The Life Zone (2011) Online

I rented this movie cause the cover looked so cool. However it is just plain bad. The movie is nothing but pro-life propaganda. The sad thing is that the film would have been more effective in possibly persuading people if it told a story that moves its audience through story telling. Instead the characters literally debate the issue with the same tired arguments on both sides. And then they have "interviews" with people on the street and on TV. A perfect example would be when Tim Tebow & his mother made that commercial about how she refused to have an abortion when she was pregnant with him. It made you think without being preachy. The premise and even the twist at the end had the potential to move people to believe the message, if they're persuadable on the issue. Instead the film is unwatchable and will not convince anyone.

at least that is an actual horror movie, no preaching and Ron Pearlman is in it. I made the mistake of watching this on Netflix without looking it up ahead of time. Biggest mistake ever. While I understand with pro-lifer's stance, but respectfully disagree, this movie is the sort of crap you know the fundie extremists are showing to their daughters to scare the crap out of them.

The basic argument of abortion is murder aside, the part that real got me was the idea that Satan/Lucifer gets to run purgatory. I may be a pagan who's forgotten to bulk of her Catholic school lessons, but even I remember enough to call bull on that. Well that and the fact that an abortion is all it takes to get you locked in the middle ground.

This isn't a horror movie, its poorly written propaganda. No matter where you on the issue of abortion I think we can all agree people who make movies like this shouldn't even be allowed in the debate.

If you're going to make a movie that tries to persuade people to your beliefs, make sure you have confidence in what you're arguing. The movie is about three women who wake up in a dark, green- filtered, grungy hospital; they were planning on having an abortion, but they were captured and now they're being forced to give birth. It tries to visually emulate the Saw franchise, but instead of the characters being tortured, the audience is tortured with bad acting, annoying characters, boring dialogue and pitiful attempts at horror.

There is one woman who is adamant about having an abortion. She's basically a straw-man who only spouts easily refuted arguments. This is where the movie shows its lack of confidence. If they truly felt like they were in the right, they wouldn't resort to making this character the way they did (i.e. immature, rude, prissy, entitled, stuck up). Instead, they would have created a real challenge for their position and countered it with clever arguments and thought experiments.

I've seen thoughtful, insightful arguments for both positions, and none of them are in this film. This film won't convince anyone nor would it give people who are pro-life any better ammunition for their position.

Aside from the debate, it also fails when it attempts horror movie tropes. It tries to use scary film techniques and settings, but doesn't know how to implement them, or just doesn't know how they work. I've seen high school students with better skills than this.

I could go on about how most of the movie is just watching people debate, how nobody acts realistically, or the bizarre and confusing plot twist about one of the characters, but all I need to say is that this is a padded, boring movie that is more interested in making fun of someone rather than truly engaging in a discussion.

I could not agree more with everyone who has posted so far. I as well fell into the trap of thinking it was a horror flick(because they are the best!). This sadly was not in the least bit classified as a horror film. I as well am a conservative, and I was stunned at the propaganda that they threw out. It seems as if they are possibly trying to make a political statement as either pro-life of pro-choice, but it doesn't seem to help either side. It's offensive to both political stances and makes you feel a little uncomfortable and confused on what's going on. It says on the back of the movie there is a twist..... yeah freaking right, the movie ends horribly. To end if there is any part of this film that describes any horror its the screenplay, plot, and acting. If there was any possible way to give this movie a negative it would be my vote!

I originally watched this movie because of my love for horror movies. I looked up some reviews on this site only to see this was apparently a terrible movie, witch only made me want to watch even more. I love horror movies, but I love the laugh a terrible movie can provide even more.

If you are like me, however, you won't like this movie. The completely terrible and laughable concept of this movie is outweighed only by it's offensive nature. The movie revolves around 3 women who get kidnapped by some pro-life psychos just before having an abortion, and end up getting forced to have their children and debate about the topic of abortion. If you think the plot is already offensive, here's the kicker, throw in religion! Yes, this movie exists only to send the message that if you get an abortion, you go to hell.

At first I thought it would be mildly interesting, I love debating and seeing other's views on matters such as this. However, both sides of the issue look completely laughable in this movie, and everything during the movie is completely pointless as it's later revealed that the women were already dead and in hell, dying from their abortions.

