12 Hour Shift

Damn this was funny, and dark, and bloody... but I'm not sure it's horror. More like horror adjacent. Sure, it contains horror elements, and the gore and practical effects are good fun, but its definitely a comedy. A hospital full of crazy characters, a junkie nurse involved in a little organ harvesting and a crazy cousin with the IQ of a chihuahua. A fun movie where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong, and every attempt to fix things just makes it so much worse. David Arquette has a small role but he's looking fit. The cast are hit and miss but the dark comedy is consistent, and you'll definitely cringe a few times and laugh out loud a few times too.

Ever since I saw her in May I have become a big fan of her and started following her work. I noticed she isn't quite down with blockbusters and always picks smaller projects, and to be honest those are perfect for her, as she manages to bring some soul into the movie and usually steals every scene.

The exact same thing happens in 12 Hour Shift, where her face is everywhere, setting the tone of the movie perfectly and genuinely gets you to enjoy your view. As for the movie per se, it is a great experience, very well build together, a lot of treads that get tied together in a very humorous way, and some unexpected turns every here and there. I am surprised that this one is not more popular, people surely have heard of it by now, so to them I say, go and check it out. You will have a good time watching a different kind of horror comedy - one without gore but with brains.

12 Hour Shift is a great example of little cinema, of fresh horror and a good direction.

Cheers!

It's surely worth a watch. Not exactly the greatest bit of cinema but believe they really accomplished what they set out to make.

12 Hour Shift starts off slow and disjointed, but fires on all cylinders about 25 minutes in. The lead characters in the film aren't meant to be likable (heck, they all deal in organ trafficking!) - that's what we come to terms with, in those initial scenes. Along with the plot's overall absurdity. Things do get comically chaotic thereafter, with ample doses of blood-spilling. Bettis (as a nurse with drug addiction) remains a badass throughout, even when her supposed family members get involved in life-threatening situations.

It was Chloe Farnworth (as organ trafficker Regina), however, who wholly caught my attention. She is the epitome of sassy, psychotic, and mindless in the film; a little like Harley Quinn with a penchant for gore. Every scene featuring her is quirky, exciting, and comes with a surreal sense of humor. I'd love to see her get more work. The good thing with the humor in 12 Hour Shift is that it pops up when you least expect it to - Kit Williamson and Nikea Gamby-Turner earn some points in that department.

The climactic finale gets a little messy, with too many characters and the idiocy exponentially higher. 12 Hour Shift makes for a fun little watch to kick off the first weekend of Halloween month, especially if you'd want to keep things light yet bloody.

Plot

Over the course of one 12-hour shift at an Arkansas hospital in 1999, a junkie nurse (Angela Bettis), her scheming cousin (Chloe Farnworth), and a group of black-market organ-trading criminals (Mick Foley, David Arquette, Dusty Warren) start a heist that could lead to their imminent demises.

Cast

Consistently demure Angela Bettis teams with David Arquette, while we get a small role from wrestling legend Mick Foley.

Verdict

12 Hour Shift was a recommendation, truth be told it would be way down the line when I would have watched this otherwise if at all.

A thriller rather than a horror it's a rather tame little number that stays within the lines and at no point becomes even remotely adventurous.

Bettis plays quite a different character than usual and I wasn't keen on that, nor was I keen on her character at all. In fact that's one of the biggest problems with the film, who am I supposed to be rooting for here? Not a decent person among them.

It plods along like if Lifetime made horror movies and managed to keep my attention just enough but not enough to make it memorable or to truly say I enjoyed it.

Very distinctly average stuff, not good, not bad, just 86 minutes of meh.

Rants

Is it wrong that I wanted to see more Foley in this? Truth be told his presence wasn't really needed after his scene but it was just nice to see him in this film despite very much playing a character it's hard to believe if you're familiar with the guy in real life. I'd welcome a sequel if only to have him as the antagonist. More Mick Foley is always going to be a good thing.

Breakdown + Chloe Farnworth was great here + David Arquette was believable in his role

• David Arquette's character had little impact
• Very mediocre overall
• Not enough Foley!