I remember when reviewing the 2016 movie SIREN thinking, hey, not too shabby, this is how you make a quality B movie on a shoestring, strong story, interesting characters, clever direction, a strong lead.

Well, Parasites from the same year (2016) is a brutal reminder why most "shoestring" B-movies end up forgotten and unloved.

For the first few minutes -- assuming the viewer can last that long -- you can almost sense the germ of a good idea here. The notion that the ultimate horror in modern society are not monsters as such, but the monsters who allow the homeless to exist in the first place -- that would be "US" -- and hey wouldn't it be interesting if the homeless struck back? That feeling of engagement lasts three minutes tops. From then on there is about an hour and fifteen minutes of your life you will never get back.

Every single hallmark of a "bad B" is here: a poor script; bad acting; unsympathetic characters; the use of odd lighting as a substitute for quality direction; clothes that seem either too dirty or too clean; and tendency for the viewer to start to hope the bad guys kill everyone in sight, including the camera crew, so the movie will end and we can all go home.

Ugh.

I would have rated it a "4" (being generous) except the writer/director stole the ending from the original-original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD which was not only incongruous but also just plain mean.

Final verdict: UGH.

This movie is maybe a little different, but nonetheless very interesting and actually not at all bad, it kept me on the edge of my chair for the whole (not so long) 77 minutes. Three students take a short cut with their car in some big city (Los Angeles?) and end up lost in the slums, where a flat tyre (caused by a deliberately placed plank with nails) forces them to leave the car. Within a few minutes they are surrounded by a whole pack of homeless bums who - inflamed by the debasing attitude of one of the students and at the whim of their leader Wilco - attack and kill two of them. Marshal, the third one, is considered to be dead too, but while being stripped of his clothes he manages to escape and the rest of the movie we see him running for his life and trying to get rid of his assailants by gradually using more and more brute force himself.

So maybe the premise looks rather simple, but it is very cleverly done and the raw and unpolished style gives it an authentic and unnerving feel, as do the bleak deserted industrial settings. During his flight Marshal encounters various specimens of low-life: other students who amuse themselves by pestering homeless people, a deranged Korea veteran, a guy with Downs syndrome dropped-of and left by a chauffeur at a sidewalk, a prostitute harassed by drug-dealers. It's obvious that the director makes a statement here: while favoured people live their comfortable lives on the right side of the town, there's this whole suburb filled with unfortunate fellow-humans who every day have to fight to survive and for this do up to almost anything. And when one of the fortunates by chance suddenly finds himself down-there, he readily changes to the same kill-or-get-killed mode as his assailants. Or in other words: under the veneer we're all the same.

In spite of all the authenticity there were some improbabilities too. Marshal is supposed to be a young quarter-back, his assailants sickly and under-nourished bums, so it's almost a miracle that they succeed time and again in catching up with him. Especially the Wilco-character who is obviously an old guy and is all the time seen limping. And why doesn't Marshal hide somewhere in one of the countless dilapidated warehouses and offices that he passes, in stead of all the time making himself such an obvious target?

The acting is okay. The main character Marshal (Sean Samuels) is more engaged in running and fighting than in acting, but the Wilco character is very well and convincingly played by Robert Miano, and so is the prostitute (Silvia Spross). The musical score is surprising: all the running and panting is accompanied by un-plugged, raw versions of some poignant ballads, which enhances the estranged atmosphere of the whole movie. Direction and cinematography are at times (deliberately?) awkward and the editing could use some cutting of overlong scenes that seem to unnecessarily halt the intended fast pace of the movie. There is a lot of abusive language and (partly graphically shown) violence, the whole project is definitely not for the tender-hearted. And poor Sean Samuels has to run around for some 10 minutes stark naked, shown without any prudish hesitation in full rear and frontal bloom. Now I don't object to male nudity (not me!) and Samuels has a perfect body to show, but here I thought it a bit unnecessary; when he would have been stripped up to his shorts it would have served the same point. On the other hand I have to admit that, as to the authenticity that was intended, this helped too.

I will not give away the ending of the movie, let me just say that - talking about authenticity!- it is as surprising, unconventional, realistic and cynical as the rest of the movie.

All in all I liked it a lot, it stayed in my mind for a long time.

OK first off real review OK - check my others going back last few years - phew.

