Clarity in "Chaos"?

Chaos: Click to watchCould a horror movie have saved Natalee Holloway's life?
The creators of the brutal film "Chaos" make the bold statement that yes, their film could have. Though "Chaos" is not inspired by Holloway's disappearance, the movie is being promoted as an unsettling warning to young women and their parents -- and that stance is causing some controversy.

"The movie is so terrifying and horrific to a young girl, we don't think any young girls who see the movie would leave a bar with two strangers," says producer Steven Jay Bernheim. The movie follows two young women who venture to a rave in the woods. They leave the party with a drug dealer to score some ecstasy, and quickly become the pawns in a psychotic gang's sick game. The two suffer through torture, rape and murder and, as some reviews have noted, not in that particular order.



Taking a grisly movie and positioning it as a cautionary tale was definitely a risky gamble, but the filmmakers believe the violence was a necessary evil, saying not enough is learned from cable or network news alone. "The cable shows show the beginning and they show the end. They show nice pictures of Natalee Holloway as a cheerleader and then they show suspects being arrested," says Bernheim, "We show the middle part, the horror and torture in-between that victims really go through." To them, the excessive violence is how to leave an impression.

Director/writer David DeFalco is ready to defend his baby as well, telling TMZ, "People give us slack that that's just our excuse for making a sick movie, but I don't see how anyone can deny that it's gonna affect you ... [it] may actually teach you something about real evil."

Though horror movies are typically aimed towards a young male demographic, Bernheim and DeFalco hope the media attention will make a few more parents pick up "Chaos," which just landed on DVD this week.

Tags: Chaos, David DeFalco, DavidDefalco, Steven Jay Bernheim, StevenJayBernheim

Reader Comments

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31. i think that a movie like this would raise awareness about what can happen when u are careless.

Posted at 9:02PM on Oct 5th 2006 by eugenio jaime

32. There's pretty strong evidence now that Joran did leave Natalee on the beach and she wandered off with a bunch of drug users in Aruba to a party house, probably like this movie depicts. It seems that Natalee was very much a wild child who enjoyed her booze and her drugs. It seems that at that party house she wanted to "have fun" with lots of guys and it just got out of hand. Witnesses who were at that party have been afraid to come forward, but there are rumors that three of them will be talking soon. When Natalee wanted to leave she was given some more drugs and sometime in the early morning hours she just quite breathing, sort of like that Daniel Smith. The people who ran the drug hous also had several large boats and they just took her out to sea for burial. The rumor goes on, if it's any consolation, that the ceremony at sea was done very properly, complete with an American flag and some bible verses being read.

Posted at 1:54AM on Nov 11th 2006 by Franz

33. ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT TO ME THE MESSAGE WAS "STUPID PEOPLE MUST SUFFER.

THESE TWO DUMB ASS BROADS GO WONERING OFF WITH A STRANGE WEIRDO IN SEARCH OF DRUGS.

THEY WALK WWWWWAY THE F*** OUT INTO A FORREST. WALK AND WALK AND WALK. (HMMMM WONDER IF THIS IS SAFE?) NA WE'LL KEEP WALKING.

THEN THEY HESITATE WONDERING IF YOU SHOULD GO INSIDE THIS ISOLATED BROKEN DOWN DUMP FOR THE DRUGS. DAAAAAA!

ONLY TO BE ATTACK ED BY A GROUP OF VILLAGE IDIOTS. I MEAN ONE WAS DUMBER THAN THE NEXT.

ANYTHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENING - NO!

GROSS - VIOLENT - DISCUSTING. YOU GOT IT!

IT'S A REAL SEAT SQUIRMING, DATE RECKING , MIND F***ING, NEVER GOING TO GET LAID TO NIGHT FLICK.

WELL IT SAVES LIVES?

NOT IF THE GIRLS ARE AS DUMB AS THESE TO BROADS.

Posted at 12:19AM on Oct 6th 2006 by JACK LARUE

34. Joe Bag (#30) who the hell do you think you are? Sage Stallone is not a loser!! He's just stupid. I mean his freakin' father is Sylvester Stallone and instead of doing Rocky Six, he doe's Chaos. But, I'll tell you what, I'm willing to compromise. Sage is a loser and he's stupid. He's lupid. Sage Stallone is lupid.

