I mean, despite my gut telling me that it would be an overly campy, cliché-ridden slasher by just another bum director trying to make it into the business the practical way by going the enterprising slasher route, well, I was only half-right, but the half that was wrong was dead wrong. It is a slasher by another director trying to make it into the business the practical way by going the enterprising slasher route, but instead of being overly campy, it is quite cleverly directed. Quite. And as for the clichés, you can never expect one of these movies to be completely devoid of them, but this one is shockingly rebellious against them.
The director, Scott Spiegel, who unfortunately didn't make it as far as most other young, down-to-earth filmmakers with slasher debuts, like John Carpenter (Halloween), Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man), Leigh Whannell (Saw), etc., has ended up in a similar situation as Sean S. Cunningham, who debuted with the original Friday the 13th, never made it up the ladder and kept churning out the campy slashers. That's a shame, because Spiegel has blooming talent evident in Intruder. His attention-coercing point-of-view shots from unusual points of view are very fun and different. His scenes of gore are done with a quirky balance of deadpan and shock. You are shocked that the scene went as far as it did, but at the same time, it was done with such a poker face that you can't help but scoff at its almost comical approach.
Intruder is also refreshingly different in its premise. First of all, it all takes place in a supermarket overnight. Secondly, it gives us twists when it does not seem a likely time for twists. Also, for each murder, there is a different means of dispatch. These visionary murders, if a bit too brief, are increasingly more violent and more inventive each time. I have a feeling Spiegel or Lawrence Bender, the producer and co-writer of the story, were inspired when realizing in a supermarket or butcher shop or grocery store the gruesome possibilities with what one can utilize in the place.
If you are a fan of horror, slasher films, campy 1980s cinema, or anything in that realm, do check into Intruder. You will find yourself pleasantly surprised.
The director, Scott Spiegel, who unfortunately didn't make it as far as most other young, down-to-earth filmmakers with slasher debuts, like John Carpenter (Halloween), Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man), Leigh Whannell (Saw), etc., has ended up in a similar situation as Sean S. Cunningham, who debuted with the original Friday the 13th, never made it up the ladder and kept churning out the campy slashers. That's a shame, because Spiegel has blooming talent evident in Intruder. His attention-coercing point-of-view shots from unusual points of view are very fun and different. His scenes of gore are done with a quirky balance of deadpan and shock. You are shocked that the scene went as far as it did, but at the same time, it was done with such a poker face that you can't help but scoff at its almost comical approach.
Intruder is also refreshingly different in its premise. First of all, it all takes place in a supermarket overnight. Secondly, it gives us twists when it does not seem a likely time for twists. Also, for each murder, there is a different means of dispatch. These visionary murders, if a bit too brief, are increasingly more violent and more inventive each time. I have a feeling Spiegel or Lawrence Bender, the producer and co-writer of the story, were inspired when realizing in a supermarket or butcher shop or grocery store the gruesome possibilities with what one can utilize in the place.
If you are a fan of horror, slasher films, campy 1980s cinema, or anything in that realm, do check into Intruder. You will find yourself pleasantly surprised.