Reeker is a film that takes from a well known horror concept and puts it in a new perspective. While watching this film as it came to a conclusion, the first thing I thought when seeing the somewhat, but not really surprising ending was that it was a film that closely followed the likes of what I like to call the Carnival of Souls theme. Now it’s not exactly like Carnival of Souls per say like Soul Survivors was. Speaking of Soul Survivors, I was very surprised while doing my research that no one mentioned the comparison to the likes, but however I did see a lot of people calling Reeker a direct rip-off of the the 2003 film Dead End. I would say that yes they are very similar, but have a different overall style.
Reeker follows five college students traveling down a lone highway when they find themselves stuck at deserted travel oasis. Instead of trying to make their way out of the place, they decide to settle in and stay for the night. However very weird things begin to happen, and the ghost of the dead seem to be making themselves known, however our characters are not noticing what’s going on until a ghost like figure with one mean looking device begins to track them down and begins to kill anyone who gets in his way. The film then becomes a story of survival as the five college kids strive to defend themselves against the killer and try to stay alive.
The script for this film is not half bad. While the film does start off a bit slow, it quickly picks right back up. The character development is not half bad, but it’s nothing great either. It was kind of hard at first with each actor sharing pretty much the same amount of screen time to really know who the lead was. Each member of the group of five had some uniqueness to them. So I was able to relate to and some not so much. You can almost say they are a little bit underdeveloped, but not so much that it makes a difference. The dialogue for the most part is not half bad. Some of it is very corny and it takes away from the overall scare factor the film tries to bring to the table.
The acting is not that bad either. I mean we’re not getting any award winning performances ,but none the less the films cast does do well with the script at hand. Devon Gummersall (Dead & Breakfast, Earth vs. the Spider) leads the cast in this film. His performance as a blind guy named Jack is the most memorable in this film. There is also a cameo appetence by Michael Ironside as a guy driving an RV looking for his wife. Eric Mabius (Resident Evil) also has a small, but memorable role in the film as well. The rest of the cast includes some good performances by Tina Illman, Derek Richardson, Scott Whyte and Arielle Kebbel.
The production value for the film is not half bad. The sets and costume design are very well done. They all kind of have a similarity to the likes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. The make-up effects in the film were pretty decent, however the film did include a lot of visual effects, which at times was it was very clear that a lot of the effect were CGI. This kind of took away a lot of the the real thrills for me with this film, and not to mention one of the biggest scenes in the film was shot in a sunlight setting. The killer also floated around like one of those pod racers from Star Wars. For the most part the CGI in the film kind of takes away from the suspense. That’s my only real gripe I have with the film.
Overall, The Reeker is not something original, it has a concept that has been used a dozen times before. But the film has decent pacing and the story is not half bad. It’s got a lot of gore and some really cool kill scenes that are sure to quench the thirst of gorehounds. The film’s director also added in some eye candy that relates to the ending throughout the film, which I for one respect his artistic vision for planting such hints within the film. I won’t give them away, but it’s one of the reasons I’m giving the film three stars. Like I said the movie does have it’s flaws and it’s nothing new, however it’s a decent film that I’m sure some people will enjoy.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
