Southbound

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.

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.

I read too many glowing reviews, which increased my disappointment I feel.

The good: the concept of the 5 loosely related, lurid stories is clever, as is them taking place all in the same desolate area. If you like creepy, graphic horror, that's also present. Also, very imaginative monsters in some of the stories.

The bad: It's not fleshed out enough. I don't need exposition, but these stories are so unexplained it's almost like they ran out of money when filming the picture. And it's so low-budget that it was hard for me to get invested in the characters. The entire concept of what this town might intrigued me, but nothing is explained and I came away wanting more.

Great concept, but lackluster execution.

Or at least a really cool version of Hell.

Several stories connected together to create one big vicious cycle of a horror story about the misfortune of a few people to end up on the wrong side of the dessert.

It's an anthology that reminds me of the Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt, and it's truly on the level of creativity, especially when it comes to story telling visually.

Not surprisingly done by the same team as the ones who brought us V/H/S. If you love that movie, this is right up your alley.

It was scary, gory, and messes with your mind, all at once, and it's perfect.

Thumbs up!

Southbound is unlike most Horror films, belonging to a sub-genre I would define as "intertwined". 5 different stories leading to and deriving from each other: Two friends on trying to get home, a girl band trying to get to their next gig, a man trying to go home to his loving wife, a brother trying to rescue his sister, and a family on vacation before their daughter goes to college. Sufficing to say nothing ends well.

The common ground for the tales is the actual ground, as they all seem to be taking place at the same location, referred to as "the middle of nowhere" and giving a strong sensation of Hell itself. Also, all the characters seem to be tuned in to the same radio station, where the DJ hints of his awareness to their sins and struggles. In each story, the protagonists (if you can call them that) have secrets in an escalating level of severity, and I guess the moral is that Karma always catches up to you.

Seeing as how each story is around 17 minutes in average, it's quite challenging for me to rate the film as a whole. The screen writing is by far the best feature, as the stories leave you confused, wondering, desperate and lost. Some fine shooting and cinematography as well, especially during the beginning of The Accident part (great work from directors and screenwriters Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin). The acting is also good, but the each of the cast is given little screen time, so it's hard to say anything more. I will say that all the cast is largely unknown, and still showed a lot of promise.

All in all, Southbound would appeal to fans of more "artistic" Horror films. It's unusual and quite unique, leaving the audience with an uneasy sense of bewilderment. While not my preferable sub- genre, I was very impressed with it and enjoyed it to the last second.