Posted at 4:14AM on Oct 6th 2006 by Big Ron

35. This movie should be played in all the public schools as an educational tool. It's about time somebody showed evil in its true light and not glamorizing it like many of these Hollywood movies. Although, I must say the director does look possessed.

Posted at 5:21AM on Oct 6th 2006 by baby jane

36. Don't judge the film until you see it.

Posted at 11:55AM on Oct 6th 2006 by Bernie Bernheim

37. I don't like slasher films and wouldn't watch this. And using Natalie Holloway as a reason to promote this isn't quite right. Having said that, there is something to be said for creating awareness about what can happen to naive girls in today's world, especially with what's been happening over the past two weeks, where violence in America, and in schools, seems to be reaching a new level. Guns don't kill people?

Posted at 2:01PM on Oct 6th 2006 by Mitchell

38. Perhaps some young men will watch this and remeber when they have daughters of their own. Then reality will hit and they can explain to their daughters that leaving a bar or party with one, two, three strangers is a very bad idea. Stay in the bar please girls and go home with a girlfriend.

Posted at 1:02PM on Oct 6th 2006 by Michella

39. Chaos is an in your face film that is difficult to watch at times. If you are into Ogrish.com, faces of death, rotten.com, tune in, otherwise maybe this film is not for you. At the end of it all, don' t let me decide, watch and lets see how far you can get. In theaters I saw people leave due to its graphic violence.

Posted at 1:04PM on Oct 6th 2006 by WFM

40. The Film is as real as it gets. Makes you think twice about the decisions one can make. It is not made to scare you, but to bring awareness to us all.

Posted at 1:07PM on Oct 6th 2006 by MRFRANK

41. I wouldn't use Hollway as an example, but having seen this movie I would imagine this type of violence is what REALLY happens all the time. Guys like Chaos are really out there and once they have crossed the line they have no conscience. This type of violence is no different than the drive-by shootings that occur everyday in our urban areas. Only in this movie you see graphically what happens! This movie was the most revolting film I've seen in long, long time. Can't wait for the sequel.

Posted at 1:25PM on Oct 6th 2006 by GottaLuvIt!

42. I've seen it and I thought it was well done, if disturbing and horrifying. . . people should decide for themselves

Posted at 1:34PM on Oct 6th 2006 by HoundDog

43. This is one of the most graphic and disturbing movies I've ever seen in my life. It definitely stays with you as a reminder of how bad things can get by getting involved with the wrong people. It's the type of move that nightmares are made of.

Posted at 3:02PM on Oct 6th 2006 by Tracy

44. "Demon Dave" or Dave DeFalco want-a-be

Thanks for the laugh. I haven't had that good of one in a while. So many things wrong with your post I'll just keep it real simple for you since you are "supposedly" this dumb ass wrestler guy. What I'm telling the masses is this is not a "real life scenes of young girls getting tortured" as you try to present it, it’s a movie! Plain and simple,it's not "real life" and no girl with half a brain will fall for that ploy. Really sorry dude but I saw it when it was called "The House in the Middle of Nowhere" and it's a rip off off of "Last House on the Left". And not good one either.

And by the way here's what Ebert really says about this film in August of 2005.

"Chaos" is ugly, nihilistic, and cruel -- a film I regret having seen. I urge you to avoid it."

Sense you brougth it up Here are some more comments:

"A virtual photocopy of Wes Craven's "Last House on the Left" Robert Koehler

"The movie opens with a message announcing its mission "to educate and, perhaps, save lives"—presumably a joke, although the portrayal of one girl's impossibly naive parents ("Emily was raised with good family values!"), an attempt at social satire so inept as to verge on self-parody, raises some doubt." Village Voice, Joshua Land.

You shouldn't try to make crap up we all have access to the internet.

Posted at 1:54PM on Oct 6th 2006 by badisbad

45. To suggest that this film (or any other) could've had any impact on Natalie Holloway's disappearance is absurd.

If harm has come to her (and I hope it hasn't), seeing Chaos or any film like it, probably would not have prevented her from going to Aruba, partying while there, or hanging out with the perpetrator's of her misfortune. No doubt he, or they, presented themselves as harmless party-people.

The producer and director of Chaos did not invent the cautionary tale and they should not be so pompous and arrogant to claim that their little film could've or would've had such an impact.

Posted at 12:36AM on Oct 7th 2006 by Marquito Sanchez

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