Reeker

I was really hoping for a lot more from this modern horror flick, but unfortunately it's slipped into the subdued, 'safe' plot that so many films these days seem to follow and there isn't an awful lot of actual horror on display. The film feels like it's building up to something all the way through, but despite some nice visuals throughout; it fails to deliver on its promise. By far the best thing about the film is the atmosphere, and through competent handling from director Dave Payne, Reeker is given the right feel throughout. The central location; a motel in the middle of nowhere, is a good location for horror and a good sense of hopelessness is generated through it and the character's despair. The cast of characters are the common 'dopey teens', who are on their way to a rave (very original). Things go wrong for them when their car breaks down near to the aforementioned motel, and this is followed by a series of strange events. The location is strangely deserted, they can't get a radio signal and, worst of all, there appears to be something chasing them.

The film starts off with a nice little sequence that sees a family become the victim of...something. From there, the film is suspenseful because you really want to know exactly what is going on in this place where the lead characters have found themselves. I was thinking that there'd be some great revelation just around the corner - but the film makes us wait, wait a bit more and wait again until eventually delivering just about the worst ending a film can have. And just to make things a little bit worse; it's an ending that a great many horror films have used recently, and every single one of them left me disappointed as well. There are some good effects in the film, however, and despite some dodgy CGI in places; things such as the man with no legs may leave some of the less experienced horror viewers with nightmares. The central baddie (I'm guessing the title villain) is good, but it doesn't look very good; and I'd have preferred a man in a cape over the rubbish computer effects that the director has opted for. Overall, this film certainly isn't all bad; but there are far too many flaws for me to call it a success and I don't think the title is a million miles away from being an apt description of the film.

It's not bad for a supernatural slasher movie, but I have some issues. There's really not much to the story with just the characters' standard in the desert oasis. Most of the time, it's just the characters waiting for something or looking for a way to get help or leave. It's pretty predictable throughout, and it doesn't do anything interesting until the end. The movie takes a while to get going, and the killer comes much later in the movie. Also, it uses typical cliches like cheap jump scares and characters making stupid decisions throughout. The death scenes do have decent tension to it and are built up pretty decently on how they are killed off. Also, it's interesting how after someone killed, it shows a flashback from their memory. The movie has a decent atmosphere with it taking place in an isolated environment with no service and how the place looks abandoned.

As far as modern horrors go, this low budget effort – a kind of Outward Bound meets Final Destination – isn't that bad, and I'm surprised by how low its IMDb rating is. In fact the first half of the film – before anyone gets killed – is quite intriguing, although things go down the well-trodden stalk-and-slash path for the final couple of reels as the usual band of five dislikeable teens invite their own death by doing incredibly stupid things (I have never met a girl in my life who would sit on that gurgling loo).

Old pro Michael Ironside makes an appearance as a bewildered hubby looking for his wife in the wilderness – and the ending of the flick adds an unexpected touch of poignancy to his character's search. Ironside must be one of the few bad-guy actors whose features have actually mellowed as he's grown older. The other actors are the usual bland mix of young faces, most of whom will fade into obscurity or be consigned to TV soap hell within a couple of years. The nominal 'hero' is actually something of a jerk, and you're never really worried about anyone's fate, but the film doesn't hold itself out as anything other than a time-filling horror – a scan of the end credits will tell you that.

The manner in which the twist ending is handled goes some way towards redeeming the preceding twenty minutes, and the part where the blind guy falls off the top of one of those monstrous camper tank things had me laughing out loud - although I had sank a couple of beers. Anyway, If you're in an undemanding mood and enjoy this brand of teen horror then give this one a try

"Reeker" from 2005 is not a particularly memorable or outstanding horror movie, despite it actually having originality to it. And the reason for this was that it was just too mundane. In fact, it was only the surprise twist to the storyline towards the end of the movie which was unique, but it really was a twist which wasn't predictable. And as such, then director Dave Payne managed to deliver a horror movie which was watchable, albeit mediocre.

I am not going to spoil anything regarding the twist of events, but I will say that it was a nice change of events to the storyline. Just a shame that it couldn't manage to lift up the rest of the movie.

The story is about a group of people heading out into the desert to participate in a big party. However, they find themselves stranded at a mysteriously deserted diner, and an even stranger being is stalking them, preying on them one by one.

The storyline itself was adequate, but it just didn't stand out in the horror genre. As such, it was a mediocre end result. There were some originality to certain aspects of the story and the mysterious 'reeker' which was hunting the people.

The acting in "Reeker" was quite alright, and people were doing good jobs with their given roles and characters. It was a nice treat to see Michael Ironside in the movie, despite not having that big of a role. Devon Gummersall (playing Jack) was really carrying the movie quite well.

Now, as for the creature design on the reeker creature, well I was impressed. The effects, prosthetics and make-up was quite good. And they managed to put together a rather unique design which helped lift up the movie experience a bit.

The special effects in the movie were also good, and that is a good thing for a horror movie. So thumbs up on this achievement.

All in all then "Reeker" is an entertaining enough movie for what it was, just don't expect to be blown away, as it is a generic and mediocre horror movie. But still worth a watch if you haven't already seen it.

I found this movie highly enjoyable. As long as you don't take it seriously, you'll enjoy it. The young cast, including the gorgeous Arielle Kebbel, are fantastic. Veteran actors Michael Ironside and Marcia Strassman (Welcome Black Kotter's Wife) lend some class and experience. This movie is set at night for the most part. The lighting is excellent. There is a twist to this movie that I won't reveal. It worked really well for me. I don't know why this movie only has a rating as low as 5.2.

I thought it was clever and fun. Don't take it seriously, and you and your friends will enjoy it.