I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

recommended

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Troubled and mentally unstable Ellen Morris (a solid and sympathetic performance by Blythe Metz) is being stalked by an evil and deadly demonic being known as the Nightmare Man (a genuinely creepy portrayal by Aaron Sherry). Ellen seeks shelter at a cabin in the isolated woods where two young adult couples are staying. Naturally, the Nightmare Man comes after all of them. Writer/director Rolfe Kanefsky ably crafts a dandy and dynamic blend of in-your-face visceral horror, wickedly amusing dark sarcastic humor, cheerfully nasty splatter, and truly enticing titillation; he keeps the pace brisk swift and constant throughout, builds a considerable amount of suspense, relates the simple, yet effective and engrossing premise in an admirably snappy and straightforward manner, delivers a few nifty plot twists, makes excellent and unsettling use of the remote nocturnal sylvan setting, and further spices things up with some yummy female nudity and a handy helping of graphic gore. Moreover, the game and attractive cast really sink their teeth into the fun material: Metz makes for an appealing heroine, the always sexy and vibrant Tiffany Shepis nearly steals the whole show with her delightfully sassy'n'spunky portrayal of the brash and resolute Mia, plus there are fine turns by Luciano Szafir as Ellen's duplicitous husband William, James Ferris as the practical, take-charge Jack, Hanna Putnam as the sweet Trinity, and Jack Sway as the boyish Ed. Paul Deng's slick and lively cinematography gives the picture an extra invigorating adrenaline rush with its whiplash pans and vertiginous Steadicam work. Christopher Farrell's robust and shivery score hits the spine-tingling spot. A very worthwhile and enjoyable fright feature.

Wow, this movie was downright bad. From the acting to the score to the screenplay to the direction, just downright bad. I think the writer didn't realize that fertility deals with procreation, not libido. The biggest problem with this movie is apparent from the get-go. Generally in movies you pull for a hero, whether them likely or not. Films have protagonists and the audience is supposed to like or care for them depending on the context. In order for this film to work, we have to truly care for the well-being and safety of said protagonist. The character is terribly written; she's whiny, bitchy, and full of inconsistency. The actress makes it worse. She's just terrible. Literally unbelievably bad. The plot is weak, and the "twist" is seen miles away. Very obvious, yet it doesn't make much sense. The minor characters are fluff at best, and the "being" is hilarious. It isn't one of those, "so bad it's good" things, you actually find yourself forcing laughter at just how terrible this is. The score reminds me of shaking uncontrollably in a cold sweat. It's uncomfortable, annoying and headache-inducing. All in all, this movie is only worth a viewing if you're attempting to show someone how NOT to make a film. You could point out plot, screenplay, direction, cinematography, acting, characters, score, visuals, et cetera. There are times we are all tempted to watch something so horrible, we get chuckles. This is NOT that film. Just stay away if you know what's good for you.

Not that I am saying this movie was all bad, but that was the highlight and if the sexy talk is the highlight of a horror movie then it is not much of a horror film in the end. The story has this woman who seems to be having a bit of trouble on the marital front. Her solution to the problems seems to be to order some love god mask, they instead seem to send her the evil demon love god mask and throughout the movie you wander if this manifest ion is real or not. She is being driven to the mental institution by her husband they break down and she is seemingly stalked and attacked by this person or thing while her husband is getting gas. Meanwhile, somewhere in the woods there is a house with two couples. Two very cute girls who are friends and their boyfriends. They play truth or dare and then the crazy...or not, girl ends up in their care. Well lets just say there is somebody out there trying to get at her as he quickly steals a crossbow and handles the one guy while he is being mooned. However, you still don't know if it is the mysterious nightmare man the girl goes on about or something else. The husband is heading for the cabin though and soon afterward so are the police. This movie had potential as do most horror movies and like so many they just miss some stuff. On the plus side you get to see a couple of good kills, some good nudity, and the end was rather good too. However, I was kind of hoping for something more in the lines of say an Evil Dead movie rather than a typical slasher film with a twist here and there. So far out of the three Afterdark movies in this new batch this is the strongest, sadly though compared to the last batch this one would be tied with Penny Dreadful as the weakest in my eyes.

The quick and dirty version of this movie without any spoilers - it changes the type of movie it's trying to be too many times! The problem with movies that do that is they don't do any one right. Good slashers stick with something - suspense, believability, etc. and run with it. The five is because it does entertain the viewer, but the acting is average and the movie does not give you something to think about after the credits role. Bottom line for those deciding whether or not to watch this movie - if you're hinging an evening on this flick, skip it. If it's a rainy day and there is quite nothing else to do, crack open that bottle of cognac and half of your attention will suffice to get the full value of this one.