Sorry for revealing the ending, but if you have an ounce of integrity and common sense, take my word, this movie is nothing more than propaganda for pro-life fundamentalist parents to show their kids to scare them into not only avoiding abortion, but also having them force their mortality on other people, just as this movie did.

As vile as Hitler's propaganda films before and during WW II, they weren't as vile as this disgusting piece of crap !!

This is nothing but an anti-abortion rant. And, yes, I said "anti-abortion", NOT pro-life...the anti-abortionists have no problem with a woman who decides to terminate an unwanted pregnancy dies while having an illegal procedure done in less than medical conditions, and that doesn't qualify as "pro-life"...but, I digress; the point here is that this an unbelievably vile propaganda polemic that is so badly conceived ( no pun intended ), horribly directed, ridiculously written, and talentlessly acted, that no-one who has any idea of respect for themselves or their time should waste even one second of that time on this horrible, disgusting, cesspool of a movie.

This is not a commercial film as much as it is brainwashing scare-tactics propaganda junk.

It is an all out attack to portrait pregnancy is bad for women and Catholic or Christian churches are evil for not supporting abortion.

The film had the medical worker (the doctor) wearing cross throughout the film, and until the end, all the crosses were displayed upside down, implying all these pro-life people are devil worshipers.

And in the end, the mother (who, per piece-mealed story line, supposedly was placed in the "clinic" because she committed suicide before she was able to give birth) is getting pregnant again and again as her sentence in hell and she is giving birth to demon spawns.

I started watching this movie because the concept seemed interesting. And it actually is - three women who get kidnapped and forced into delivering their unwanted babies. Regardless if you are pro-life or pro-choice, you cannot deny that abortion is a very delicate subject and brings a lot of pain to women who go through it. The viewer is supposed to get a grasp of that dilemma and follow the characters through a journey of guilt and self-doubt. However, the plot and the acting were so poor that I felt like I was watching a children show. I honestly expected the characters to suddenly turn into puppets and start teaching me basic arithmetic or something - because the way they act and express themselves make them look exactly like that, from the exact moment Lara wakes up (Angela Little does great in comedy, but this definitely doesn't look like her thing) until the end. Instead of feeling sympathy for the characters and engaging in their feelings of doubt, I felt like I was being force-fed with pro-life propaganda and moral lessons, in the most overused and cliché way possible. If I wanted lectures, I would be reading La Fontaine fables.

Movies are supposed to explore emotions and this movie does none of that. The women do not go through any journey, they just change opinions like they were struck by the holy lightning. If you want the viewers to get absorbed by the events and characters, you ought to present them some realistic acting and plot.

i started out watching this on netflix because it was in the horror section,right from the start i had a feeling this was a pro life propaganda film by the tone they used.once i did a search on the filmed i realized i was all too right.this was a waste of my time! these jerks tired real hard to trick gore/horror fans into seeing this junk! please be warned! i hated it! in the end the woman figure out the whole time they are in "purgatory" because they died during there abortions.one woman is sentenced to eternity of hell which consist of reliving abortion and birth!what i did sit through was complete and utter bullcrap,right from the beginning i could tell what was going on,its like they didn't even try.unless your a complete crazy you will find this film wrong in so many way.if i could i would rate this a zero!

First off, we should make clear that this is not a horror film. There are no elements of horror excepting the underlying execution of the message in itself.

I must make clear that I am actually a conservative, and this film did the great task of making both sides of the argument of abortion look terrible. Regardless of what ideals you yourself might hold, the film makes a jest of the topic and presents a poor argument even of the side it is obviously on.

However, to truly understand this story, I think it necessary to understand Ken Del Vecchio. Ken Del Vecchio, the writer and one of the wonderfully talented actors (sarcasm), actually has origins in the law field. His first film, coming from this background, is about a hotshot defense lawyer that no woman can resist. If that does not spell out for you what kind of talent Kenneth Del Vecchio has, it might also help to know that nearly all, if not every film written by Ken Del Vecchio contains one lawyer character. This is because Ol' Kenneth is unable to see any world views apart from that of a lawyer. And even that view is so twisted as to strip away any wonder as to why he felt the need to leave the profession.

