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Blu-Ray Review: “Lost After Dark” (2014)

If you are a fan of slasher films, I have a feeling you would agree that the best slasher flicks came out back in the 1980’s.  Apparently director Ian Kessner  realizes this as well, as he has turned back the clock and made his very own 1980’s slasher film!   Here is the basic plot of LOST AFTER DARK courtesy of the Anchor Bay website:

 

Spring Ball, 1984.  Adrienne (Kendra Timmins, Midnight Sun, “Wingin’ It”), a straight-A student, joins her quarterback crush Sean (Justin Kelly, Maps To The Stars, Big Muddy) and some friends in sneaking out of their high school dance for some unsupervised mayhem.  The teens’ party plans hit a snag when they run out of gas on a deserted road.  They head out on foot and discover a rundown farmhouse where they hope to find help, but instead find themselves at the mercy of Junior Joad (Mark Wiebe, Sweet Karma), a cannibal killer from an urban legend. After the brutal murder of one of their friends, the group’s quest for help becomes one of survival. Will anyone survive the night?

 

If you think they don’t make good slasher films these days, think again.  I for one am getting very bored with all the possession and paranormal horror films that have been dominating the horror genre for the last few years.  I miss the good ‘ol slasher films from my childhood growing up in the 80’s.    Luckily, thanks to LOST AFTER DARK you can re-visit the glory days of the slasher film.

 

The filmmakers did a remarkable job getting the 80’s feel to the film.   I loved all the clothes, the hair, and even the girl on the bus playing with the Rubik’s Cube!   I also liked the slight grainy look to the film, reminding you of the days of watching films at the theater that were not presented in a crisp, digital display.  But, don’t think that the 80’s setting and look is just a gimmick for this film.  The film itself is a very smart and stylish slasher flick, with some great kills and gore.  It would have stood on it’s own as a great slasher film even if set in modern times.  I think the throwback to the 80’s just added one more element of fun for this film.

 

One thing to note for sure was the acting.  I thought most all of the actors did a great job. I especially liked seeing Robert Patrick  as the tough guy principle.

 

I highly recommend this one.  LOST AFTER DARK is available now on DVD and Blu-ray from Anchor Bay Entertainment.

 

View Story on HayesHudson’sHouseOfHorror

Lost in the ’80s

The horror genre seems to be remembering its roots this year, as many films harken back to the ‘golden age’ of the slasher when acting and sometimes plots came second to a great kill scene.

 

Behold, Lost After Dark, a shameless throwback set in the 80’s leaving a group of horny teenagers in peril at a seemingly abandoned farm house.

 

It may take some cues from the Wrong Turn series, but Lost After Dark is definitely a child of the 80’s with plenty of homages to the Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre series.

 

Add to the mix Robert Patrick, in one of his funniest roles ever, as the High School principal who runs the school like a military boot camp and you have a perfec blend of horror and comedy.

 

For me the best kind of horror films have that perfect mesh of horror and comedy and Lost After Dark gets the balance just right, with some genuine tension alongside some good laughs.

 

Couple this with a genuinely scary killer hunting our protagonists and you have a very fun 80 minues or so in store.

 

It’s been a great year for the genre so far with Tales of Halloween, Christmas Horror Story and The Final Girls all exceeding expectations, now we can also add Lost After Dark to this distinguised group.

 

So sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

View Story on PaulDowney’sBlog

DVD/Movie Review: “Lost After Dark”

Lost After Dark hits most of the right marks to make it a wonderful homage to the 80s slasher craze.
A proper homage can be a hard thing to accomplish. Usually the end product comes off more as a gimmick, mimicking what we knew and loved than an actual product from that time period. Thankfully,Lost After Dark succeeds for the most part in producing a slasher film that really feels like it could’ve come out in the heyday of the slasher uprising in the early 80s. There are a few slips here and there, but the end product bears a strong resemblance to those cheesy flicks we grew up loving…

 

PRODUCT INFORMATION

DISCS: 1
RUN-TIME: 92 min
ASPECT RATIO: 1.78:1
RESOLUTION: 480i
AUDIO: 5.1 Dolby Digital

LANGUAGE: English

SUBTITLES: English, Spanish
REGION: A
RATING: R
PRODUCTION DATE: 2013
RELEASE DATE: Sept 1st, 2015
PLOT SUMMARY

 

Spring Ball, 1984. Adrienne (Kendra Timmins, Midnight Sun, “Wingin’ It”), a straight-A student, joins her quarterback crush Sean (Justin Kelly, Maps To The Stars, Big Muddy) and some friends in sneaking out of their high school dance for some unsupervised mayhem. The teens’ party plans hit a snag when they run out of gas on a deserted road. They head out on foot and discover a rundown farmhouse where they hope to find help. Instead they find themselves at the mercy of Junior Joad (Mark Wiebe, Sweet Karma), a cannibal killer from an urban legend. After friends, the group’s quest for help becomes one of survival. Will anyone survive the brutal murder of one of their night?

