Nobody Gets Out Alive

Director - Jason Christopher (My Brother's Keeper)
Starring - Jen Dance (Deception), Shaun Paul Costello (Cross Bearer), and Chelsey Garner (Curse of the Weed Eater)
Release Date - 2013
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I am starting to believe that there should be a sub-genre in horror called "Wal-Mart" horror.  Every horror fan reading this knows exactly what I am talking about.  When you visit your local Wal-Mart you come across those new released horror films that you have never heard.  The DVDs and Blurays have amazing artwork and great looking packaging that sucker you in.  Deep down in the back of your mind you know the movie sucks but the packaging makes you second guess yourself.  That brings me to this flick.  I was with my wife on our many adventures through Wal-Mart when I came across this one in the new release section.  The movie made me curious so I grabbed it.  The movie was around $10 so I figured why not?

     The film starts with a young man chopping wood and carelessly watching his daughter.  Nearby a group of twenty-somethings are partying it up and one of them decides that it would be a great idea to go for a drive.  The young drinker hits the young girl killing her instantly.  Years go by and another group of twenty-somethings decide to go camping near where the young man had lived.  That night and the following day the group is picked off one by one by the estranged father.

     I often wonder why the slasher sub-genre died.  Sure a few modern adaptations have popped up here and there but it is nothing like it was during the 80's.  However, after watching this film I can clearly see that this modern era is not the proper time for a slasher.  I have seen a few modern slashers that are simply amazing but for the most part a majority of them are pure shit.  Slashers now just do not have the atmosphere and tension that the classics have.  That leads me to my biggest complaint about this film.  The DVD artwork boats that this film is an homage to those classic slashers yet I did not see that in the slightest.  The killer in most slashers were usually unknown to the viewer until the end (unless it was a sequel) and most of them ended with a twist.  However, this flick makes the killer known at the beginning of the film and does not offer any sort of twist.  This film also fails to deliver the same atmosphere that made the classics so enjoyable.  The acting is not the best that I have seen but it was not bad enough to actually take away from the film.  Some of the cast did a better job than others while the others made it difficult to follow the film.  The story is nothing special and follows the basic formula for most slashers with the revenge-esque plot and this is the only aspect of the film that I can see as a homage.  Though it is nothing new or groundbreaking it still developed well on screen creating a mediocre viewing experience good enough to slightly entertain the first time around.  The special effects are nothing special and the kills are nothing bloody and gory.  A few of the kills are gruesome and quite effective with one kill in particular that goes directly under your skin.  Overall, this is a modern slasher that offers up nothing new nor special.  This film is a decent watch but has no replay value what-so-ever.