Five-Legged Iguana

THE AGGRESSION SCALE

(Review)

(ag·gres·sion scale): noun: “A psychological test measuring the frequency of overt aggressive behaviors that may result in physical or psychological injury to others.”

So I waffled a bit on this since a significant portion of this film’s DNA is decidedly “thriller,” and it seemed odd to put this one up there on the ¡Qué Horror! candidate list (even with the horrific, violent bits), so here we are, outside of all of that.

Steven C. Miller’s The Aggression Scale is an interesting spin on the home invasion film, as a search for some missing money puts two young step-siblings in jeopardy.

Think Home Alone-style hijinx--where the baddies are put through the wringer by an underaged hooligan--but played with a deadly straight face; have Twin Peaks alumni Ray Wise and Dana Ashbrook, and Derek Mears (the “new” Jason Voorhees) along for the ride, as their bad guy a$$es are run ragged by The Thompsons’ Ryan Hartwig and John Dies at the End’s Fabianne Therese, and you’ll have a fair idea of what’s in store for you in The Aggression Scale.

If you ever wondered what Home Alone would have looked like if it had been made for an adult audience, well, here you go…

(The Aggression Scale DVD cover art courtesy of twitchfilm.com.)