TLDR: An interesting 80s style horror movie with good acting (except the boy... but that is to be expected), thankfully non-80s dialogue, and the right dose of gore... so that one cringes during the action scenes without getting desensitized. It does do things that most horror fans will expect, but it stayed interesting enough to have me return to it after being interrupted a few times during the viewing. Should have replay value even after knowing all of the twists. 4.5 of 5
-------
A slightly longer review: This movie plays on the fear of being new and mostly friendless, of being trapped far from help, of creepy priests, and the fear of being passed through the digestive tract of a child. And while most horror fans will see the many twists' headlights coming around each corner a few minutes before each reveal, it doesn't hurt the film. Horror doesn't lose point for being derivative. It loses points for being boring. Fortunately, this film wasn't boring. And it didn't have to rely on senseless gore and nudity to achieve that. The gore we see hurts. Most viewers will likely cringe in a few parts, but it serves the story...so it is not merely gore-porn. The dialogue is to the point too, with only one section full of a boasting villain engaging in some exposition. But the acting is good, so that can be forgiven. All of the adults have fun with their roles. The child actor... not so much.
That kid seemed to have been given a 1 minute compilation video of the child from the original The Shining as inspiration... and then just kept replaying the REDRUM part in between takes. But horror fans are likely used to seeing a few stiff performances by child actors without ruining the movie. I will put the blame on his coach. Kids are plenty creepy to me in real life. It is when they are told to be creepy that they seem to then just go stiff and dull. If the twist ending had been that he was an interstellar alien in a human skin that had recently landed on Earth, I would have said the kid nailed the role.The big question.... will you be scared? Likely not. But you will be curious to see where the ride is going and to see if the heroine survives. One never can tell in horror. And if you let yourself, you will be tense in a few parts and will cringe during the big fight scene. The concept is scary, with acting performances that serve the script well. And since the movie does so many things right for the genre, you will forgive the very few holes... such as how does one help another walk while having a deep axe wound in their own back (???). Or who the hell called the cops? But this is horror... not a history documentary. So us horror fans are used to this too. I definitely suggest this movie to fans of 80s horror. And I suspect that I will see most of these actors in other projects.
The pet peeve that made me swear at the screen that will be the slightest of SPOILERS is the obsession in horror films with setting up a sequel. Why can't a horror movie just end? Why must there almost always be a wink, or a hand reach out, or a "we can't find the body" ending? Is there really a need for a Babysitter Wanted 2? How about, "that was intense and jacked up, but it is over now. Good luck with having a normal life and here is a card for a local PTSD counselor." [end rant]
While I do not think that any big parts of this movie will find its way into my haunt (maybe some of the gore barn setting as inspiration), I do not regret watching it. That cannot be said of >50% of what I see in the horror section of Netflix. I legitimately liked it. Hopefully, this movie will get picked up by Netflix to improve its stable. In the meantime, give the movie a chance and spend the $3 on Vimeo.
Overall rating: 4.5 of 5
No comments:
Post a Comment