 

MOVIE

 

The year is 1984. A group of rowdy teens are up to no good and get stranded at an old abandoned house in the middle of the woods and start getting picked off one by one. Will anyone survive the night, or will they all be lost after dark.

 

Lost After Dark is exactly what you hope it to be, a cheesy throwback flick from a time when slashers were a dime a dozen. The filmmakers, which I’m proud to say are Canadian, have really outdone themselves on producing a flick that could easily be lumped in with other genre classics. That isn’t to say things are perfect. There are times where the movie can look like any other modern day classic, minus the ease of using cell phones to call for help. Also, at one point in the movie, the makers decide to throw a bit of a Grindhouse homage into the mix and it felt completely unnecessary and takes you out of the film. I also would like to mention that the music just didn’t hit the right mark for me. I think there needed to be a bit more synthesizer to complete the package. There is a bit of a synth type score near the end, but for the most part, the movie sounds too modern for my taste.
You will be happy to hear that the film isn’t completely predictable either, as there were a few story choices made that completely shocked me. Also, the film relies for the most part on practical effects, which when you’re doing an 80s homage, it damn well better. However, there are times where CGI was used and I got to say, I’m disappointed to see that. If you’re really going go all out with the 80s look, you better not throw in some CGI work in the mix, or if you are, make it look godawful like the movies did back then. Thankfully, the kills are mostly practical and plenty gory. Last little ding to the films armor that I want to mention, is the lack of nudity. I mean come on! This is supposed to be the 80s, a time of bare flesh. Give me some boobies dammit!

 

It might not be boobies, but at least we get to see Robert Patrick, who has a small role in the film as the Vice-Principal and retired badass soldier.

DVD

Anchor Bay Canada has released Lost After Dark on both Blu-ray and DVD. Unfortunately, I was only able to get my hands on the DVD, so I have no idea how good the Blu-ray looks. The DVD, on the other hand, is not bad. The film is intentionally made to look aged, so the lower quality of DVD doesn’t take too much away from the overall experience. The audio side of things is served up in Dolby Digital 5.1, with optional English and Spanish subtitles. No issues there.
This is one movie I would love to see some special features on, but sadly the DVD and from what I can tell, the Blu-ray, is lacking in any features. Not even a trailer is included.

 

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

– A big ol’ pile of nothing is included.

 

VERDICT

 

As you can tell from my review, Lost After Dark hits most of the right marks to make it a wonderful homage to the 80s slasher craze. There are a few misses, such as music and effects, but the good definitely outweighs the bad with this one. If you’re a fan of the good ol’ days, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with this flick. Give it a watch for sure.

 

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“Standoff” Thriller Acquired By Saban Films

Saban Films has acquired U.S. distribution rights to writer-director Adam Alleca’sStandoff, a thriller starring Laurence Fishburne and Thomas Jane. An early 2016 release is planned. Jane plays Carter, a troubled veteran who gets a chance at redemption by protecting a 12-year-old girl from a vicious assassin (Fishburne) after she witnesses a murder. Holding a shotgun with a single shell, he engages in physical and psychological warfare in a fight for the girl’s life.

 

Tove Christensen, Lee Clay, Eric Gozlan and Michael Wexler produced, and executive producers include George Castrounis, Richard Iott and Hayden Christensen, who also stars in Saban’s upcoming American Heist. Standoff was co-produced by Rosie Komandina.

 

Saban Films recently partnered with Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate on the Cannes pickup A Hologram For The King starring Tom Hanks, and its upcoming titles include the Simon Pegg-Lake Bell rom-com Man UpBacktrack with Adrien Brody and Sam Neill, and USS Indianapolis starring Nicolas Cage.

 

Saban Films president Bill Bromiley and Ness Saban negotiated the Standoff deal with Paradigm on behalf of the filmmakers.

 

View Story on DeadlineHollywood