PLOT: Three urbanites camp out at an abandoned nature preserve for a weekend hunting trip and are stalked by a group of killers in masks.

 

In case you ever wondered what The Strangers or You’re Next would be like if it took place at a nature preserve, this is it. It’s a little simplistic to sum it up in so few words, but this is the mood I felt while watching this movie. In fact, it’s not a disparaging remark at all; I enjoyed this movie for the most part. I feel like I’m usually more affected by movies that have more realistic situations. You’re Next from last year and Creep this year are two movies that I’ve given high ratings for during 31 Days of Horror, so I guess it’s a bit of a trend. All in all, this is a pretty decent movie with a couple of recognizable faces and some good tension throughout.

Aaron Staton and Pablo Schreiber play brothers in this film, and if you don’t recognize the names, one played Ken Cosgrove in Mad Men (Staton) and the other is known as Pornstache on Orange is the New Black. It’s interesting to see character actors take on bigger roles in a movie like this, and while their characters are a little cliché, you get a sense of their characters quickly. The third in the trio is Wrenn Schmidt, who plays the wife of Staton’s character. She gives a really nice performance, which carries the third act, much in the same way Sharni Vinson commanded the final act of You’re Next.

Without revealing too much about the ending, it seems to want to make some sort of commentary on society, but I’m not sure what it is. Maybe that the newest generation is an unfeeling, hotbed of sociopaths or that technology is making us less human. Either way, those sons of bitches killed a dog. That’s inexcusable.

 

It’s light on the gore for the most part. We get some blood, but nothing over-the-top or exploitational. What you would expect in a real life sort of situation of stab and bullet wounds.

Gore Rating: 2 out of 5

 

Like I said previous, real life situations get me uneasier than, say, a ghost story or monster movie. I wouldn’t call it overly scary, but it was tense and that tension definitely brought me into the story more than I thought I would. Well done.

Scare Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Nothing at all.

Sex/Nudity Rating: 0 out of 5

 

OVERALL

I liked this movie a lot. While the characters were mostly stock and went through some clichéd motions in the first act, I really enjoyed the second and third acts. Some of the characters make some obvious mistakes (why would you ever turn your back on someone that was just shooting at you unless you’ve decapitated them), but overall this tale of survival is a pretty nice, tension-filled thriller.

Overall Rating: 7 out of 10