Mikey

Directed by Dennis Dimster, Mikey details the havoc and murder wreaked by Brian Bonsall’s title character after he murders a family of three and is sent to live with a childless couple (John Diehl’s Neil and Mimi Craven’s Rachel). It’s a seemingly foolproof setup that’s employed to increasingly (and pervasively) unwatchable effect by Dimster, as the filmmaker, working from a screenplay by Jonathan Glassner, delivers a low-rent, momentum-free endeavor that possesses few, if any, elements designed to capture and sustain the viewer’s attention – which is a shame, certainly, given that the movie does open with a reasonable degree of promise. (The cold-blooded execution of the aforementioned family of three is as brutal and over-the-top as one might’ve hoped, certainly.) There’s little doubt, then, that Mikey’s impact and effectiveness is hindered by a sluggish midsection that lurches from scene to scene with nary a thought towards cohesion, ultimately, and it’s difficult to work up much enthusiasm for or interest in the hopelessly tedious subplots and asides that comprise the mostly endless second act – including, and especially, a continuing emphasis on the exploits of Mikey’s teacher and her efforts to prove he’s not quite as angelic as he seems. The violent (and comparatively enthralling) climax comes far too late to make anything resembling a positive impact, which does, in the end, cement Mikey‘s place as a predominantly misbegotten horror effort that brings virtually nothing new or exciting to a well-worn genre.

* out of ****