So in my opinion this film maker likes his carpenter and is closing in on the revial of the whole 80s nostalgia that films like It Follows have captured. This is more low budget and authentic and if you like your John Carpenter films like prince of darkness , assault on precint13 then it will give you a good dose of nostalgia. Some mad characters in the film , what is with that first chasing killer and the mad noises he makes as he chases that guy , ha lols , good stuff. Soundtrack is really good , as a music maker myself I really noticed how good it was , liking the Arp2600 and Sequential pro sounds, the composer has used good anologue sounding synths , top work on that one and it kind of drives the film in the right direction , prob most authentic carpenter type music I've heard during this whole 80s horror revival thingy going on at the moment. I gave this an 8 because it is good , deserves special marks as it doesn't have the budget of Hollywood and yet its still got good production values , it looks good. Not going to spell out the story as who wants that before you watch it.

Was good !

The name of this film is another way to describe what society has evolved to, with no going back. Common sense has been replaced by violence and murder, to resolve the simplest issues. The world is so unsafe and unpredictable, viewing this film and watching world events, are a match. This is a must-see film! The actors were great! This film will make you stop taking for granted, the freedoms that you think that you have, when you walk out your door every day.

College kids get lost on the mean streets where they run afoul of a homeless gang, entering a fight for your life chase with several imaginative deaths, and one hell of a strong ending that will stick with you long after viewing.

PARASITES is an excellent indie version of THE NAKED PREY with a Tangerine Dream inspired score, and two songs from my favorite film, John Flynn's 1980 masterpiece DEFIANCE. Don't let the low IMDb rank fool you, it's probably due to some millennials that stole it off a torrent site, got offended by the politically incorrect language, and sight of a naked black man.

parasites! randomly came across this movie while searching for another one, glad i did. i always read SOME reviews for every horror movie I'm about to watch, never really giving any bad review a 2nd look. Id re-watch this movie just for the score, and id recommend this movie to anyone worthy because of the ending, an homage to a great film. go in with zero expectations, listen to a few dope monologues, and just enjoy.

I've seen a lot of terrible movies but this one has taken the cake in awful movies, it begins as a few college students are harassed and ultimately killed by a group of homeless men, one survives and manages to fight off the many would be attackers, other than the fact that these college students had no warrant for the harassment the leader of the bums seems to think they deserve to die, so you are left with about an hour and a half of garbage chase scenes and almost every single person dying, In the end the last remaining student is gunned down by the police and the leader of the homeless is told to just "go away" by the police.

Do yourself a favor and skip this awful piece of what i guess could be called a movie

Only either a cast / crew member or family would give 8 out of 10....

I wasted nearly an hour of my life on this dire attempt at a film and it was based on this ONE review. 8/10 Intense, gory survival horror paired with a psychological punch 9 December 2016 | by DarkAnnie

Either they watched a different film or they enjoyed it "ironically". There is nothing good about it, nothing. The story reads OK but that's where anything decent stops. The actual story, the actors, sound effects (70's synth pop), sound track (2nd rate covers of classics) and special effects all smack of struggling film student trying to branch out - fails.

Sooooo many clichés are used and used BADLY while there was NO tension in this film at all.

**** Spoiler *** An overweight, homeless guy manages to chase (while swinging a chain and whooping like a red-neck) and catch a fleeing college quarter-back. Yea, that would happen.

**** Spoiler *** Every type of racial slur is simply spat out, I presume to try and shock? Doesn't work.

**** Spoiler *** The police have a black and a white "homeless" guy at gun point, the black guy moves and guess what? Yea, "shocking" right?

**** /Spoiler ***

I don't usually write reviews (first time now) but I just had to voice my displeasure at firstly this other review and secondly this assault on decent films. I'd say this "film" (used very loosely) is equal to watching dry paint. (And yes I do mean dry paint, paint drying would of at least had some action).

This film is going to make you uncomfortable. If you're a gore-hound or adrenaline junkie, you'll definitely get what you want. You'll also get a head full of disturbing social-psychological horror that will leave you thinking for days. The story seems simple at first. Three innocent young men run afoul of a violent homeless gang. But who's really innocent? Who really are the bad guys? The good guys? The situation gets more complex as the action ratchets up. The direction is excellent and unnerving. There's something unique about the look of a Chad Ferrin movie that I can't quite put my finger on. The acting is top-notch. I want to mention that the use of sound and music is excellent and jarringly effective--another hallmark of a Ferrin film. This is a terrific movie, but go in with your eyes open, or you're gonna get gut-punched. You probably will anyway.