Somehow, though, Kenneth believes that he has a great background from which he can argue women's choices and place in the world. This belief most likely stems from the fact that Ken Del Vecchio is actually a full-fledged misogynist who believes he actually has a first-hand understanding of women. It obviously stems from his law days when women were throwing themselves at him (sarcasm, of course). He must have spent hours in bed with women, engaged in passionate conversation about the very sensual topic of abortion. This has afforded him the ability to know what womens' rights (which according to Ken, appear out of thin air) are and even what justice awaits them in the after-life (knowing the inner machinations of Christian Justice as intimately as the women he has frequented as a humble lawman).

Before this review gets too long, suffice to say that even if the rating isn't enough of an indicator, know that regardless of whether you're pro-life or pro-choice, this is nothing but forcefully offensive drivel. But then again, which of Kenneth's films can be said not to be?

This movie does pro-lifers no favors. This is horrifically shallow and badly written. I have a hard time believing the writer of this script has ever even met a female much less a pregnant female trying to make a very difficult decision. The same old,badly composed circular argument is on repeat with very empty, shallow characters. The acting is horrible, but you can only judge them on what they are given. It isn't like they had the best material to work with as the ridiculous, shallow premise has the depth and reach of a stale cracker. The best scene is when the writer of this film is eating deviled eggs. No, I'm not joking.

Congratulations, you've replaced Rollergator as the worst movie I've ever seen.

The Life Zone is a confusing movie. It's not that the plot was hard to follow or anything but it mistakenly paints It's own side as the bad guys. Talk about a bold move, or it would be if the creators had any kind of self-awareness. It's almost as if the makers of this movie just wanted to throw as many pro-life and anti-abortion propaganda and didn't care about anything else. It's okay though, most Christians don't care about the plot of the movie, the acting, directing or anything else so long as the message is one they like.

The plot is rather thin. Three women, all pregnant and wanting an abortion. It's simple enough but things get complicated when they pass out and awaken in a hospital with nobody there except a creepy doctor who is trying to force them to give birth. This is important so keep it in mind for later.

He forces them to watch propaganda movies of abortions while drinking warm milk. Is this supposed to be a message to the audience. Is it an attempt at symbolism? Who knows.

It does work on two of the women and they decide to keep their babies The third one still wants her abortion.

The twist is that the other two women weren't really there and the one wanting the abortion already died on the operating table. And the doctor, seemingly distraught over this commits suicide. She then realizes that she and the doctor are now in hell. End credits.

The fact that the women are literally being forced to give birth shows that the makers of this movie don't understand why this is a bad thing. Remember free will? Christians always say that it's up to us to make the decisions. Sure a case could be made that she already made her decision and this is her punishment but it really doesn't feel that way. It feels more like a way to insert a hamfisted message that abortions are bad period.

No, this is not a horror film. This is a film that argues women are simply baby-makers and if you have an abortion, you are going straight to hell. The man who made this film is a right wing advocate who thought he'd pull a fast one by disguising this as a horror movie to unsuspecting audiences. Fortunately, the film tanked as word got out by Stephen Colbert among others that this was vile propaganda of the cruelest kind. Only a fundamentalist would enjoy this film and that is who it should have been targeted to if the filmmaker had any integrity. Fundamentalists have actually tried to claim that this film addresses both sides of the issue, but given that the woman who has an abortion ends of being tortured in hell at the end, this argument is patently ridiculous.

I found this item by chance while looking up the films of Charles Durning. The plot appeared that it might be of some interest. This film was described as "a thriller with a message." Three women, who had been expecting to abort their babies, wake up to find that they -- along with a doctor -- have been kidnapped by what they believe to be a fanatical anti-abortion group. Their "jailer" addresses them from a closed-circuit television. It is his intention to compel them to go through with their unwanted pregnancies and deliver their babies. Instead of your usual horror fare, the women are dressed in nightgowns and fed decent food, while reading and watching propaganda on why abortion is bad.

They are shown purportedly video taped messages from their families and they settle into a routine. Inevitably, they go into labour -- simultaneously! The babies are delivered -- one woman (the most outspoken pro-abortionist of the three) gives birth to twins.

Afterwards, the one who had twins is sick and in pain. After examining her, the doctor is dumbfounded to discover something that she says "is impossible." She informs the woman she is still pregnant. The woman says "it can't be." Suddenly the two other women are gone; it turns out that the woman had died on the abortion table and the doctor had committed suicide -- they are, and always have been, in Hell.

