Jackals - La setta degli sciacalli

Saw this recently on a blu-ray. Had seen the trailer n the concept of cult group n the theme of home invasion piqued my interest. Of course Kevin Greutert's name was the other good factor. The guy being an editor himself knows how to control his film's pacing and how to build suspense. Most people r comparing it to The Strangers (2008) but if u read the trivia section, the script of this film was written in 2006. The other thing is Greutert was the editor for The Strangers but the real fact is The Strangers itself was a copy of the far superior French film Them aka Ils (2006). Coming back to this film, the director managed to start the film well with the initial home invasion murders a la Halloween style n then cut back to the van kidnapping scene n the cabin in the middle of nowhere. The settings n era were good too. The 80's era was obviously to show the lack of mobile phones n a reference to the Charles Manson cult group. The mask-wearing villains were creepy, Stephen Dorff's role was very small. I really wanted some showdown between him n the villains. Some viewers may complain that it would hav been better for the family to leave the cultist son but if u notice the start scene, the cultist person do come back to slaughter his family.

A cult demands the return of their member after his family kidnaps him. My only problem is that about halfway through the family should have cut their losses. The returns diminish ridiculously after that. However, it is a given that people act stupidly in a horror movie. If you can't get behind that most fundamental of horror movie tropes then don't bother. And voila, we have the scenario where I can dig the hell out of this movie even with that big of a beef. I love the evil that flourishes throughout the cult, down to the kidnapped son. I love the high tension all the way through. I do hate the women, especially the young mother but I think the writer has a bias there.

Imagine your child has decided to identify with a cult. Not just any hippy, love is the answer, group of petal pushers. This one is calculated, large in numbers, and not prone to losing members.

The history of Jackals screenplay was written early in the torture porn industry created by Saw, Hostel, and Wolf Creek. Years later, the script was finally realized, ironically, by Saw editor and director Kevin Greutart. Let the games begin.

First of all, the Halloween influenced opening is solid and grabs you from the get go. Silent, yet violent and revealing. Soon after, an off-road kidnapping takes place; all the while mirroring a small family unit taking solace in a cabin.

Colliding head on, the plot takes shape. The kidnapping is that of said families estranged son/boyfriend/brother in an attempt to deprogram him from the cult he fell in to. Credit to Stephen Dorff as the military deprogrammer, getting lean and mean while still staying sympathetic to the family.

Soon, as expected, the cult come knocking at the door; wanting a sheep from their flock back home. Enter the home invasion aspect of the film. Outside, the cult wants their member back. Inside, the family refuses to give up their own.

Had this film been made when it was meant to be, it would have been released theatrically along side Saw IV and Hostel 2. Jackals does feel a bit dated, however, there is a lot of heart injected into each of the characters. Good and bad. So much so, that a sequel wouldn't be out of line. It's rare to find a DTV film that asks you: How far will you go to save a member of your family; even if it costs you the remainder of the rest of them.

Kevin Greutert, the editor behind Saw (2004) and later directed two entries of that particular franchise is back with a new horror. Immediately you think this would or could be the next Saw but it isn't.

It stands on it's own, no open ending at all. The story is simple, save your child from a cult only to be terrorised from that cult to get the son back. Is it that bad as some might say. Well, it takes a while before things go wrong, to be exactly 38 minutes before the terror comes in and that's almost half the flick (10 minutes credits). Once the cult is back the attacks shown aren't that bad done anyway. There are even a few gory shots here and there but for me there wasn't anything scary at all or the cult even didn't frighten me. They do wear masks but they are just standing there and some do attack and kill or being killed and that's it.

I found Don't Breathe (2017) more scary and a pure horror for example. here it's also about home invasion but somehow it didn't work out to make it creepy at all. Still, for those who like torture and brutality it's worth picking up to see the nastiness of the torture or killings.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5

I'm really sorry about Jackals but man what a letdown it turned out to be. I was hoping for something more like You're Next or The Void, but far from it. Typical The Strangers kind of movie, when you hope to see something good, some action, some natural decisions, instead, bore fest.

Can't believe it ended just like that, a conclusion that made the run time of the movie completely useless, with nothing to show whatsoever. Really little to offer and even less to make you feel about it, you get no sympathy for the characters, no desire to see what happens next, who's next, you're just in for the ride cause you pressed Play.

All in all, Jackals is definitely a No. Pass!

Cheers!