Reviews

As a huge fan of horror movies, I read the synopsis on my guide and thought it'd be worth a look. The formula is pretty standard - American teens get lost out in the middle of nowhere, take shelter in a spooky place, and get picked off one by one by a seemingly-supernatural brutal killer. During the film, a number of questions hang in the musty air - Who or what is doing it? What's the deal with the methane-like gas that stalks our cast? What is that mechanical device?

I've tried to be somewhat vague just in case you decide to watch Reeker.

Good points : The teens aren't as aggravatingly obtuse as you've come to expect in lower-budget horror films. I found all the characters to be different enough, and quite agreeable. I didn't particularly *want* them to die, so mission accomplished!

The idea that your killer is super-agile or can pop up anywhere for the right scare usually gets annoying, but it's kept to a minimum in this film. The explanation at the end is satisfactory.

Although the film is primarily shot at night, it's not too dark that you don't know what's going on (in the frustrating sense, like AvP:Requiem)

The big twist is interesting enough, it's not a big let down. I try not to think about these things so I'm not let down or race ahead of the plot, and get bored. I've been mistreated to some really terrible twists, so this one was grand.

They didn't need to resort to nudity, and didn't. Arielle Kebbel (Cookie) plays a gorgeous, slightly subdued free spirit. Her blonde hair looks fake as her eyebrows are dark brown. (!)

OK points : The dialogue was OK. Nothing to be proud of, or ashamed of.

The direction is fine, nothing great or terrible.I didn't really appreciate the quick splicing when people remember things.

The ecstasy angle doesn't really play out. I was expecting some "Shrooms"-like trip outs, where people don't know if they're hallucinating or not.

Bad points :

The plot is pretty linear with everything happening at a steady pace. This film goes where it was supposed to go.

The Special Effects range from OK to poor.

Suspension of belief is required for some parts - i.e. when you see shoddy SE or impractical gore (eg losing a limb and not bleeding to death)

So to Sum up : Watch this film if you *love* horror films. It offers nothing new or exciting. But it's a perfectly acceptable lower-budget horror film. I wouldn't recommend renting it, but if it's on TV, give it a whirl.