Reeker

Reeker (2005) is a fun B-horror flick set at an abandoned motel in the middle of the desert. Five college kids (who, oddly, only vaguely know each other) head off to a massive rave in the middle of the desert. But when their car runs out of gas, they're forced to a stop at a deserted diner/motel. But something's not quite right. The diner hasn't been abandoned for long. There's food still on the tables and a cigarette still smoldering in an ashtray. The highway is eerily empty, even for the middle of nowhere. Cell phones find no signal. Scanning the radio dial and the CB waves reveals little more than staticky fragments. Now the kids are left to puzzle out this unsettling mystery as night falls and a foul-smelling killer stalks and kills them one by one.

This film from writer/director/composer Dave Payne really excels in many aspects but falls flat in a few others. Payne obviously put the most effort into the movie's score, which is a great mix of traditional and quirky contemporary. However, writing is obviously not his strong suit. Some of the film's dialogue is so bad as to be down-right cringe-inducing, the characters resemble horror movie archtypes a little too much, and the pacing in the middle of the film slows to a snoozing crawl. There are some serious duh moments in this film. You'll want to bang your head against the wall every time the group decides to split up and leave the blind guy all alone. Let me repeat that: they leave their BLIND friend all alone at a spooky motel in the middle of nowhere while a killer is on the loose. WTF?? And the mood swings violently from time to time. The action and dialogue goes from campy and goofy to deep and maudlin in a heartbeat, and these transitions are very distracting.

The movie starts off with a bang and great promise, featuring some shocking gore, and some pretty good makeup and effects. But everything slows way down in the middle, as the Reeker knocks off his victims at the leisurely pace of a Sunday picnic. The pacing is not all bad, though. It gives the director the time and space to insert the subtly creepy details that the audience can only fully appreciate in light of the movie's ending.

The killer's identity, motives, and appearance are kept shrouded in mystery until the end, and this really rachets the tension up. The audience is right there with the characters, completely fucking clueless as to what is going on and who or what may be stalking them. Even the killer's weapons aren't revealed until the middle of the film, but this is hardly helpful in figuring out the mystery. More than ever, you're left scratching your head and wondering what in the hell is going on. When the Reeker's physical appearance is revealed with about 20 minutes to go (but not his identity, they wisely save that til the very end), the disappointment is palpable. Not only are the effects used for the Reeker not the match of those used at the beginning of the film, but the revealed killer hardly lives up to the mysterious dread he previously inspired.

On the whole, I was pretty satisfied with this flick. The ending is not completely original (I know of two other films with a similar twist), but in this age of remakes, reboots, and rampant copying, Reeker is still pretty fresh. The effects were above average, the music was good, the atmosphere was chilling, and the attention to detail was applaudable. Had this film had a solid cast and some decent writing, it would've been great. As it stands, it's still pretty good and definitely entertaining.

Storyline & plot: 8/10

Cinematography & effects: 7/10

Music & mood: 8/10

Performances: 5/10

The Reverend says: 7/10