Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)
Rating: 3.2/5 stars
"Lost After Dark" is adorable. That may not be the comment the filmmakers of a horror movie are looking for, but it suits the tone of this particular movie anyway. It's shot in the style of cheesy '80s horror movies – the "Friday the 13th" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" knockoffs that we love for their sheer audacity and ability to poke fun at themselves.
Adrienne (Kendra Leigh Timmins) and her friends ditch the high school dance to spend time alone at her cabin. She, Jamie (Elise Gatien), Marilyn (Eve Harlow), and Heather (Lanie McAuley) all hope to hook up with Sean (Justin Kelly), Johnnie (Alexander Calvert), Wesley (Stephan James), and Tobe (Jesse Camacho) in some combination or the other, and it would also be Adrienne's first time. But the school bus they steal breaks down and they end up in a murder house running for their lives. Also the vice principal, Mr. Cunningham a.k.a. Mr. C (Robert Patrick) catches them leaving, and chases after them. The cast is just lovely at playing their archetypes: the virgin, the slut, the jock, the A- hole, the nerdy best friend, etc. Pacing gets a tad uneven when the makers dedicate too much time showing Mr. Cunningham pursuing the kids, but the payoff is worth it and Patrick kills it.
Writer/director Ian Kessner along with co-writer Bo Ransdell get the tone exactly right. "Lost After Dark" is a loving homage that is all sincere, no snark. It does break the rules for some clever twists, but it never makes fun of the horror movies it's inspired from. Rather, the film celebrates those movies in a way that shows we don't have to give this style up just yet – it can still be as much fun as it used to be. You might also recognize a few of the gags from "Grindhouse" but they are arguably better done here. The picture is treated with an effect to simulate a dirty film print, but it's minor and only in the beginning and to simulate splices and reel changes.
Along with being as brutal and graphic as any other straight-faced horror movie out there, "Lost After Dark" is also an intriguing attempt to recreate the style of a slasher straight out of the 80s, and for the better part succeeds in its attempt.
Rating: 3.2/5 stars
"Lost After Dark" is adorable. That may not be the comment the filmmakers of a horror movie are looking for, but it suits the tone of this particular movie anyway. It's shot in the style of cheesy '80s horror movies – the "Friday the 13th" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" knockoffs that we love for their sheer audacity and ability to poke fun at themselves.
Adrienne (Kendra Leigh Timmins) and her friends ditch the high school dance to spend time alone at her cabin. She, Jamie (Elise Gatien), Marilyn (Eve Harlow), and Heather (Lanie McAuley) all hope to hook up with Sean (Justin Kelly), Johnnie (Alexander Calvert), Wesley (Stephan James), and Tobe (Jesse Camacho) in some combination or the other, and it would also be Adrienne's first time. But the school bus they steal breaks down and they end up in a murder house running for their lives. Also the vice principal, Mr. Cunningham a.k.a. Mr. C (Robert Patrick) catches them leaving, and chases after them. The cast is just lovely at playing their archetypes: the virgin, the slut, the jock, the A- hole, the nerdy best friend, etc. Pacing gets a tad uneven when the makers dedicate too much time showing Mr. Cunningham pursuing the kids, but the payoff is worth it and Patrick kills it.
Writer/director Ian Kessner along with co-writer Bo Ransdell get the tone exactly right. "Lost After Dark" is a loving homage that is all sincere, no snark. It does break the rules for some clever twists, but it never makes fun of the horror movies it's inspired from. Rather, the film celebrates those movies in a way that shows we don't have to give this style up just yet – it can still be as much fun as it used to be. You might also recognize a few of the gags from "Grindhouse" but they are arguably better done here. The picture is treated with an effect to simulate a dirty film print, but it's minor and only in the beginning and to simulate splices and reel changes.
Along with being as brutal and graphic as any other straight-faced horror movie out there, "Lost After Dark" is also an intriguing attempt to recreate the style of a slasher straight out of the 80s, and for the better part succeeds in its attempt.