The Night Shift

Director - Massimiliano Cerchi (Hellbilly, Holy Terror)
Starring - Sadie Katz (Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort, Blood Feast), Greg Maness (The Vampire Diaries, Insane), Vincent Rivera (The Social Network, Sleepwalker)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've watched some pretty fun movies lately.  A few were bad but they still entertained which is all I ask of any movie.  Movies can be bad, either by accident or on purpose, and still entertain the viewer.  As much fun as I've been having I knew I was pushing my luck and soon I would toss in a real dud.  A few years back I befriended director Massimiliano Cerchi on Facebook.  Max is a pretty cool guy that takes filmmaking very seriously.  Since then I had seen a few of his films.  Some were fine while others were just not for me.  Recently, Max teamed up with SGL Entertainment for the release of his 60 minute horror film The Night Shift.  I tend to enjoy films centered around Satanic cults so I reached out to MVD who was handling the release and they were kind enough to send a copy my way.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows a security guard who is tasked with watching the summer home of a wealthy man.  He is tasked with not falling asleep or inviting guests over while keeping the property intruder free.  After hearing voices and falling asleep a few times he hears a knock at the door.  A beautiful young woman is standing on the other side and convinces him that she is the home owner's daughter.  He lets her in and the two spend some time getting to know each other before heading to the bedroom for some in out.  She leaves after the deed and the homeowner calls to check in.  When he tells him that his daughter is there he learns that the owner's daughter had died years ago and the woman he was with is apart of something sinister.

     I really wanted to like this film but the final product was lacking.  Lacking several things from substance to character development.  Honestly, it feels like the film was incomplete.  The acting in this is not the best.  It was solid but there was a few scenes that is only be described as being awkward.  Vincent Rivera was decent as the security guard but his inner dialogue and rambling to himself did not seem genuine.  His words carried no emotion and conviction.  The same can be said about his interaction with Sadie Katz.  The two show no connection on screen and their conversation is extremely bland and boring.  Their characters are underdeveloped but a great performance would have more than made up for it.  The story for this one is very linear, basic, and feels incomplete.  The security guard watching the home of a Satanist who is then sacrificed is a pretty metal fucking story.  Sadly, the film's running time is 60 minutes and 55 of it is him running around acting like a wiener.  The Satanic cult angle was only in the film a few moments and we never fully get to see that angle explored.  For the sake of the viewer's sanity the film should have been 30 minutes establishing how big of a coward the security guard is and then the remainder of the film following the Satanic cult as they prepare their sacrifice and learn their endgame.  Finally, if you want blood go somewhere else because you wont find it here.  The film is void of gore or bloodshed that most horror fans would expect when dealing with the top human sacrifice.  Overall, The Night Shift was a huge disappointment.  The acting isn't the best and the story is lacking.  I would love for Cerchi to revisit this with a more comprehensive script.