Penny Dreadful starts us off with a girl named Penny (of course) and her therapist (played by Mimi Rodgers) going on a trip to overcome young Penny's fears of cars. Penny was in an accident as a youngster that killed her mom and dad and she now has a major phobia to the point that even getting in the passenger seat makes her panic to the point of hyperventilation. Penny is having a rough time with the ride and just as it seems she may start coming to grips her Therapist hits a stranger with her car as he is walking near the side of the road.
After she finds that the man is not dead she gives him a ride to a campsite and lets him out after some rather unbecoming behavior. Unfortunately (as in all movies of this kind) they have not seen the end of our finger shishkabob eating freak as he has took that said shishkabob and rammed it in their tire, so much for helping the guy huh. After a bunch of nonsense and the Therapist not returning after she begins looking for help Penny is left to deal with the nut case on her own as she is stuck in the vehicle.
If you watch the movie you will understand what I mean by the word stuck but unless you have watched "The Hitcher" 2 dozen times (heck might as well make it 25) and your in the mood for giving another crazed hitchhiker film a go do not bother. This movie, which had potential, fails to rise above mediocrity for pretty much most of its running time. First off the main character Penny was very very annoying and not a really good character mainly because as other films may have played off it's main characters fears and vices this film hammers us with the girls issues for far too long and makes for a tedious viewing.
Also for a movie that has a decent nut job killer he really doesn't get but a few moments to shine as there is really no fodder for him and the limited times we do have it it is rather unoriginal kills though some of the head games he plays with Penny are nice. Also the movie tries to play itself out as a sort of Alfred Hitchcock Lifeboat style movie except we only get 1 person with mental issues and phobias and no other interaction, except for a really dumb subplot with a guy, a work buddy and a lady who is cheating on her husband with the first guy. That whole side plot goes NOWHERE at all. Lastly the ending ties up "loose ends" on where the killer is from and is very unoriginal as well as lame.
Although I have severally beaten this film into submission I still fill the problem with the movie was 1) the story needed to be fleshed out a bit and 2) It was padded way to much just to make a 90 minute feature. I really believe there is a good story here but just not the way it was executed in this film. As a short I could see this movie being better. However with the way this film went and the annoying character study I think that it would still need a rewrite in areas.
In conclusion how bad is Penny Dreadful not utter garbage but 2 words could describe the film as a whole "upsetting" and "annoying". Upsetting as there is a story in here just not fleshed out to its potential and annoying for the main characters overlong, over drawn out character study. If you can get past all that you may find this to be slightly entertaining. With that being the case I give Penny Dreadful the Dreadful but not Devastating score of: 4/10: Below Average, Wasted potential and an annoying lead make for a viewing that may try your patients. If you can overlook this though there may be something in here for some horror fans,but not many. The key standout points are the killers sick playful games but they come too few and far in between to make for a higher score.
After she finds that the man is not dead she gives him a ride to a campsite and lets him out after some rather unbecoming behavior. Unfortunately (as in all movies of this kind) they have not seen the end of our finger shishkabob eating freak as he has took that said shishkabob and rammed it in their tire, so much for helping the guy huh. After a bunch of nonsense and the Therapist not returning after she begins looking for help Penny is left to deal with the nut case on her own as she is stuck in the vehicle.
If you watch the movie you will understand what I mean by the word stuck but unless you have watched "The Hitcher" 2 dozen times (heck might as well make it 25) and your in the mood for giving another crazed hitchhiker film a go do not bother. This movie, which had potential, fails to rise above mediocrity for pretty much most of its running time. First off the main character Penny was very very annoying and not a really good character mainly because as other films may have played off it's main characters fears and vices this film hammers us with the girls issues for far too long and makes for a tedious viewing.
Also for a movie that has a decent nut job killer he really doesn't get but a few moments to shine as there is really no fodder for him and the limited times we do have it it is rather unoriginal kills though some of the head games he plays with Penny are nice. Also the movie tries to play itself out as a sort of Alfred Hitchcock Lifeboat style movie except we only get 1 person with mental issues and phobias and no other interaction, except for a really dumb subplot with a guy, a work buddy and a lady who is cheating on her husband with the first guy. That whole side plot goes NOWHERE at all. Lastly the ending ties up "loose ends" on where the killer is from and is very unoriginal as well as lame.
Although I have severally beaten this film into submission I still fill the problem with the movie was 1) the story needed to be fleshed out a bit and 2) It was padded way to much just to make a 90 minute feature. I really believe there is a good story here but just not the way it was executed in this film. As a short I could see this movie being better. However with the way this film went and the annoying character study I think that it would still need a rewrite in areas.
In conclusion how bad is Penny Dreadful not utter garbage but 2 words could describe the film as a whole "upsetting" and "annoying". Upsetting as there is a story in here just not fleshed out to its potential and annoying for the main characters overlong, over drawn out character study. If you can get past all that you may find this to be slightly entertaining. With that being the case I give Penny Dreadful the Dreadful but not Devastating score of: 4/10: Below Average, Wasted potential and an annoying lead make for a viewing that may try your patients. If you can overlook this though there may be something in here for some horror fans,but not many. The key standout points are the killers sick playful games but they come too few and far in between to make for a higher score.