Director: Robert Michael Ryan
Year: 2025
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
Trying to check on her property, a woman and her friends decide to visit a remote canning factory she’s heard contains the spirit of a vicious killer that takes out everyone he comes across, and after finding the legends are true must find a way to stop his deadly rampage.
Review:
This was a decent enough if somewhat flawed genre outing. Among the better elements of this one comes from the somewhat enjoyable setup that provides the group with a solid enough excuse to get involved in the facility. Setting it up as a means of investigating the rumors of the strange property and how the locals are affected by its history and legacy works nicely in this kind of cheesy low-budget offering, especially since it’s such a cheat to use that as a pretext for unleashing the titular character in this kind of location. The gradual discovery of what the group is doing there and what connection they have to the legend of the savage killer makes this incredibly fun, with the series of encounters that manage to bring that to the forefront, with not just the friendship dynamic but also the other family throughout the film.
That means there’s a nice assortment of kills here involving the killer stalking everyone through the facility. The opening stalking of the couple in the abandoned factory makes good use of the atmospheric location and the hulking, imposing killer going around stalking the building, which is nicely explored in the subsequent attacks. From the couple exploring the facility in an investigative manner, the friends getting separated and forced to find a new group of survivors, and the later scenes of the group trying to find a way out when they realize the source of the killers’ deformed mutation. With the practical effects of the kills being handled rather well, much like the imposing killer who goes around the facility, these all give the film a lot to like.
There are some issues here that hold this one down. The main drawback with the film is the wholly sluggish and rather bland tempo that takes quite a while for something to happen. With the group going out to visit the facility several times over and meeting the drunken dock-worker who knows the legend several times over to finally get the full backstory revealed, this could’ve been handled far better than it is, and it manages to drag this out far more than it should’ve with these extraneous sequences that aren't necessary. Other scenes here take quite a while before anything happens, and it all gives this kind of sluggish atmosphere that makes it quite a struggle to get going. The other underwhelming issue here is the frantic finale, where it rushes through everything without letting everything breathe, as we just get a series of revelations without much else happening to let it settle, and it is what manages to hold this down overall.
Overview: ***/5
A fun if generally problematic entry, there's enough here to be a watchable and worthwhile genre effort, although the main drawbacks here will be enough to hold this back overall. Those with an appreciation for this style or approach to the material will have a lot to like with this one, while most others out there should heed caution with this one.
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