PARASITES has been bullied upon and unfairly tarnished by some of the reviews here. Seems to me if a picture was so bad as described therein, it would not generate any review at all; but that is not the case. Quite the contrary, PARASITES has had some extraordinary positive things said about it worldwide and PARASITES is at least an unforgettable and thought provoking story, whether you are open for it or not. It saddens me some so-called "reviewers" would go to the extreme measure of spoiling the films ending, for whatever reason, probably out of spite that the film actually got under their skin and bothered them; they do not know how to handle it, so they strike out like a spoiled child woken from a nap. Real adult viewers will be enriched by it all and be able to digest it for what it is, a bold, brave and perhaps true piece of great low-budget American film making by a promising director.

I found this movie by chance and a good chance I did as I found this 80's style thriller very enjoyable from start to finish. I would not say much for the story but a little entertainer for a night in with a few cans of beer. Looking back I cannot say I could associate this with any film I have seen in the past but maybe there is something like it out there in somebody's old video collection. I would say if your an 80's kid into John Carpenters 'Assault on precinct 13 to Stephen Hopkins' Judgement Night, I believe you will enjoy it!

Three privileged college kids are lost in downtown LA ...the part that has no cell phone reception. They are from Nebraska with Marshal Colter (Sean Samuels) being a Freshman USC quarterback. They become the victims of homeless people when their vehicle breaks down. Marshal turns into the "Naked Prey" or "Running Man" for the younger crowd. The homeless are lead by Wilco (Robert Miano) a ruthless individual who needs to cover his tracks.

It is an interesting story that attempts to shed some light on the abuse of homeless people by the privileged, perhaps as a way to create sympathy for Wilco or partly justify his misdeeds. Unfortunately Wilco was such a despicable person, even his fellow homeless questioned him. Marshal, the main character, we never got to know outside of him being a QB. There were no flashbacks to any training that might of helped him in his survival in the city jungle. I liked the blues sound track.

Guide: F-word. No sex. male nudity.

Are you also fed up with the overload of horror films taking place in remote and rural areas, where mobile phones never have signal and idiotic tourists are relentlessly pursued by drooling inbred hicks with pitchforks chainsaws? Well then, Chad Ferrin's "Parasites" offers you an alternative, albeit one that is equally derivative, unmemorable and mediocre! The only thing Ferrin does differently is change the setting and the type of assailants. Instead of somewhere in the backwoods of a conservative Southern state, the action takes place in the pauperized dark alleys of a big city at night, and instead of local yokels the menace comes from homeless people who suddenly decide to attack rich teenagers. Different? Yes. Better? No. Apart from being shockingly discriminating, the idea is also poorly executed and unrealistic. I encounter homeless people every day in the city where I live and work, and I assure you they have an entirely opposite profile. Homeless people carry with them the consequences of extreme alcohol abuse and survivalist conditions. They are confused, fatigue and sickly. Most of all, they are non-violent and try to avoid confrontation, apart from the occasional aggressive tirade perhaps. The homeless here, and especially leader Wilco, are fit, sober, racist, organized and hold a grudge against everyone who has a better life than they do. It's just wrong, and the lack of respect and empathy for homeless people is quite disgusting. The screenplay is lacking more than just respect, by the way. Are we supposed to believe that, after midnight in a metropolitan city, there's literally nobody on the street except for bums and drifters? There aren't any cars, bars, patrolling police officers, kebab shops or whatever? Three teenagers, in a far too expensive pick-up truck, take one wrong turn too many and end up in the bad part of town. That's it, then. Their lives are over. The cat-and-mouse game rapidly becomes tedious and repetitive, the violence is tame and predictable, the acting performances are weak and unconvincing, the soundtrack is pretentious and misplaced and the supposedly shocking climax is one that you can see coming from three ghetto blocks away. Please don't spend any time or money on "Parasites" (completely irrelevant title, moreover). I, for one, will sell my copy at a flea market and donate the sum to the first homeless person I meet.

Raw and guerrilla style filming. What a crazy ride.... this film makes you feel like you're in the dark streets of Los Angeles. I enjoyed everyone's acting and the dialogue seem very real. I really like the gory death scenes.

Oh my, where do i begin?, the story-line had possibility's but the acting was just so bad i don't think the best actor in Hollywood could make this tripe look good. The film started out OK, a bunch of rich collage kids out for a thrill on the wrong side of the tracks, it has been done before and a lot better, its just hard to believe a fit young collage soccer player could not out-run a bunch of unfit middle aged vagrants i actually found this hard to watch right till the end.I would not recommend this movie