Week 5 (July 19 – 25) – Sub Rosa Studio
Ron Bonk’s SRS Cinema has been providing the underground with TOP QUALITY GRIME since the 90s. Not only does he release a deluge of Sharksploitation, Amityville ripoffs, and Cocaine-addicted critter flicks, he also distributes auteurist masterpieces like Tim Ritter’s Truth or Dare? – A Critical Madness, Hugh Gallagher’s Gore Trilogy and the Polonia Brothers’ Hallucinations, plus he’s moved into the world of Japanese kaiju cinema with Howl From Beyond the Fog and The Whale God.
Five years after graduating high school, a group of friends gathers at an isolated cabin in the woods for a reunion. Yes, they’re all going to die, just from that sentence.
The gathering is spearheaded by Rebecca (Elizabeth Diaz), who wrote a bestselling book about her buddies that left them less than thrilled with their portrayals. She hopes to clear the air and apologize alongside her new hunk of a boyfriend, Matt (Ryan Shank). Naturally, the reunion quickly descends into a classic slasher playground filled with alcohol, drugs, sex, loud music and ill-fated party games. The tension builds as old rivalries flare up, especially with Krista (Kimberly Magness), who has always lusted after Matt and views Rebecca with fierce competition.
Peace doesn’t last long, as a mysterious figure clad in a full suit of armor crashes the party with a twisted, bloody agenda. Starting with Heather (Jessica Ritacco), who meets her end when the knight rolls a car right over her head, which isn’t really a medieval-themed way to kill someone, the body count climbs. Stoners fall victim to strangulation and jagged bong glass, while the sword comes out to claim Julie (Julie Ek), her husband Rich (Tyler Christie) and the wonderfully tragic Amy (Kylee Campbell).
This is yet another slasher that should warn you, if you’re still in high school, to never make fun of anyone, narc on them, steal their lover or go to a reunion after high school. I’ve never gone to a single one of mine, and I am still alive, so this is not a hypothesis. Also: I would probably be the one looking for revenge, but let’s not get into that.
A lot of reviews for this hated it. What did they expect from a shot on digital video slasher in the woods that just happens to have a knight costume? Points for the killer getting everyone tripping balls on shrooms before killing them. That’s planning, and it’s the kind of skill they should have on their LinkedIn.
You can watch this on Tubi.
