As all horror fans should, I make it a point to see the good with the bad. This makes me appreciate the good so much more. Besides, sometimes bad is good. Take the hilarious Troma camp "Redneck Zombies". A shining example of how bad can be good. Thoroughly entertaining. But this film, retitled 'Massacre' for its DVD release, is just bad.
We start our story with six twenty-somethings on a road trip. As the trip gets longer the passengers inside the travelling mini-van get sleepy. It's no wonder they're tired, this is the most painfully drawn out sequence in film history. As a matter of fact, I think they threw in the same shot two or three times, to drag it out even more. This isn't suspense people, it's crap. Any first year film student would know better.
After about 15 minutes of this, something happens (finally). A couple of interesting dream sequences with some pretty cool imagery. I thought, 'this film shows promise!' and decide to watch a little longer. I shouldn't have.
When the campers reach their destination one of the dream sequences bleeds over into the storyline a little more, and you think you know where the film is going. Sequences of the cast romping, sunbathing, and teasing go on far too long and lend nothing to the story. We even get a little girl on girl on guy tent shaking. At least the filmakers are staying true to the genre sexually! Oh yeah, and people start to die.
First of all, the packaging material on the DVD promises a gore fest with the 'goriest of all chainsaw sequences in recent history'. Honestly, I should've had a V8. Really. A Bloody Mary the morning after a long night of drinking is gorier. The packaging also compares this movie to 'The Evil Dead', I suppose because this film is also set in the woods and because we see the same shot of a pitchfork travelling at high speed through the woods over and over and over. I mean it, it's the same shot, over and over and over.
Note to director: Storyboards are good. Very good. Have a shot list, use it. Using same shots over and over to fill time? Bad, very bad.
When we finally reach the climax of this horrible little time waster, there's a twist ending that's just not to be believed. Honestly. This ending is so unsupported by the rest of the film that you will literally wince. Did the movie run overbudget? Was there a cast strike? These are the only explanations I can come up with for the insanity of this suicidal ending.
We're led to believe this is a psychologicial thriller of the mind like 'American Psycho', but the director and distributors must have been out of theirs.