2.5 stars for this tired and dated horror film.
PIN was first released in 1988 (which becomes immediately apparent when you see the clothes and hairdos).
PIN is written and directed by Sandor Stern (The Amityville Horror) and co-written by Andrew Neiderman (The Devil’s Advocate, The Maddening).
It tells the story of PIN, short for Pinocchio, who is an anatomical dummy, used by Dr. Linden (Terry O’Quinn – Lost, The X Files) to put his patients at ease and to instruct his children in delicate matters which he does not wish to broach himself. Using his superior ventriloquism skills, the doctor convinces Leon (David Hewlett – Cube, Stargate: Atlantis) and Ursula (Cynthia Preston – Whale Music, Convergence) that PIN is actually talking to them.
Of course they are forbidden to speak to PIN without their father present, but after the doctor and his wife are killed in a car crash, Leon soon takes matters into his own hands and transfers his alter-ego into PIN, as Ursula begins to realise that something is seriously wrong with her brother.
When Ursula finds herself a boyfriend, Stan Fraker (John Pyper-Ferguson – Unforgiven, X-Men: The Last Stand), Leon becomes jealous and with PIN’s help, seeks to intervene.
I have seen this described as a “cult classic”, which unfortunately in this case just seems to mean that no-one really liked it the first time and they’re hoping that they will this time around. Although the idea is good, the script is okay and the acting is fine, there just isn’t anything to set this apart.
Although it is billed as a horror film, it isn’t scary, it doesn’t build tension as a thriller should and it just seems to trundle along being what it is, two upper middle class kids and a dummy.
The conversion to DVD is equally unassuming, no noticeable improvements have been made to either the picture quality or the sound.
In general, if you are into horror and you haven’t already seen and enjoyed the original, I wouldn’t bother with this one.
PIN is available to buy now on DVD
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