Written by: PBF
The Anniversary at Shallow Creek is very reminiscent of other horror films. It’s predictable. It’s formulaic. And yet…I kind of enjoyed it.
College kids and lovers Sam and Paige have decided to take a nice vacation to Sam’s uncle’s house. Unfortunately, Paige’s brother Anthony invites himself and his girlfriend along, and then 2 more kids join. What was mean to be a romantic getaway turns in to a party for 3 girls and 3 guys. The house appears to be located in a desert or a just plain under developed area where the houses are so far apart, you can make as much noise as you want, and no one else will hear you. The name of the place is Shallow Creek, and exactly one year ago to the day, a young couple were murdered in the same area. Will history repeat itself? What the hell do you think? Drunken young people on vacation in a remote location where people have been murdered before? Well, I wont spoil it for you.
Yes.
So, here’s the thing about this film. You will probably figure out the killer before the halfway point of the film. You may even figure out the “twist.” Yes, the characters make dumb decisions. To be honest, there isn’t really anything new here. But if I restricted myself only to films that were unique and showed me new things, I would probably only be watching Inception, and even that is up for debate.
However, there are some things to enjoy. The deaths are pretty enjoyable and sometimes even startling (right up until the film steals from Saw; in fact, at one point this film becomes a kind of mix of Saw and The Strangers). The effects are pretty decent when someone dies.
The acting is a bit painful until the slaughter begins. Suddenly the ensemble works very well with each other and they deliver their lines much better. I will attribute that to the script being its worst when establishing the little to no characterization or exposition.
So what was it that landed me on the “enjoyed it” side of the fence? There are a lot of low budget films out there. Especially low budget horror films. Comparatively, this one is just fine. It does not look or feel that low budget. This film really used its budget wisely. There is some decent tension. Some of the actors turn in some enjoyable performances. There are a lot worse films you could suffer through. This may not be enough to make it “good,” but it is not unwatchable by any means.
This film is directed by Jon D. Wagner and is written by Eric Fisher and Brianna Lee Johnson. It’s clear that they love horror/killer films, and it is not a bad first effort. If I could provide direct feedback to them: On your next effort, steal less. Homages are fine, but blatant lifts from other films is another thing entirely.
Comments
Post a Comment