"This is not what God wants!!!" - Kira
Let's see. Did I watch this movie due to my obsession with horror movies, or just because WWE wrestler Kane was in it? A little bit of both. Yes, it's true. I'm a big wrestling fan, but that also doesn't mean that I'll have to see a movie that any wrestler is in. So since I'm a big fan of Kane, does that mean I'll be unbiased towards this review? Well, yes actually.
The plot is very simple. It's simple for a horror movie even. A group of teenagers are part of a work release program. They are going to get time off of their sentences if they help clean and fix up the run down Blackwell hotel, so it can become a homeless shelter. Unknown to them however, serial killer Jacob Goodnight is using the hotel as a hiding spot. The police officer watching the kids is the same officer that lost his arm and shot Jacob in the head years ago at a crime scene. There you go, that's pretty much it.
The good points are that of course the kills are pretty inventive. I can't really ruin any of them, but they are brutal. Really bloody, and I'm surprised that this DVD wasn't unrated. It's really nice to see gore, violence, and even nudity in a movie done by WWE films, especially since their wrestling product is now TV-PG. The director Gregory Dark uses great ways to cut the film, speeding up some scenes and the angles he uses for a lot of the shots. Pretty creative. But they guy directs music videos and used to direct porn, so that shows he knows all about camera angles.
Another thing I really enjoyed was Kane's performance. He has only two or three lines of dialogue in the movie, so he has to rely on body language. And his facial expressions are great. He can really show emotion, like frustration, anger, and confusion. He even has a scene where he questions what he is doing, with his expressions, and I bought it. And a bonus with his performance is that he's the first killer in a movie like this that I've seen in a long time that actually feels pain, as he is a human, and he will actually run after his victims. He also has a very sad backstory that's told in random flashbacks. Very sad and creepy. I must also praise Cecily Polson. I think she gives a wonderful performance, but I'll leave anything about her character out of my review as to not spoil anything.
The down side is it's a pretty short movie. About an hour and 26 minutes. You don't care for any of the other characters, aside from maybe the teacher and the cop. Of course you go to these movies to see them get butchered, but that's just me. I want to actually care about some of them. Plus I would have liked a lot more interaction between Jacob and the cop, especially due to their history together. There's hardly any when they meet up in the hotel. that's really about it that I don't like.
Overall, Not a bad slasher film. It was pretty fun and entertaining and I was pleased in the long run. It's worth seeing if you love slasher films. Same if you're a fan of Kane in WWE. But don't go in thinking it will be up there with Elm Street, Friday the 13th, or Halloween. However Jacob Goodnight could give Jason Voorhees a good run for his money in the category of horror movie bad ass.
