The Hackers, as one might surmise, does not have anything to do with computers. It is hard to imagine what that movie might look like from a horror perspective if it were, so in a way, that is a good thing. Instead, this movie is about a demented family consisting of an old man and his two sons who are handymen that are not very handy. When someone complains about the work, they usually end up dead though they do have a fifty percent chance or greater of ending up that way whether they complain or not.

With a budget of not more than a few dollars, director John Duncan does a decent job of creating a slasher that manages to hold the attention of its audience despite looking incredibly cheap with poor acting and even worse dialogue. Its characters are fascinating in a way though, being the usual white trash sort of people one would expect to see in a slasher such as this and while slightly cliche because of that, there is something about them that makes the viewer want to see what they are going to do. That becomes apparent soon enough after the first killing and as things move from the first act to the second and so on, one does wonder why the police have not caught up with these miscreants. Eldon and Arnie, the grown-up kids of dad A.J. are quite the pair. They have no qualms about peeping in on women showering, assaulting others or just generally being terrible human beings and when they finally get their comeuppance, one cannot help but cheer. That being said, they do not go down easy hearkening back to those killers who always have one more bit of life in them before they give up the ghost.

There is no redeeming the characters in this movie which is for the best as one should not be able to find anything requiring empathy when it comes to villains like these, especially in a slasher. It adds to the overall atmosphere because Duncan follows these characters around everywhere they go, the bad guys being the focus instead of any hero or final girl. There is a good bit of violence spaced throughout and a little blood to be had. There is nothing overly crazy but it is effective and while good, the film relies more on atmosphere than anything else which proves to work for Duncan. It all feels a little dirty, just a tiny bit sleazy and the fact that it was shot on video is another plus as it gives it that less-than-polished look that one does not usually see in the theatre.

Exceptional this movie is not and most will think it quite poor but there is a charm about it if one can get past the amateurish acting and the generally cheap feel it gives off. There is a lot to dislike about the way The Hackers was made but if one sticks with it, it will surprise and provide a bit of entertainment for those looking for something off the beaten path.

2.5 out of 5