Exit 33 will be released to DVD on August 2 via Breaking Glass Pictures. It is directed by Tommy Brunswick and stars Kane Hodder. You may remember Hodder from his role as the best Jason Voorhees ever (in arguably the worst installments of that franchise). He has also appeared in Adam Green’s Hatchet films (and many others).
A small group of friends (some travelling alone, some together) are going to their 5 year high school reunion. On their way, they come across Ike’s Last Chance Gas. In addition to owning the gas station, Ike (Hodder) is a bit of a taxidermist and also makes a fine venison jerky. His deer heads and jerky can be found in his store. This station lies off of Exit 33, which not often used (despite the 9 or so visitors in one night). Ike and his store seem a bit creepy. For good reason. Ike is deeply troubled and has a terrible secret. Unfortunately for some of his patrons, they find out exactly what it is.
Because of the legacy and popularity of the Friday the 13th films, most of the time when one hears the name Kane Hodder, they immediately think of Jason, as opposed to his many other films. This will not likely conjure recollections of Hodder performances where his character is not deformed or dawning a mask and largely silent. Exit 33 has him playing Ike, who is just as insane as any other of his characters, but has never been killed and is not deformed. Thus we get to see Hodder act and deliver dialogue, face not obscured.
That being said, Hodder is excellent in this film. His madness is psychological and not supernatural, and a thus more low key. He plays this just as well as he does an undead horror film icon. His glares, his line delivery, his humming. His character is very disturbing and believably so. Very enjoyable performance.
The rest of the film was a different matter.
No one else in the film could act. Actors sharing scenes together had no chemistry with each other (except Hodder). The script was also not terribly great which only hindered the actors’ already limited skills. While the basic framework of the story (creepy gas station) is nothing new, it is still decent enough and could have been much better with stronger actors and better dialogue.
The overall look and mood of the film was pretty creepy. It’s all at night in one scary location and the music added some nice discomfort, but the aforementioned grievances were too much of a distraction for that mood to be consistent. Every time there was a gruesome, gory scene, it was interrupted by some dismal line delivery and questionable plot points.
This film had a budget of 1 million dollars, and you would have no idea. Not that a million bucks is a huge budget in the world of film, but I have seen better looking films with say $115,000, and from this same distributor.
Hodder’s performance is enough to keep a viewer watching until the end. Unfortunately after the film is over, there is more negative than positive. Better actors and a better script would have made a world of difference for this film.
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