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PLOT
The story begins with Loomis (Milo Ventimiglia - Heroes), an oddly-named video gamer, playing a not yet released video game called Stay Alive. In short order, his character in the game dies, having fallen through a banister and hung. The following morning finds Loomis similarly ... Read review
Straight from the set-'em-up and knock-'em-down school of teen-horror filmmaking,Stay ... more
Alivegives literal meaning to the parental lament, "Those games will kill you someday." Not that you'll find any parents in this gimmicky thriller set in New Orleans;...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Straight from the set-'em-up and knock-'em-down school of teen-horror filmmaking,Stay ... more
Alivegives literal meaning to the parental lament, "Those games will kill you someday." Not that you'll find any parents in this gimmicky thriller set in New Orleans;...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
You die in the game you die for real! After the brutal death of a friend a group of ... more
friends find themselves in possession of a video-game called "Stay Alive " a blood-curdling true story of a 17th century noblewoman known as the Blood Countess. Afte...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
It's the game of life and death.... After the mysterious brutal death of an old friend, a ... more
group of teenagers find themselves in possession of Stay Alive, a next generation horror survival videogame based on the spine-chilling true story of a 17th centu...
Production Year: 2000 - Horror - Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Carmen Electra, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, James Van Der Beek, Keenen Ivory Wayans
Advantages: Decent concept Disadvantages: They could have done much better with the idea
...yet released video game called Stay Alive. In short order, his character in the game dies, having fallen through a banister and hung. The following morning finds Loomis similarly hung over the stairs in his house after falling through his banister.
After his funeral, some of his possessions, including his video games, are given to his best friend Hutch (Jon Foster). Before long Hutch and a group of friends Phineus (Jimmi Simpson) ... ...evening of gaming - playing Stay Alive, naturally! Before long the characters are turning up dead in circumstances mirroring their deaths in the video game. Eventually they realise that they are being picked off by the Blood Countess, the villain of the computer game. In the mean time, the police want to get their hands on the group in connection with the growing string of murders. Can our heroes defeat the Blood Countess in the real world and thus ... more
As a long standing fan of survival-horror video games, I've found myself wondering in the past why horror films never come close to being as scary or original as the cream of the video game crop. So, when I heard about a horror film with a plot based around a horror video game, I was both intrigued and hopeful.
PLOT
The story begins with Loomis (Milo Ventimiglia - Heroes), an oddly-named video gamer, playing a not yet released video game called Stay Alive. In short order, his character in the game dies, having fallen through a banister and hung. The following morning finds Loomis similarly hung over the stairs in his house after falling through his banister.
After his funeral, some of his possessions, including his video games, are given to his best friend Hutch (Jon Foster). Before long Hutch and a group of friends Phineus (Jimmi Simpson) and Swink (Frankie Muniz - Malcolm in the Middle), his boss Miller (Adam Goldberg - Eddie from Friends), Phineus' sister October (Sophia Bush - One Tree Hill) and a random chick he met at Loomis' funeral, Abigail (Samaire Armstrong - The O.C.), get together for an evening of gaming - playing Stay Alive, naturally! Before long the characters are turning up dead in circumstances mirroring their deaths in the video game. Eventually they realise that they are being picked off by the Blood Countess, the villain of the computer game. In the mean time, the police want to get their hands on the group in connection with the growing string of murders. Can our heroes defeat the Blood Countess in the real world and thus continue to STAY ALIVE!?! (Do you like what I did there, using the name and all? Yup, I’m good :-D )
MY THOUGHTS
Whilst I enjoyed watching this film, my overriding feeling looking back is disappointment that it didn't fulfil its potential. The basic concept is a good one, albeit fairly similar to The Ring, but a number of plot flaws spoil things somewhat. The largely young cast did a fairly good job with the script they had and appeared to have the sort of chemistry you'd expect of a group of close friends. Still, I found it odd that Abigail was suddenly a part of the group having been met by only one the characters, once.