The story for most of the film went along a clear and straight forward premise. It turned out to be a blasé story with little intrigue for the most part. But the twist at the end ruined it even on that level.

The whole premise that a grumpy old man kidnapped three pregnant women from abortion clinics to force them to give birth is plausible. The whole story presents that premise with the videos from the families and the interaction of the three women and doctor. The reveal at the end that only the one girl and the doctor are real and that they are in hell totally invalidated everything that happened throughout the movie. The entire story of the film is shown to have been a deception; there's just no reason for such a development. They are in Hell -- there's no reason for them to be told otherwise. And the faked videos from the families really is a stupid turn. They are dead so their families wouldn't be sending any such messages -- there's no reason for it.

The twist at the end only made a story that was lack-luster at best, a complete waste of time.

If you don't like abortion or fancy words like "relevance", but you do like the voices in your head, this is your movie. The Life Zone is story of three women: a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead. No, I'm not kidding. Regardless of the feelings of their fetuses or God (lord knows no one needs more protection than an omniscient and omnipotent being) they have decided to have an abortion -- or did they? Not if Robert Loggia and a doctor/failed baby machine have anything to do with it! Together, they kidnapped the three women, and threaten to kill them if they self-abort. And yes, they are the good guys. The story is so thin and feebly told that to pad the run time, the prison scenes alternate with cutaways to anti-abortion propaganda; for example, alleged man on the street interviews that are performed by the cast and crew. I have no idea why Robert "Scarface" Loggia is in this film, but I like to think that he himself was kidnapped and was forced to read his lines. He never actually interacts with the other actors, so this is a real possibility. Blanche Baker, the actress who plays the doctor, had a major role in -- wait for it -- The Handmaid's Tale (1990). It's true. Look it up.

Wow... that's all I have to say. Wow... OK I have more to say. The blonde girl was HORRIBLE! Some parts I thought, oh maybe she isn't that bad, but n the end I give her 2/5 stars on an acting scale. It is true what others have said about this movie. It is just an anti-abortion movie. I did give it three stars though. And the three reasons why... 1)Decent story line. Would make a cute book for young adults who are extremely religious. 2)I liked Staci(Lindsey Haun). Good acting, liked her characters personality. =) 3)Unexpected ending. Stupid, and kind of annoying, but very unexpected.

All in all, this movie was kind of bad. Wont watch it again, or recommend.

-Mattie Nyte-

That's all it is. It's not a horror movie. It's just straight propaganda. The women die during abortions and are forced to go through full pregnancies in hell until they change their views. The woman who doesn't change her mind immediately becomes pregnant again and the cycle repeats while the other women go to heaven/back to life.

I'm serious. The girls are shown as silly and immature for wanting rights for their bodies. They end up implicated as sinners for having/wanting abortions. I'm not, and never can be okay with this. If you are not a woman, you should not be deciding, nor making hateful propaganda films about anti-abortion. First off, it's the woman's decision, not anyone else's. It's always easier to make decisions when it's not your decision to even being making. Her body, her choice.

I enjoyed this movie. I agree, it definitely wasn't a thriller, suspense, or horror, but I loved the plot.

I am pro-choice, and I do not see how this movie is nothing but pro-life propaganda. Yes I get the point is the three women using their choice for abortion loose it and are forced to vary out the pregnancy, but otherwise they still showed both sides. I have gone through the experience of abortion, and struggled with it until I watched this movie.

I wouldn't say it's great, but I wouldn't give it the awful ratings it gets. It was a decent movie if you ask me. Some of it seemed harsh, and I didn't care for the religion behind it, but then again one of my favorite movies is a biblical stories.

Overall I disagree. The acting wasn't awful. The plot was a bit intriguing. I wanted to see them really try to escape or live out their lives with their babies. But I enjoyed the movie. I loved the ending twist with it being purgatory though.

I very much like this movie. I've seen it 4 or 5 times over the years. There are 3 women who have been kidnapped and brought to an abandoned hospital far away. They are there to give birth to their babies (they're pregnant). Throughout their stay, these women may or may not learn a lesson. Each of the 3 women are a little different and I like that because it shows who will and won't learn a lesson. The entire movie basically takes place in one room. It's not a horror movie, but I would recommend watching this movie because it could open your eyes.