I like a good horror/slasher movie, but I recognize when they are just not well done - which is most of the time. If you read my reviews, you'll find the bloody corpses of lousy horror movies strewn about the sub-2 out of 5 range. Few of them manage to get into the coveted "average" range of 2-3, and even fewer get higher than that. The problem lies with the fact that everyone seems to think that they can make a horror film and have it work. It's simply not true.
This movie is a tale that is others have tried: a group meets for a holiday or party or something in a house in the middle of nowhere, bad guy or guys show up, and hilarity ensues. This one, like many before it, has lots of review blurbs on the poster that claim that it's the best movie ever and that it thinks outside the slasher box. Here's the thing - they are inexplicably right.
This family is meeting at a very nice house in the middle of the woods with very few neighbors and increasing family tension when bad things start to happen. The banter between family members when the hammer falls is exceedingly entertaining.
The concept is that an unknown number of people are assaulting the house from the outside, and the family has to deal with each other, the assailants, and come up with an escape plan. As usual, most of the people involved don't have their stuff together, but one of the girlfriends brought along for the ride, played by Sharni Vinson, has enough wherewithal and intelligence to do a significantly better job of fighting off the invaders than most people in these kinds of movies. When you would normally shout, "What are you doing? Don't do that!" at the screen, you are instead thinking that this woman is someone you could work with.
Honestly, I'm just as surprised as you are. This movie really is a fresh take on an old horror standby of a story line. It's entertaining and I really hope that the writer and director get back together to do their next project.
Directing was good
Story was a nice twist
Effects were good enough
Acting was surprisingly good
Cinematography was actually also good
4.0/5