Another major flaw is the supposedly terrifying video game isn't particularly scary at all. Granted it was pretty jumpy and indeed scary in the opening sequence, but it seemed to be a pretty standard first-person shooter by the time the whole group started playing. Given that the game is the basis of the story, they really should have got that right. One of the things that irritated me most is the phoney legend of Elizabeth Bathory (a.k.a. the Blood Countess) that was concocted to suit the story. Maybe I'm being picky but I'd guess that the legend, if not necessarily the facts, regarding Elizabeth Bathory, is well known enough that many viewers will find it odd that a 17th century Hungarian should be found in a plantation in the US! Personally, I'd have been far happier with the setup if they'd created an entirely new 'legend' without feeling the need to use an actual historical character. Perhaps they were banking on the name being familiar without you necessarily knowing who she was, which may have worked for other people for all I know. As an aside, I also wondered if Loomis' family name, Crowley, was another half-hearted attempt to lever an occult related name into the mix. If so, why not have one of the characters make that connection purely as a red herring? It may be that they were being subtle, but if so then probably way too subtle for most to notice it!
My final bit of nit-picking is regarding the police investigating the murders. Given that Hutch is the one connection between the first 5 victims, I'd have expected them to at least take him in for questioning, even if his remaining friends could give him a solid alibi for at least 2 of the murders. The most ridiculous point of all is that one of the policemen actually has a quick go on the game on a victim’s laptop at the crime scene! Surely it would have been far more believable to have him confiscate the game with the other evidence and play it later on out of pure curiosity, after the outlandish claims of Hutch and co.
So what's good about the film? Well it's engaging enough and it rattles along at a fair pace. Given that it's fairly short (85 mins. for the standard edition or 100 mins. for the directors cut), it ought to hold your attention and keep you entertained for the duration, which is more than I could say for many of its competitors!
One of the things the makers got right is the death scenes, the earlier ones at least. The half-seen movements at the periphery of the shot and shadows moving just out of shot, is textbook stuff and well executed. I also liked the use of the rumbling noise of a vibrating controller on a hard surface as a warning of imminent doom, in much the way that a rumbling controller might alert you to the same if you were actually playing a game. So there are some pretty tense and unnerving scenes there, which is perhaps as much as you can expect in a 15 rated horror.
Having complemented the early death scenes, it’s probably fair to say that the opening few minutes is the best part of the film! I was amused by the fact that Loomis invited his buddy over to play the game, when clearly what he is after is some company, because he’s scared. Furthermore, I was particularly tickled that Loomis described the game as “the sickest sh*t since Fatal Frame”, given that I’d been playing, and indeed scared by, Project Zero (the European name for Fatal Frame) 3 earlier that evening!
A final compliment is that the writers neatly avoided a genre cliché regarding Abigail, the newcomer to the group and thus a prime contender for involvement in the murders. At the same time, they also manage to disappoint with the final scene, which anyone familiar with the Evil Dead series, or numerous other horrors I could mention, will have seen coming a mile away.
SUMMARY
It's a mixed bag in terms of quality, though probably with more flaws than redeeming points. Still, in the tired genre of horror it provides an entertaining watch that's a cut (no pun intended) above your average teen slasher. My verdict would be that it's one to rent rather than buy.
PRICE
Copies are available from Amazon for £7.97 (new) or from £3.15 through Amazon marketplace, which appears to be similar to prices on eBay at the time of writing.
Advantages: The idea. Disadvantages: The attempt to bring the idea to life!
...by his friends body marked stay alive and is intrigued to find out what his friend had been playing or perhaps working on so he gathers a group of his friends together to play the game.
The game turns out to be a horrifying portrayal of a true story about a 17th century noblewoman known as the blood countess. The game seems quite simple the characters in the game must explore a plantation solving puzzles as they go with a simple instruction that ... ...It soon becomes apparent however that this game had something to do with their friends death because it appears when it`s game over in the game it`s game over in real life. Once realising this and the fact that the game somehow takes you over and won't let you stop playing the group turn to the computer nerd in the bunch to try to figure out a way to defeat the game.
