Silent Retreat

Director - Tricia Lee (One Drop)
Starring - Chelsea Jenish (Motives and Murders: Cracking the Case), Sofia Banzhaf (Closet Monster), and Robert Nolan (The Resurrection of Clarence Neveldine)
Release - 2013
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "The rules are simple"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     One horror sub-genre that does not get the credit that it deserves is the creature feature or monster movies.  These films, at one time, ruled the horror genre and became synonymous for what the genre is capable of.  Sadly, horror has taken a more realistic approach and centers mostly on serial killers, rapists, mass murderers, and slashers.  This has forever changed horror and put the monster movies in the backseat while these other films reign.  To make matters worse, when a good monster movie is released they package it in such a way that the viewer will never know it's a monster flick unless they buy it and watch it.  Case in point, Silent Retreat.  The film's cover art made me think this was a blood soaked "kids in the woods" type horror flick but I quickly realized it was not when I threw it in.

     The film follows a group of troubled youths (all female) that are sent to a secluded camp in the woods for meditation and healing.  Here they are supervised and watched over by a mysterious doctor and his drones that try to keep the women in line.  However, if they continue to misbehave and act out, they are not sent to jail.  They are actually bound and taken into the woods.  Janey (Jenish) is an unruly patient and the good doctor takes her into the woods and ties her to a tree.  She hears noises and attempts to break free.  As the noise draws near she is able to escape and make her way back to the mess hall where it follows.  The beast enters the mess hall and begins killing the girls before we learn that the doctor is able to control the beast and uses it as a way to curb his patients.  Janey is able to turn the tide and send the beast on a bloody rampage ending with the death of the doctor.

     Modern horror flicks go for the shock factor instead of quality.  Most want to disgust the viewer to the point they turn it off and exclaim at the horror.  However, what results is a cheap film with no story or a weak one at best.  That is one of the reasons I miss the golden age of monster movies where the viewer knew exactly what they were getting themselves into.  If the story was weak then they at least got a fun or cheesy monster out of it.  Silent Retreat is a well welcomed monster flick that hides the fact very well.  Almost too well.  Before I watched this film I had no idea this would be a creature feature which resulted in a very pleasant surprise.  With that being said, if people just look at the cover they would never know this film was, in fact, a monster flick.  The acting in this one is hit or miss.  The entire cast has a great deal of talent in front of the camera but they sometimes have a hard time interacting with other characters.  Almost all the character interactions seem forced and awkward.  This is one of the few instances where a few rehearsals would have went a long way among the cast.  The story for this one is not that original but it was done in a manner we are not used to seeing.  The film starts out making you think it is going to be another psychological thriller centered around a group of unstable women.  We are then tossed in a "cabin in the woods" scenario where we are tricked into believing that an evil doctor is behind the real horror in the film only to discover that an evil beast (similar to the creatures in The Descent) is stalking and murdering young girls for the doctor before turning it's sights on him.  This is a great story that has the potential to be a classic but the film is brought down by unnecessary dialogue and scenes that drag on for far too long.  Finally, the film has several great kill scenes with amazing gore.  We are also treated to some amazing practical effects that make the kills even more gruesome.  Overall, Silent Retreat is a bloody monster film for the gore hounds out there.  Fans of The Decent should really check this one out!