Dead by Dawn

It's a little on the low budget side, but I liked it. Acting was good especially the bad guys. It was creepy enough to keep my attention. Worth a watch.

Following an argument with her boyfriend, a woman taken by a group of criminals out into the mountains finds shelter with a lone man in a cabin nearby where he tries to protect her from the relentless group trying to get her back at all costs, forcing him to protect her from their more ruthless tactics to get away alive.

On the whole, this one was a pretty decent and enjoyable effort. Among the more enjoyable aspects here is the film's great setup that drops us into the situation quite early on. By showing the girl arriving at the cabin eaten, bruised and bloody with an obvious distrust of the people who show up after her within a short amount of time after starting, there's a fine immediacy to the events at play which is rather fun. This then turns into a thrilling siege effort where their attempts to take her back results in some enjoyable tactics on both sides trying to unnerve the two to lower their defenses inside the cabin and then holding off the intruding group outside. As there are a fine build-up and escalation here at the idea of these tactics and fortifications failing them and causing the criminals to try various invasion plans, this section is highly enjoyable in getting this off to a nice start. There's also the film's incredibly fun second half where the intruders' become far more cruel and vicious in their desire to get her out of the cabin. As we get an idea of their barbaric streak not only by how they interact with each other but how the two treat the accomplice, the resulting sequences inside the cabin featuring their defensive plans and tactics that are put in play result in some fine action here with the series of traps that they setup or the series of brutal, bloody brawling around the house. With the encounters here resulting in some pretty realistic situations with her growth in character from a weak, timid and afraid of everything by the situation into a tougher, more assertive person that sparks a change in personality, there's a fine connection here which works for the film and gives it a lot to like. There are a few minor issues here. One of the bigger flaws is the seemingly bizarre and random inclusion of getting the boyfriend back into the picture as this whole scenario makes no sense. The idea of contacting him for help in getting her out of the cabin is ludicrous and comes off clumsy due to the suddenness of bringing it up out of nowhere, much like the fact of her willingness to listen to him and entertain the idea of listening to him. As well, the finale here runs a bit too long for its own good, requiring far too many characters to still be alive who really shouldn't simply to again carry home how much she's changed from the experience and seeming to go on far too long when it didn't need to. Since this provides some weak effects on top of that, these are the film's only problems.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and a clothed sex scene.

Badly-acted film with over-acting and childish script. Pathetic characters with terrible filming that is low-quality and it is typical of under-budget wanna-be actors who are clueless about having a clue about anything. Either the actors funded this effort themselves and whoever wasn't in the scene did the filming, or they got their kids to 'chip in'.

"Dead By Dawn" is a strong low budget thriller with plenty of suspense and thrills. The film starts off dark and with blunt force. It never really relinquishes. There is only a few moments where the story pauses for some character building, but soon the violence begins again.

The acting is better than I expected. The cast seem to understand the characters and feel fully committed. There are a few scenes that waver close to amateurish, but it never really dampens the film's flow. Plus there is a strong female lead that impressively embraces the final girl banner.

The horror is mostly built on dark circumstances, chilling atmosphere, and impending danger. There are some violent, bloody moments that sweeten the horror level. Still, "Dead By Dawn" manages to hold your attention purely on the relatable horrors of domestic violence, home invasion and some true psycho killers. I enjoyed this little indie film more than I thought I would. Check it out.

For a low budget film this is excellent: Some strong writing and excellent performances especially from Jamie Bernadette and Bo Burroughs - two actors to watch out for in other up and coming movies. There is some subtle comic relief skillfully provided by Timothy Muskatell.

The filming location is in a beautiful area of California called Pine Mountain, which provides a fantastic backdrop to the story.

Music by Mario Salvucci is an added bonus for this film with excellent sound and editing.

Horror movies are not my preferred genre, but ones that have some intelligence and psychological basis in the writing make for dramatic content. The unnerving underlying theme of The Little Red Ridiing Hood, the lead character played by Drew Lindsey Mitchell, provides the horror of an innocent nursery story character thrown into a world of adult male perverseness and cruelty. To survive she has to learn to be the wolf.

Good action drama worth watching. Don't watch it alone - the wolf might be at the door:)