Went to see this movie in theaters last night with my wife. I very rarely see movies in theaters but this one I just had to see asap because I'm an indie horror fiend and I love supporting low budget horror films in theaters.
The film follows the unsettled soul of Johnny, a deranged killer that was put to rest years ago after an accident happened in town. Now, after his grave is tampered with, he is resurrected to wreak carnage upon any and all as he seeks to retrieve his locket that was taken from his grave. Oddly though, the locket is what kept him in the ground so why would he be looking for it? You'd think it's something that is used against him as a weapon. The only weapon that can hurt him.
There is literally zero depth to this movie. Johnny stalks his victims one at a time unleashing bloody kills upon them and that's it. Yes it is a reminder of what true slasher films are made of but it's like, a little too labs of to be a big triumph. This movie was made 4 years ago and is just getting a release. I think this is a better time for its release but it still lacks an identity to call its own. We get camera angles from over the killers shoulder but we equally get traditional camera shots so it's almost like the movie is unsure of its direction and style. It's artsy but not artsy enough. The shots are so run of the mill. We can hear the vapid dialogue between characters even when Johnny is a quarter mile away. This is because the movie closely follows the killer as he is in the spotlight but we still need to hear the story lines and the banter between the unsuspecting victims. It's weird and I haven't seen it really before but it's the only way we can actually hear any talking because Johnny doesn't talk. You'd think we hear the convos as Johnny gets closer but no, we hear them loud and clear from very far away. It's almost like putting a soundtrack in a found footage film that wasn't supposed to be fictionally edited.
The kills are good. The beginning is slow and boring as is the entire movie for that matter but it still speaks to me because of the design and locations of the movie. The silence of the deep wood. The crickets and birds chirping and the unforgiving nature of our killer. This movie reminds me of another Ry Barrett movie, "The Demolisher". Which is maybe a slightly better movie overall.
I liked it, You probably won't.