Director: Jerimiah Douglas
Year: 2020
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
As the meathook massacre rages on, recently-reconnected half-sisters trying to get back acquainted with each other find that the strange relatives staying with them are slightly more unhinged than they may let on, and when the killings start to turn closer to home they realize their true intentions and try to get away alive.
Review:
For the most part, this was a pretty decent effort. That this one attempts to introduce an actual setup into the proceedings, featuring the two family members coming into the fold of each other’s lives and then explaining their comfort with the situation while she is clearly at unease with that or the other events that are building up around her, generates a fairly interesting setup. The attempts at suspense here with the burgeoning ideas of the massacre hanging around the outskirts of her life while she deals with the family drama, the exploits of her boss and the constant notions of something hanging around following her are rather nicely handled and maintain an engaging slow-burn pace to start this one off.
That leads into the film’s other enjoyable aspect here in how this one manages to offer up a connecting storyline to the other entries in the series. Not only are some of the returning characters fun to see come back but there’s plenty of suspense about whether or not they’re going to return to their murderous ways. It adds a nice air of suspense to their interactions when it’s obvious they’re going to prepare something diabolical with the way they ingratiate themselves into her life and her friends with their untrustworthy activity. This comes as one of the more enjoyable aspects here with the ending revelation turning this into a far darker entry than expected.
The other enjoyable aspect here is the expected stalking and chasing scenes that are usually featured here. The ambush on the driver checking on the accident set up to start this off is a nice shocking scene, while the suspenseful chase through the underbrush by a river causes an enjoyable protracted sequence that comes off really well. An extended stalking of a victim looking for a lost pet out in the woods offers up some extra emphasis before heading into the fun of the finale where they lead into the full reveal of the film-long hidden plans they were mentioning which gives this a strikingly brutal and gleefully over-the-top finale. These here are what make the film enjoyable.
There are a few problems here. The main issue at play here is the switchover from an action-based pace to a psychological, character-driven piece that lowers the number of confrontations featured. These are fewer in quantity compared to other entries in the series due to the need for all the storyline and set-up offered here before it goes overboard in the finale leaving this with a somewhat longer payoff than normal to get to the good parts that can turn some off looking for more of a wild ride. As the ones we get tend to focus on random characters encountering the killer that doesn’t seem to be connected to the main storyline until the end, this might be somewhat off-putting initially even though it’s still wrapped around a strong setup. The low-budget might be an issue for some, but that’s all that holds this one back.
Overview: ***/5
A rather enjoyable and intriguing turn in the franchise where it goes for a psychological character study than straightforward slasher effort, that does become slightly troubling with the lack of slasher action but the overall watchability of the film remains the same. Give this a shot if you’re a fan of the series or generally appreciate indie-flavored slashers, while those that are turned off by the flaws or aren’t fans of the franchise should heed caution.
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