[Hack]
Plot:Wanting to raise their grades, a handful of college kids are randomly selected for a field trip to study wildlife, but don't get the chance as cliché horror film-style murders occur.

Cast:Danica McKellar, Jay Kenneth Johnson, Juliet Landau, Adrienne Frantz, Tony Burton, Justin Chon, Travis Schuldt, Gabrielle Richens, Burt Young, Sean Kanan, William Forsythe, Kane Hodder, Mike Wittlin, Tammy Felice, Noah Guy. .

My Thoughts:Not bad......not bad at all.

Review:"Hack" is another attempt to spoof the horror genre, but at the same time it doesn't go too overboard in it's attempt, which is what makes it work. After some random guy, played by one Kane Hodder is offed in the films initial scene, the pic then shifts to a group of college students who sail to an island to study wildlife so they can get their GPA's up. The island is owned by a slightly eccentric couple played by Juliet Landau and Sean Kanan. Everything seems copacetic at first, until someone begins picking off the teens one by one in very bloody fashion.

Now they have to figure out who's behind the killings before it's too late. The one thing that "Hack", which was written and directed by Matt Flynn has going for it is that it doesn't play hide and seek with it's killer at all. The film plays out in a way where it reveals who it's killer is pretty early on and doesn't keep the viewer guessing or in the dark for a large portion of the film. I have always been a fan of both methods, as I believe keeping the killer secret adds an ora of mystery to any horror film, while revealing the killers identity early on allows the viewer to get kind of acquainted with the character.

Flynn also spells out early to the viewer what is exactly happening with the murders, as the killer has a method to their madness, and so with the knowledge of what's happening, why, and the party responsible, the viewer can then focus more on deciding who they want or don't want to survive the massacre. "Hack" takes alot of different approaches to dealing with it's villain and I think viewers will be presently surprised. The films cast is an important cog to the movie as well, as joining the veteran Juliet Landau in the film are Danica Mckellar, Adrienne Frantz, Lochlyn Munro, and William Forsythe.

Three pretty accomplished actors. The newcomers are also not bad themselves, and the mix of new and accomplished actors doesn't hinder the movie but is a formula that works in it's advantage in fact. The kills are certainly slasher-movie-worthy, and won't disappoint fans of the slasher subgenre. People get hit with large hammers, sliced up with chainsaws, impaled by axes, and various other bloody methods of death. But the kills are only 50% of what one can appreciate about this movie.

The plot is a pretty smart, clever, and likeable one, and as I stated above, the acting is pretty above average, but the characters...who are very important to the movie, manage to work within it very well. Other than the may or may not be gay asian guy, most of the films characters don't come off as extremely annoying or unwatchable, which is always a plus in the B-horror movie world where annoying characters are a dime a dozen. "Hack"s third act is the smartest part of the movie, as well as the most intense...and Flynn keeps things interesting by not allowing his characters to figure out what's going on, and how much danger they're in until their numbers have been decreased drastically.

Creating a much more intriguing and intense scenario which makes act three the strongest act of the picture. There's also some very interesting twists near the films climax involving the killer, and a few of the victims, which come into play and work really well until a final twist at the end kind of erases all of the good that one of the earlier twists had accomplished. There is a such thing as having one twist too many, and that's one of the few mistakes this film makes.

"Hack" is a good slasher film, which gives me some hope that this sub-genre isn't one nail away from a completely closed coffin, and original ideas are still alive and well out ther ein B-horror movie world. Now if we could only get big studios to put major money behind ideas like "Hack", instead of the latest remake. While "Hack" may not be the most original slasher film you'll ever see, it does just enough new things style wise, combining that with good performances and a strong final act, to be an entertaining and likeable slasher movie.

Positives:Good performances, likeable characters mostly, great kills, lots of blood and gore, interesting twists, and a strong final act.

Negatives:As I said in the review, the films final twist does more to hurt it than help it.

Overall:Good slasher film.





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