Director: Stephen Michael Giglio
Year: 2018
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Infection
Plot:
After getting together for a friends' party, a group of friends at a birthday party find that the intentions of her distant father working to reconnect has to be put on hold when a deadly pathogen is introduced to the guests and forces him to try to get her out of the party alive.
Review:
For the most part, this wasn't that enjoyable an effort. A lot of the film's problems stem from the low-budget nature that runs rampant in the film. The setting of the apartment fives off a rather obvious one-setting feel that really highlights the fact that this stripped down, minimalist effort won't have a lot to offer. The fact that this barebones setting captures only a few locations without really venturing further or featuring extravagant work in any regard becomes rather obvious in the second half where all the dialog between him and everyone else calling the hotel room to find out what's going on with the out-of-control situation as the small cast also sticks out quite prominently here.
There's also the fact that this one doesn't seem to know what it really wants to be. The first half is entirely based around the slow-building drama established with the exploits of the party and the absentee father attempting to reconnect with the family, yet then he manages to pull off the asinine maneuver of removing her from the party against her will inadvertently making the whole scene look like an abduction all without informing the authorities. This comes off as completely irrational, much like the supernatural method of dealing with whatever the things are as the full extant of the virus isn't known so the scenes of the creepy figures stalking around come off as confusing and curious. Along with the easily-spotted finale that's obvious where it's going, these here are the film's flaws.
There are a few things to like about this one, mostly centered around the idea of the virus spreading through the friends. After the initial infection and then succumbing to those effects in the middle of the party where she begins to infect others in similarly graphic means, this one really works the idea of the contamination working slowly through the other victim in the motel. Knowing what's going to happen here adds a macabre bent to everything, and when added to the admittedly creepy scenes of the deformed ghost-like beings coming after her which goes hand-in-hand with the few attempted gore effects on the bodies to become the few positives. Still, even with these enjoyable factors they're not enough to overcome the overwhelming negatives.
Overview: */5
Blessed with an infuriating script that doesn't know what it wants to be, maddening contrivances and a low-budget feel that doesn't support what it really is, there's not a whole lot to like here. This is really only recommended to those that like the low-budget indie fare like this one, while those that are looking for more prominent fare should heed immense caution, especially if you're unsure of what kind of film this is.
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