Turno Maldito

Being a predictable movie could be a good thing, if you are the "I told you so", kind of person when you are at the movies, that is...if your friends can stand you.

The thing here, is that everything has been seen in other movies, series, anthologies and that is because it's always entertaining.

Motels, Hotels, no matter how big or small, expensive or cheap have that creepy atmosphere that makes your imagination run wild, just thinking about what is going on next door, could be exhilarating.

This movie is not Psycho, or The Shining, but it's entertaining and fun to watch.

A lot of plot holes, but I liked it.

When I sat down to watch the 2023 movie "Night Shift", from writers and directors Benjamin China and Paul China, I had never actually heard about the movie, so I didn't know what I was in for. But with it being a horror movie that had eluded me, of course I opted to sit down and watch it.

I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list, aside from Madison Hu and Patrick Fischler, and that is something I do enjoy when I sit down to watch a movie. The acting performances were good, and it was a rather interesting character gallery for sure.

And while the trope of a remote, somewhat creepy motel (or even hotel in some movies) have been used in an abundance in the horror genre throughout the years, it is still a setting that works and sets the foundation for an interesting setting.

Writers and directors Benjamin China and Paul China did cash in on the stereotypical horror tropes, but it worked out well enough. However, it made very little room for surprises along the way, making "Night Shift" a somewhat predictable viewing experience.

"Night Shift", while watchable, just wasn't an outstanding horror movie. And thus, it will most likely never grace my screen a second time. However, I will say that it is worth checking out.

My rating of "Night Shift" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Gwen (Phoebe Tonkin) is a newbie in the area. She has got a job working the night shift in an old grotty motel called the All Tucked Inn.

Thye owner Teddy (Lamorne Morris) wants someone urgently as he is on a date that night.

Gwen is creeped out of the place as Teddy was not expecting her early. He gives her a tour of the place. The place is not even deserving of a one star ranking on Tripadvisor. There is a sinkhole where the pool was. The cabins are rundown and there might be rats crawling about.

Later Gwen finds out that the hotel might also be haunted. Gwen is certainly having strange visions. Not helped that there is a news announcement of a dangerous prisoner that has escaped.

Night Shift is the directorial debut of the British twins, the China Brothers. It treads the well worn path of the psycho killer chiller.

It starts off unnervingly but becomes immensely predictable. It was never going to be The Shining or Psycho but rips off from both movies. It is well acted and for a low budget movie and it has good production values.

Seems and feels like low budget horror complete with a low budget plot. The entire movie is driven by a girl with a pretty face that walks around being frightened by everything. There's no real horror in the movie. It's more like a low budget jump scare slasher flick. It could have been better but it wasn't.

A short paragraph says enough about this film but since that's not meeting the quota let me add in what else is wrong with the movie. The main character meets a girl staying at the hotel whom she befriends. This girl is supposed to be a teenager but she looks to be around the same age as the lead actor which is confusing when she talks to her like a child.

In 2023's Night Shift we are introduced to a young woman who is tackling her first night shift in a remote motel. When she was young her mother and her sisters got killed by a serial killer and apparently the motel is haunted. Therefore she spends most of the night walking around being scared of pretty much everything.

Sadly that is most of the plot. We get some side characters that don't have much to do and there are a few lame jumpscares scattered throughout the movie. The movie is pretty slow paced and there's not much to see, making it a rather boring watching experience. There are some humorous scenes that I didn't mind and also the acting was decent.

In the end I thought that the movie was pretty predictable and did not have any tricks up its sleeve. Also without spoiling anything I think the ending didn't make much sense but you can see that for yourself if you want. I think it's a below average movie that is slow paced and mostly uneventful, even though it has a semi-interesting premise. [4,9/10]