Backwoods horror meets supernatural slasher with gay leads and a complex twist in this indie film.
Despite budget limitations, this is a fun little romp with some witty moments (the snarky blonde in the main group rules), cute guys, some tense atmosphere enhanced by a strong musical score, and gory kills, even if they are CGI.
As we move farther and farther away from the practical effects of the 80s, we’re just going to have to accept that future generations have embraced the idea that it looks “real” when people in horror movies are killed with a computer program…and that it’s much cheaper for filmmakers strapped for cash to splash blood across the screen using an app.
The intro “kill” scene almost has it all. While on a date, a cutie strips to his undies with humorous results. This is followed by some tension, suspense, and jump scares. The only thing we don’t get is an onscreen death.
The awesome pop song during the introduction of the main characters is by Matt Fisher, one of the actors in the film (vest boy below). He’s fricking adorable.
After various texts are exchanged onscreen, the friends head into the woods for a camping trip. There’s some relationship drama, and the muscle stud in the group is a major homophobe, which sucks for him, considering there are three gay guys on the trip. Wahoo!
Things play out like your standard slasher. Kids wander off into the woods and get killed. There are sightings of a ghost girl in gray.
A stranger comes by and offers up a background story of the ghost—a bullied girl from decades before who committed suicide in the woods.
There’s also a dance montage and some tent sex—between the boys! Just don’t anticipate anything more explicit than kissing.
As with most indies, the biggest stumbling block here is the running time. If the 97 minutes had been cut down to about 85, it would have tightened the pacing a bit. Hell, the film even has unnecessary flashback footage of scenes that happened earlier!
Also, the twist is not without its issues – it’s suggested that the revenge is specifically targeted towards these kids, yet their trip to the location of this bullied girl’s suicide is completely random, not premeditated by kids or killer. And there’s no exposition by discovery on the kids’ part; everything is spelled out for them and the audience through dialogue. Mysterious characters come strolling onto screen like, “Yo, dumb bitches, this is the predicament you got yourselves into.”
It’s interesting to note that while the girl ghost’s bullying is a major factor in the revenge plot, there’s no focus on the parallels between her being bullied and social bullying of gays, despite the fact that the heroes of the film are gay characters.
Stick around after the credits role for a shower scene and a cheesy fun final gore and scare scene.
Finally, note that scream queen Brinke Stevens is in the cast because she is the voice of the ghost girl; she doesn’t make an actual appearance in the film.
