If you are a horror fan, then maybe you have a predisposition to like this film merely because it is not garbage. Maybe you spend hours watching b-movie drivel and this was appealing because it had pseudo-competent actors and decent production value for what it attempted. But I was disappointed because of story. The end does not justify the means in this case. Yes, there was a twist, but a trick ending does not justify a lack of story logic to get there. This is a clear case of the script being written to the movie's end rather than building it on real human actions or the development of the characters. In order for the end to be believable, you have to get the viewer there first.
It was lost for me once they got lost and kept driving down this endless road. No one reacted realistically to any of the deaths. They keep driving down the same road despite it's 'horrors'. No one would do that. The mother would throw away the cell phone because she was scared. That was a 'contrivance'. A shotgun they bought as a present for an Uncle just happens to be in the back seat? Contrivance. They never once try to turn around and go back to the highway. Unrealistic. The characters were all clichés. There was enough substance and humor to keep me watching through the end but largely because Ray Wise gave life to an unrealistic character. No one loses a family member in a dark side road and then drives on hoping that something better will happen. I'm all for suspension of disbelief but...come on. Having said all of that, I respect what the directors tried to achieve. I just wish they had let another writer polish the script before they started. Story is everything. It goes beyond new twists in the genre or guessing the ending. Cinema is a journey not a destination. It takes you out of your everyday life by getting caught up in another reality for a couple of hours. That reality has to be REAL or it doesn't work.
It can forgive the lack of FX and the missed continuity or even the wilding beating pulse in the neck of the mother once she was 'dead'. That happens in even big budget films. That's expected in low budget. But the story has to be solid. You can't just buy it with a gimmick alone.
It was lost for me once they got lost and kept driving down this endless road. No one reacted realistically to any of the deaths. They keep driving down the same road despite it's 'horrors'. No one would do that. The mother would throw away the cell phone because she was scared. That was a 'contrivance'. A shotgun they bought as a present for an Uncle just happens to be in the back seat? Contrivance. They never once try to turn around and go back to the highway. Unrealistic. The characters were all clichés. There was enough substance and humor to keep me watching through the end but largely because Ray Wise gave life to an unrealistic character. No one loses a family member in a dark side road and then drives on hoping that something better will happen. I'm all for suspension of disbelief but...come on. Having said all of that, I respect what the directors tried to achieve. I just wish they had let another writer polish the script before they started. Story is everything. It goes beyond new twists in the genre or guessing the ending. Cinema is a journey not a destination. It takes you out of your everyday life by getting caught up in another reality for a couple of hours. That reality has to be REAL or it doesn't work.
It can forgive the lack of FX and the missed continuity or even the wilding beating pulse in the neck of the mother once she was 'dead'. That happens in even big budget films. That's expected in low budget. But the story has to be solid. You can't just buy it with a gimmick alone.