Rating: 2/5
Cult Movie Challenge 2024 | 25/52 | Ryûhei Kitamura
An SUV drives down a California highway. Todd and Sara give a ride to four folks — Jodi, Keren, Jeff, and Eric. Suddenly, a tire blows out, and they swerve to the side of the road. Everyone gets out to see what’s happened. Jodi grows dizzy after bumping her head, so Jeff helps her into the backseat. Saran and Keren tend to her while Jeff grabs a baggy and some ice to make an ice pack.
Sara and Todd step away with a phone to call roadside help. They haven’t seen a car on the road in ages, and the phone reception is spotty. The boys decide to take the spare and change it themselves. Jeff inspects it and says it’s pretty worn down. Thankfully, Keren finds a shop 20 minutes away where they can get their tire patched.
Sara takes a selfie of everyone to commemorate the moment. She uploads it to [insert social media platform] and chats with her friend Alex online. She passes a roadside memorial where the picture is missing. Everyone does some characterization chatter — surprise birthday parties, people in bands, [name] likes [name], and so on.
Eric steps away to pee, and Todd joins Sara, leaving Jeff to change the tire. He picks up the blown-out tire (which rolls away and seems full of air?), and a bullet casing falls out. The others hear the tire iron drop. Todd sees the tire rolling away and chases after it. Sara comes around to joke about how long it’s taking. She finds Jeff with a hole in his skull and brain matter splattered all over the car. Sarah feels something, and blood cascades down her face and onto her hands. Everyone stands there and looks at her, repulsed. Another bullet brings her to the ground.
Keren tells everyone to hide. The bullets fly. Jodi, Keren, and Todd hide behind the car, but not before a bullet clips Todd. Eric takes cover behind a tree stump. Who is shooting at them out here? And why?
What’s left is a compelling setup and 70 minutes of movie left.
Let’s address a few matters. Everyone has the visual range of an infant, unable to see anything more than a couple of feet away from them. No one is giving a compelling performance, and the dialogue is mechanical. The gore is cheap and rarely convincing.
Sharni Vinson’s character in You’re Next may not have been the first of this troupe, but several budget horror flicks have followed suit, leaning on an “army brat, hunting family” character to avoid everyone being killed off instantly.
Despite everything mentioned, the film’s major flaw is the lack of likable characters. Everyone is a tremendous asshole to each other, so it’s impossible to root for anyone to survive. But that seems to be the point: to watch folks suffer. Scared, grossed-out kids puking, bleeding, and pissing everywhere. Crows picking at eyeballs and brain matter.
For some, that’s entertainment — honestly, no judgment, love what you love. I need a little more to get into it.