Lost After Dark is seeing its DVD and Blu-ray release today, but I was able to catch this title On Demand last week. It was a little pricey for an independent title On Demand, but I took a risk on it anyway because the slasher genre is dying out and I needed to show my support in case Lost After Dark turned out to be something special. Well, it is something – a “Degrassi” reunion – but did it deliver on the promises it made? Read my review to find out.
Lost After Dark is written and directed by Ian Kessner with Bo Ransdell. Cast members include Sarah Fisher (“Degrassi: The Next Generation”), Kendra Leigh Timmins (“Wingin’ It”), Elise Gatien (“iZombie”), Justin Kelly (“Degrassi: The Next Generation”), Jesse Camacho (“Less Than Kind”), Stephan James (“The L.A. Complex”), Eve Harlow (“Bitten”), Alexander Calvert (“The Returned”), David Lipper (“Full House”), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2, “True Blood”), Lanie McAuley and Mark Wiebe.
The plot follows eight friends who steal a school bus on the night of a dance with the intention of driving it to a cabin in the woods for a weekend of sex and drinking. On route to their destination, the school bus breaks down, leaving them stranded in the middle of the woods. They seek refuge and a working phone in a secluded farm house with a sinister past. The last inhabitants were cannibals who were killed in a shoot out with the police a few years earlier. As it turns out, one of the cannibals survived the shoot out and he is not too pleased to see the teenagers trespassing around his property…and he’s hungry. One by one they’re slaughtered in this film that pays respect to the great slashers of the 80s.
Ya know… I really wanted to enjoy the Hell out of Lost After Dark, but it just ended up being another generic slasher film to me. It’s an another entry in a long line of movies “styled after 80s slasher flicks” that fails to capture that essence of the golden age of horror. Despite the clothes, the cars, the lingo, the set decoration – which all were on point, by the way – that magic just isn’t there anymore; so you’re left with a movie that takes place in the 80s instead of a film that feels like it was made in the 80s. I felt let down in this regard, the film’s overall generic atmosphere, but that’s the only thing I can harp on. I wanted so much more…
All of the work behind the scenes is absolutely top notch. This was obviously an extremely professional production with incredibly talented people working to make it look like a million bucks. As someone with a degree in film and media, it’s too easy for me to see an error in filming and point it out, but Lost After Dark is literally a flawless movie as far as quality goes. The whole movie takes place at night, but the lighting is exquisite and raises the bar for other filmmakers. This is how you light a movie and make it pop while maintaining natural light. The special effects were great, too, and I especially loved the eye stab scene and the surprise ax to the chest. Again, Lost After Dark is a title that raises the bar when it comes to making independent cinema. Let it serve as an example that high caliber cinema can be made on a smaller budget. Super impressed here and props to cinematographer Curtis Petersen, editor Ron Wisman, production designer Peter Mihaichuk, lighting tech Paul Laurin, the special effects crew, the stunt crew, and everyone who had a hand in making this movie. You guys put in work.
The acting was great, too, and I have to give a special shout out to “Bitten” cast member Eve Harlow. Loved her on the SyFy series and I loved her in this movie as well. The two final girls – you’ll have to watch and see what I mean – Sarah Fisher and Kendra Leigh Timmins were believable in their performances and wrap up my favorites from the cast. Terminator‘s Robert Patrick was a bit too wooden for my tastes, but I think he was supposed to play the character that way. Glad to see he’s still working. Also, I found it cool that most characters were named after horror stars: Laurie (Strode), Adrienne (Barbeau), Jamie (Lee Curtis), Sean (Cunningham), Wes (Craven), Marilyn (Burns), Heather (Langenkamp) and John (Carpenter).
Overall, Lost After Dark is a solid film. As I said, I was let down by the un-originality and because I didn’t feel the magic of the homage. However, it has its strengths in a strong crew, above average cast and fun special effects. I don’t know if I could recommend this title at its full DVD/Blu-ray price, but it’s definitely worth a stream or rental. Final Score: 6 out of 10.
