Film Reviews

Reeker

• Rating:
• Director: Dave Payne
• Starring: Devon Gummersall
• Details: US, 90mins, 16.

While en route to a desert rave, five teenage strangers find themselves marooned at a deserted motel when they run out of gas. With no signals on their mobile phones and no one around for miles, the kids decide to sit it out until morning and wait until help arrives. However, in the middle of the night a strange being with a terrible stench appears and soon the group are slaughtered one by one. Dave Payne kicks off his financially challenged horror with a freaky, uncomfortable opening and you'd be forgiven for thinking you've stumbled onto something different here. Unfortunately Payne waits far too long during the usual set-up and character introduction before hitting us with the next scare and by then we're back into the regular kids stranded/stalker on the loose horror mode. Writer/director Payne tries subtly for homage to '50s B-movie low-budget horror and the poor, clunky dialogue ("I'm from Johannesburg - it takes a lot to scare me") and even poorer acting all fit the knowing humour that pervades the screen. However, this nice touch soon evaporates as each set piece outstays its welcome and you're wishing the film would just hurry everything along - not that you'll find out who is the killer and why is he killing - but so you can just go home. Pointless and lacking anything in the scare or gore department, there are better slasher flicks out there than Reeker

Review by Gavin Burke