Director: Abel Berry, Jennifer Stone
Year: 2019
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: Midnight Evil
Genre: Creature Feature
Plot:
On the run after pulling off a heist, a pair of women seeking shelter from the group they stole from hide out at a remote cabin one of them used to live in as a kid, but when they realize there’s a dangerous creature living in the area hunting her and everyone in the area have to get away.
Review:
Overall, there’s a lot to like with this one. Among the better aspects here is the strong setup that provides a launching point for the rest of the storyline to come. Getting the early work here of the proper sentimental value of the house and what being in there means not just for the memories living with her grandfather but also the Indian tribe they encounter along the way who claim the area is home to a sacred creature in their mythology, this setup with the house’s history and significance comes off rather well. As well, the secondary storylines involving the mobsters on their trail looking for the stolen money and the obsession with the comet supposedly set to arrive in the night sky that day all come together into a highly effective and enjoyable setup for this one.
That gives the film quite a lot to like in regards to its action scenes. From the scenes of the demon hunting the girl when she was a kid that gives us a hint of the creatures’ strange and unearthly appearance, the first attack on the group where it crashes the walls supernaturally before taking out the first victims, and the series of discussions in the bedroom about what the creature is and how to stop it before the series of ambushes that occur, the action here is generally fun and cares a nice air to it. The later scenes involving the creature appearing in the woods to attack the random in the area or the attack on the police officers creates some fun here involving the possessed victims coming back to the house for the final battle gives this a nice finale, and along with the rather impressive make-up effects on the main creature all have a lot to like here.
There are some drawbacks to be had here. For all the good this does in terms of establishing a fun storyline, some of it is either unnecessary or just highly convenient to make the setup work. The cutaways to the gang operations that are being taken while searching for the missing money, either at the stripclub they operate out of, the series of cutaways depicting the gang-members abusing captives by forcing them to dig their own graves or accidentally killing them during an interrogation or the lesbians hanging out partying in the woods are highly unnecessary to this one offering nothing more than unfunny interludes or useless sequences to stretch the running time out. Several of these encounters and characters could’ve been eliminated entirely without really affecting the film that much.
The other issue here comes from some confusing storylines at play. Since there are so many different factors chasing after the girls here, from the thugs to the secondary henchmen attempting to get the money and finally the police officers investigating the initial crash, bringing all these factors together makes for a confusing time as to how they all managed to find out where the girls were hiding in the first place, much like the means of stopping the creature once inside the house. As the majority of this comes from the second half involving the release of the creature hunting them while these are taking place, a lot of the film comes off like it’s just a random coincidence that these encounters are happening the way they do. This comes up quite frequently here and manages to hold this one back somewhat.
Overview: ***/5
A generally enjoyable and fun indie creature feature, this one comes off rather nicely with enough to like that this one is decent enough for the most part while those few flaws do keep it down. Give it a shot if you’re a fan of the style or approach here, while most others should heed caution.
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