Search - Rumpelstiltskin on DVD

More Laughs Than Horror

Jeffrey Leach | Omaha, NE USA | 10/28/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

""Rumpelstiltskin" stands proudly as a representative example of a recent trend to scrape the bottom of the barrel in order to come up with something new in the horror genre. O.K., so it isn't that new, as the similarly themed "Leprechaun" appeared on the scene some three years before the arrival of this movie, but "Rumpelstiltskin" picks up the challenge laid down by Warwick Davis and gang and attempts to push the envelope even further. Instead of asking the diminutive Davis of "Leprechaun" fame to pull double duty here, the producers of "Rumpelstiltskin" employed some guy named Max Grodenchik to play the scary little man of fairy tale legend. He does an adequate job, too, although that's one of the few good things one can say about this picture. Ultimately, "Rumpelstiltskin" fails to win many compliments because it fails on too many levels. In fact, the main thing a viewer will probably come away with after watching this film is a question: What in the heck is Allyce Beasley doing in a film like this? That's right, that loveable waif who played the over talkative and slightly neurotic secretary Agnes DiPesto on the Cybill Shepherd/Bruce Willis sitcom "Moonlighting" appears in her full glory throughout the first half of "Rumpelstiltskin." Her presence here underscores how far people can fall in Hollywood.The opening sequence of the film sets the stage for the Rumpelstiltskin legend. Somewhere in fourteenth century Europe, a group of villagers carrying the stereotypical torches chase good old Rump through a forest in search of the missing child of the local miller's daughter. Well, the evil little man has the baby because the child's mother promised to give up her first-born child in exchange for Rump's services. You know the rest of the legend. As the villagers chase Rumpelstiltskin to the edge of a cliff, he demands to have the child as per the arrangement. To accentuate his seriousness, he tears out some guy's eye and eats it, then throws him off a cliff. The village witch, fed up with this sickening behavior, casts a spell on the dwarf that turns him into a strange looking rock. Casting this stone into the ocean, and presumably to a place where it can do no more harm to anyone, the villagers rescue the baby and return to their pitiful lives slaving away for the lord of the manor. Obviously, since all of this happens within the first five minutes of the movie we know that some poor soul will find the rock and unleash the wicked genie within. This opening segue to the real meat of the film had me rolling on the floor with its corny dialogue, cheesy effects, and over the top performances. Too bad the rest of the film isn't nearly as funny.The movie jumps ahead roughly 500 years, to present day Los Angeles, California. The recently widowed wife of a police officer, Shelley Stewart, conveniently discovers this rock at some weird witch's store. Attracted to the stone by a strange green light, she takes the object home and through a series of highly improbable circumstances promptly unleashes Rumpelstiltskin. What follows is often a plodding series of events wherein the evil dwarf attempts to secure the widow's child in exchange for services rendered (in this case, our heroine wished for her dead husband to return from the grave, which he did for one evening). Throw in the aforementioned Allyce Beasley as Shelley's man starved best friend named Hildy, an obnoxious local talk show host called Max Bergman who eventually takes part in the plot to eradicate Rumpelstiltskin, and you have the fundamentals of this bizarre film. Oddly enough, several scenes in the movie reminded me of the "Terminator" franchise, specifically a lengthy (way too lengthy) chase sequence with Rump driving a semi truck and a series of murders in a rural police station. The whole thing wraps up very predictably for this type of film. Too my knowledge, the producers of "Rumpelstiltskin" wisely passed on a sequel.A few good things appear in this film. The actress who plays Shelley Stewart, Kim Johnston Ulrich, does a good job with the lackluster script. The same goes for Allyce Beasley, who easily slums her way through the Hildy role. Tommy Blaze as Max Bergman quickly becomes tiresome with his endless stream of babble and smart alecky lines. Grodenchik as Rumpelstiltskin irritates with his dialogue, too, but at least the make up job inspires some grotesque interest in his character. Personally, my favorite scene in the film involved actor Jay Pickett as Stewart's police officer husband. He isn't around long, but the slow motion shoot out with a street thug that claims his life is hilarious. Overall, the performances in this film aren't as bad as they could be. As an added bonus, Rumpelstiltskin catches on fire on two separate occasions. Lamentably, the negatives often overshadow the positives: uneven pacing results in a chase scene that runs on long after its effectiveness wears off. The lame conclusion to the movie irritates, especially when Rumpelstiltskin calls on the "powers of darkness" or some such nonsense to help him destroy Stewart's baby. The powers of darkness? You gotta be kidding me! How generic and tiresome is that line in a horror movie? "Rumpelstiltskin" is definitely more of a miss than a hit.The DVD version of the film, distributed by low budget loving Artisan Entertainment, does not provide much in the way of extras: you do get a trailer for the film and that's about it. As for the picture quality, it's acceptable but nothing you would write home to mother about. "Rumpelstiltskin," probably a film best reserved for die-hard fans of B movie horror, could provide a few laughs to a general audience looking for something slightly ridiculous."

Very funny one-liners, campy

Alan K. Marble | Millbury, MA United States | 07/04/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"While this movie is not very scary,it has you in stitches with the amusing one-liners. Worth watching."

VERRY GOOD !

Catherine | 04/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"RUMPELSTILTSKIN, is a comedy, horror movie ! I like this movie ! The sense of humor and the actors !! And is the creator of LEPRECHAUN and TALES FROM THE CRYPT."

Not so Scary for a Horror Movie

V. Dawn | Reading, Pa | 09/08/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Rumpelstiltskin is a movie I recorded off of a paid channel years ago. I only recently sat down and rewatched it. This movie is from the same people that did Leprechaun, (no surprise there), since this movie is about a little deformed creature man.

The movie is about pregnant woman whose husband dies in the line of duty. Sometime has passed since his death and she's had the baby. Now she visits a pawn shop where she finds this unique looking jade and gold statue. She takes the statue home, and finds herself wishing her husband could see his baby. Well, Rumpelstiltskin "grants" her wish, and in return she must now give him her first child. He terrorizes her through the whole movie, and kills the people that gets in his way.

Watching the movie, I noticed there wasn't really any blood in it, and it wasn't all that scary. I found myself getting bored halfway through the movie. I must say that the make up effects on Rumpelstiltskin was pretty realistic looking and creepy. The movie seemed like more of an action movie with a deformed little man as the bad guy, instead of a horror movie.

It wasn't very original either, it reminded me too much of Leprechaun, with a little man terrorizing the characters of the movie untill he gets what he's after, and killing everyone that gets in his way. Same basic plot of Leprechaun, only worse with no blood. It wasn't the worse movie I've seen, but it wasn't all that great, and it didn't creep me out one bit for a horror movie.


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