Back of Box:
A group of young campers out for what they hope to be a fun-filled weekend find their plans spoiled by a disguised, merciless
killer who stalks the forest in search of fresh victims. Soon they are caught in a terrifying sequence of bloodshed
and murder. It is up to the remaining few victims to defend themselves and put an end to their trip of terror.
Plot: The film starts centered
around a group of guys who rarely get any female contact. They find out that they are going on an outdoor retreat and
that there will be some women joining them in the woods. The only thing they don't know is that one of the women has
been in the woods for a while and she'll do anything to keep her quiet way of life. I love female slashers and this
one doesn't let me down. The plot gets a thumbs up from me.
Acting: My two favorite
characters are the two that get set up to be the most unlikable. I think John Friedrich did a great job as the revenge
hungry Zorich. I also think that Joe Pantoliano gave the perfect personality to Eggar. Daryl Hannah is
in the film, but you wouldn't know it if she hadn't given the film it's most memorable scene. Seriously, she pulls off
hysterical extremely well. The only character that annoyed me was Vanessa (Akosua Busia), she was just too much for
me. Considering the kind of film this is, though, the acting is above average.
Gore: Body Count (6)
For a backwoods slasher the body count is a little low...the blood level is even lower. If you've heard anything
about this film it probably had something to do with razor-sharp tin can lids. Great idea, not so well done in the film.
The killer gets a sweet death scene involving a spiked log. Other than that, there's a lot of off screen violence and
bodies that turn up with no clues as to how they died.
Suspense: At one point
Melanie (Cindy Harrell) is held at knife point under the killer's hut. Her friends are right above her
but there's nothing she can do. A well set up scene. There's one scene in this film that I have to mention
because it still gives me chills. There's a part where the "survivors" are trying to get away down stream on a
raft. One of them spots something and they start to go ashore to see what it is. Instead of the camera following
them it zooms in on the rocks behind them and reveals the killer blending in. It's so wild because it so beautifully
done that you don't see it coming. I can say that there should've been more chase scenes, but I'll let it
slide.
Directing: It's hard for
me to believe that Andrew Davis went on to direct films like The Fugitive and Collateral Damage. It
must've been the camera operators or something because this film was sloppy. This wasn't his first picture,
but it was amateur at best.
Tech: During the day the
lighting was fine, at night it was impossible to see anything. It was hard to tell what was happening at some points.
Surprisingly the sound was very even. Not once did I have to turn the volume down when the music kicked it. Voice,
sound effects, and music all blended into one. Surprisingly there wasn't really much of a soundtrack. Minimal,
yes, but effective.
Other: The look of the
actual killer was amazing. It was so raw and brilliantly camouflaged. Part of me wished that I could have seen
it more throughout the film. I got over it when I realized that the effect of seeing it all together at the end was
so much more worth it. The setting was great. Very fitting for a backwoods slasher. Oh, and I want
to add how happy I was that Zorich went out tripping on 'shrooms. It would probably suck to die sober.
Final Word: When I first saw this film I thought
it lagged and never really gave it much of a chance. Now that I've re-examined the material it works for me. It
is still a little slow and without a doubt could've used more of the red stuff. All in all, though, it's not
a bad addition to the backwoods slasher genre.
