Reviews: 31 (2016) Movie Review
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Subgenres: Gore, Survival, Halloween, Halloween - Slasher
Our honest review of 31 (2016) breaks down its scares, pacing, and whether this horror movie truly stands the test of time.
31 (2016) is an American thriller horror movie that is rated R and contains killer clowns, carnival, kidnapping, gore, torture, sadism, murders, brutality, killer clown, chainsaw, slasher, and blood. Director and writer Rob Zombie (The Matrix (1999) soundtrack, The Matrix Reloaded (2003) soundtrack, House of 1000 Corpses (2003), Daredevil (2003) soundtrack) did a marvelous job bringing us this adventurous movie. I applaud the director for giving us enough information about the characters so that we can connect with them and either cheer for them or not. There was no shortage of blood in this film as it was a bloodbath on numerous occasions. I cannot help but feel that Rob took ideas from The Running Man (1987) but did so in a good way that makes him shine. The movie was one that kept me on my toes as there was a constant threat of death that lurks around each corner which added intensity and anticipation. Gorehounds will enjoy this movie and would probably watch it again for the fun of it, but those who has a weak stomach might want to refrain from watching this movie.
31 is a straightforward film that revolves around two workers wearing clown masks playing a game called "31" the day before Halloween. The duo kidnaps five carnival employees in a very violent manner and holds them hostage until the duo was ready to put them in a game. The pair took the five people to a compound called “Murderworld” and shortly after told them that they (the five of them) will partake in a game called “31” where they only have 12 to fight for their survival. Father Murder (Malcolm McDowell - A Clockwork Orange (1971), Halloween (2007), The Artist (2011), Bolt (2008)) told the five people they will have to fight against people dressed as clowns. The five people also have to fight off henchmen that are seeking victims to add to their collections, and there will also be satanic rituals and other things that I will not mention. Needless to say, the five friends join to fight/kill their attackers resulting in them dueling with Doom-Head (Richard Brake - Batman Begins (2005), Spy (2015), Hannibal Rising (2007), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)) who is the most merciless person they will ever face.
The entire cast gave a pretty fantastic performance and excelled with their dialogue. I am not a fan of gore, but I did enjoy this movie with the chainsaw fights, decapitations, and thrills. The film looks as though it had a huge budget because the production design and cinematography was superb and feels high-end/expensive. I could have done less with the extreme violence that sometimes resembles torture p*rn. Overall the movie is a hit or miss. I gave this movie an eight because the director did a fantastic job paying homage to a lot of movies and the movie was entertaining.
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- 31 Rating Scores
- Our Score: 8/10
- Overall Score: 5.70/10
- IMDB: 5.1/10
- MetaCritic: 3.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 4.8/10
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