As I mentioned earlier this looked to be a good idea for a movie and the trailers ...
lynseyb 02.04.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stay Alive (DVD)
Advantages: The idea is good but the execution is not. Disadvantages: Is there enough room to state all here?
I saw the trailer for this movie some time ago and had high expectations for it but after watching, I am sorely dissapointed. It's basically a boring, tired, rip off of 'The Ring' except it's a video game instead of a video tape. The idea for this film is a good one but the script and execution is not, it could have been so much more than what it is. The movie was released in theatres in 2006 to luke-warm reviews from critics and therefore completely ... ...money in going to see it.
After one of Hutch's (Jon Foster) friends die one night after playing the video game 'Stay Alive' he is handed a black bag full of his friends possesions which his friend wanted him to have. One of Hucth's other friends, October (Sophia Bush) discovers the game. Being a hard-core gaming fan, she's never heard of this one before and becomes excited and intrigued so she sets up an evening of gaming of 'Stay Alive' with some ...
ghost_w1 01.11.2006 (05.11.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stay Alive (DVD)
Advantages: Not that many Disadvantages: Too many to mention
Stay alive hit the cinemas in March 2006 and soon after was released on DVD in September 2006.
Written & Directed by William Brent Bell (Also directed Sparkle and Charm).
Also written and produced by Matthew Peterman.
Rating: PG13
Genre: Horror/Teen Movie
Run Time: 86 minutes
The soundtrack for this film was released in May 2006. It is a 1 disc audio cd manufactured by Nicabella Records and composed by John Frizzell. It contains the following ... ...an illegal video game called STAY ALIVE. The game is based on a true story of a noblewoman Countess Bathory, known as the Blood Countess who is said to have killed 650 servant girls and bathed in their blood. Hutch receives a few of his friend's possessions including the video game. He and his friends Abigail (Samaire Armstrong), Swink (Frankie Muniz), and Phineas (Jimmi Simpson) being avid video gamers decide to spend a night playing it. Before ...
phoenix221984 26.02.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Stay Alive (DVD)
Advantages: Its a Horror Disadvantages: Not Scary enough.
...you see the idea behind Stay alive is that a group of kids stumble upon a game,and this poem is what starts the game. It is voice activated so unless those words are spoken,the game will not begin. Now these kids get this game after Loomis Crowley(Milo Ventimiglia) and his friends Sarah and Rex(Nicole Oppermann & Billy Slaughter) die after playing the game. They died in the same manner they diedi n the game. Oly thing this wasn't connected yet. So ... ...friends October(Sophia Bush),Swink(Frankie Muniz),Abigail(Samaire Armstrong) & Phineus(Jimmi Simpson) all decide to play it. They soon discover that maybe that wasn't one of there brightest ideas. As they soon begin to die the same way they died in the game.
Now October realises that the game is based on a real life person Countess Elizabeth Bathory. And that in her life she was an evil person,who did untold horrors the children. And it was the ...
Orangeorange2003 29.07.2007 (28.07.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Stay Alive (DVD)
Advantages: good concept Disadvantages: rather lazy execution
...of a video game called stay alive, a blood curdling true story of a 17th century noblewoman known as the blood countess.
however after playing the game when they know they shouldnt the friends realise that once they are dead in the game they are dead for real.
as their numbers begin dropping and as they begin to face death in exactly the same way they died in the game, the remaining friends realise they must defeat the blood countess or accept ... ...try to figure out a way to defeat the game that wont let you stop playing once youve started.
run timeaprox 100 mins although you may wish it was less.
cast.
Jon Foster ... Hutch Samaire Armstrong ... Abigail Frankie Muniz ... Swink Jimmi Simpson ... Phineas Wendell Pierce ... Detective Thibodeaux Milo Ventimiglia ... Loomis Crowley Sophia Bush ... October Adam Goldberg ... Miller Banks Billy Slaughter ... Rex Nicole Oppermann ... Sarah April ...
thebigc1690 15.03.2007 (21.03.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Stay Alive (DVD)
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Advantages: None if you hate dancing Disadvantages: Dancing , boredom and more dancing
StayingAlive. (Film Review Only).
