Southbound

Referenced Joyce's novel since the same impenetrability and circular narrative style are apparent in "Southbound", an "indie" now playing in very few theaters; only one in the NYC area. It is a movie made up of five connected stories in which the end is the beginning, hence the circular feeling; the same feeling derived from reading the Joyce work.

Although there's no intellectual challenge here, "Southbound" is a cut above the 'slasher' film in technical achievement; it is well-written and acting is surprisingly good. The script is better than normally found and retains the confounding motivation and irrationality predominant in films of this type. But it is a 'slasher' and there are buckets of blood everywhere, with lots of gruesome scenes.

"Southbound" is not for all tastes, but if you like horror movies and the uneasy feeling and sudden blasts of 'scare', this one is for you. It is better than many mainstream films of the genre and should be in many more theaters. But be sure to wear a slicker to protect from blood spatter.

As with any anthology movie, the good thing about them is if you find one of the stories unfulfilling, you only have to put up with it for no more than 20 minutes or so before moving onto the next one. That's not to say there were terrible segments here, but some were clearly better than others. Not only were most of the segments nice on their own, but there was an over-arcing storyline tying them all together in an intricate way. This really amped up the overall creepiness of being trapped in the middle of nowhere where 'evil' reigns supreme.

Of the five, "Jailbreak" seemed to be the weak link as a whole and felt anticlimactic. The story wasn't the best, but the real head-scratcher was the way it ended. It was kind of odd, definitely corny, and didn't really seem to tie into the overall story much. I won't spoil anything but I imagine most people will feel the same way.

"The Accident" and "The Way In" are without question the best segments. They were tense, graphic in a good way, and the most entertaining. The Accident was the best because it seemed to be the most plausible (even if it did stretch that notion towards the end). The idea of hitting someone with your car late and night and no one being there to help seems all to real. Amp that up with some grisly imagery & the obscure and you get something pretty wild and entertaining. Following these two are "The Way Out" and "Siren" (if you were a fan of this segment, I suggest checking out the foreign film, "Borgman").

"Southbound" might not reach the heights of legendary anthology movie, "Trick r Treat". Or have a truly memorable segment like "Safe Haven" (VHS 2). But it is an enjoyable 90-minute anthology film that comes together quite nicely when all is said and done.

This quote makes a whole lot of sense since It seems like all our characters are in purgatory. They are hopelessly lost or have committed heinous crimes, and they are now in a place where they cannot escape, and are stuck in an endless loop.

Wraith demons appear from the start of the film and look like they are after fresh souls, or waiting for death to occur. This is why they seem to appear spontaneously throughout the film when bad things are about to happen.

Southbound is an anthology that follows a different set of characters through five interlocking stories that are all linked to the main plot, and by the end, everything seems to come together nicely in one big circle.

I'll admit the film is pretty well done. It speeds through the stories quickly, it was intriguing and full of mystery and action, and so while you want to find out more about a previous tale, you don't the chance to stop, reflect and catch your breath.

I wish more films were done like this. There will always be pros and cons but the film did what it intended. It had a favourable story, it had gore, it had mystery, it did have some gritty and unsettling moments, and it fits in very nicely to the horror genre.

The only real negative I can say about this film is that it doesn't delve deep enough into character development. We don't know much backstory, and what has transpired in the past. And therefore your connection with the characters is not as strong as it could be.

However, something always seems to catch up with them. And even though there is a lot that we aren't aware of, most of it doesn't matter since you can get a good enough grasp on the situation, and can sense that in the end, the outcome will be unpleasant.

A quick note on the hospital scene which was one of the most brutal, visceral and disgusting scenes I think I have ever witnessed in a movie to date, it kept you a little frozen in shock, but was also, the edge of your seat cinema.

We get wraithlike skeletons, cults, murderers, a creepy abandoned hospital, some weird townsfolk, and some monster elements sprinkled into the five stories. The DJ was a nice touch and effortlessly blended into when a story had ended, and when the next one was about to begin.

This is one of those surprise horror movies that have a fulfilling story and a decent ending. I recommend this film if you are a horror fanatic, as I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

7/10.

Southbound does three things well.

First, it has some genuinely new stories to tell. That's not typical for horror, where the same few stories are iterated upon repeatedly.

Second, it has fascinating characters that are brought to vivid life, with remarkably few brush strokes, but without ever resorting to stereotype. The quality of the writing, direction, and acting shine.

Finally, each of Southbound's authors know to leave enough unsaid. Each chapter suggests a world of back story, but there's no spoon anywhere in sight. Which is particularly important for horror, where what is made explicit can never approach the creepiness that is only imaginable.

What does it do wrong? Well, the effects can be shoddy, and there are a few scenes designed around an effect, rather than the effect crafted to the vision, leaving those scenes wooden. But that's all, and for each awkward bit of gore, there are two or three masterfully directed scenes to compensate.

Southbound is a seriously enjoyable horror flick. See it when you can.

This was one of the most surprising finds in recent years. It absolutely has no right, whatsoever, to be as entertaining as it is. If you are a horror fan you are in for a treat as it solidly checks off every box one can imagine. Its varied yet interlocking tales serve up something for almost every taste. From ghost story to evil old god worship to body horror to home invasion thriller it merrily jumps about in a way that could have proved confusing and offsetting but, instead, seems to act more as a museum tour on all the things that make us check the locks and fear the shadows.

While there will, no doubt, be some debate as to what the pocket universe we are presented with represents, there is no doubt, in my mind, that it represents a person or persons who made a movie from an old school heart with a modern day sensibility. As stated in the summary it very much reminds me of the best of the classic horror comics such as the EC Comics titles which began their lives in the very early 1950's.

That being said do not mistake this for an old fashioned movie. It is very much genre savvy for today's eyes, ears and mind. In almost total, it is well acted, directed, written, scored and there is a fair share of completely creepy cinematography. It will leave one with both haunting imagery as well as interesting trains of thought to follow, if you dare.

Huge hats off to those who gifted us with this. This is how good horror can be and I truly hope it finds its way to a far higher place in this world than the vast majority of horror that tends to cross my eyes these days.