Back in September I gave you guys the run down on Down The Road (which you can read again here). I was generously provided with a screener of the film this week, and I finally had a chance to watch it last night. Down The Road would make a fantastic drinking game, by the way! If you were to take a shot every time someone said “down the road,” you would be blitzed by the end of the film. But, that would be just part of the fun – because Down The Road is actually a really good, solid film! I just saw that it is #50 on IMDB’s Most Anticipated Films list, and I can see why. Now read on for the review!
In Down The Road, “A father, Hunter Isth, is rocked by a tragic accident in his life. He fleets town and is no longer seen. Partying teenagers fall victim to a town lunatic. Through out the years the stories become urban legends and more than likely, myths. In present day we meet Jenn, a tough and beautiful girl, who has just been released from an extensive stay at the hospital. When her parents bring her home she barely has time to rest as her friends come over and drag her out camping for the weekend.”
Down The Road stars Jen Dance, Shaun Paul Costello (“It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”), Chelsey Garner (Curse of the Weed Eater), Matthew Nadu (The Last Airbender), David J Bonner (You’ll Know My Name), Brian Gallagher (Calender Girl), and award-winning Clint Howard (“Gentle Ben”, Apollo 13). The crew behind the film includes writer, director, producer, and editor Jason Christopher, cinematographer Joseph Hennigan, assistant director Steve Nguyen, and editor Matthew Lauyer.
This team of professional actors and crew really put together a stellar movie!
The only two (and I mean ONLY two) problems I had with the film was I thought the little girl getting ran over by the car was a little hokey; and two very minor editing mistakes.
As far as characters go, it does have your typical horror film stereotypes, but I give major probs to Jason Christopher for creating characters that were stereotypical, but not all together annoying. There were two guys and a girl in particular that I wanted to make it to the end, that didn’t. My two favorite characters were Jared and Michelle. The story was really run of the mill, a guy goes into the woods and becomes an urban legend, but this in particular – the slasher film type – is a favorite of mine so I cannot hate on the plot…at all. There was a substantial amount of blood and gore to keep the fans happy. A killer’s weapon of choice being a sledge-hammer or regular hand hammer always means there will be a couple extra blood splatters. The pace of the film was great. I’m usually one to sit around and say, “Hurry up and do something already, I’m getting bored!” but this movie kept me interested the whole time. Some of the angles and locations used work very well together. One scene in particular, the “survivor girl” running on train tracks, was shot so stunningly and beautifully. I was also impressed with the lighting at night.
So, can you tell that I really enjoyed Down The Road? It has won three awards – “Best Feature” at Shockfest Film Festival, “Best Director” at HorrorQuest Film Festival, and “Best Actor” at HorrorQuest as well…and now I know why! As far as indie horror films go, Down The Road is golden. Everyone involved should be very proud of their efforts. I have had the pleasure of watching this film and hopefully soon all you readers can check it out toot!
PS: Loved the famous last words: “That is a spectacular beard.”
