johnlink ranks INHUMAN RESOURCES (2012)
Time to class the joint up a little. In the past (i.e. before kids) I would have watched a movie like this on FearNet with a fair amount of beer. Now… well this was on HBO at 6:00 AM and I watched it while my 10-month-old daughter was in various stages of eating/sleeping/playing. Don’t worry, she didn’t see any of it. I’m not that bad of a father yet.
I watched INHUMAN RESOURCES (2012) on 8.8.13. It was my first viewing of the film.
When I started this movie, I was sure I would shut t off in ten minutes. Instead, it held my interest well enough to keep me involved. I watched it straight through to the end. So it’s got that going for it anyway.
The production value of this Fangoria production is solid. This was clearly made on a shoestring budget, but the script and the director are smart enough to spend money on the things which need it, namely the gore. There are four or five moments of intense violence, and the film is at its best during those moments (which pains me to say, since I usually loathe movies which use gore for the sole purpose of being shocking). This certainly is helped by the fact that we care about (most) of these characters. The acting is (usually) quite good for a film of this sort. Perhaps two or three of the folks could be successful in more mainstream horror or suspense, and that often isn’t the case with low budget horror.
The plot involves a ‘boss’ chaining six ’employees’ to a desk and forcing them to do work. It’s quickly clear that these people have a peripheral connection to each other and their boss. The movie really should have failed once it tried to justify these folks sitting down and typing away at a computer. The reason it does not break down is because Nicholas Hope is deliciously chewing the scenary as the boss, Thomas Reddmann (the movie’s original title was Redd Inc.). He brings the right amount of levity to this. INHUMAN RESOURCES starts out like it wants to be SAW, and smartly deviates from that. It provides the proper absurdity and really does get the tone right.
Some of the minor characters are weaker actors. But the two obvious leads of the chained sextet, Kelly Paterniti as Annabelle and Sam Reid as William, create an instant likable chemistry. The script is clever, but sometimes stretches credibility (like, for example, if you only get five strikes, why doesn’t Annabelle just take thirty seconds less to loosen the screws in the bathroom each time). In the end, though, we get a couple of nice surprises including one major one which I didn’t see coming.
I assumed this would end in the typical ‘gotcha’ fashion that seems to be a necessity in horror these days. But INHUMAN RESOURCES shows a good amount of restraint. It is satisfied being an entertaining, eccentric, and tonally correct horror flick. And, really, what else could you ask out of something like this?
SCORES
FILM: 6; MOVIE: 8; ACTING: 6; WRITING: 6; BONUS: 1
The bonus point is for the creation of one of my favorite gimmicky horror villains in awhile: Thomas Reddmann. I’ve sat through enough generic horror to appreciate when a movie gets its villain right (if only he weren’t so easily knocked unconscious near the film’s climax).
6+8+6+6+1=27
FINAL SCORE: 6.75
johnlinkmovies 
Nice review. This retained the Redd Inc title when it was released in Australia (it was made here). I quite like the film. I interviewed the director on my site as well, he is a really nice bloke.
Yeah, I got a thanks on Twitter from one of the writers. Seems like a good crew put this together. Much better than it had any right to be, haha.