The Plot.
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After leaving Brooklyn far behind him, Tony Manero is still trying to seek his dream of becoming a famous Broadway Dancer. Now living and working in Manhattan, the film continues the story of Tony Manero and his struggles to try to become famous.
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Advantages: A good premise Disadvantages: Poor execution
is slight, in fact I think its an insult to offer a secondary release as they both have there flaws. The directors cut version has a bit less plot development, if that's possible. Part of Abigail's oddness is explained in the first version, as is Hutch's although the first version does give a little insight. Either way neither version gives you any reason to like any of the characters, they simply have no depth.
StayAlive is at UK Cinemas now, neither version DVD (due for November release) has any special features; just a US theatrical trailer. My advice is wait till this comes out to rent or is shown on Sky. One positive thing I must say is that should the game itself be released in the UK it will be a smash hit without a doubt. ...
Advantages: great acting, twsited story line, magnifcant! Disadvantages: Lack of advertisement
I did know much about this film when i first watched it, there had been no advertisement for it and wasnt even aware if it had come out in the cinemas or not. I give the film 10 out of 10. It is unusual and has such a twist to it. It makes you sit on the edge of your chair shouting no! stop! It really is a great film and i watched it with my friends, they thought it was excellent to!
The story is generally about an oath you take when you buy the video game, A group of freinds all watch it and realie if you die in the game you die in real life. Once youve started it you cant stop, you have to get rid of the evil curse otherwise it will come back and not just in the game. the objective is to, stayalive!
I thought it was incredibly good acting as really they were all just a bunch of youths. I had never seen them in any other ...
When Hutch's best friend Loomis is a victim in a violent massacre, Hutch ends up with the game he was playing just before he died. Called 'Stay Alive', the game is technically illegal and Hutch and his friends can't resist booting it up. The game resurrects Countess Bathory, who centuries ago was walled up in her tower when her crimes were discovered (she is said to have brutally murdered 650 servant girls and bathed in their blood). Now, she is fulfilling her vow to return to reassume her reign of terror. This time, however, her victims are gamers who will die in the same way in life as they do in the game.
Dutch, Spanish, Slovenian, Czech, Croation, Bulgarian
Hearing Impaired Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Interactive menu
Aspect Ratio
2.35 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround English Spanish
Professional reviews
Review
Eschewing the current trend for gratuitous gore in horror cinema, STAY ALIVE insinuates rather than revels in its gruesome content (Sight And Sound, 20/09/2006)
DVD Description
This pop culture-laden fright-fest takes the legend of Countess Elizabeth Bathory of Hungary and relocates it in the inherently creepy locale of New Orleans. The usual cast of motley and none-too-bright teenagers is assembled and attached to quirky names--smartass Phineas (Jimmi Simpson) and his Goth-girl sister, October (Sophia Bush), hunky protagonist Hutch (Jon Foster), and tech-head Swink (Frankie Muniz), to name a few--and they all have one thing in common: the love of gaming. When Hutch's best friend Loomis (Milo Ventimiglia) is a victim in a violent massacre, Hutch ends up with the game he was playing just before he died. Called 'Stay Alive', the game is technically illegal and Hutch and his friends can't resist booting it up. The game resurrects the Countess, who centuries ago was walled up in her tower when her crimes were discovered (she is said to have brutally murdered 650 servant girls and bathed in their blood). Now, she is fulfilling her vow to return to reassume her reign of terror. This time, however, her victims are gamers who will die in the same way in life as they do in the game. The video game itself becomes a character in the film, showing off excellent 3-D, cinematic effects, and creating an effectively spooky atmosphere with a memorable, if derivative, aesthetic. The gore never gets too brutal but the scare tactics are adept, while the Countess herself, with pasty skin and high-necked red dress, is a movie monster worthy of canonisation.
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