Unsolved

Director - Lance McDaniel (Widowbago: A Journey Back to Life)
Starring - Jane Bunting (Cottonmouth), Josh Shideler (He's Just Not That Into You), and Tinasha LaRaye (San Andreas Quake)
Release Date - 2009
Genre - Crime/Mystery/Thriller
Tagline - "Students are dying to know the truth"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I hate when a film finds it's way into my possession and the cover art blows me away only to discover that it it has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the actual film.  I have seen this so many times over the years and it continues to be a problem that indie films face when they get a major distribution deal.  Most toss amazing cover art on indie flick to pull the sucker, I mean viewer, into buying a film they normally would not.  Early last year MVD sent me a massive box of DVDs to check out and review and I have slowly been working through that box when not checking out other flicks.  One of the films in that box was Unsolved.   The DVD artwork (shown above) looked amazing so I decided it was time to dust it off and finally check it out.  Wish I didn't...

     The film follows a young college girl who re-opens a case about a murder that took place 15 years ago on campus for a class.  She tells her father, the dean, about it and he instantly becomes angry and tells her not to investigate it.  She does not listen to him and follows a lead involving the murdered young girl's then black boyfriend who has a history of violence and a janitor who was there that night and was the prime suspects in the murder.  She continues to dig and the closer she gets to finding the real killer the more bodies pile up until she discovers the murderer is closer to home then she would like.  The film ends with a showdown between her, dressed as the blonde that was murdered, and a loved one.
     When I first received Unsolved I thought it was a gory torture porn flick set on a college campus.  However, I could not have been more wrong.  The film was actually a mystery thriller that followed a murder and the unexpected killer.  With that being said, the film tells one of the slowest moving stories I have ever been unfortunate to witness though it does give you a surprise ending.  The acting in this one decent for a film of this caliber.  The cast really shows talent but they have a hard time feeling the situation and acting accordingly.  They have a hard time making the situation they are in feel authentic and that ruins several scenes.  The story for this one is one we have seen so many times on cold case shows.  However, this one is tossed in a college setting with a great surprise ending that is fun for horror fans but will ruin the experience if you are expecting a serious mystery.  The ending does not fit the film what so ever.  Finally, the film does have a few on screen kills but they are nothing special.  We get a few stabs and a slit throat but nothing spectacular or that stands out.  The special effects are minimum and barely able to pull the gag off.  Overall, Unsolved was a let down.  The film makes you think it is a straight forward horror film that is actually a mystery thriller that changes pace at the end to give you a horror cliched surprise.  The ending is worth watching but you will need to fast forward the film to enjoy it.  That is the only thing I can recommend about this one.