Carver (2015) by Emily DiPrimio

Director: Emily DiPrimio

Year: 2015

Country: USA

Alternate Titles: N/A

Genre: Slasher

Plot:

Gathered together for a special party, a group of friends hoping for a Halloween night of fun and partying are unnerved by the discovery of strange pumpkins left behind for each of them that signals the return of a long-buried secret of the town in a masked killer targeting them specifically.

Review:

This was a rather solid and enjoyable slasher effort. Among the brighter features here is the rather strong and enjoyable setup that serves the film rather nicely. This implies a solid backstory for the characters where we see them several years earlier targeting and bullying a pair of kids in the town to the point where they lead the kids to their suspected deaths and cover it up to move on with their lives. When we see them years later as high school students who run the town and are still in a friend group preparing to finally move on from the town with a special celebratory Halloween party but are interrupted by a series of discoveries involving pumpkins carved with the same logo as the other kids did when they were killed but isn’t recognized as such as it leads into the killer’s return. That becomes a fine way to get this going with a traditional slasher storyline with the appropriate features in place.

That serves the film incredibly well with these setting up the fine stalking and chase scenes throughout here. The initial appearances around the town showcasing the killer randomly coming upon various stragglers which is the key to a solid ambush-style encounter is a nice way to get this started while setting into motion the type of encounters found in the barn where the party is held. These are a bit more extravagant and elaborate as the series of confrontations featured here spread throughout the grounds of the area, including the couple killed in their van while trying to get together, the group member being alone in the woods, or the big final chase around the barn which comes off incredibly well. As these are done with unspectacular but brutal methods featuring practical effects for these sequences, this one has quite a lot to like about it.

There are a few minor flaws found here that hold this one back. The main issue here is a rather complex and unnecessary series of additions to the film once we get to the finale. The whole reveal here and what’s going on in this section of the film feels way too over-the-top and contrived when it didn’t need to be with the first twist involving the identity of the killer and their purpose being incredibly heartfelt and worthwhile. However, then it goes into a wholly unneeded additional backstory that implies all sorts of unsavory antics and actions for what’s going on and tries to tie it all together as the motivation for the killers’ rampage only to come off too clumsy to be effective when it never really should’ve been included as it was working fine with the main backstory that serves as a fine motivation on its own. As well as some other instances where the low-budget nature is obvious, these are what holds the film back.

Overview: ***.5/5

A far better-than-expected slasher effort, there’s a lot to like here with just a few minor flaws that manage to drag this one down just enough to be a solid indie genre effort. Those who enjoy this kind of genre fare or are fans of the style will have a lot to like here while those who are turned off by the flaws or approach should heed caution.