Estrada da Morte

The beginning's not too promising -- a bit of college hi-jinks involving a quartet of over-aged sorority girls -- but then the girls head for spring-break in Florida and things improve. They become entangled in murder in a small Georgia town and while the plot turns are fairly predictable, they are carried out more efficiently than in many other movies boasting "name" casts and big budgets. True, the subplot featuring two young men, (also heading for Florida), goes nowhere, and the ending is abrupt and unsatisfying, but all in all this is one of those items found on the dusty back shelves of a video store which is actually worth watching. Acting honors go to Tony March's bare chest which is shown to splendid advantage in several hot and sweaty close-ups.

Four friends head off to spring break in Florida, but get a flat tire in the middle of Medley, Georgia where one of them witnesses the local sheriff murder a woman. Now, they're on the run and who will take their word for it over the sheriff.

Shallow Grave rarely takes the traditional way out and you're never sure where it's headed. From the first scene of the movie that calls to mind both Psycho and the corny opening movie-within-a-movie moment from Blow Out, the filmmakers are playing with our expectations in a way that would make Hitchcock proud. It takes a traditional slasher film set up of party-loving teens breaking down in the middle of nowhere and makes it frighteningly realistic and plausible.

Shallow Grave doesn't have a franchise-ready iconic killer, but it's all the more frightening for it. It also has a main foursome of likable young women who don't go out of their way to grate our nerves or make unrealistic choices to drive the plot forward.

Going in with no expectations, I was taken by surprise by how well made and suspenseful this movie turned out to be. The stakes are high, the characters are mostly interesting and/or relatable, and you're never sure where the story will go next. Makes me not want to take any road trips through the south.

Four young women go on a road trip. They meet two guys at a restaurant and after a bit of flirting, invite them to travel with them. I found the set-up unrealistic, the acting bad, and the dialogue rather silly. I also found the girls so annoying that I didn't think I would ever root for them.

During the first few minutes of 'Shallow Grave', I thought "oh boy, I've stumbled upon a really bad 80's horror movie". Another few minutes later I thought "hey, this is getting interesting", and into the second act I was hooked! Starting off as a badly acted, poorly scripted B-movie, this film surprisingly got better and better as it developed!

The story became more interesting and suspenseful, the acting got better as the girls found themselves running for their lives, and I became fascinated by the events. I thought Tony March did a great job as antagonist Sheriff Dean (oh, and that manly body!!). Towards the end the suspense is so well crafted, I was on the edge of my seat. I don't want to do spoilers on this one, so I'm not going into specifics. From the synopsis you already know the girls are witness to a murder, and now the killer is after them. Yes, this is a familiar premise, but 'Shallow Grave' is very unpredictable.

I prematurely thought 'Shallow Grave' was going to be a forgettable slasher movie. Now, this will be a memorable one. And the film ends on a fantastic cliffhanger ending! Wow, this was actually darn good!

A car load of gal pals take a trip to Florida for spring break and accidentally witness a murder along the way which sends them running for their lives.

Obviously shot for little money and featuring a no-name cast, it's surprising how much this film can get under your skin. While you might not recognize many of the actors, they mostly all do a credible job selling the situations they've found themselves in. There's just the right amount of sleaze and gore, but it's more about the suspense which is well orchestrated and the story goes to some interesting and unpredictable places.