Director: Gregory Plotkin
Year: 2018
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
Attending an amusement park together, a group of friends having fun going through the various rides and attractions until they start to realize that a stranger is stalking them, and once it dawns on them that he's actually killing them one-by-one they have to fight to get out of the park alive.
Review:
This emerged as quite a fine slasher effort. A lot of what makes this one work is the fact that the overall setting here comes off with the type of atmosphere that makes for a rather fine attraction. The idea of the carnival funhouse taking place in the darkened environment where it's expected all manner of creepy, disgusted monsters and demons are going to jump out of the shadows startling people just being there offers the kind of setup that's creepy on its own. The demon clowns and other ghouls running through the neon-lit school hallways, the maze full of performers with the oversized costumes and the meatlocker that's filled with all sorts of screaming patrons and guests creates the kind of look that works to build a fantastic overall setting for the slashing to take place.
That slashing within here isn't that bad when it really wants to be. The opening encounter in the maze where he stalks the unaware victim who's tired of the guy following her and then strings her up in the exhibit gives this a nice starting point, while the later scenes inside the carnival are made all the more enjoyable due to the ability to take the setup of the carnival into enjoyable areas. From the situation in the traveling cars and the stalking in the bathroom to the stellar sequence in the guillotine exhibit that sets off a mass panic as everything leads into the final showdown in the last terrifying maze creates an incredibly strong and creepy experience here. This is where the suspense is at it's best as the encounters are fun, fast-paced and creepy.
The cast here also has a lot to like about it. Amy Forsyth as Natalie makes for an utterly impressive final girl, being the sweet and wholesome one that does have a fine sassy side that emerges once she arrives at the park and is immensely likable. Reign Edwards as Brooke is somewhat less memorable as she doesn't do much beyond keep pushing her into the situations yet that's really about all. Bex Taylor-Klaus as Taylor is the most impressive as her sassy and smart-mouthed fearless friend who is so wowed by what's going on that she plays up the part in grand fashion. Their guy friends aren't as memorable, though, being more in-tuned with going on the rides than anything else and it kinda loses them in the end. As the kills do produce some fine gore at times, there's enough to like here over it's often enough to hold out.
There are a few problems with the film, mainly stemming from the main killer himself. This is one of the weakest, most pathetic slasher we're supposed to be taken seriously, with his scrawny build, absolute lack of creativity in his kills and a completely non-threatening mask that makes him out to be a complete joke. His motivation to hunt them down makes no sense, and the inability to band together to stop him that it borders on the ridiculous that they don't recognize earlier on what's happening. Combined with a complete lack of backstory here and they really are one of the weakest aspects of this one. The other issue here is the overall abundance of cliches that pop up, making everything really predictable as to what's going to happen before it occurs. Otherwise, there isn't much here as the positives do hold it up.
Overview: ****/5
While there are a few minor problems to be had with this one overall, the fact that there's some wholly enjoyable and oftentimes downright creepy ideas at play here are enough to hold this one up overall. Give this a chance if you're intrigued by the concept or enjoy these kinds of old-school slasher efforts, while those looking for more out of there films than just a simple slasher film should heed caution.
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