Todd spends his small town days working at a gas station, singing cute songs to his girlfriend, and engaging in infantile talk with his best friend. Then one day a mysterious woman appears and hits it off with Todd, with the effect that now Todd has to rebuild his relationship with his girlfriend. However, the girl he messes up with is connected to something a little bit more troublesome than mere relationship issues and sex: a group of psychopaths lead by one Phillip Valentine, bastard son (maybe) of infamous Charles Manson, who wants to match blood for blood in Todd's small town.The beginning of the movie might be a little hard to get through, mostly because it's of vastly lesser technical quality. Sound goes in and out, and not everything flows all that well. Once nighttime falls, though, and the killers are on the street, the pacing gets better and some real neat set pieces are created. The twist in this one is that small-town America isn't quite so innocent and easily disposed of as the killers think, leading to some surprising interactions. The absolute best is, in fact, the father trying to protect his daughter, which shows that not all slasher victims have to be weak idiots.The bloodthirst undercurrent shown in even the smalltown folk (and one especially thrilling reveal featuring Devin O'Leary) is pretty much at home in the audience of the movie as well. After all, what are we here for to watch but what the killers are there for as well? This being no profound statement anymore in horror movies, still Gimme Skelter seems a lot more sober about it than some other horror flicks out there, and it fits right in to a vastly popular genre. Had it had a bigger budget and larger production, it'd probably be a lot more popular than it is as an indie film, but it's perfectly fine as is for those who manage to get their hands on it. I certainly enjoyed myself, and I'm hoping others have heard about it too.--PolarisDiB

98% of the time I'm wildly disappointed with indy horror flicks. But this one was a real throw back to the drive-in style trash I loved. I have to say, "way to go!" If you're open to something that really emulates the 70's drive-in/grindhouse feel you'll like this. Lot's of the acting is terrible, but the dialogue is inspired. I could not only overlook it, I actually looked forward to some of the characters getting more screen time. I think I might be in love with the snaggle-toothed psycho hippie chick.Just want to leave a heads up for trash fans: Gimme Skelter is pretty good.

"Gimme Skelter" is the story of Charles Manson's illegitimate son who has decided to start a family of his own. Like his father, this family will thrive on murder and sex, culminating in one night of complete chaos.This film comes to us thanks to Scott Phillips, the writer and director. While I am not familiar with his work, his resume shows that he is a veteran of independent film. Ending up with Halo 8 is the perfect home for him, as they've been distributing some of the best independent and low-budget films for years.What will likely draw people in to this film are cult icons Trent Haaga and Gunnar Hansen, and rightfully so. Both men do fine work, as we'd expect. I was not drawn in to the movie immediately, but Gunnar's inclusion pushed my interest to a new level. It should be said, however, that these are not the only two people worth paying attention to.There is plenty of sex and gore to be found in this film, much of it within the first few minutes. If that's what you're looking for (and I imagine it may be if you're an independent horror fan) you shouldn't be disappointed. Perky breasts and flowing crimson are available here.My only concern with this film was it's ability to hold my interest. Now, granted, I was drinking cheap box wine and it was late into the night by the time I was watching this one... but aside from the blood and sex, there was little that held my interest. A second viewing may clear this problem up, but it's hard to say. Not the worst of the independent films -- not even close -- but could use improvement, as well.

This looks like a pretty low budget effort but manages to move along at a brisk clip and will satisfy undemanding fans of the slasher/gore genre. Production values are okay, and the early part of the movie reminded me of Kevin Smith's early efforts with earthy dialog between male friends featuring scatological punch lines that stretch the R rating. Then the family arrives in town, led by Charlie's son who wants to follow the family legacy; he wants to kill the entire 67 person population of the small town! Most of the family's female members go topless at times, and this would have been perfect fodder for the drive-in days. Performances vary between professional (Gunnar Hansen as a local businessman) and not so much (Hansen's niece Kristen as his daughter). Still, the principals avoid looking at the camera, so this is a cut above flicks such as THE CURSE OF PIRATE DEATH and its ilk. It didn't bore me, I was reasonably diverted, so it gets a marginal recommendation for gorehounds.