The Retreat

If you have to depend on constant darkness to make a horror movie, it means the plot isn't good enough to carry it. I'm just about 40 minutes into the movie. Can't see a thing.

The plot of this 2021 Reteat was brilliant, the only thing that made me not score it above 5 was that the best part of 45mins was so Dark that u couldn't see anything properly! I know it's a horror but the fact there was no lighting at all ruined it for me! Otherwise I thought the plot was great!

Well acted; the only one I knew was Aaron Ashmore. They all did a good job. Violent and visceral, over the top protagonists, and a proper ending. The theme is a little wokeish. My only gripe is we now seem to be in a PC age where the victims never let loose, giving pain to the baddies; they are often dispatched painlessly and quick ( I want revenge to be seen ) IE the remake of I Spit on your grave, and similar. It did what it said on the tin and kept my attention.

Renee (Tommie-Amber Pirie) and her girlfriend Valerie (Sarah Allen) are going on a retreat to a cabin in the woods. At the local store, Val gets hit on by James (Aaron Ashmore). There are suspicious happenings. Their car is gone. Their hosts are a couple of gay guys and they've been murdered by a masked man dressed in camo hunting gear.

This is a simple horror film. The gay targeting is somewhat interesting but the movie doesn't fully exploit it. I would have Renee try harder with the bear trap. The movie should spend more time with that scene to build up tension. It just struggles to build high tension. The actors are fine and there are some good ones here. The filmmaking is perfunctory. It's trying to be torture porn but It's not good enough. I don't think the director is a horror aficionado and it shows.

I liked it, it was very typical though nothing we haven't seen before or something special I have seen films just like this a million times. But it had some tension in it and it was really enjoyable to spend my time I think it deserves to be watched at least once.