Great Film overall

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Best movie of this year hands down!

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

SOUTHBOUND is a solid little horror anthology consisting of five interlocking tales about travellers encountering monstrous nastiness deep in the desert. I found it much better than expected; a B-movie for sure, but one which delivers plenty of bodily fluids and slime for the gore fans, as well as some creepy scenarios and a budget that does justice to the sometimes imaginative set-ups. The opening sequence is particularly creepy, with the sight of those winged skeletal things enough to send shivers down the spine; if anything, the subsequent tales get darker and darker until they reach a pitch-black level.

If you want something other than a generic, mass-produced, slasher/creature feature horror movie that actually has a deeper meaning and makes you think, then look no further, and go watch this movie. Weird. I feel like I just said this moments ago. Never mind.Before we start, what I don't understand is why people are complaining about the stories being insufficiently explained. Those people obviously don't realize what makes a good horror movie. Let me remind you of what Stephen King once wrote - "Nightmares exist outside of logic, and there's little fun to be had in explanations; they're antithetical to the poetry of fear." In a good horror story, there shouldn't be an explanation. The unanswered mystery is what stays with us the longest. Besides, if you pay enough attention while watching the movie, you'll get every explanation you need (spoilers ahead): *SPOILER ALERT!!!* The movie is actually set in Hell, represented by a highway in the middle of nowhere, and it tells the stories of the people who are suffering an eternity in a loop there by showing why they landed there in the first place. It's a haunting collection of tales of constant agony of reliving the sins and personal horrors of every character. Every bit of cleverly placed foreshadowing detail about the characters and their sins reveals so much about who they are as people, and this tied in with their actions and behavior serve to tell a complete, full story about each and every one of them. And that's what makes this movie a storytelling masterpiece. It makes you use your head, think, ponder, realize, and ultimately reflect on every single second of it.*SPOILERS END HERE!!!* To sum it all up, if you want something other than a generic, mass-produced, slasher/creature feature horror movie that actually has a deeper meaning and makes you think, then look no further, and go watch this movie. Weird. I feel like I just said this moments ago. Never mind.

I won't argue low reviews, everybody is entitled their opinion, but I am very disappointed this is currently at a 5.9. The thread that ties these stories together is that these people deserve to be here or play some part in this world. I like that the filmmakers don't see fit to explain why they belong there: once the premise is established, you assume they belong and don't need to know any more about it. It's almost fun how they avoid over-explaining. The acting was good, the creepy moments were sufficiently creepy, the gory moments sufficiently gory, and despite not giving you much to connect to, the characters are portrayed in a way that you can root for or against them.I think the filmmakers set themselves a common thread and were able to tie the four separate stories together expertly. I don't want to blow this up so you approach it with any expectations. If you like horror anthologies, please just check this one out.

What's really the most fun about this film is how all the segments, while being original stories in their own right, are all tied together in some way so that everything that happens feels like it's all connected (there seem to be some theories out there about this, and while I picked up on some of it, I don't think any of it matters much in the grand scheme of things--it's just for good fun, nothing profound).The first segment is also the last in a way, the so-called wraparound. It's directed by the group Radio Silence, who had one of the better segments in the original V/H/S but whose Devil's Due was a trainwreck. Unfortunately this segment is closer to the latter. There are some creatures seeking payment, "looking to collect" as one character puts it. These creatures inspire dread at first, but are quickly shown way too much and their CGI feel detracts overall. On the other end is a basic home invasion part that lasts way too long until the reveal of how it ties together.The second segment, "Siren", is an interesting oddity until you realize it has nowhere to go and nothing to say. It sets you up with a subplot about grief and some genuine unease (and great chemistry between the leads) but then it just goes casually and boringly stupid. The best part about it is the transition to the next segment.The third segment, "The Accident", is quite good and probably the best of the bunch. It's about a guy trying to save a woman's life after hitting her with his car. The only person he can "find", is the 911 operator on his phone. He goes through a creepy abandoned hospital and performs surgery all while listening to the laughing delight of more and more listeners on the other end of his phone. It's a weird one and transfixing.The fourth segment, "Jailbreak", is also quite good. It's probably the trippiest of the bunch. It's about a guy who is trying to save his long missing sister from a parallel dimension he doesn't begin to understand- -and that she doesn't want to leave. There isn't much else to this one, just unease and a brooding efficiency leading to a final scene you probably saw coming.