Dead Stop

This is something that bothered me that probably won't bother many other people watching this movie. They are headed to Mammoth Lakes and somehow wind up lost deep in the Mojave Desert somewhere. I have been to this area many times. It's difficult to convey just how stupid you would have to be to head out for Mammoth Lakes and wind up on a dirt road somewhere in the desert like that.

Beyond that bit of nonsense, this is an okay monster movie. Some people get lost and wind up in the middle of the desert. They decide to stop until daylight and do some drinking. The next day, their car won't start because movie. They are stuck in the desert with almost no food or water. That night, they see some headlights of some other people who are out here for some reason or other. Then the headlights vanish. The monster attacks. The rest of the movie is them trying not to get killed by whatever this thing is.

Th cast of this is pretty good for a low budget monster movie. It's pretty well shot and looks good. The monster is okay though they don't do anything really creative or interesting with it. It's just a monster that kills people because it's a monster that kills people. The plot is passable if generic but they do throw in a lot of pointless relationship drama stuff early on that doesn't really add anything and is dropped as soon as the monster starts attacking. It has a twist ending that they should have just left off. That knocked a couple of points off.

It's like they had a list of stereotypical characters and ticked them off; the outsider, the old people, the bad guy, the good girl, the token and the hero. Still, I did finish it and despite the horrid sepia filter, the fact that being lost is hard when you are camping next to POWER LINES that are so frequently shot that I started thinking they were taking the piss, I did enjoy the ride. If (and that's a big if) you can forgive the many plot holes, obnoxious characters & their stupid choices.......it's not that bad ride of a movie.

This actually progressed well for a horror film. I'm not into horror, and appreciate the science fiction and character aspects more.

For horror fans, this should have top appeal, though, complete with the formula horror ending.

The characters here find themselves stranded in the desert with an unseen monster.

The characters are all fairly likable with their human faults. The young boy shows the most "cool" of the group, and he's the most likable from the onset.

That's actually one disadvantage for those of us who don't care for formula horror. We know some likable characters are going to be killed. Even the least likable character here is not one worthy of death.

The dialog isn't the best, but dialog doesn't matter when you have good actors. Real actors can make any dialog work. That's called "acting", and this group does it well. When all the actors perform well, you know you have a good director.

Could have been much better. It really progressed well until the final five minutes when we got the usual Hollywood negativity, probably to sell to the Beavis and Butthead audience.

The movie gets all 3 stars purely for that one greatest dialogue ever! 'do you want me to hold that for you?' I think if you find a woman who is willing to aim your ding song for you while you wee is going to be a keeper.

Great film. Glad I watched, and enjoyed the suspense! A must watch. Always great to get a chance to support the indie genre. If you like a road trip movie, turned horror, this will be the perfect match. The acting is what you expect for this genre, while still keeping the story alive. Well... almost alive... And don't forget, it has Cathy Baron who everyone loves from Justified. I was able to rent it easily on amazon, and just have a late night thrill. It is shot well, but pretty traditional for the build up to the "shock" moments, but that is what you expect. Editorial also falls in line with the genre. I would recommend this film if you enjoy a simple story, with the right kind of horror.