Director: Austin Bosley
Year: 2013
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
Heading out into the woods, a group of friends holds a special Christmas reunion at a lakeside house during the holidays, but when a series of strange incidents causes them to believe that a masked killer is stalking them for revenge, they must find a way to get away alive.
Review:
On the whole, this was a pretty fun, simplistic slasher effort. Among the better factors with this one is the rather strong story that offers up some really solid old-school slasher ethos into this kind of film. The majority of the first half here is concerned with bringing the group to the remote lakeside house in the woods and getting them back together to catch up and prepare for their festivities, revive their friendships, and get back into their old habits with each other, creating a far more enjoyable setup than expected as we get to know them. This has the kind of fun-loving group of friends that actually enjoy being around each other, helping to make these scenes far more fun and tolerable as this goes along.
Once everything has been settled in and we get used to the group, the series of ambushes here featuring the killer coming around to attack them one by one are quite enjoyable. These are handled in that typical quick-ambush style series of setpieces, from the couple coming downstairs to investigate noises and finding the killer at the bottom of the stairs, sneaking up behind a snowman to impale another victim, or springing a razor-wire trap for a snowboarder trying to have fun on the slopes nearby, are all handled more as that type of quick-cut shock sequence focusing on the creative kill at the center of the sequence. Other sequences, such as the stalking scenes in the cabin or a frantic escape attempt to get out of a cabin owned by the killer, come off as lengthy, high-end sequences that are incredibly fun, giving this a lot to like.
There are some slight issues here that bring this one down. The main drawback on display is the rather lacking motivation for the killer that comes across here, not only being given so late in the film that it’s hard to get a feel for the reason in general but also being so petty and lackluster that there’s quite a lot of missed opportunities to make it reasonable. Being given at the final few stages of the film is a bit too late to take it for granted, especially with the kind of content it gives as the motivation, since it’s petty and moronic to try to be used as a telling point for why they’re going on a rampage, killing the group in particular. There’s also the expected and rather obvious low-budget limitations here, from the small cast, one-location setup, lack of spectacle, and general presentation that all manage to bring this one down.
Overview: ***.5/5
A really solid and enjoyable indie slasher, there’s a lot to like here, which makes for a generally fun time and comes off well enough to be able to hold this one up against its few drawbacks. Those with an appreciation for this kind of approach or who are fans of the style here will have a lot to like, while most others out there should heed caution.
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