starring John Hardy
Jeffrey Gwyn Jenkins Edited by Michael Aguiar
Kyle Fritsche
David Lopez Cast Sheyenne Rivers, Matt Ganey, Inge Uys, Fran Rafferty Similar The Collector, Chained, Basement Jack, You're Next, Midnight Movie Profiles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Laughing Mask is a 2014 independent horror film that was written and directed by Michael Aguiar and is his feature film directorial debut. It released on October 31, 2014, and stars John Hardy as a man who must face down the serial killer known only as "Laughing Mask", who murdered John's family.
Contents
The laughing mask official trailer
Synopsis
Jake Johnson is a man with a mission. His wife Jaycee was murdered by the brutal serial killer named the Laughing Mask years ago and he's determined to bring the man to justice. He's not the only one who wants to end the Laughing Mask's reign of terror, as the police have set Kate on the case. However, as the film progresses more and more people fall victim to the Laughing Mask, some of whom have been murdered in ways that resemble crimes that the victims purportedly committed.
Cast
Reception
Critical reception has been mostly positive, with many outlets praising Aguiar for the usage of vintage music and animation clips while also criticizing it for feeling disjointed. Starburst and HorrorNews.net both panned The Laughing Mask, as Starburst felt that it was "a film that doesn’t really do anything right. You may laugh but it won’t have been because of anything intentional." HorrorNews.net commented that they enjoyed the film's music, villain, and the foundational story, but that "the way the film tells the story is uneven, including seemingly unnecessary scenes while at the same time, leaving out key plot information."
Dread Central gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 stars, writing "With a fantastic-looking presentation and even better instances of gratuitous violence, the movie treads back to the fun days of cut-em-up flicks, and Aguiar looks as if he paid some serious attention to detail with the crafting on this one." Bloody Disgusting gave The Laughing Mask three out of five skulls, saying "in spite of the minor technical missteps and the editing shortcomings, The Laughing Mask definitely deserves attention for the inventive melding of classic slashers and cop drama, as well as some brutal and inventive kills."