Rainey Dawn Come on, who wants to see a bunch of adults, who seemed mental themselves, talk dumb stuff that is totally unrelated to the film... I know they have to establish characters and they were going about their boring lives but all that bored me to tears!! OH and where in the film do they mention they are part of a mafia?!! Not one of them acted like they were mafia, not one of them even close to being mafia material - get real! Way too much time spent on this crap instead of with the kids who should have been creepy and they are NOT! Now as far as the kids - dumb! They are being transported from one institution to another apparently and they are in a van/bus crash, the driver dies and they escape. They end up in a village with stupid adults and they kill them. All the kids are trying too hard to be funny or cute minus the Nun kid (the only kid that I found barely creepy).Why didn't the film makers take the time to make the kids, minus the barely creepy nun, scary? Nun kid should have been even creepier - very scary in fact. I was hoping for another good creepy kid story not kids trying to be funny or cute! The film sucks in my opinion.1/10

NonSequiturL It would be reasonable to assume "Death Times Five" might attempt to explain why creepy horror movie children feel the need to murder, maim, and generally be little terrors that keep us "adults" second guessing the true intents of kids everywhere. Unfortunately, it never really does - it doesn't explain a lot of anything really - but what it does do is deliver a group of five psychologically disturbed children participating in a range of creative homicides that might please fans of this specific sub-genre, depending on their standards of quality.Like the classic "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" which was made in the same year, "Devil Times Five" revolves around a group of unsuspecting characters falling prey to a bunch of crazy people out in the sticks. Those crazy people just happen to be a little younger and a little less redneck, but the parallels are definitely apparent. Both films are low budget, genuinely disturbing, and managed to push the limit of their subject matter for their time. Where the comparison ends is that TCM was beautifully shot and tightly edited. This film is the complete opposite.Reportedly a troubled production, "Devil Times Five" is incompetent in just about every single way. Huge continuity errors abound, and every single shot seems to be framed just a little too low, leaving bizarre dead space above all the actor's heads. What are we supposed to be focusing on up there? The ceiling? It's not very interesting. That wall is lovely, but pan down, would you? The cinematographer seems to have been in a drug haze - it was the 70s after all. In fact, the original director (who had to be replaced half-way through production) turned in a final cut that only ran for 38 minutes. He is said to have been placed in a rehab or psychiatric facility shortly after. All hearsay, but the film is definitely the product of a damaged brain.The cast is strange mix to say the least. Boss Hogg from "The Dukes of Hazzard" makes an appearance, along with Shelley Morrison who went on to star in "Will and Grace". Future teen heartthrob Leif Garret plays one of the children, his hair giving one of the film's best performances, metamorphosing wildly from scene to scene as a result of re-shoots due to the departure of the film's director. His real life mother and sister round out the cast. It's a real family affair.Fans of 70's horror will find a few things to enjoy here. Beyond the distinct atmosphere of the era, there's a bizarre psychedelic murder scene (that goes on for a little too long) where the children take turns beating a man to death. There's a random cat fight that obviously results in exposed breasts. There's a psychotic albino who dresses like a nun. Also, there's death by piranha. But even with that, it's impossible to recommend the film to anyone but enthusiasts. It's just too sloppy and strange for anyone but the most hardened horror buffs to enjoy.

artpf Five extremely disturbed, sociopath children escape from their psychiatric transport and are taken in unwittingly by a group of adult villagers on winter vacation.Very 70s, complete with direction that looks like it's for TV, not the movies, weird whistling music that bares no understanding why it was chosen. And poor over dubbing of sound effects -- even simple stuff like cars driving.A main character is named Papa Doc. When they call him it sounds like Papa Duck! And believe it or not, Lief Garrett is in this flick! No wonder he turned into an addict!The movie is poorly acted the way many are, only it's not a fun ride the way some are.

Red-Barracuda This is a good little quirky horror-thriller set in a snow-bound area. A family gather in a house for a winter break, while at the same time a bus carrying some kids crashes off the road. Five of the children escape unharmed but it turns out these are seriously disturbed kids and they are soon to come into contact with our friends in the holiday home.Devil Times Five is a strange little movie. It sometimes gives off the relaxed and warm feel of a 70's TV movie but this is misleading as its subject matter of sociopathic children is not exactly a very cosy theme. This combination of TV-style melodrama with slasher movie subject matter is one of the things that makes for distinctive viewing. It's just a little bizarre. The snowy setting is good too and gives the flick a nice feel. The murders are all varied and occasionally quite inventive such as the bath tub demise replete with piranhas. Admittedly, the first murder is a pretty confusing affair – not only do we have trouble knowing what is going on but it's not even that clear who is even being attacked! But it's still a pleasingly weird scene with slow motion visuals and sound, and through a monochrome lens. Aside from all this, the movie is not above throwing in a totally unnecessary cat fight too. And what could be wrong with that? You could do a lot worse than this one. If you are a sucker for early 70's proto-slashers then this is one that should provide some entertainment.